2020 Nissan Altima Problems, Recalls & Reliability
261 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2020 Nissan Altima, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 11/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 21,171 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2020 Nissan Altima has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2020 sits among all Altima years
What owners report
“My 2020 Nissan Altima Door actuators are all currently broken. The doors will not unlock with the fob and have to be manually unlocked. This can cause a huge safety issue if they are unable to be unlocked.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Altima
“AEB system malfunction for front end. Will not allow cruise control to be used because of it.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Altima
“Message popped up while driving saying “engine malfunction power reduced service now”. Pairs with the check engine light coming on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Altima
“The forward collision warning sensor,the rear collision sensor and the traction lights turns on and off from time to time . The transmission seems like its been force to accelerate”— owner report to NHTSA, 2020 Altima
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 41 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 15,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 3,000 and 59,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. The engine…
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 8, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261 or Infiniti's…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. 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…
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.…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Altima and 2018-2021 Titan vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima 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.
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…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima S grade vehicles equipped with Continental ProContact TX tires, size 215/60 R16 H, with TIN date code 3320 and Mold ID S-419149. The tires may have been over cured.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the back window glass, free of charge. The recall began November 4, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's…
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 2020 Nissan Altima reliable?
The 2020 Nissan Altima drew 261 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 2020 Nissan Altima problems?
The top reported problems for the 2020 Nissan Altima are electrical (43 complaints), driver assistance (43), and engine (37).
At what mileage do 2020 Nissan Altima problems show up?
Owners most often report 2020 Nissan Altima problems around 15,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 3,000 and 59,000 miles.
Does the 2020 Nissan Altima have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2020 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.