Nissan · Altima · 2018
2018 Nissan Altima: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 226 owner complaints and 2 safety recalls for the 2018 Nissan Altima. The most-reported problem area is the brakes (21% of complaints), followed by electrical system and airbags. Make sure every open recall has been fixed by a dealer before you buy.
Common 2018 Nissan Altima problems
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Brakes problems
48 owner complaints to NHTSA (21% of all complaints for this model year) involve the brakes, including 4 crashes. One owner reported: “The contact owns a 2018 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving, the feb automatic collision notification illuminated then unilluminated. The contact stated that while approached a stop sign at 500 feet, while depressing the…”
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Electrical system problems
37 owner complaints to NHTSA (16% of all complaints for this model year) involve the electrical system, including 1 crash. One owner reported: “Brake light switch went out 3 months after getting car. Car would not start then after it started it would not go in gear nor would the brake lights turn on dealership repaired it. The Brake light switch went out again one year later while…”
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Airbags problems
36 owner complaints to NHTSA (16% of all complaints for this model year) involve the airbags, including 2 crashes. One owner reported: “I was rear-ended in my car while at a red light. The car hit me 35 mph plus., Pushing me into the Tahoe in front of me. My shoulder strap driver side DID NOT restrain me and NONE of the air bags deployed. I flew forward towards the…”
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Transmission & powertrain problems
24 owner complaints to NHTSA (11% of all complaints for this model year) involve the transmission & powertrain. One owner reported: “While operating my 2018 Nissan Altima on September 19, 2026, at approximately 9:20 a.m., during daytime highway traffic, the vehicle suffered a sudden and complete loss of propulsion, leaving me entirely immobilized on a highway ramp with…”
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Forward collision avoidance problems
15 owner complaints to NHTSA (7% of all complaints for this model year) involve the forward collision avoidance. One owner reported: “2018 Nissan Altima 24,864 miles. Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) system keeps turning on and off. Contacted dealership and they said it was a dirty bumper/sensor, clean sensor location and continue to use vehicle. If issue persisted set up…”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 48 | 21% | |
| Electrical system | 37 | 16% | |
| Airbags | 36 | 16% | |
| Transmission & powertrain | 24 | 11% | |
| Forward collision avoidance | 15 | 7% | |
| Engine | 14 | 6% | |
| Exterior lighting | 13 | 6% | |
| Doors, latches & locks | 12 | 5% |
226 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 11 crashes, 6 injuries. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2018 Nissan Altima recalls
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Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
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.
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 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.
Full recall 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.
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Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Full recall summary
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. To check whether a specific car’s recalls have been repaired, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
2018 Nissan Altima crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2018 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD. Ratings can differ between body styles and drivetrains.
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Specifications
- Drivetrains
- FWD
- Body styles
- 4-door
Other Nissan Altima years
About this data
Problems, complaint counts, recalls and crash-test ratings come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public databases, last checked 2026-11-03. Complaints are reports from owners and have not all been verified by NHTSA.
How we score reliability: every model year starts at 100. Points come off for the number of owner complaints (on a log scale, up to 40 points), for each safety recall (2 points each, up to 15) and for complaints involving crashes, fires, injuries or deaths (up to 15). Popular vehicles get more complaints simply because more are on the road, so compare scores between similar vehicles. More about our method.
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