Complaint volume
221 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Nissan Altima Complaints
221 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Nissan Altima, grouped by component category.
221 Total complaints
11 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
5 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are unknown or other, air bags, power train. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 11 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 5 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 109 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 34,207 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to unknown or other, air bags, power train?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Nissan Altima?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Nissan Altima
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Nissan Altima complaints?
11 Crash
0 Fire
5 Injury
0 Fatality
11 Towed
4 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Nissan Altima complaint categories?
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 37
AIR BAGS 24
POWER TRAIN 16
SERVICE BRAKES 14
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 11
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 6
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6
ENGINE 5
221 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2022 | AIR BAGS | On February 7, 2022, my daughter was driving her 2018 Nissan Altima and was involved in an accident. It was a head-on collision, but the airbags didn’t deploy and, as a result, she was thrown forward into the steering wheel which caused severe trauma to her head. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | POWER TRAIN | On several occasions my vehicle fails to accelerate putting passengers and myself in grave danger. Nissan mechanics say they cannot replicate my incidents however they are aware that the problem exists with CVT engines made by Nissan. Nissan of America refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem although thousands of people have posted exact issue on owners forums for years. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | AIR BAGS | OCS system is faulty causing the airbags for the passenger to disengage. I am out of warranty for mileage at the time of the problem by 6,000. The car was 3 years old and it is an on going problem again. OCS switch showing improper voltage and cannot be reset unless the factory mechanic does the reset which holds me, the owner, responsible for the diagnostic fee. Additionally, the faulty parts may have to be replaced at my expense as well if it turns out to be a more than a software glitch. There has been recalls for 2016 and prior for the same issue and a recall for 2018 models is happening again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 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 does not move. The second concern is that, once it does move, it does so significantly with a jolt. This means that, after a few seconds of not functioning, the vehicle will suddenly accelerate quickly. This can create an increased risk of an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | POWER TRAIN | The car doesn't move and the car shakes above 55 miles and I can smell smoke under the hood. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Just bought the car | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | AIR BAGS,SEATS | My car's airbag light came on and would not go off. I took it to the dealership and was told that the sensor in my passengar seat that detects the weight of some one in the seat is not working. Because of this sensor failing, my air bags will not deploy if the car is involved in an accident. It puts me at a safety risk because air bags will not provide protection to me or passengars riding in my vehicle if I am in a accident. This problem has been confirmed by the dealership. I don't know if the manufacter has inspected the issue or not. There were no other warning lights, messages, or other symptoms prior to this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | The airbag safety system has failed in my car. When a passenger or driver is in the car. The weight sensors and seatbelt sensors that activate the the airbag system fail to activate. This is something that I caught and mentioned it to a Nissan dealer when my car was in for service on another recall for hood latches. This is something that not only puts risk to passenger and driver in my car. But puts others at risk as well. Nissan and the extended warranty company have failed to correct the issue. As my safety is now at risk if I get into an accident and my airbags do not deploy. The issue is that the weight sensors and modulator have gone bad. The total cost just for those two things is around $585, by the time you add in airbag system replacement it comes to around $5000 to $7000. I would like this looked at due to the cause it is a preventative measure that be taken if we take that action now. This is on the 2018 model. I am willing to help in anyway I can with the investigation. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power without warning. The contact coasted to the side of the road and was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 69,000 |
| Aug 2021 | POWER TRAIN | CVT transmission failure while in transport. It put my family at risk being stranded on busy highway. No warning lights or indication of issue except vehicle stopped performing effectively. The dealer acknowledged issues in this and other models and had transmission repaired at my cost. Vehicle was diagnosed by dealer which using OBD they found transmission failure codes.. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | POWER TRAIN | According to Nissan dealership My 2018 Nissan Altima CVT failed. They were able to determined the failed cvt with a diagnosis code P17F0. I have 73,694 miles on my car and my warranty ended at 60,000 miles. In previous years model of the Nissan Altima there were recalls on CVT transmissions for the Nissan Altimas. Nissan stated being that my car is out of warranty the only thing they can do is give me 50% good will because my VIN number is different from the other Nissan Altima that had a failed CVT. I don’t feel that it was good will being that my car did not reach 100,000 miles and I’m already having an issue that has been a problem In the past. I keep up with the maintenance of my vehicle very well and this problem occurred out of the blue. I also spoke with Nissan about the current recall on my car being that I have to drive a car around and my hood could possibly fly off at any giving time. Me being a Nissan customer with such a dangerous vehicle that Nissan continues to have issues with is more good will than they’ve