WON'T START ESLC STEERING WHEEL LOCK DEFECTIVE. PURCHASED CAR THEN STOPPED AT GAS STATION TURNED OFF CAR WON'T START AGAIN. SHOWED YELLOW KEY FLASHINGS LIGHT ON DASH.
COMPONENT SPOTLIGHT
Nissan Altima electrical problems
1,770 distinct owner reports with an electrical-system component in this snapshot.
Includes the electrical-system component and its detailed subcategories. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.
56 crash reports69 fire reports35 injury reports
Reports by model year
YearTopic reportsRecallsInvestigations
20251
2020243
10202310
0020227
01202121
22202045
62201958
72201837
24201727
33201642
43201555
103201471
852013159
125201244
41201131
10201074
302009466
40200890
41200737
32200672
30200597
10200432
10200389
41200277
51200119
10200025
1019994
00199815
00199714
10199611
00199516
32199414
2219937
11Recall and investigation columns show each year’s full history. A report naming several years can appear in more than one row.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
2280–25K
20425–50K
27250–75K
21375–100K
216100–150K
61150K+
1,194 reports with mileage · 576 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What owners actually said
1,770 reportsTAKATA RECALL - ALTHOUGH MY CAR HAS NOT YET BEEN AFFECTED BY HE RECALL I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL BE. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR IS FAULTY WHICH AFFECTS THE AMBER DASHBOARD PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT FROM WORKING PROPERLY WHICH THEREFORE WILL NOT ALLOW THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IF IN AN ACCIDENT. OR MORE SO ALLOWING THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY AT …
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TAKATA RECALL - ALTHOUGH MY CAR HAS NOT YET BEEN AFFECTED BY HE RECALL I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL BE. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR IS FAULTY WHICH AFFECTS THE AMBER DASHBOARD PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT FROM WORKING PROPERLY WHICH THEREFORE WILL NOT ALLOW THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IF IN AN ACCIDENT. OR MORE SO ALLOWING THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY AT ANY GIVEN TIME WITHOUT BEING IN AN ACCIDENT. THIS SENSOR DISARMS THE WHOLE AIRBAG SYSTEM FROM WORKING PROPERLY WHICH IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS (BEDFORD NISSAN, 18115 ROCKSIDE RD, BEDFORD, OH 44146, (855) 981-4531) AND (GANLEY'S MAYFIELD NISSAN, 6060 MAYFIELD RD, MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH 44124, (440) 449-9500). BOTH DEA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS (BEDFORD NISSAN, 18115 ROCKSIDE RD, BEDFORD, OH 44146, (855) 981-4531) AND (GANLEY'S MAYFIELD NISSAN, 6060 MAYFIELD RD, MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH 44124, (440) 449-9500). BOTH DEALERS STATED THAT THEY COMPLETED RECALL REPAIRS, BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNCERTAIN IF THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONDITION WAS THE SAME AS PRIOR TO THE RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH A DIAGNOSIS TO REMEDY THE FAILURE FROM THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A TUNE-UP BUT, MONTHS LATER, IT CONTINUED TO FAIL TO START INTERMITTENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE RECALL DETAILS, VIN, AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
THE INSULATION THAT WRAPS THE ELECTRICAL CABLING TO ENGINE AND OTHER WORKING PARTS TO CAR ARE WRAPPED WITH A CORN AND SOIL PRODUCT AND RATS ATE THE INSIDE OF MY CAR TO THE POINT THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT WORK. IT IS 5 MONTHS OLD WITH 7,000 MILES.
ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK MALFUNCTION. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. WOULD NOT START. STRANDING WIFE IN 0 DEGREE TEMPERATURES.
CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE COMPLETELY TOTALED. IT WAS DRIVEN LESS THAN 2 MILES PARKED AND SHUT OFF. WITHIN 15 MINUTES THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES.
MY BRAKES ARE GOING OUT FAST. MY HEATER TAKES FOREVER TO HEAT UP. MY FUSES KEEP BURNING OUT,CAR LIGHTER DON'T WORK. IT RUNS ROUGH. I THINK IT HAS A SHORT ON SOME WIRES.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, A WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, A WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.
COMPLAINT: NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON DURING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. 2013 NISSAN ALTIMA BOUGHT NEW EXPERIENCED MALFUNCTION ON NOV 10, 2017 WHILE STOPPED AT INTERSECTION IN DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE TRAFFIC. PRIOR TO AND DURING MALFUNCTION NO INDICATORS ON DASHBOARD LIT UP TO ALERT US TO ANY PROBLEM. AFTER CAR WAS TOWED TO NEARBY NIS…
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COMPLAINT: NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON DURING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. 2013 NISSAN ALTIMA BOUGHT NEW EXPERIENCED MALFUNCTION ON NOV 10, 2017 WHILE STOPPED AT INTERSECTION IN DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE TRAFFIC. PRIOR TO AND DURING MALFUNCTION NO INDICATORS ON DASHBOARD LIT UP TO ALERT US TO ANY PROBLEM. AFTER CAR WAS TOWED TO NEARBY NISSAN DEALERSHIP, DEALERSHIP DETERMINED TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. HOWEVER DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPT COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE DID NOT TRIGGER ANY WARNING LIGHTS. THE DAY BEFORE THE MALFUNCTION, NOV 9TH, NISSAN OF RICHMOND HAD PERFORMED THE 48 MONTHS SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ' DURING WHICH THEY ALSO DID A PC490 RECALL, REFERRING TO IT AS AN 'ALTIMA CVT SOFTWARE DIAGNOSTIC UPDATE' AND DESCRIBING IT AS A SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THE TRANSMISSION ' ALLOWING THEIR COMPUTER TO INTERACT BETTER WITH THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER. CONDITIONS: NIGHT TIME, BELOW FREEZING (MID 20'S), HAD JUST TAKEN OFF-RAMP TO DOWNTOWN AFTER 3 HOURS OF INTERSTATE DRIVING AVERAGING 65-70 MPH ON INTERSTATE AND 25-30 MPH DOWNTOWN. WHILE APPROACHING INTERSECTION, CAR BUCKED, THEN STALLED AND GAS PEDAL FAILED TO WORK. TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON. CAR LIMPED ANOTHER 3 OR 4 BLOCKS, THEN STOPPED COMPLETELY AND HAD TO BE TOWED. HISTORY: ALTIMA BOUGHT NEW, ALL VEHICLE MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED AT RECOMMENDED TIMES/INTERVALS WITH NISSAN SERVICE DEPT, WARNING LIGHT MALFUNCTION AND TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT OCCURRED AT 39,848 MILES.
