Reliable Auto DB

2016 Nissan Altima reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Nissan Altima holds 553 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 31 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Altima years here — over the median of the other years, which is 23. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Latch, Emergency escape/exit, and Occupant classification.

2012 Nissan Altima
Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

553

Per year

31

Recalls

4

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (235 of 553), then Engine (86) and Air bags (70). Those filings include 28 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, 17 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 Altima has 953 complaints, 67 per year, and the 2017 has 391 complaints, 23 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Nissan Altima. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall latches, locks, and linkages, hood, latch 2020-05-28 · NHTSA campaign 20V315000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Emergency escape/exit 2018-12-19 · NHTSA campaign 18V915000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2017-01-18 · NHTSA campaign 17V040000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2016-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 16V244000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (553 total)

Powertrain
235
Engine
86
Air bags
70
Speed control
65
Electrical system
42
Exterior lighting
42
Structure
29
Fuel and propulsion system
27
Latches, locks, and linkages
22
Steering
16
Suspension
12
Service brakes
11
Seats
10
Visibility and wipers
8
Wheels
7
Electronic stability control (ESC)
6
Forward collision avoidance
5
Seat belts
5
Visibility
4
Fuel system, gasoline
3
Back-over prevention
1
Equipment
1
Lane departure
1
Tires
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

28

Fire-flagged

3

Injury reports

17

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

1420162520175520181152019802020572021672022532023342024362025172026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The HVAC system in my 2016 Nissan Altima produces cold air, but the airflow is not properly directed through the dashboard vents toward the occupants. Instead, the airflow is primarily directed toward the floor and…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-08
  • "To recap: •Nissan manufactured defective transmissions. •Nissan granted me a warranty extension with a fleeting expiration date (2023) to shift the cost away from them. •In 2020, Nissan performed work on my car. The…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-08-16
  • "The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight had become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with an internal headlight failure, and it was…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-08-10
  • "My 2016 Nissan Altima has approximately 68,900 miles. When I am stopped and press the gas pedal, the vehicle sometimes hesitates before it begins moving. It does not accelerate normally, which is dangerous when I am…"
    Powertrain, Speed control · filed 2026-08-03
  • "There is an active recall for the generic 2016 Nissan Altima OCS sensor, but it does not apply to my specific VIN apparently. This sensor is a problem with other vehicles of the same year, make, and model, but I am…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-07-30

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Altima 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) Front-wheel drive 22 31 26 MPG $2500
Altima 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 27 39 31 MPG $2100
Altima SR 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) Front-wheel drive 26 37 30 MPG $2150

Specs and fitment

5th generation (L33), 2013–2018
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (2.5L); 5W-30 (3.5L V6)
Tire size 215/60R16 to 235/45R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Nissan ran voluntary service campaign PC490 on certain 2013-2016 Altima (L33) vehicles to reprogram CVT software after hydraulic pressure could drop and allow belt slip (MIL P0776 and poor acceleration); Nissan states that campaign is not a safety recall. Separately, Nissan extended CVT assembly warranty coverage on 2013-2016 Altima (L33) to 84 months/84,000 miles. Safety recall 20V-315 covers certain 2013-2018 Altimas: if the primary hood latch is released, the secondary latch may corrode and bind unlatched so the hood can open while driving; dealers install a stronger release spring, a warning label, and an Owner's Manual addendum. Safety recall 18V-915 covers certain 2015-2017 Altimas previously remedied under 17V-040 whose rear door latch-lock cable may be misrouted and open the rear door when the window is lowered; dealers secure the cable.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Nissan Altima Next year 2017 Nissan Altima See every Nissan Altima model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Nissan Altima reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Nissan Altima holds 553 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 31 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Altima years here — over the median of the other years, which is 23. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Latch, Emergency escape/exit, and Occupant classification.

What are common problems with a 2016 Nissan Altima?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (235 of 553), then Engine (86) and Air bags (70). Those filings include 28 that report a crash, 3 that report a fire, 17 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2016 Nissan Altima more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 Altima has 953 complaints, 67 per year, and the 2017 has 391 complaints, 23 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Nissan Altima been recalled?

The 2016 Nissan Altima has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Nissan Altima?

Owners have filed 553 complaints about the 2016 Nissan Altima with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Nissan Altima get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Nissan Altima is 29 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Altima take?

0W-20 (2.5L); 5W-30 (3.5L V6)

What does Nissan service campaign PC490 cover on the Nissan Altima?

Nissan ran voluntary service campaign PC490 on certain 2013-2016 Altima (L33) vehicles to reprogram CVT software after hydraulic pressure could drop and allow belt slip (MIL P0776 and poor acceleration); Nissan states that campaign is not a safety recall.

What generation is the 2014 Nissan Altima?

5th generation (L33) (2013-2018).