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2016 Nissan Altima
The 2016 Nissan Altima appears in 4 NHTSA recall campaigns (latches/locks/linkages, structure and air bags) and in 131 consumer complaints filed with the agency.
The component named most often is power train: 301.1 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 128.6 per 1,000 across all 2016 model-year vehicles and against 95.8 per 1,000 for the Nissan Altima line as a whole.
That is fewer than the average of 353.5 complaints per model year across the 31 Nissan Altima model years on this register; 9 complaints reported a crash and 1 a fire.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 2018 (55); the most recent in the file is dated 14 May 2019.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation has opened 3 investigations naming this model year.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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 OwnerÂ’s 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.
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign R20A7).
Defect, as filed: 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.
Consequence: If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc.; components: structure:emergency:escape/egress/exit; latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch.
Defect, as filed: 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.
Consequence: If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.
Remedy: 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.
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc..
Defect, as filed: 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.
Consequence: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc..
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 2016 Nissan Altima (black) against all 2016 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 2016 | Altima line | All 2016 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 301.1 | 95.8 | 128.6 |
| Air Bags | 108 | 101.1 | 48.1 |
| Unknown or Other | 90.9 | 55.3 | 120.5 |
| Engine | 90.9 | 69 | 119.7 |
| Structure | 73.9 | 107.3 | 49.7 |
| Electrical System | 68.2 | 96.1 | 100.4 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 53 | 301.1 | 95.8 | 128.6 |
| Air Bags | 19 | 108 | 101.1 | 48.1 |
| Unknown or Other | 16 | 90.9 | 55.3 | 120.5 |
| Engine | 16 | 90.9 | 69 | 119.7 |
| Structure | 13 | 73.9 | 107.3 | 49.7 |
| Electrical System | 12 | 68.2 | 96.1 | 100.4 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 62.5 | 32.3 | 54.3 |
| Steering | 7 | 39.8 | 80.1 | 56.4 |
| Visibility/Wiper | 4 | 22.7 | 18.1 | 29.5 |
| Seats | 3 | 17 | 10 | 12.6 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 3 | 17 | 10.8 | 43.9 |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 17 | 16.8 | 76.8 |
| Latches/Locks/Linkages | 3 | 17 | 8 | 4.5 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 11.4 | 0.4 | 1.3 |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 11.4 | 28.5 | 33.3 |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 2 | 11.4 | 9.7 | 24.7 |
| Suspension | 2 | 11.4 | 31.4 | 28.8 |
| Visibility | 2 | 11.4 | 12.6 | 7 |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 5.7 | 9.4 | 12.7 |
| Wheels | 1 | 5.7 | 7 | 24.3 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 5.7 | 11.8 | 2 |
131 unique complaints, 176 component mentions; 15 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
| Action | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EA21002 | Engineering analysis | Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture | air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module | 17 Sep 2021 | open | — |
| EA19002 | Engineering analysis | Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure | suspension:rear | 29 Jul 2019 | 16 Jun 2025 | — |
| PE18013 | Preliminary evaluation | Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure | suspension:rear | 1 Dec 2018 | 21 Aug 2019 | — |
Other Nissan Altima model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 1 | 122 | 206,000 |
| 1994 | 2 | 104 | 396,000 |
| 1995 | 3 | 180 | 191,068 |
| 1996 | 0 | 92 | — |
| 1997 | 1 | 107 | 36,000 |
| 1998 | 0 | 123 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | 86 | — |
| 2000 | 1 | 160 | 21,622 |
| 2001 | 1 | 157 | 21,622 |
| 2002 | 5 | 1,033 | 2,063,472 |
| 2003 | 4 | 869 | 1,639,166 |
| 2004 | 1 | 272 | 294,166 |
| 2005 | 1 | 1,044 | 653,910 |
| 2006 | 3 | 783 | 739,669 |
| 2007 | 3 | 429 | 345,057 |
| 2008 | 4 | 887 | 213,441 |
| 2009 | 4 | 1,384 | 37,974 |
| 2010 | 3 | 282 | 34,459 |
| 2011 | 1 | 163 | 20,000 |
| 2012 | 4 | 283 | 34,949 |
| 2013 | 12 | 1,346 | 8,078,076 |
| 2014 | 8 | 520 | 7,638,388 |
| 2015 | 10 | 332 | 7,330,814 |
| 2016 | 4 | 131 | 5,810,773 |
| 2017 | 3 | 43 | 2,513,826 |
| 2018 | 2 | 19 | 3,060,648 |
| 2019 | 7 | 9 | 1,892,267 |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | 638,187 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 155,783 |
| 2024 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | 26,581 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Nissan Altima model years · Nissan: 46 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2016 Nissan Altima have?
4 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 20V315000, was reported to NHTSA on 28 May 2020 and concerns latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch. Across all model years the Nissan Altima line has 54 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2016 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA's investigation file lists 3 actions naming this model year; the table above shows each action's opening and closing dates. An action with no closing date was still open when the file was produced.
What component do owners of the 2016 Nissan Altima complain about most?
Power Train: 53 of 176 component mentions (301.1 per 1,000). Next is air bags with 19. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.