offered. I honestly would not recommend such an unsafe vehicle to anyone who is interested in purchasing a Nissan Altima. My car is fairly new and I’m having CVT issues. My car literally stopped in the middle of the road and would not accelerate because of a mechanically failing CVT. I highly recommend that Nissan Recall any vehicles that have CVT issues especially since it’s been a repeating cycle. I hope this doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The brake light switch fails which will not allow me to start vehicle with push start. Already replaced switch once while vehicle under warranty. Now around 60,000 miles it started failing intermittently. I have been stranded numerous times, sometimes in dangerous situations with car not starting. I have been stranded in parking lots in bad neighborhoods and in airport parking lots. There is no alternative to starting the car without engaging the brake, so when this switch fails you have no way to start vehicle. You get no warnings that it has failed or to tell what the problem is. I have spoken with dealer and described what vehicle is doing and they agree that the problem is the brake light switch again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated upon entering the vehicle, the ignition switch failed to operate as designed. The contact was unable to start the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the brake pedal switch needing to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that they would escalate the claim. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 40,000 |
| Jul 2021 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2018 Nissan Altima 24,864 miles. Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) system keeps turning on and off. Contacted dealership and they said it was a dirty bumper/sensor, clean sensor location and continue to use vehicle. If issue persisted set up appointment with dealership to have looked at. Cleaned front bumper and continued to operate. FEB lamp continued to indicate error and turn itself on and off. Set up appointment of have vehicle inspected. Dealership confirmed that sensor was bad and needed to be replaced. The FEB sensor was not covered as warranty expired 18 days before dealership diagnosed problem. Informed them that contacted the dealership prior to the warranty expiration and was told it was a dirty bumper and sensor. Contacted previous owner of vehicle and confirmed that they had reported issue and dealership and informed them to just clean bumper and sensor location. Nissan did not see the FEB sensor error as a concern but there were two other factory recalls (hood latch and back up camera) that were safety concerns and recalls for. With FEB being faulty, the safety feature is disabled and would not help prevent injury in an emergency braking situation!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle would not start. The contact pressed the start button and depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to start-up. After multiple attempts the vehicle eventually started however, the failure recurred several times. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as a faulty brake sensor. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 36,000 |
| Jun 2021 | AIR BAGS | Airbag light is on & I had a diagnostic completed. The diagnostic indicated problem with front passenger seat sensor. Nissan has a safety recall on some Airbags, however not on my 2018 model. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V315000 (Latches/ Locks/ Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact contacted two dealers Route 46 Nissan (440 US-46, Totowa, NJ 07512) and another dealer but was informed by both dealers that parts were not available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. Vin tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | THE FRONT END COLLISION WARNING GOES OFF LESS THAN A MILE AFTER I BEGIN DRIVING. IT WAS REPAIRED AFTER AN ACCIDENT (UNRELATED) & WAS FINE UNTIL MY STATE HAD SNOWFALL THAT COVERED THE ROAD, THAT'S WHEN IT BEGAN AGAIN! MY CRUISE CONTROL SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING & THE METAL PIECE THAT PROPS UP THE HOOD SNAPPED OFF WHEN CHECKING THE OIL, LUCKILY I SEEN IT SNAP AND WAS ABLE TO JUMP BACK! GEAR SHIFT STICKS IN PARK & SOMETIMES EVEN WITH MY FOOT ON THE BAKE IT WONT START! | Crash: No Fire: No | 5 |
| May 2021 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V315000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. ROCKLAND NISSAN SERVICE (608 NY-303, BLAUVELT, NY 10913, (845) 358-4010) WAS CONTACTED AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I TOOK IT TO GET MY INSPECTION AND THEY TOLD ME I HAVE TWO RECALLS | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2021 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | JUST PURCHASED USED FROM NISSAN AND WARNING FOR AFB FAILURE KEEPS COMING ON. AFTER A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,000 |
| Apr 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | MY PUSH START HAS BEEN GIVING ME PROBLEMS SINCE 2020. WHENEVER I HAVE THIS PROBLEM, I EITHER HAVE TO START IT WITH THE FOB OR PRESS THE PUSH START MULTIPLE TIMES. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP LAST YEAR AND WAS TOLD NOTHING IS WRONG. I JUST DROPPED IT OFF AGAIN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. | Crash: No Fire: No | 57,000 |
| Apr 2021 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE IN SEEING AT NIGHT. KNOWN ISSUES IN NISSAN ALTIMA MODELS WHERE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY REFLECTIVE PARTS BECOMES FOGGY AND DISTORTED/MELTS DUE BUILD UP OF HEAT FROM HALOGEN LIGHT BULBS LOCATED IN THE ASSEMBLY. CREATES DANGEROUS ROAD CONDITIONS NOT ONLY FOR THE DRIVER BUT FOR OTHERS AS WELL. NISSAN CONTINUES TO IGNORE THE ONGOING ISSUES AND HAS YET TO ISSUE AN ALTERNATIVE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. | Crash: No Fire: No | 44,000 |
| Apr 2021 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V315000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT CALLED CORAL SPRINGS NISSAN (9350 W. ATLANTIC BLVD, CORAL SPRINGS, FL 33071, (954)388-2344) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PART WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2021 | BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I WILL SEE A WARNING NOTICE IN MY DASHBOARD WHILE I'M DRIVING ON CITY STREETS AND SOMETIMES ON THE HIGHWAY, DURING CLEAR WEATHER AND RAINY WEATHER THAT SAYS 'FRONT END COLLISION UNDETECTABLE' AND MY REAR COLLISION CAMERA WILL SOMETIME EITHER HAVE VERTICAL LINES OR GO COMPLETELY OUT. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN FIXED BY MUSICCITY AUTOPLEX IN NASHVILLE, TN IN LATE OCTOBER OF 2019. | Crash: No Fire: No | 83,000 |