Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23C3.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles.
The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.
Risk: A detached tie rod ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, and increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the left and right-side tie rod ball joint fasteners, or install new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PC795.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles.
NHTSA listing: ALTIMA. Nissan campaign PC795.
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.
What owners report
The areas named in the 70 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Altima. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Forward collision avoidance22 · 31%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (18); warnings (7)
Brakes21 · 30%
Electrical system21 · 30%
Steering7 · 10%
Engine6 · 9%
Suspension5 · 7%
Backover prevention and rearview camera4 · 6%
Most named: warnings (3)
Unknown or other12 · 17%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Nissan Altima recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2021 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 2018 Altima drew the most (110) and the 2021 drew 22.
Owner complaints
2021: 70 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Altima
Model year
Complaints
2016
553
2017
391
2018
225
2019
232
2020
179
2021
70
2022
30
2023
29
2024
41
2025
7
2026
0
Safety recalls
2021: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Altima
Model year
Recalls
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Nissan Altima 4 DR AWD
Rollover risk 9.2%
Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 9.2%
Questions
What are the most common 2021 Altima problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: forward collision avoidance (22), brakes (21), electrical system (21). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2021 Nissan Altima safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2021 Nissan Altima earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
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 Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
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.