2018 Nissan Altima Problems, Recalls & Reliability
321 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Nissan Altima, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 11/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Other leads the reports, typically around 42,735 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2018 Nissan Altima has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2018 sits among all Altima years
What owners report
“The front end obstruction light and warning sound come on everytime i drive my vehicle, then go off and come back on. I can be driving at any speed and with nothing around me. Sometimes it causes my car to slow down.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Altima
“Vehicle in motion and warning signal 'front radar unavailable due to obstruction'.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Altima
“Front radar obstruction goes off. Recently it caused problems with my abs to not work and disengage at times. Could be driving on an empty road and it will go off.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Altima
“Air bags warning light is on driver side airbag module replaced air bag could have deployed while driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Altima
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 154 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 39,586 miles. Half of those reports fall between 19,575 and 50,550 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.
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 Owners Manual addendum card with…
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…
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…
Federal defect investigations
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Nissan Altima reliable?
The 2018 Nissan Altima drew 321 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 11/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2018 Nissan Altima problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Nissan Altima are other (71 complaints), electrical (51), and brakes & stability (49).
At what mileage do 2018 Nissan Altima problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Nissan Altima problems around 39,586 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 19,575 and 50,550 miles.
Does the 2018 Nissan Altima have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Nissan Altima. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.