NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 226 owner complaints for the 2018 Nissan Altima. It has 1 open investigation that names this model year, not counting audit queries.
Recalled components: latches, locks and linkages and backover prevention and rearview camera. Most-described problem: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (26 complaints, 12%). Most-reported area: brakes (48 complaints, 21%; median mileage when it happened: 31,000).
More complaints than most Altima years
The 2018 drew 110 owner complaints in its first three years, against 70 for a typical Altima year (63 for a typical year since 2016): 1.5 times as many. It is not a year to avoid, which takes at least twice the typical count and at least 50 complaints.
Years to avoid: 2013 to 2015; best years: 2021, 2022, and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 Owner'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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles.
Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles.
NHTSA listing: ALTIMA.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has opened 3 investigations that name the 2018 Nissan Altima, not counting audit queries; 1 is still open. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Engineering analysis EA21002Open since Sep 17, 2021
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant - propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L.
NHTSA listing: ALTIMA. Component: Air bags (frontal, driver side, inflator module, passenger side). This investigation names 352 models.
Rear suspension control arm failure
Engineering analysis EA19002Closed Jun 16, 2025 (opened Jul 29, 2019)
On July 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened EA19002 to investigate instances of alleged rear lower control arm failures in 2013-2018 Nissan Altima and 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima vehicles.
Preliminary evaluation PE18013Closed Aug 21, 2019 (opened Dec 1, 2018)
PE18-013 was opened on December 1, 2018, with 4 complaints to ODI alleging incidents of the lower control arm fracturing at a connection point to the vehicle chassis due to corrosion.
A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.
What owners report
Owners have filed 226 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Altima. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Airbag warning light or airbag fault26 · 12%
Driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages21 · 9%
Median 41,000 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
Median 31,000 miles at failure, from 39 reports with mileage
Electrical system37 · 16%
Median 31,700 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Air bags36 · 16%
Powertrain24 · 11%
Forward collision avoidance15 · 7%
Most named: warnings (10); automatic emergency braking (5)
Engine14 · 6%
Exterior lighting13 · 6%
Most named: headlights (4)
Unknown or other60 · 27%
Median 37,000 miles at failure, from 35 reports with mileage
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Nissan Altima recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2018 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2013 Altima drew the most (556) and the 2018 drew 110.
Owner complaints
2018: 226 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
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
Safety recalls
2018: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Altima
Model year
Recalls
2010
3
2011
1
2012
4
2013
12
2014
8
2015
10
2016
4
2017
3
2018
2
2019
7
2020
6
2021
2
2022
0
2023
0
2024
1
2025
2
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 226 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Nissan Altima, the problems described most are the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (26), driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages (21), and the engine not starting (16). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2018 Nissan Altima safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 Nissan Altima earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2018 Nissan Altima?
Yes. NHTSA has 1 open investigation that names the 2018 Nissan Altima, not counting audit queries: desiccated air bag inflator rupture (EA21002, opened Sep 17, 2021). It has closed 2 others. An investigation is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
How do I check if my Altima has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: ALTIMA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.