Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 2014 Nissan Altima, assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its VIN to decode that exact car, its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment, alongside these records.
Open a VIN recordRecalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Nissan Altima year.
Over 5 years this costs $1,250 more in fuel than an average new vehicle.
NHTSA lists 8 recalls for this make, model and year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car. A dealer can confirm from the VIN.
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 16V911000
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 14V138000
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.
Risk: If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V486000
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V681000
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Campaign 16V244000
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V-565.
Campaign 15V116000
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, Nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116.
Campaign 16V029000
Issue: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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 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.
Campaign 20V315000

NHTSA frontal crash test
5 open NHTSA investigations into this model. Investigations come before recalls, so these are potential defects not yet covered by one.
Rated configuration: 2014 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD
The parts named most often across 1,113 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this make, model and year.
3 crashes
24 crashes · 2 fires · 34 injured
1 crash
1 crash
1 injured
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so read this as where to look rather than as a defect rate.
1 complaint-reported fatality on this model.
My 2014 Nissan Altima has experienced loss of visibility from the headlights significantly to the point of feeling unsafe driving at night. I believe the cause of these issue is due to degradation of the reflective coating within the headlamps. New bulbs installed have not improved the quality of the headlights performance leading me to believe this is caused by a fault of the headlamp assembly itself.
Rear lower control arm broke while driving on interstate car darted to the left but control was maintained
Right rear lower control arm fully broke while traveling 35 mph and going around a curve. The car immediately pulled hard right into the adjacent lane. Fortunately, there were no vehicles in that lane at the moment. I have contacted the dealership. This issue is addressed in Service Bulletin NTB21-045. However, the local dealership will not cover repairs because the car has been in service for over 10 years.
As far as I am aware there are no causes to the failure but the sensor of the left panel on the driver side airbag is alerting. Nissan checked it and advised it would be @ $2000 to repair because it required the replacement of the entire driver side chair. However I am now being told that they don't have/make the replacement part(s) needed. Scouring the Internet I'm finding this complaint is pretty common considering it also happened in our 2006 Nissan Armada (no accidents).
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while his son was driving 50 MPH, the ABS warning illuminated, and the vehicle failed to exceed 15 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence and parked. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer associated the failure with TSB: NTB21-045a. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the warranty on the vehicle had expired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 216,000.
At159,000 main console air bag light came on and won't turn off.
-Upon research, it appears my Nissan has an issue with the headlight lamps that have caused the low beams to diminish over time. This is a recorded defect (class action lawsuit [XXX], et al. v. Nissan North America, Inc.) of Nissan Altimas years 2013-2018. -There is a Nissan Dealership in my city I can take the vehicle to for further inspection and subsequent replacement. I would like documentation to further provide to the dealership in case there is any resistance to replacement. -The headlights are so dim I cannot see the road ~15 feet beyond me. The car's high beams, turn signals, and brake lights are all in working condition. The only thing affected are the low beam lights, which further suggest the headlight lens is not of issue. This can cause difficulty seeing at night and could prove to be a safety issue for myself and others, as well as limiting others' visibility of me. -There have been no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior. The check engine light is not on. I have had this car in my possession and under my name for about a year and the headlights have diminished over time to an unsafe degree. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Airbag light for driver turned on and took it to the dealership to get it fixed. They fixed it but it came back on and they reset it. A few months later it turned back on and they said they couldn't fix it because that part was not available anymore.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The rear control arm (rear suspension component) failed catastrophically by snapping while the vehicle was in motion. This is a critical structural component responsible for maintaining proper wheel alignment and vehicle stability. The failed part has been retained and is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The sudden failure of the rear control arm placed my husband and son in immediate danger. This component is essential for maintaining control of the vehicle; when it snapped, it compromised the stability and handling of the rear wheel, significantly increasing the risk of loss of control, collision, or rollover. The failure occurred without warning while driving, creating a serious and unpredictable hazard not only for them but also for surrounding drivers on the road. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The failure has been visually confirmed by a service provider as a snapped rear control arm. Additionally, this issue is widely documented as a known defect in similar vehicles, with multiple reports indicating premature failure of this component under normal driving conditions. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? At this time, the component has been inspected by a service professional. The dealership has been contacted but declined assistance, citing that the vehicle falls just outside of the extended warranty parameters, despite the nature of the failure. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lights, messages, or noticeable symptoms prior to the failure. The control arm snapped suddenly and without any indication, which underscores the dangerous and unpredictable nature
Nissan has put a service campaign P9324 as a known issue for rear lower suspension corrosion. Last week as I was driving my vehicle collapsed on its back tire there was no safety warning lights that had come on. I was able to safely pull off the road however if I had been driving in a highway this would have more than likely put myself and others at grave risk. After towing to a local garage I have photos of the rear suspension corrosion and the left side separated. This was then fixed by the garage for $2,700. I spoke with Nissan corporate in regards to the Campaign bulletin which they stated they will not stand behind even though they published as a known issue. MY case number should you need it with Nissan is 56665209.
Hi, my name is [XXX] . I rented a car through [XXX] , and I need to report serious mechanical issues. All of the spark plugs are not secured, as they are missing screws, and oil is present. The only reason i know is because of the check light engine being on one minute and off the next. I chose to get it looked at and when being examined it was a noticed Additionally, the cooling reservoir tank is missing its top, leaving the system exposed. Please advise on next steps as soon as possible, as this is a safety concern. Thank you.” INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The dash indicates the driver side air bag is not operational. After the car starts, the air bag indicator stays on, indicating the driver's air bag is defective. If I were in an accident, the Nissan dealership told me the air bag would not deploy. The car was inspected by the dealer. The car has never been in an accident and the air bag has never deployed. But after the air bag sensor came on, it has been on since each time the car is started. My other car (2011 Tahoe) does not have this problem, nor do any other old cars I know of. Per an internet search, it seems there are lots of other Nissan Altimas with this problem. Nissan should fix this, it's a safety hazard for their customers.
Showing 12 of 1,113 complaints.