CarTold

2018 vs. 2019 Nissan Altima: What Changed

The 2019 Nissan Altima has several substantial changes in the specifications and ratings we track compared with 2018.

EPA lists a 2.0-litre four-cylinder for 2019 that does not appear in the 2018 listing.

The 3.5-litre six-cylinder is listed for 2018 but not for 2019.

All-wheel drive is listed for 2019 and not for 2018.

The best combined rating for the 2.5-litre four-cylinder rises from 31 to 32 mpg.

One campaign covers both years. One campaign (latches/locks/linkages) covers the 2018 and not the 2019, while six campaigns (back over prevention, engine and engine cooling, exterior lighting and others) cover the 2019 and not the 2018.

Fewer campaigns do not establish better reliability. Confirm each car's coverage and repair status by VIN.

The campaigns that separate them

Imported NHTSA recall campaigns that name one of these two model years but not the other, with their component labels. Campaigns covering both years are left out of this list.

Only the 2018

  • 20V315000 latches/locks/linkages

Only the 2019

  • 18V922000 fuel system
  • 19V235000 exterior lighting
  • 19V316000 fuel system
  • 21V169000 tires
  • 23V628000 back over prevention
  • 25V437000 engine and engine cooling
A campaign may cover only part of a model year's production. Use the campaign number to ask an authorized dealer whether the car's VIN is included and what work remains. Our recall tool finds model-year campaigns; this guide explains the vehicle-specific check.

Side by side

2018 2019
Engines listed 2.5L 4-cyl, 3.5L V6 2.0L 4-cyl, 2.5L 4-cyl
Drive types Front-Wheel Drive Front-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive
Fuel types Regular Gasoline Regular Gasoline
Combined MPG 26–31 29–32
Recall campaigns 2 7
Complaints on file 225 231
Investigations 4 2
Complaint totals reflect different time on the road, sales and reporting. They cannot rank these years for reliability. The categories below identify symptoms to read about, not failure odds. How reporting time affects the comparison.

What owners reported, by system

2018

Other 70 (31%)
Electrical 36 (16%)
Brakes 32 (14%)

2019

Other 74 (32%)
Electrical 56 (24%)
Engine 42 (18%)

Full reports

Open each year's report to read the recall, investigation, manufacturer communication and EPA variant records on file:

2018 Altima full report 2019 Altima full report Every Altima year compared

Sources and methodology