ON 5 SEPARATE OCCASIONS THE BATTERY IS DEAD. CAR WAS JUMP STARTED BY AAA ONE OCCASION THE DEALER SENT A TRUCK TO TOW IT TO THEIR SHOP. SERVICE DEPT. CAN NOT FIND ANY REASON THE BATTERY IS BEING DRAINED. EACH TIME THIS CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY.
Related Official recalls
314V138000 · Air Bags:frontal; Electrical System:software
Mar 25, 2014
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:software
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Air Bags:frontal
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Consequence: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
08V521000 · Air Bags; Electrical System:software
Oct 7, 2008
NISSAN IS RECALLING 204,361 MY 2007-2008 ALTIMA, ALTIMA HYBRID, 350Z, 350Z ROADSTER, MY 2008 ALTIMA COUPE, ROGUE, MY 2009 MURANO, AND INFINITI MY 2007-2008 G35 SEDAN, MY 2008 G37 COUPE AND EX35 PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS' OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) CONTROL UNITS. A VARISTOR IN THE OCS CONTROL UNIT LOCATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED OUT OF SPECIFICATION. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, THIS COULD CAUSE AN INTERRUPTION OF SIGNAL BETWEEN THE OCS AND THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT (ACU).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN THE PASSENGER AIR BAG BEING SUPPRESSED WHICH COULD FAIL TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL TEST THE SIGNAL BETWEEN THE OCS AND ACU SYSTEMS USING A SPECIAL TOOL TO CHECK THAT IT IS FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED. IF NECESSARY, THE SEAT CUSHION (CONTAINING OCS HARDWARE) WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE MANUFACTURED TO SPECIFICATION. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:software
NISSAN IS RECALLING 204,361 MY 2007-2008 ALTIMA, ALTIMA HYBRID, 350Z, 350Z ROADSTER, MY 2008 ALTIMA COUPE, ROGUE, MY 2009 MURANO, AND INFINITI MY 2007-2008 G35 SEDAN, MY 2008 G37 COUPE AND EX35 PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS' OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) CONTROL UNITS. A VARISTOR IN THE OCS CONTROL UNIT LOCATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED OUT OF SPECIFICATION. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, THIS COULD CAUSE AN INTERRUPTION OF SIGNAL BETWEEN THE OCS AND THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT (ACU).
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN THE PASSENGER AIR BAG BEING SUPPRESSED WHICH COULD FAIL TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL TEST THE SIGNAL BETWEEN THE OCS AND ACU SYSTEMS USING A SPECIAL TOOL TO CHECK THAT IT IS FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED. IF NECESSARY, THE SEAT CUSHION (CONTAINING OCS HARDWARE) WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE MANUFACTURED TO SPECIFICATION. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
Air Bags
NISSAN IS RECALLING 204,361 MY 2007-2008 ALTIMA, ALTIMA HYBRID, 350Z, 350Z ROADSTER, MY 2008 ALTIMA COUPE, ROGUE, MY 2009 MURANO, AND INFINITI MY 2007-2008 G35 SEDAN, MY 2008 G37 COUPE AND EX35 PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS' OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) CONTROL UNITS. A VARISTOR IN THE OCS CONTROL UNIT LOCATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED OUT OF SPECIFICATION. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, THIS COULD CAUSE AN INTERRUPTION OF SIGNAL BETWEEN THE OCS AND THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT (ACU).
Consequence: THIS COULD RESULT IN THE PASSENGER AIR BAG BEING SUPPRESSED WHICH COULD FAIL TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL TEST THE SIGNAL BETWEEN THE OCS AND ACU SYSTEMS USING A SPECIAL TOOL TO CHECK THAT IT IS FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED. IF NECESSARY, THE SEAT CUSHION (CONTAINING OCS HARDWARE) WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE MANUFACTURED TO SPECIFICATION. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
07V599000 · Electrical System:ignition:module
Dec 28, 2007
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THE BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM) REPLACED DURING SERVICE AT A DEALERSHIP, THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) MAY HAVE BEEN INADVERTENTLY DEACTIVATED DUE TO AN ISSUE WITH THE DEALER SERVICE SOFTWARE. IF THE TPMS IS TURNED OFF, IT WOULD NOT ALERT THE DRIVER TO A DECREASE IN THE TIRE PRESSURE AS DESIGNED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: DRIVING ON UNDER-INFLATED TIRES IS UNSAFE AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL CHECK THE TPMS FUNCTION AND REACTIVATE IT IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 18, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Related NHTSA investigations
0No component-matched exact-year investigations in this snapshot.