2003 Nissan Altima Structure Problems
Owners have filed 126 complaints with NHTSA about structure problems on the 2003 Nissan Altima, 14% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 111,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “side floor” (23% of reports).
- 126structure complaints
- 111,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $2,850typical repair cost reported by owners
- 18%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Side floor: mentioned in 29 of 126 complaints (23%)
- Completely rusted: mentioned in 17 of 126 complaints (13%)
- Hole passenger: mentioned in 8 of 126 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical structure repair on the 2003 Nissan Altima at $2,850, and half of them between $1,850 and $4,250.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2009–2017), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do structure problems happen?
Based on 102 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 126 complaints, 1 mention a crash.
Nissan Altima structure complaints by model year
| Model year | Structure complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Altima | 1 | 14% | — |
| 2024 Altima | 5 | 12% | 80,000 |
| 2022 Altima | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2021 Altima | 1 | 1% | 2,000 |
| 2020 Altima | 6 | 4% | 25,000 |
| 2019 Altima | 6 | 3% | 16,100 |
| 2018 Altima | 3 | 1% | — |
| 2017 Altima | 18 | 5% | 57,150 |
| 2016 Altima | 29 | 5% | 31,005 |
| 2015 Altima | 63 | 7% | 58,000 |
| 2014 Altima | 52 | 5% | 55,000 |
| 2013 Altima | 134 | 6% | 51,475 |
| 2012 Altima | 33 | 8% | 50,000 |
| 2011 Altima | 27 | 11% | 50,000 |
| 2010 Altima | 30 | 8% | 61,000 |
| 2009 Altima | 90 | 6% | 60,000 |
| 2008 Altima | 312 | 30% | 65,550 |
| 2007 Altima | 27 | 6% | 73,752 |
| 2006 Altima | 221 | 27% | 100,360 |
| 2005 Altima | 351 | 32% | 103,000 |
| 2004 Altima | 42 | 15% | 114,000 |
| 2003 Altima | 126 | 14% | 111,000 |
| 2002 Altima | 128 | 12% | 100,000 |
| 2001 Altima | 4 | 3% | 38,005 |
| 2000 Altima | 5 | 3% | 135,350 |
| 1999 Altima | 4 | 5% | 160,000 |
| 1998 Altima | 6 | 5% | 140,000 |
| 1997 Altima | 8 | 7% | 169,000 |
| 1996 Altima | 4 | 4% | — |
| 1995 Altima | 4 | 2% | 41,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists structure for the 2003 Nissan Altima. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being repaired at an independent mechanic, the mechanic informed the contact that there was rusting on the front driverâs side floor pan. The contact also noticed that the front driverâs side floorboard was…
My exhaust system is to low that it hits every bump even when driving slow ,when they lifted the car underneath the car there's a yellow mark from all the speed bumps .also the door handles from the drivers n passenger snap off when i try to enter my vehicle .the shocks don't know if this is why…
Had to replace front passenger floor pan because there was a hole about 15 inches long and 5 inches wide due to rust. My front subframe is completely rusted at this point. Rust is expected in new york due to salt, but after talking with nissan they said they have not heard anyone else having issues…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Nissan Altimas have structure problems?
No. NHTSA has 126 owner complaints about structure for the 2003 Nissan Altima (14% of the 883 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Nissan Altima structure?
No recall currently lists structure for this vehicle.
At what mileage do structure problems start?
The median reported mileage is 111,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix structure problems on the 2003 Nissan Altima?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,850 (half paid between $1,850 and $4,250), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about structure problems on the 2003 Nissan Altima?
The most frequent phrase is “side floor”, in 29 of 126 complaints, followed by “completely rusted” (17).
Other 2003 Nissan Altima problems
See all 2003 Nissan Altima problems or structure problems across all Altima years.