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2016 Nissan Altima

Solid pick — the complaint record is strong for its age. It does carry safety recalls, so confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the VIN before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist — a shareable PDF

544 owner complaints · 4 recalls · data verified July 10, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Buywillitcar.com

Why buy?

Transmission & drivetrain problems dominate (43% of complaints, typically reported near 69k miles).

The math, shown

Full methodology →
Complaint volume (40%)74
Severity (30%)65
Recall load (20%)79
Trend (10%)75

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20162026

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2016 Nissan Altima, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k miTransmission & drivetrain~69k mi · 233 reportsEngine~60k mi · 86 reportsAirbags~60k mi · 68 reportsSpeed control~73k mi · 64 reportsElectrical system~80k mi · 42 reports

Also reported (mileage varies): Lights (40)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint — a rough guide, not a schedule.

Transmission & drivetrain

43%

233 complaints · typically near 69k mi · 25 in the last 2 years

My daughter was driving down the road and came to a 2-wayy stop. Went to pull out and the car stalled and started shuddering. On down the road leaving a red light it d…

Engine

16%

86 complaints · typically near 60k mi · 7 in the last 2 years

Delayed gear change from 1st to 2nd/delayed acceleration 1-5 seconds mid-traffic because the car overheats soon after driving which causes the car to not properly acce…

Airbags

13%

68 complaints · typically near 60k mi · 8 in the last 2 years

Air bag indicator light turns on indicating a failure of the airbag system. I understand this disables this safety system putting all passengers at risk. The dealer ad…

Speed control

12%

64 complaints · typically near 73k mi · 5 in the last 2 years

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond while the…

Recalls (4)

Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.

Latches/locks/linkages · 20V315000

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.

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.

Fix: 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.

Structure · 18V915000

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.

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

Fix: 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.

Latches/locks/linkages · 17V040000

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.

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

Fix: 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.

Air Bags · 16V244000

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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

Before you hand over money

Verify the recall work was done

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150–$250 independent inspection of this exact 2016 Nissan ALTIMA beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

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What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score — if they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2016 Nissan Altima as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only — always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.