2015 Nissan Altima Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · 955 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Altima years
Far more complaints than other years 7th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
5 out of 5 stars

Owners have filed 955 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Nissan Altima. That ranks 7th out of 32 Altima model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (270 complaints, 28%), typically at around 68,000 miles. Complaints mention 46 crashes, 5 fires, 27 injuries. There are 10 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.

Nissan Altima
A 2023 Nissan Altima SR I photographed in Lompoc, California. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: LukaCali, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

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Most common 2015 Nissan Altima problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Exterior Lighting270 · ~68,000 mi
Air Bags177 · ~30,400 mi
Power Train161 · ~61,500 mi
Unknown or Other93 · ~45,000 mi
Engine66 · ~55,000 mi
Suspension64 · ~68,656 mi
Structure63 · ~58,000 mi
Electrical System56 · ~35,000 mi
Steering48 · ~14,500 mi
Latches/locks/linkages44 · ~76,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Exterior Lighting problems27028%68,000“low beam” (28%)$1,350
Air Bags problems17719%30,400“air bag” (51%)$1,800
Power Train problems16117%61,500“cvt transmission” (12%)$5,850
Unknown or Other9310%45,000——
Engine problems667%55,000“press gas” (8%)—
Suspension problems647%68,656“control arm” (64%)—
Structure problems637%58,000“hood latch” (21%)—
Electrical System problems566%35,000——
Steering485%14,500——
Latches/locks/linkages445%76,000——
Vehicle Speed Control384%40,000——
Service Brakes263%34,000——
Visibility/wiper263%52,500——
Fuel/propulsion System253%56,000——
Wheels172%25,972——
Seat Belts101%7,033——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)71%33,315——
Visibility51%11,451——
Seats40%1,688——
Forward Collision Avoidance30%———
Fuel System, Gasoline30%146,000——
Equipment20%1,511——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility10%141——
Lane Departure10%———
Other/i Am Not Sure10%———
Tires10%68,656——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2019, with 138 complaints
2014: 3201432015: 402015402016: 882016882017: 712017712018: 822018822019: 13820191382020: 13020201302021: 11320211132022: 10620221062023: 612023612024: 512024512025: 352025352026: 37202637

n = 955 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2015 Nissan Altima recalls (10)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latchMay 28, 2020 · NHTSA campaign 20V315000 · 1,831,818 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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; latches/locks/linkages:doors:latchDec 19, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V915000 · 341,003 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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:latchJan 18, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V040000 · 341,005 vehicles

Problem: 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.

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

Fix: 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:sensor:occupant classificationDec 19, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V911000 · 757 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.

Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air bags:sensor:occupant classificationApr 26, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V244000 · 3,296,947 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latchJan 22, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V029000 · 846,000 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, Nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116.

Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliperNov 5, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V733000 · 119 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Altima and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured October 6, 2015, to October 7, 2015. The affected vehicles have front brake calipers whose mounting bolts may not be properly tightened.

Risk: If the bolts were not properly tightened, the caliper may detach and reduce braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will check the brake caliper mounting bolts, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Air bags:sensor:occupant classification; air bags:frontalOct 20, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V681000 · 919 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.

Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Fuel system, gasolineAug 4, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V486000 · 46,846 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.

Risk: If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latchFeb 27, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V116000 · 625,400 vehicles

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V-565.

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.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
  • Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure (EA19002) — opened Jul 29, 2019, closed Jun 16, 2025.
  • Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure (PE18013) — opened Dec 1, 2018, closed Aug 21, 2019.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

On Sunday 10/04/26, the hood unexpectedly flew open while I was driving. I am very lucky I was the only person on the road at the time this occurred as this blocked all of my visibility. I had to stop my vehicle with the hood completely blocking the windshield, I could barely get the hood back down…

Unknown or Other · received Oct 12, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11770674

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a used car dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 73,328, and the Carfax report provided by the Bank listed the mileage as…

Electrical System · received Sep 28, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11767543

The headlights are so dim we cannot see safely at night, we have had everything professionally cleaned and installed new super bright bulbs, it has made zero difference. Does someone really have to die for this to be taken seriously? There was a huge lawsuit apparently but we never heard about it…

Exterior Lighting · received Sep 18, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11765361

My car was hit and airbags did not deploy from driver side. The front driver side of my car is totalled. Not sure what force of an impact is needed for airbags to deploy but if my driver side tire rod broke and tire came off is this not sufficient force. This 2015 Nissan Altima has had many…

Air Bags · received Sep 11, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11763563

A vehicle airbag light is staying on which indicates my airbags will not work this is a common problem in a 2015 Nissan Altima SL but it is not showing up as a recall on my certain vehicle. This recently started happening at 114,000 miles. When the light first came on it would go on and off at…

Air Bags · received Sep 10, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11763283

Other Nissan Altima years

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2015 Nissan Altima?

Owners most often report exterior lighting, air bags, power train problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 270 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2015 Nissan Altima?

Yes, 10 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2015 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 2015 has far more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.