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2016 Nissan Altima

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
4
on record
MPG
26
combined

Fatalities reported

Owner complaints to NHTSA include 1 report involving a death. Read the complaint record closely.

Vehicle Summary

2016 Nissan Altima

4 recalls
548 complaints
26 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 4 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 28 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 548 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
4
Owner complaints
548
Complaints citing a crash
28

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

4 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

4 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 18V915000high

    Body/structure issue

    STRUCTURE:EMERGENCY:ESCAPE/EGRESS/EXIT

    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.

    Consequence

    If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 17V040000high

    Latches/locks/linkages · doors · latch

    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

    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.

    Consequence

    If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V244000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

    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.

    Consequence

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 20V315000high

    Latches/locks/linkages · hood · latch

    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH

    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.

    Consequence

    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 Owner’s 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.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Nissan Altima.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    4 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    3 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    10.3%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
No

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2016 Nissan Altima 5 out of 5 stars overall, level with the 5-star median for the 17 comparable 2016 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 10.3% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2016 Nissan Altima Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2016 Nissan Altima Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2016 Nissan Altima Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2016 Nissan Altima, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

22

City

31

Hwy

26

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$2,350
Tailpipe CO₂
352 g/mi

How this compares

At 26 MPG combined, the 2016 Nissan Altima ranks 9th of 20 midsize cars EPA rated for 2016 — exactly the 26 MPG median for that group.

That places it squarely mid-pack for its class. Fuel cost is close enough to its rivals that other running costs will probably matter more.

EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $2,350, $200 less than the $2,550 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $11,750, a $1,000 difference against a class-median vehicle.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 352 grams per mile — about 5.3 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

548 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

548
Total
28
Crashes
3
Fires
32
Injuries

Most reported components

  • ENGINE272
  • OTHER78
  • AIR BAGS69
  • LIGHTING35
  • ELECTRICAL23

Serious Concerns

548 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves a death. 32 reports involve injuries. 28 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)272
miscellaneous issues78
airbag concerns (warning light, deployment issues)69

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Nissan Altima, newest first.

  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation EA19002

    Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

  2. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA21002

    Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  3. Recall

    Recall 20V315000

    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.

  4. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE18013

    Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

  5. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA19002

    Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

  6. Recall

    Recall 18V915000

    If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.

  7. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation PE18013

    Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

  8. Recall

    Recall 17V040000

    If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.

  9. Recall

    Recall 16V244000

    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.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Midsize Cars
Drive type
Front-Wheel Drive
Engine
3.5L 6-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Automatic (AV-S7)
Seats
0

Fuel economy

22

City

31

Hwy

26

Comb

Annual cost
$2,350
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation EA19002

    Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

  2. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA21002

    Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  3. Recall

    Recall 20V315000

    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.

  4. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE18013

    Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

  5. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA19002

    Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure