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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2010 Nissan Altima — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 381 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

381
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
25
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
9
Involved Fire
owner-reported
37
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Nissan Altima — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

381 complaints

241 complaints

426 complaints

2,312 complaints

1,113 complaints

954 complaints

553 complaints

391 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Electrical System 74 reports
Power Train 73 reports
Unknown Or Other 70 reports
Air Bags 61 reports
Engine 50 reports
Service Brakes 32 reports
Suspension 31 reports
Structure 30 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Service Brakes ODI 10668733 12/29/2014

MY BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOPPED IT OFF WITH OIL AND IT WENT HOME. THIS WAS ON SUNDAY. I TOOK IT IN MONDAY TO HAVE IT CHECKED AND THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS LEAKING AND I HAD IT REPLACED FOR $612.73. I CALLED NISSAN AS I FOUND THERE WERE SOME COMPLAINTS AND FOUND A SITE WHERE NISSAN WAS REIMBURSING CUSTOMERS. THEY CHECKED MY VIN NUMBER AND TOLD ME MY CAR WAS NOT ELIGIBLE. …

Unknown Or Other ODI 11384990 12/26/2020

THE VEHICLE HAS DEVELOPED AN OVERLY REFLECTIVE FINISH ON MOST OF THE PLASTIC/RUBBERIZED DASHBOARD SURFACES, LIKELY DUE TO NORMAL SUN AND/OR HEAT EXPOSURE. THIS PRESENTS A SAFETY CONCERN, AS THE DRIVER IS DISTRACTED BY REFLECTED LIGHT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE.

Electrical System ODI 10667789 12/22/2014

THE CAR FAILED TO START BECAUSE THE BRAKE SWITCH AND THE ENTIRE HARNESS SUB FAILED. I HAD TO TOW AWAY THE CAR TO THE NEAREST NISSAN SHOWROOM AND WAS CHARGED $440 TO REPLACE HARNESS-SUB, SWITCH ASSY STO, BAND HOSE PLUS LABOR. PS: THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BUT NISSAN WONT REFUND MY MONEY. HOW CAN A VEHICLE JUST UNDER 50K FAIL FOR SUCH A THING IF NOT FOR A BAD FACTORY HARNESS.…

Air Bags ODI 10811405 12/21/2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH ON A DAMP ROAD, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE OVERPASS. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS T…

Structure ODI 10936499 12/20/2016

THE DASHBOARD IS LITERALLY MELTING AND HAS PUDDLES OF TACKY RESIDUE. I LIVE IN FLORIDA. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN FLORIDA. THE DASHBOARD IS BREAKING DOWN AND CAUSING A DANGEROUS GLARE ON THE WINDSHIELD. IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD FOR PASSENGERS, OTHER MVA'S AND ESPECIALLY PEDESTRIANS AS THEY ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE IN DAYLIGHT. THE TACKY SUBSTANCE CANNOT BE CLEANED.…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2010 Nissan Altima, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2010 Nissan Altima reliable?
Owners have filed 381 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2010 Nissan Altima, most often about electrical system. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Nissan Altima years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.