Nissan Altima reliability by year
44 recall campaigns and 12,144 owner complaints across 21 model years. Best year to buy: 2022. Year to avoid: 2013.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 12 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 21 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 82, more than the 44 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Altima aggregated across 21 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Nissan Altima?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2022 Nissan Altima scores 8.6/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2025 range. 20 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Nissan Altima year should I avoid?
The 2013 Nissan Altima scores 4.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 2,309 owner complaints with NHTSA, 12 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2013 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Nissan Altima should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2020 (avoid — the electrical system — 6 fire-related complaints on the electrical system); 2017 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 130 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 50,000–88,000 mi); 2016 (avoid — the electrical system — 1 fatality report and 1 fire-related complaint on the electrical system); 2015 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 157 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 32,594–90,000 mi); 2009 (avoid — the cruise-control — 1 fatality report and 9 crash-related complaints on the cruise-control); 2008 (avoid — the powertrain — 6 fire-related complaints on the engine). The cleaner years on the data are 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Nissan Altima are tracked?
21 model years (2005 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 44 distinct recall campaigns and 12,144 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 82 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Nissan Altima?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 1,914 complaints across 18 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.