Nissan Altima

4,078 complaints across 12 scored model years and 33 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Nissan Altima Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2013 vs model median 5.4×

Model median3× median

Airbags & Restraints 346

Drivetrain 207

Body & Interior 129

Avoid

2013 · 2014

Best

2011 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Nissan Altima
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.97×	176	C
2011	0.49×	84	A
2012	1.02×	196	C
2013	5.44×	1,172	F
2014	2.46×	503	F
2015	2.22×	489	F
2016	1.71×	379	D
2017	1.20×	241	C
2018	0.93×	230	C
2019	0.96×	188	C
2020	0.86×	169	C
2021	0.42×	86	B
2022 P	0.29×	55	A
2023 P	0.27×	39	A
2024 P	0.39×	61	A
2025 P	0.06×	10	A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	29.5
City / Highway	26 / 36
Engine	2.5L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,100

Recalls

33 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
16V244000	AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION	2013–2016	3,296,947
20V315000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH	2013–2018	1,831,818
19V654000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2018, 2019	1,228,830
14V138000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2013, 2014	989,701
16V029000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH	2013–2015	846,000
15V116000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH	2013–2015	625,400
25V437000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL	2019, 2020	443,899
17V040000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	2015–2017	341,005

+ 25 further campaigns

Others in Midsize Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura TL	2012	C
Acura TLX	20152020	C
Acura TSX	2010	C
Alfa Romeo Giulia	2017	C
Audi A4	none flagged	B
Audi A4 Allroad	2013	C
Audi A5	none flagged	C
Audi S4	none flagged	B

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2013 Altima

Complaints in window: 1,172
Severity-weighted: 1,675.5
Model median (weighted): 308
vs model median: 5.44×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 12
Open investigations: 1

Score 6.7 F