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2018 Nissan AltimaProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 226 owner complaints about the 2018 Nissan Altima, most often about the service brakes. It is covered by 2 safety recalls, and for recall 20V-315 the manufacturer reports only 40% of affected cars repaired.

2018 Nissan Altima
53
CarFlaw IndexSolid year11% below the Altima median · #20 of 32 years by complaints
Safety recalls2Lowest repair rate 40%Owner complaints22616 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage31kService brakes, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 4, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Clock38030, CC BY 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2018 Nissan Altima has problems

226 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Service brakes484
Electrical system371
Air bags362
Power train240
Forward collision avoidance150
Engine141
Exterior lighting131
Steering121
Latches/locks/linkages120
14 other systems474

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

2 recalls

2018 Nissan Altima recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

40%repaired · 2023 Q1

Hood: latch

Recall 20V-315 · May 28, 2020 · 1,831,818 vehicles · 729,102 repaired

Risk. Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

80%repaired · 2021 Q1

Sensing system: camera

Recall 19V-654 · Sep 12, 2019 · 1,228,830 vehicles · 988,255 repaired

Risk. The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Nissan.

Mileage at failure

When do service brakes problems start?

31kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 39 service brakes complaints. 100% were reported before 100,000 miles.

Only 49% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
18under 30k miles39under 100k miles0100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2018 vs. every other Altima year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Altima median. How we score

'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2018 Nissan Altima safety ratings

2018 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

★★★★★Overall rating
2018 Nissan Altima frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crash★★★★★
2018 Nissan Altima side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrier★★★★★
2018 Nissan Altima side pole test, NHTSA
Side pole★★★★★
  • Rollover: 4 stars (10.3% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: Standard
  • Lane departure warning: No
4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2018 Nissan Altima, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Hertz/Vehicles Rented with Open RecallsAQ22003 · still open
    Open
  2. Rear Suspension Control Arm FailureEA19002 · closed Jun 16, 2025
    No recall
  3. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
  4. Rear Suspension Control Arm FailurePE18013 · closed Aug 21, 2019
    No recall
In owners' words

What Altima owners report

Recent service brakes complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I’ve had to replace the break sensor a few times and it’s unusual… My check engine light came on and it reads the code for the catalyst converter.., the auto part store saw a recall on this for my make and model but not seeing it here. The code was cleared and hasn’t came back on yet but I’m…
Complaint 11664048 · May 30, 2025
The problem of delayed acceleration. The problem occurs when the vehicle does not seem to accelerate for a short period of time. When I'm at a stop. and I depresses the pedal. The vehicle does not rev. It does not do anything for a few seconds. Even with increased force on the pedal, the vehicle…
Complaint 11444956 · Dec 25, 2021
SEVERAL TIMES WHILE NORMAL DRIVING AND NOTHING IN ROADWAY THE DISPLAY WILL SAY UNAUTHORIZED OBJECT IN VIEW AND THERE'S NOTHING THERE HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES A DAY SCARES ME AT FIRST CAUSE I THINK SOMETHING WRONG AND TAKES 10 MINUTES FOR DISPLAY WARNING LIGHT TO TURN OFF
Complaint 11403171 · Mar 15, 2021 · 50,550 miles

Own a 2018 Altima?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.