Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Nissan Altima, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train235
- Engine86
- Unknown or other81
- Air bags71
- Vehicle speed control65
- Electrical system42
- Exterior lighting42
- Structure29
- Fuel/propulsion system27
- Latches/locks/linkages22
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 32 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 217 2016 Altima vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 116 people died inside them, and 18 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2016 Nissan Altima failed the safety check 2.83% of the time — 44% more often than the average 2016 passenger car (1.97%). Median odometer at inspection: 86,862 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In New Zealand
56 2016 cars are on the New Zealand register.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | 10.3 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- No
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 7.5–9.0 L/100 km (about 26–31 mpg US), CO₂ 176–212 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altima · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 8.7 | 6.0 | 7.5 |
| Altima SR · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 8.9 | 6.3 | 7.7 |
| Altima 3.5 · Mid-size · Regular gasoline | 10.3 | 7.4 | 9.0 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2016 Nissan Altima.
| 2020242 29 May 2020 | Structure Issue: Over time, corrosion could cause the secondary hood latch to stick in the open position after it is used. If this happens, and the primary hood latch i… |
| 2018732 21 Dec 2018 | Structure On certain vehicles, the latch-lock cable may have been incorrectly routed in the path of the rear door window regulator. This could cause the rear passenger do… |
| 2017030 19 Jan 2017 | Structure On certain vehicles, the latch-lock cable may have been incorrectly routed in the path of the rear door window regulator. This could cause the rear passenger do… |
| 2016179 25 Apr 2016 | Seats And Restraints On certain vehicles, a defect in the occupant classification system could allow an adult sitting in the front passenger seat to be classified as a child or an “… |
| 2015471 15 Oct 2015 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the sealing ring between the fuel sending unit and the fuel tank may move out of position in a crash. This could increase the potential ris… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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.
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.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Nissan told its dealers about the 2016 Nissan Altima: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11009068 | DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page) |
| 11004962 | VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004961 | CAN COMMUNICATION NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11004960 | CAN COMMUNICATION CODES DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001202 | DTC P17F0 OR P17F1 STORED IN THE TCM This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001201 | WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001194 | REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001192 | CVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA WRITE PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 11001191 | WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10251535 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin is no longer active. To access infotainment software updates via the Infotainment Software Update Utility: Select SPECIALTY TOOLS, and then select Infotainment Software Updates on the left side of ASIST. Please discard previous versions of NTB23-018. |
| 10249914 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin is no longer active. To access infotainment software updates via the Infotainment Software Update Utility: Select SPECIALTY TOOLS, and then select Infotainment Software Updates on the left side of ASIST. HINT: Initially, the Infotainment Software Update Utility will be available only on the CONSULT PC version of ASIST. The Utility will be added to ASIST WEB at a later date. Please discard previous versions of NTB23-018. |
| 10249899 | NISSANCONNECT NAVIGATION SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE TO RESOLVE SEVERAL ISSUES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10248651 | CVT JUDDER AND DTC P17F0 OR P17F1 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10243708 | DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10242160 | Halogen Headlamp Voluntary Service Campaign REVISED August 18, 2023 Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin. The announcement from March 2, 2023 has been revised to include the following changes: Dealer headlamp support by email requests thru FQA_Inspection_Support@nissan-usa.com for claim review will no longer be considered after September 23, 2023 See Claims Information, section 2 & 3 |
| 10242148 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10242141 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10239062 | SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or severe personal injury, do not directly spray Silicone-based lubricant or grease, or inadvertently overspray Silicone-based lubricant or grease onto any interior electrical components. These types of lubricants can be detrimental to the proper operation of electrical components. |
| 10239060 | 12 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These recommendations are expected to promote uniformity during the connection process, therefore reducing the number of incorrect Test with DCA and Replace results. HINT: If 12 volt batteries are allowed to discharge for a prolonged period of time, battery life may be drastically reduced. This condition may lead to premature battery replacement and customer dissatisfaction. |
| 10237565 | CVT JUDDER AND DTC P17F0 OR P17F1 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10237563 | CVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA WRITE PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235775 | SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR INFOTAINMENT ISSUES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235710 | INTELLIGENT KEY REPLACEMENT OR SWAPPING BETWEEN VEHICLES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235709 | REMOTE ENGINE START NOT WORKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
| 10235707 | VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure
Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation