2017 Nissan Altima: Common Problems, Recalls and Vehicle Data

What the public data shows

The 2017 Nissan Altima's public record includes three recall campaigns, 390 complaints filed with NHTSA, and three investigations. The most notable item is a repeat repair: campaign 18V915000 supersedes an earlier campaign, 17V040. That means Nissan issued a second recall covering rear passenger doors opening while the vehicle is in motion after the first fix, done under 17V040, did not resolve the issue. A third recall, 20V315000, covers a separate latch concern involving hood corrosion. Of the three investigations listed, one remains open: EA21002, concerning the driver-side frontal air bag inflator module. An open investigation reflects a question regulators are examining, not a confirmed defect. The other two, both closed, involved the rear suspension. Complaints are led by drivetrain issues, cited in 131 of 390 filings, followed by a general "other" category at 98 and airbag-related complaints at 69. These figures describe how owners categorized their reports to NHTSA, not a measured rate of failure across all vehicles of this model year. Separately, service bulletins for this model year total 244, with the largest clusters touching the power train (38) and the electrical system (37). Bulletins are manufacturer guidance to dealers for addressing symptoms, not recalls, but they indicate where dealer attention was directed most often.

390 complaints on file with NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, grouped into CarTold's broad component categories.

Most frequently reported, by the specific component NHTSA logged each complaint under (not CarTold's category groupings above):

• POWER TRAIN — 93 complaints (24%)
• AIR BAGS — 59 complaints (15%)
• UNKNOWN OR OTHER — 39 complaints (10%)
• ENGINE — 17 complaints (4%)
• STRUCTURE — 14 complaints (4%)
• LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES — 13 complaints (3%)

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.

Consequence: Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If the primary latch is inadvertently released again and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owner’s Manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: Recall 16V-029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 Altimas and this recall applies to all vehicles covered by 16V-029 even if those repairs have already been performed.

STRUCTURE:EMERGENCY:ESCAPE/EGRESS/EXIT

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles, previously remedied under recall number 17V-040. The door latch-lock cable may not have been routed properly in the rear door when the remedy was applied. As a result, the cable may interfere with the window regulator causing the rear passenger door to unlatch and inadvertently open without warning when the window is lowered.

Consequence: If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will secure the latch-lock cables in the correct position using the new remedy procedure, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7669.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles. The rear door latch/lock cable on the vehicles may have been improperly routed. As a result, lowering a rear window may inadvertently cause that door to unlatch and open.

Consequence: If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will correct the rear door latch/lock cable routing, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE, AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Opened 2021-09-17

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.…

SUSPENSION:REAR

Opened 2019-07-29 · Closed 2025-06-16

On July 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened EA19002 to investigate instances of alleged rear lower control arm failures in 2013-2018 Nissan Altima and 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima vehicles. At the time the investigation was opened ODI had 91 consumer complaints alleging rear lower control arm failures in the subject vehicles.ODI was concerned about these complaints because many of them alleged an increased steering effort or loss of vehicle control.At the time these complaints were received, ODI was also aware of a proactive service campaign addressing 2013 Nissan Altima in …

SUSPENSION:REAR

Opened 2018-12-01 · Closed 2019-08-21

PE18-013 was opened on December 1, 2018, with 4 complaints to ODI alleging incidents of the lower control arm fracturing at a connection point to the vehicle chassis due to corrosion. ODI has received an additional 87 complaints since the PE was opened. During PE18-013, Nissan indicated model years 2013-2018 shared a common rear lower control arm design. Nissan provided complaint and warranty data regarding 48 incidents of the subject failure. The majority of the complaints are from vehicles registered in salt belt states. There have been no crashes, injuries, or fatalities confirmed as of th…

NHTSA crash-tests each body-style/drivetrain configuration separately, so ratings can differ by variant — shown as tested, not averaged. See how the 5-star ratings work, including why an overall score isn't the average of the three category scores.