Nissan Altima Latches/locks/linkages Problems
Owners have filed 236 complaints with NHTSA about latches/locks/linkages problems on the Nissan Altima across 23 model years. The 2013 model year has the most (60). The words owners use most often: “hood latch” (19% of reports).
- 236latches/locks/linkages complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 7mention an injury
- 7related recalls
- 32%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.
- Hood latch: mentioned in 45 of 236 complaints (19%)
- Locks linkages contacted: mentioned in 18 of 236 complaints (8%)
- Included latches: mentioned in 17 of 236 complaints (7%)
- Flew open: mentioned in 13 of 236 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do latches/locks/linkages problems happen?
Based on 138 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 236 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 7 an injury.
Nissan Altima latches/locks/linkages complaints by model year
| Model year | Latches/locks/linkages complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Altima | 3 | 4% | 2,000 |
| 2020 Altima | 2 | 1% | 23,310 |
| 2019 Altima | 2 | 1% | 30,574 |
| 2018 Altima | 12 | 5% | 59,000 |
| 2017 Altima | 14 | 4% | 75,233 |
| 2016 Altima | 22 | 4% | 65,000 |
| 2015 Altima | 44 | 5% | 76,000 |
| 2014 Altima | 31 | 3% | 65,000 |
| 2013 Altima | 60 | 3% | 57,293 |
| 2012 Altima | 2 | 0% | 22,000 |
| 2010 Altima | 4 | 1% | 48,380 |
| 2009 Altima | 3 | 0% | 41,250 |
| 2008 Altima | 7 | 1% | 58,500 |
| 2007 Altima | 1 | 0% | 50,000 |
| 2006 Altima | 3 | 0% | 53,250 |
| 2005 Altima | 7 | 1% | 21,500 |
| 2004 Altima | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2003 Altima | 4 | 0% | 64,950 |
| 2002 Altima | 5 | 0% | 85,500 |
| 1998 Altima | 3 | 2% | 43,000 |
| 1997 Altima | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1996 Altima | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1995 Altima | 4 | 2% | 105,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (7)
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Model years: 2025
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Altima, Sentra, 2025-2026 Frontier, and 2026 Kicks vehicles. The door strikers may have been improperly welded and break, allowing the door to open while moving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
Risk: A door that opens unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion increases the risk of injury or a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the door strikers, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD185 and PMA61. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 28, 2026.
Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
Model years: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
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 OwnerÂs 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:latch
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
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:latch
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
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.
Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
Model years: 2013, 2014, 2015
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.
Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
Model years: 2013, 2014, 2015
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.
Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
Model years: 2013
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to February 28, 2013. In the affected vehicles, interference between the hood inner panel and the secondary latch lever, in combination with debris and corrosion, may cause the secondary hood latch to 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 on October 20, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
While driving at regular road speeds, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic safety component failure. The primary hood latch disengaged, and the secondary safety backup latch failed to catch or secure the hood. This caused the hood to violently slam completely open against the front windshield…
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the driver's side front door failed to open. The contact entered the vehicle through the rear door. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was…
Rear door locks both do not work other than manually locking. Reported incidents online show many others have had newer Nissan vehicles like our 2021 Nissan Altima with the same issue, some have been locked in the car and had to climb out the window and others said the door unlocked and opened…
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the hood unexpectedly opened and struck the front windshield. The failure caused windshield glass shards to fly into the contact's eyes. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and called the insurance…
Rear door actuator failed again.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Nissan Altimas have latches/locks/linkages problems?
No. NHTSA has 236 owner complaints about latches/locks/linkages 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 latches/locks/linkages?
Yes: 7 safety recalls list latches/locks/linkages. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about latches/locks/linkages problems on the Nissan Altima?
The most frequent phrase is “hood latch”, in 45 of 236 complaints, followed by “locks linkages contacted” (18).
Other Nissan Altima problems
- Power Train problems (2,187)
- Air Bags problems (1,894)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (1,890)
- Electrical System problems (1,749)
- Structure problems (1,742)
- Engine problems (1,449)
- Steering problems (1,338)
- Exterior Lighting problems (1,221)
See all Nissan Altima problems.