2016 Nissan Altima Problems

552 owner complaints filed with the United States safety regulator · top issue: Power Train · verdict AVOID 30/100

Source NHTSA public complaint and recall record · methodology

What breaks, by owner reports

Power Train235
Engine86
Unknown Or Other80
Air Bags70
Vehicle Speed Control65
Exterior Lighting42

In the owners’ words

“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 work they performed masked the problem, didn’t fix it. And it deferred the problem, “kicking the can down the road.” •In 2026, Nissan denied my claim for goodwill approval. •I paid for a piecemeal fix on”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Nissan Altima owner
“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 determined that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Nissan Altima owner
“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 apparently on the hook for almost $1000 repair cost because the recall did not extend to my VIN. Again, same year, make, model, and issue as other 2016 Nissan Altimas, but the recall did not extend for som”NHTSA complaint, 2016 Nissan Altima owner

Recall campaigns

ReportedComponentSummary
19/12/2018Structure:Emergency:Escape/Egress/ExitNissan 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
18/01/2017Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:LatchNissan 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 c
26/04/2016Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification SAFETYNissan 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
28/05/2020Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:LatchNissan 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 m

Questions owners ask

Is the 2016 Nissan Altima reliable?

On the federal record it scores 30/100: 552 owner complaints (55.2 per year on the road) and 4 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems.

What is the most common problem with the 2016 Nissan Altima?

The most-reported component in NHTSA complaints is Power Train, with 235 of 578 categorised reports.

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The 2016 Nissan Altima scored 30/100 on the federal record.

Full 2016 data pagecosts, verdict, every numberAll Altima yearswhich year to avoid Most complained-about carsthe national ranking