Nissan Altima Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 1,749 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the Nissan Altima across 32 model years. The 2009 model year has the most (466). The words owners use most often: “steering lock” (9% of reports).
- 1,749electrical system complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 56mention a crash
- 35mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- $1,250typical repair cost reported by owners
- 36%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.
- Steering lock: mentioned in 159 of 1,749 complaints (9%)
- Key fob: mentioned in 100 of 1,749 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the Nissan Altima at $1,250, and half of them between $830 and $1,400.
Based on 55 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2001–2026), 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 electrical system problems happen?
Based on 1,187 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 1,749 complaints, 56 mention a crash, 65 a fire, 35 an injury.
Nissan Altima electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Altima | 1 | 100% | — |
| 2025 Altima | 1 | 14% | — |
| 2024 Altima | 3 | 7% | — |
| 2023 Altima | 11 | 37% | — |
| 2022 Altima | 7 | 23% | — |
| 2021 Altima | 21 | 30% | 17,000 |
| 2020 Altima | 42 | 27% | 21,171 |
| 2019 Altima | 58 | 25% | 21,000 |
| 2018 Altima | 37 | 16% | 31,672 |
| 2017 Altima | 27 | 7% | 29,127 |
| 2016 Altima | 42 | 8% | 33,650 |
| 2015 Altima | 56 | 6% | 35,000 |
| 2014 Altima | 71 | 6% | 32,144 |
| 2013 Altima | 159 | 7% | 39,924 |
| 2012 Altima | 44 | 10% | 46,500 |
| 2011 Altima | 31 | 13% | 35,000 |
| 2010 Altima | 74 | 19% | 46,760 |
| 2009 Altima | 466 | 30% | 78,010 |
| 2008 Altima | 90 | 9% | 76,465 |
| 2007 Altima | 37 | 8% | 73,000 |
| 2006 Altima | 72 | 9% | 95,000 |
| 2005 Altima | 97 | 9% | 69,000 |
| 2004 Altima | 32 | 12% | 53,500 |
| 2003 Altima | 89 | 10% | 67,890 |
| 2002 Altima | 77 | 7% | 60,000 |
| 2001 Altima | 19 | 12% | 54,205 |
| 2000 Altima | 25 | 16% | 90,706 |
| 1999 Altima | 4 | 5% | 89,000 |
| 1998 Altima | 15 | 12% | 70,000 |
| 1997 Altima | 14 | 13% | 140,000 |
| 1996 Altima | 11 | 12% | — |
| 1995 Altima | 16 | 9% | 157,280 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Air bags:frontal; electrical system:software
Model years: 2013, 2014
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the 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 airbag 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 April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Electrical system:software; air bags
Model years: 2007, 2008
Problem: Nissan is recalling 204,361 my 2007-2008 altima, altima hybrid, 350z, 350z roadster, my 2008 altima coupe, rogue, my 2009 murano, and infiniti my 2007-2008 g35 sedan, my 2008 g37 coupe and ex35 passenger vehicles equipped with continental automotive systems' occupant classification system (ocs) control units. A varistor in the ocs control unit located in the passenger seat cushion may have been manufactured out of specification. Under certain conditions, this could cause an interruption of signal between the ocs and the air bag control unit (acu).
Risk: This could result in the passenger air bag being suppressed which could fail to provide adequate protection in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will test the signal between the ocs and acu systems using a special tool to check that it is functioning as designed. If necessary, the seat cushion (containing ocs hardware) will be replaced with a new one manufactured to specification. The recall began on november 4, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.
Electrical system:ignition:module
Model years: 2007, 2008
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles that have had the body control module (bcm) replaced during service at a dealership, the tire pressure monitoring system (tpms) may have been inadvertently deactivated due to an issue with the dealer service software. If the tpms is turned off, it would not alert the driver to a decrease in the tire pressure as designed.
Risk: Driving on under-inflated tires is unsafe and could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will check the tpms function and reactivate it if necessary. The recall began on january 18, 2008. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Our back up camera has colored lines in which wonât go away I canât see what is around me or behind there were recalls on these cameras but not the 2023 Altima just seeing if others are having this problem. The car is only 3 years old
This vehicle has a 360 camera system to allow me to see all around the vehicle when parking or leaving a parking area around other vehicles. The cameras provide such a poor quality image that I can not see what is around me and the car. The system of cameras also have unacceptably slow response…
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…
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…
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with an electrical fault inside the air bag, and it was determined that the air bag inside the seat…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Nissan Altimas have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 1,749 owner complaints about electrical system for the Nissan Altima. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Nissan Altima electrical system?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the Nissan Altima?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,250 (half paid between $830 and $1,400), from 55 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the Nissan Altima?
The most frequent phrase is “steering lock”, in 159 of 1,749 complaints, followed by “key fob” (100).
Other Nissan Altima problems
- Power Train problems (2,187)
- Air Bags problems (1,894)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (1,890)
- Structure problems (1,742)
- Engine problems (1,449)
- Steering problems (1,338)
- Exterior Lighting problems (1,221)
- Suspension problems (906)
See all Nissan Altima problems.