2004 Nissan Altima Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Altima years
- About as many complaints as other years 15th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 276 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Nissan Altima. That ranks 15th out of 32 Altima model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (109 complaints, 39%), typically at around 67,000 miles. Complaints mention 14 crashes, 3 fires, 11 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
- 276owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 14complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Nissan Altima problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 109 | 39% | 67,000 | “position sensor” (21%) | $480 |
| Structure | 42 | 15% | 114,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 32 | 12% | 53,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 30 | 11% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 17 | 6% | 61,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 11 | 4% | 107,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 11 | 4% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 10 | 4% | 39,554 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 3% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 9 | 3% | 113,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 2% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 6 | 2% | 51,413 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 2% | 109,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 4 | 1% | 80,977 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 1% | 37,355 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 1% | 95,295 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 1% | 1,100 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 5,240 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 1% | 61,947 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | 780 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0% | 40,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Nissan Altima recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crank angle sensor is affected by temperature variations. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
Risk: If the interruption in the signal from the sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ecm) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the ecm free of charge. The recall began on august 21, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The car has a fuel problem and crankshaft position sensor issue causing the car to die and also not start up normal idling. When I do get it to start up it idles very groggy.
The crankshaft position sensor (cps) was not responsive when the repair shop was testing the vehicle because of the "service engine soon" light came on. After a short search online they 1.) Had no signal to the cps from the pcm 2.) That there was also a voluntary recall by nissan for this issue…
This is the second time that i had to replace the transmission on this car then the axle twice and the brakes then etc
The frame of the vehicle is rusting away. There is a hole in the floor board on passenger side, from underneath the vehicle from rust. You can feel around the frame of the car and chunks of metal fall off . This was noticed during maintenance on the vehicle . Car was stationary , i had noticed that…
My vehicle was in a front collision at 35mph. The driver was the only occupant in the vehicle at the time of the accident. The passenger airbag deployed there was no one sitting in that seat. The driver airbag did not deploy.
Other Nissan Altima years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Altima | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 Altima | 7 | 2 |
| 2024 Altima | 41 | 1 |
| 2023 Altima | 30 | 0 |
| 2022 Altima | 31 | 0 |
| 2021 Altima | 70 | 2 |
| 2020 Altima | 158 | 6 |
| 2019 Altima | 233 | 7 |
| 2018 Altima | 226 | 2 |
| 2017 Altima | 391 | 3 |
| 2016 Altima | 554 | 4 |
| 2015 Altima | 955 | 10 |
| 2014 Altima | 1,114 | 8 |
| 2013 Altima | 2,313 | 12 |
| 2012 Altima | 426 | 4 |
| 2011 Altima | 241 | 1 |
| 2010 Altima | 381 | 3 |
| 2009 Altima | 1,547 | 4 |
| 2008 Altima | 1,030 | 4 |
| 2007 Altima | 471 | 3 |
| 2006 Altima | 824 | 3 |
| 2005 Altima | 1,091 | 1 |
| 2004 | 276 | 1 |
| 2003 Altima | 883 | 4 |
| 2002 Altima | 1,047 | 5 |
| 2001 Altima | 159 | 1 |
| 2000 Altima | 160 | 1 |
| 1999 Altima | 87 | 0 |
| 1998 Altima | 123 | 0 |
| 1997 Altima | 108 | 1 |
| 1996 Altima | 92 | 0 |
| 1995 Altima | 180 | 3 |
See all Nissan Altima problems by year, every Nissan model, or the Nissan VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Nissan Altima?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, structure, electrical system problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 109 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Nissan Altima?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Nissan Altima a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Altima model years, the 2004 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.