Reliable Auto DB

2020 Nissan Altima reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2020 Nissan Altima has 179 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 19 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Altima years here — under the median of the other years, which is 25. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Internal engine parts, Camera, and Tires.

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

179

Per year

19

Recalls

6

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (45 of 179), then Engine (36) and Forward collision avoidance (29). Those filings include 16 that report a crash, 7 that report a fire, 10 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 Altima has 232 complaints, 26 per year, and the 2021 has 70 complaints, 7 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

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 2020 Nissan Altima. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall engine and cooling, engine, internal engine parts 2025-06-27 · NHTSA campaign 25V437000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. The engine bearings may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine failure.
Remedy Dealers will reprogram the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 8, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261 or Infiniti's customer service at 1-800-662-6200. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R25A8/A9 and R25B1/B2.
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2023-09-08 · NHTSA campaign 23V628000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23C3.
Recall Tires 2021-03-11 · NHTSA campaign 21V169000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Altima and 2018-2021 Titan vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC798.
Recall steering, linkages, tie rod 2021-03-04 · NHTSA campaign 21V138000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles. The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the left and right-side tie rod ball joint fasteners, or install new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PC795.
Recall Tires 2020-11-05 · NHTSA campaign 20V685000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima S grade vehicles equipped with Continental ProContact TX tires, size 215/60 R16 H, with TIN date code 3320 and Mold ID S-419149. The tires may have been over cured.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-8677669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC765.
Recall visibility, side or rear glass 2020-09-22 · NHTSA campaign 20V570000
Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
Remedy Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the back window glass, free of charge. The recall began November 4, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC752.

Complaints by component (179 total)

Electrical system
45
Engine
36
Forward collision avoidance
29
Steering
20
Powertrain
17
Service brakes
17
Visibility and wipers
10
Air bags
9
Fuel and propulsion system
7
Structure
7
Wheels
7
Back-over prevention
6
Speed control
6
Engine and engine cooling
5
Latches, locks, and linkages
5
Suspension
5
Lane departure
4
Seat belts
3
Tires
3
Seats
2
Equipment
1
Exterior lighting
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Visibility
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

16

Fire-flagged

7

Injury reports

10

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

212020192021162022342023312024372025212026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I leased and then bought a new 2020 Altima in 11/19 with 4 Continental tires. On 8/27/26 I saw a hole and fissures in the sidewall of the right-rear tire (Continental Pro Contact TX 215 / 55 R 17. All 4 tires had 7/32…"
    Tires · filed 2026-08-27
  • "The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Engine Malfunction" was displayed. Additionally, the vehicle experienced excessive coolant consumption…"
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-08-13
  • "I currently own a 2020 Nissan Altima with 49,186 miles and I am reporting a recurring power door lock failure. This vehicle was inspected at the Nissan of Cumming location this morning to confirm the issue. Three of the…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-30
  • "When I am driving my car randomly states check engine and makes a beeping noise and then the engine starts to make some type of combustion noise and then slows down and then turns off."
    Engine · filed 2026-07-26
  • "Both passenger-side and driver's side rear door lock mechanisms ceased working. They do not work when attempting to lock/unlock the doors from the inside controls in the front seat. These doors also do not lock/unlock…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-07-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Nissan Altima 4 DR AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 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 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 28 39 32 MPG $2050
Altima all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) All-wheel drive 26 35 30 MPG $2150
Altima all-wheel drive SR/Platinum 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) All-wheel drive 26 34 29 MPG $2250
Altima SR/Platinum 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 27 37 31 MPG $2100
Altima SR/Platinum 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 25 34 29 MPG $2250

Specs and fitment

6th generation (L34), 2019–present
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (2.0L VC-Turbo and 2.5L engines)
Tire size 215/60R16 (S) to 235/40R19 (upper trims)

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 21V-169 covers certain 2019-2020 Altimas among Titan vehicles equipped with Continental tires that may have been cured too long in production; over-cured tires can develop a sidewall break with sudden air loss or belt-edge separation and tread/belt loss; dealers inspect and replace tires as needed. Safety recall 19V-316 covers certain 2019 FWD Altima 2.5L vehicles whose fuel-pump lock ring may not be fully engaged and can leak fuel (FMVSS 301); dealers inspect and tighten or replace the pump. Safety recall 23V-628 covers certain 2019-2021 Altimas whose rearview-camera harness can be damaged so the display distorts or blanks (FMVSS 111); dealers inspect and replace or protect and reroute the harness.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Nissan Altima Next year 2021 Nissan Altima See every Nissan Altima model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Nissan Altima reliable?

The 2020 Nissan Altima has 179 complaints with NHTSA after 7 years, or 19 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Altima years here — under the median of the other years, which is 25. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Internal engine parts, Camera, and Tires.

What are common problems with a 2020 Nissan Altima?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (45 of 179), then Engine (36) and Forward collision avoidance (29). Those filings include 16 that report a crash, 7 that report a fire, 10 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2020 Nissan Altima more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 Altima has 232 complaints, 26 per year, and the 2021 has 70 complaints, 7 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Nissan Altima been recalled?

The 2020 Nissan Altima has 6 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 2020 Nissan Altima?

Owners have filed 179 complaints about the 2020 Nissan Altima with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Nissan Altima get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Nissan Altima is 30.2 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).