Nissan Altima Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2013 to 2015 At least twice the 70 complaints of a typical Altima year. Most described: the airbag warning light (2013), headlight problems (2014 and 2015).
Best years: 2021, 2022, and 2023 Under three quarters of the 63 complaints of a typical Altima year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 11, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 34 mpg combined, arrived in 2010. Includes the Altima Coupe (2010 to 2013) and the Altima Hybrid (2010 and 2011).

Altima problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Altima year drew 70 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (63). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (63), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2013 Altima Avoid Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	556	2,315	12
2014 Altima Avoid Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	249	1,114	8
2015 Altima Avoid Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	202	956	10
2018 Altima Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	110	226	2
2016 Altima Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	94	555	4
2019 Altima Most described: stalling or shutting off and door lock or latch problems	77	235	7
2012 Altima Most described: loss of power or limp mode	70	426	4
2017 Altima Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	70	395	3
2010 Altima Most described: the engine not starting	64	393	3
2020 Altima Most described: door lock or latch problems	56	183	6
2011 Altima Most described: transmission failure or replacement	40	246	1
2021 Altima Best Most described: door lock or latch problems	22	71	2
2023 Altima Best Most described: backup camera problems	22	30	0
2022 Altima Best Most reported: forward collision avoidance	12	32	0

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Altima for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	0	1
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	2	7
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	1	44
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	0	30
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	0	32
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	2	71
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	6	183
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	7	235
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	2	226
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	3	395
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	4	555
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	10	956
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	8	1,114
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	12	2,315
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	4	426
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	33 mpg Hybrid	1	246
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Hybrid	3	393	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2013: 2,315 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Altima
Model year	Complaints
2010	393
2011	246
2012	426
2013	2,315
2014	1,114
2015	956
2016	555
2017	395
2018	226
2019	235
2020	183
2021	71
2022	32
2023	30
2024	44
2025	7
2026	1

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 26 to 32 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2019. Hybrid: 33 to 34 mpg (2010 to 2011); highest in 2010.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 30 mpg · hybrid not offered

Show as a table

Nissan Altima best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	27	34
2011	26	33
2012	26	–
2013	31	–
2014	31	–
2015	31	–
2016	31	–
2017	31	–
2018	31	–
2019	32	–
2020	32	–
2021	32	–
2022	32	–
2023	31	–
2024	31	–
2025	31	–
2026	30	–

Every Altima year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Nissan Altima vs Toyota CamryMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Nissan Altima years should you avoid?

The 2013 to 2015 Altima are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 70 owner complaints of a typical Altima year in its first three years. Owners of the 2013 most often describe the airbag warning light. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Nissan Altima years?

The 2021, 2022, and 2023 Altima are the best years: they drew 22, 12, and 22 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 63 complaints of a typical Altima year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Nissan Altima years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2013 (556) drew the most, then the 2014 (249). Owners of the 2013 most often describe the airbag warning light or an airbag fault.

Which Nissan Altima years have the most recalls?

The 2013 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (12), then the 2015 (10). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Nissan Altima problems?

In the 7,229 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe headlight or exterior light problems (707 complaints, most of them for the 2013 and 2015); the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (686 complaints, most of them for the 2013, 2014, and 2015); and transmission failure or replacement (543 complaints, most of them for the 2013, 2014, and 2016). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Nissan Altima year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 34 mpg combined, first reached by the 2010 hybrid version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.