2004 Nissan Altima: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 334 complaints
334
Total Complaints
71,000mi
Median Mileage
Engine And Engine Cooling
Top Issue
18
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
49,546
25th Percentile
71,000
Median Mileage
100,066
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Engine And Engine Cooling
72
Body
35
Engine
30
Electrical System
26
Engine
22
Steering
10
Automatic Transmission
10
Unknown Or Other
9
Crankcase (Pcv)
7
Air Bags
7
Severity Assessment
18
Crashes
3
Fires
15
Injuries
0
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"ONE OF THE REAR SEATBELTS IS DEFECTIVE - IT WILL NOT CLICK WITH ANY OF THE BELTS.ASSENGER SEATBELT 'RATCHETS' WHEN PULLED OUT ALL THE WAY AND WILL NOT ALLOW THE PASSENGER TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT FIRST UNBUCKLING THE SEATBELT, LETTING IT FULLY RETRACT AND THEN FASTENING IT AGAIN. QUITE OFTEN THIS HA..."
"WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH VEHICLE VIBRATED AND PULLED TO THE RIGHT. DEALER REPLACED FOUR TIRES AND PERFORMED FRONT END ALIGNMENT. HOWEVER, THE SAME PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK THE VEHICLE STILL VIBRATES BETWEEN SPEED OF 40-60 MPH. *SC"
"ONCE BACK SEAT PASSENGER IS BUCKLED IN TO SEATBELT, BELT STICKS AND WILL NOT GIVE. IF PASSENGER LEANS AGAINST THE HEAD REST, THEY WILL HAVE TO UNDO THE SEATBELT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE AT ALL.*AK"
Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.
When Were Complaints Filed?
Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.
When Does Each Component Fail?
Median mileage at complaint for top components.
Engine And Engine Cooling
72 complaints
25th: 48,430 mi
Median: 65,723 mi
75th: 80,396 mi
Body
35 complaints
25th: 85,000 mi
Median: 114,000 mi
75th: 137,175 mi
Engine
30 complaints
25th: 85,000 mi
Median: 92,000 mi
75th: 127,000 mi
Electrical System
26 complaints
25th: 28,250 mi
Median: 58,000 mi
75th: 91,265 mi
Engine
22 complaints
25th: 60,000 mi
Median: 77,750 mi
75th: 89,348 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 35
IL: 24
PA: 22
FL: 21
NY: 21
TX: 20
NJ: 17
MA: 16
GA: 15
VA: 15
Who Files Complaints?
22.5%
Original Owners
77.5%
Second+ Owners
Nissan Altima — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 150 | 25 |
| 1994 | 120 | 37 |
| 1995 | 216 | 49 |
| 1996 | 117 | 27 |
| 1997 | 141 | 40 |
| 1998 | 141 | 20 |
| 1999 | 110 | 29 |
| 2000 | 199 | 34 |
| 2001 | 201 | 29 |
| 2002 | 1321 | 41 |
| 2003 | 1099 | 61 |
| 2005 | 1358 | 71 |
| 2006 | 1043 | 58 |
| 2007 | 597 | 39 |
| 2008 | 1373 | 73 |
| 2009 | 2149 | 55 |
| 2010 | 538 | 40 |
| 2011 | 317 | 18 |
| 2012 | 575 | 39 |
| 2013 | 2970 | 104 |
| 2014 | 1376 | 74 |
| 2015 | 1188 | 61 |
| 2016 | 778 | 43 |
| 2017 | 498 | 32 |
| 2018 | 314 | 16 |
| 2019 | 326 | 40 |
| 2020 | 266 | 27 |
| 2021 | 96 | 11 |
| 2022 | 50 | 8 |
| 2023 | 33 | 8 |
| 2024 | 55 | 13 |
Active Recalls (5)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
Headlights
Campaign 06E023000 | 13/03/2006
WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
Headlights
Campaign 07E054000 | 25/07/2007
DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
MAXZONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR ANY NONCOMPLIANT HEADLIGHTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 16, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MAXZONE AT 909-822-3288.
Engine And Engine Cooling
Campaign 06V242000 | 07/07/2006
IF THE INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL FROM THE SENSOR IS SO BRIEF THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) LOGIC DOES NOT HAVE TIME TO DIAGNOSE THE CONDITION, THE ENGINE MAY STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AT A LOW SPEED INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ECM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 21, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Headlights
Campaign 07E063000 | 21/08/2007
DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT ANZO AT 909-628-1440.
Headlights
Campaign 07E074000 | 14/09/2007
DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
EAGLE EYES WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR ANY NONCOMPLIANT HEADLIGHTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 11, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT EAGLE EYES AT 1-800-568-1098.
Extend Your Engine Life
Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.
- Change oil on schedule — this is the single most important thing you can do
- Use the manufacturer-recommended oil weight and type
- Replace the air filter every 15,000-30,000 miles
- Don't ignore the check engine light — small issues become expensive fast
- Let the engine warm up for 30 seconds before driving hard in cold weather
- Address coolant leaks immediately to prevent overheating damage
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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.
Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.
Data through: 2026-03-28