2021 Nissan Altima: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
69 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
69 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 13.8
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
When I make a turn, I hear a clicking noise and also when I come to a complete stop, I can a sound that sounds like a grunting noise. I had new brakes, rotors and brand new tires put on in 2025. I think my ball joints and tie rod is defective. I have a triple AAA membership and I just renewed it in June and it said that my 2021 has two recalls. NHTSA # 23V628000 The back over prevention sensing system camera & NHTSA#…
My car is supposed to have an automatic braking system/collision detection. Two cars in front of me slammed on their brakes and the car in front of me slammed on his brake, and I didn't have enough time to react. I totalled my car, but my car is supposed to have a safety feature that automatically brakes. The faulty automatic braking didn't engage as it should have.
While heading west on interstate after a Drs. Appointment my wife was driving our 2021 Nissan Altima when suddenly there was a loss of power to the engine as if the engine was overheating or had loss of fuel or only able to slowly exit the freeway to a safe place and call a tow truck, after 1 1/2 days of diagnosing and testing. I was able to drive the vehicle with no issues for approximately 4000 miles when the exact…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 21V138000 | Steering:Linkages:Tie Rod Assembly | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles. The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightene… |
| 23V628000 | Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Ca | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can c… |
EPA combined 32 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $1,900
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Forward Collision Avoidance (22 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 71/100, computed from 69 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2021 Nissan Altima, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 04/03/2021. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.