Where each one leads
Ford Probe
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Nissan Altima
- Against cars of the same year, the Nissan Altima comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 19% more often than average) than the Ford Probe (fails 27% more often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2025 Nissan Altima uses 8.2 l/100 km, the 1997 Ford Probe 9.2.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Ford Probe | Nissan Altima | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1984–1999 | 1992–2026 |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 212 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Ford Probe | Nissan Altima | |
|---|---|---|
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.6% | 2.1% |
| … against cars of the same year | +27% | +19% |
| US owner complaints | 1,194 | 15,482 |
| Most complaints about | Seat belts | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 1990 (323) | 2013 (2,313) |
| US recall campaigns | 8 | 54 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 549 | 3,959 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 21 | 41 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Ford Probe | Nissan Altima | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford Probe | Nissan Altima | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.2 l/100 km (1997) | 8.2 l/100 km (2025) |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).