2016 Nissan Altima problems owners report most
2016 Nissan Altima problems are documented in public: owners have filed 555 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2016 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the powertrain clearly first, at 235 of the 555 complaints, two of every five filed.
A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 42 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 235 | 42% |
| ENGINE | 86 | 15% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 81 | 15% |
| AIR BAGS | 72 | 13% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 65 | 12% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 42 | 8% |
Of those complaints, 28 describe a crash and 3 describe a fire. Filers reported 32 injuries. One complaint reports a death.
Recalls on the 2016 Nissan Altima
A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator found a safety defect, and the repair is free at a franchised dealer however old the car is. There are 4 recalls on this model year. Your own car may be covered by some, all or none of them, so check the VIN rather than the model.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles, previously remedied under recall number 17V-040. The door latch-lock cable may not have been routed properly in the rear door when the remedy was applied. As a result, the cable may interfere with the window regulator causing the rear passenger door to unlatch and inadvertently open without warning when the window is lowered.
The risk. If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.
The fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will secure the latch-lock cables in the correct position using the new remedy procedure, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7669.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles. The rear door latch/lock cable on the vehicles may have been improperly routed. As a result, lowering a rear window may inadvertently cause that door to unlatch and open.
The risk. If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.
The fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will correct the rear door latch/lock cable routing, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
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.
The 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.
The fix. 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.
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.
The 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. 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.
In owners own words
These are complaints filed about the powertrain, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.
Hello, I own a 2016 Nissan Altima 2.5L SL with 100,000 miles on it. We've owned it since new and have taken very good care of it. Always kept in garage. All maintenance schedules have been followed, and the oil has been changed every 5,000 to 7,000 miles with full synthetic oil. About a year ago, at 90,000 miles, stepping on the accelerator pedal would do nothing, then, it would lurch forward at high RPM after 3 to 5 seconds. This occurs after coming to a complete stop. This only happens if the vehicle has been driven for at least an hour or so - especially on hot days. No check engine light
My car has several problems with accelerating either during highway speeds or from a dead stop. First , the car starts fine and engine runs fine, does not idle rough or stall out. The problems arise after driving for a few miles and I come to a complete stop, either at a stop light or sign. When the light turns green and I attempt to move the car, there is a severe lag in response to get the car moving. When it does start moving (after about 5-6 seconds), it barely rolls forward at less than 1 mile an hour. It does not matter how many times I depress the gas pedal, or if I have it to the floor
WE PURCHASED THIS CAR LAST MAY AND SHORTLY THERE AFTER MAY BE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER I START EXPERIENCING DELAYS ON ACCELERATION. I DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY SO I USE THE CRUISE CONTROL. SO WHEN I STARTED EXPERIENCING THE DELAY ON ACCELERATION I STOP USING THE CRUISE CONTROL, BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE ISSUE. TO SHORTEN A LONG STORY AFTER I STOP USING THE CRUISE CONTROL, THE ISSUE REMAINED. I'M GOING TO GO MORE IN DEPTH ABOUT THE ISSUE. FOR EXAMPLE, I AM STOPPED AT THE STOP LIGHT. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN, I ACCELERATE NOTHING HAPPENS FOR A FEW SECONDS THERE'S A DELAY FOR ABOUT FOUR TO 5
I only had my vehicle(2016NissanAltima) for less than 2 weeks before the vehicles major problems started. The engine consistently Stalls, Surges and Shudders. As well as the Shifter locking itself to where it wont shift out of park. There are no and have never been any warning lights to alert me. The CVT and the Computer are very faulty. To the point the vehicle is now a Death Trap. When driving the car the RPM will randomly accelerate and I have no way to control the vehicle and then vehicle will go into "Limp Mode" consistently and won't go any faster or slower than the speed the car choose
Every component, by complaint count
The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.
| Component | Complaints | Share of all complaints |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 235 | 42% |
| ENGINE | 86 | 15% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 81 | 15% |
| AIR BAGS | 72 | 13% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 65 | 12% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 42 | 8% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 42 | 8% |
| STRUCTURE | 29 | 5% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 27 | 5% |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 22 | 4% |
How other model years compare
The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2016 Nissan Altima has drawn the most complaints and the 2021 Nissan Altima the fewest.
What to check on the transmission and driveline
Powertrain reports usually describe a shift that arrives late, lands hard, or hunts between gears, often worse when the car is cold or towing. Some describe a shudder at a steady cruise rather than a bang between gears.
Buying a used 2016 Altima
Drive it from cold. A transmission fault that hides once warm is the most common thing a short test drive misses. Take it to highway speed, let it settle into top gear, then slow and accelerate again to make it downshift under load.
If you already own one
Get the fluid condition checked before anything else, and ask for the transmission control software level at the same time. Several of these complaints were answered by the manufacturer with a reflash rather than a rebuild, which costs a fraction as much.
- Test drive from cold, not after the seller has warmed it up.
- Ask whether a transmission software update exists for the VIN.
- Check the fluid condition and when it was last changed.
- Get any rebuild quote itemised into parts, fluid and labour.
Where the 2016 Nissan Altima problem data comes from
Every figure on this page is counted from complaints and recalls published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, read November 1, 2026. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by the agency before publication. We count each complaint once per component it names, so a complaint naming two components appears in both rows.
- NHTSA recalls and complaintsRead November 1, 2026
- NHTSA record for the 2016 Nissan AltimaRead November 1, 2026
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