Vehicle Data Hub

2021 Nissan Altima problems

NHTSA has received 121 complaints about the 2021 Nissan Altima, and 21% of them involve forward collision avoidance. After that come brakes (17%) and electrical system (17%).

At a glance

Complaints
121 filed with NHTSA
Most reported
Forward collision avoidance 22% of complaints
Crashes and fires
18 and 3
Injuries and deaths
11 and 0
Typical mileage
41,000 miles 15 complaints with mileage

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

Where the complaints are

Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.

When problems show up

Complaints by mileage, 2021 Nissan Altima Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 41,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 5 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 1 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 6 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 0 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 1 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 1 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 1 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 41,000 miles
Based on 15 complaints that include mileage. 80% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles5
20k to 40k miles1
40k to 60k miles6
60k to 80k miles0
80k to 100k miles1
100k to 120k miles1
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles1
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Among the 15 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 41,000 miles.

Safety-related details: 18 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 82% of model years in our database.

Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 20th most-complained-about out of 32 model years of the Nissan Altima with enough data (121 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.

What owners wrote

A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.

While driving home from work I experienced my fourth or fifth malfunction error flashing across my digital display. It scares me because this time is different. This time the flash made the seat vibrate and before I had a chance to react, I totally lost control Of my steering even though I had my hand family placed on each side of the wheel none of my maneuvers resulting in the tires moving in any direction.

December 2021 CrashInjury

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a rock hit the front windshield, causing the windshield to crack. The contact scheduled an appointment with an auto glass company to have the front windshield replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

Reported at 41,000 miles, April 2022

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud clicking sound coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with fractured front driver's and passenger's side axles. The contact was informed that the driver's and passenger's side axles needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.

Reported at 34,500 miles, June 2025

Other model years of the Altima

Best and worst years for the Nissan Altima