2014 Nissan Altima
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Exterior lighting is the leading concern among 1,113 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 26 Altima model years with reports.
Of the 2014 reports, 51 involved a crash and 8 involved a fire. 58 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchMay 28, 2020
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.
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.
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 Owners 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.
Campaign 20V315000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationDec 19, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 16V911000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationApr 26, 2016
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 16V244000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchJan 22, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, Nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116.
Campaign 16V029000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontalOct 20, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V681000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasolineAug 4, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.
If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V486000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchFeb 27, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V-565.
Campaign 15V116000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, softwareMar 25, 2014
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 14V138000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
1,113 reports, newest first.
Power train, Mar 5, 2024
My 2014 Nissan transmission failed at 95,000 miles in less than 10 years. I had to get it replaced. It failed at the middle of an intersection. Multiple people have had the same problem with this model Nissan.
Exterior lighting, Feb 29, 2024
Headlights don't work properly. I can barely see beyond 2 cars lengths ahead of me unless using full beam. I realize that there was a voluntary recall issued in 2020, however, I am not sure that I was notified. The dealership examined car and noted the reflectors are delaminating, the pattern of which matches that of the recall. Since this is a design flaw I consider Nissan responsible and feel they should replace the headlights at no cost to me. I don't understand why the recall was voluntary and why it had a time limit. Functioning headlights are a necessity.
Suspension, Feb 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the tire went inward, the control arm fractured, and the vehicle became undrivable. The contact looked underneath the vehicle and became aware that the driver's side rear lower control arm was rusted and had split into two pieces. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed the contact there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: EA19002 (Suspension). The failure mileage was approximately 124,538.
Exterior lighting, Jan 28, 2024
Lights are very dim no matter what kind I use on my head lights low beams
Exterior lighting, Jan 12, 2024
MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE GOTTEN SO BAD THAT I CANNOT SEE AT NIGHT WITH MY DIM LIGHTS. I HAVE TO KEEP MY BRIGHT LIGHTS ON TO BE ABLE TO SEE, THUS BLINDING DRIVERS DOING OPPOSITE DIRECTION . I RECENTLY WAS PULLED OVER BY STATE TROOPER, HE STATED THAT I DIDNOT TURN OFF MY BRIGHT LIGHTS AND THEN I SHOWED HIM MY DIM LIGHTS. HE STATED, OH, I SEE.... YOU HAVE NO LIGHTING ON THE DIM LIGHTS. I HAVE BEEN ON A WAITING LIST AT WAYCROSS WALKER JONES NISSAN BACK IN 2022. I WAS CONSTANTLY CHECKING BACK AND THEY INFORMED ME THEY WERE WAITNG ON MORE HEADLIGHTS TO BE SHIPPED. WELL TODAY I FOLLOWED UP AND NOW I AM BEING TOLD, THAT NISSAN ISSUED A EXTENDED WARRANTY ON HEADLIGHTS BUT IT EXPIRED IN 2020!!!!! WHAT!!!! IVE BEEN WAITING ALL THIS TIME AND NOW WE ARE DOWN TO ONE VEHICLE, OUR NISSAN AND IT IS EXREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT NIGHT!!! I WORK NIGHTS AND HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DRIVE WITH MY HIGH BEAM WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW!!!! WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE HELP ME!! I NEED TO GET MY HEADLIGHTS REPLACED ASAP FOR OUR SAFETY AND WE HAVE A GRANDBABY NOW,,,I CANNOT AFFORD TO DRIVE THIS WAY BUT AT MOMENT, THE NISSAN IS OUR ONLY WORKING VEHICLE. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED AS I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET HELP SINCE 2022 AND NOW BEING TOLD I MISSED THE WARRANTY LAPSE OF WHICH I WAS NEVER TOLD THIS TILL TODAY NOW!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! I NEED THIS MATTER RESOLVED ASAP FOR OUR SAFETY AND SAFETY OF OUR GRANDBABY!!!!!
Exterior lighting, Jan 7, 2024
Low beam lights are very low and causes poor visibility at night and in hazardous conditions such as rain, etc. I can hardly see while driving at night because of the poor and low visibility.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Structure, Dec 27, 2023
I was driving on the freeway and my hood popped up and smashed my roof and everything inside the ceiling onto my lap. The lighting and visor broken. Roof and hood damaged. I luckily survived this. I am leading this car. I took it to Nissan when this happened. They said they’d fix it but it’s been months and now no answer.
Exterior lighting, Dec 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the headlights of the vehicle were continuously dim. The contact stated that the headlight bulbs and the headlamps were replaced; however, the failure persisted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that both headlights needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA ID Number: 10242160. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that she would be charged a fee for the repairs. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Structure, Dec 14, 2023
The hood latch recall was done June 2022, but it became malfunction 1 year after recall was done. When driving, the hood flies up and almost hit the windshield. Luckily I didn't drive on the highway. Called the dealer and said it was out of the warranty which is 1 year or 10000 miles after the recall. Why this important parts have so short warranty. The hood can't be open when I closed it after the incident . And the dealer said it will cost $500 to open and fix them.
Suspension, Nov 20, 2023
Left rear control arm broken and unable to move!
Exterior lighting, Nov 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, at night the low-beam headlights were extremely dim. The contact used the high-beam headlights to properly see the roadway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was recommended to replace the headlights with newer LED lights. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Structure, Nov 5, 2023
I was driving on the freeway and my hood popped and shattered my windshield. Why would you guys even allow a car on the roads with a defect as such? This is extremely dangerous! Now I am pretty much w/o transportation. I'm even more upset that I had to find out about the defect the hard way, to see that this is a known issue. What's next? looks like a few people have complained about this issue, even after you guys supposedly fixed it. So, apparently your little fix didn't work. So, offering a new hood and window is NOT an option, I DO NOT FEEL SAFE ESPECIALLY WITH LITTLE PIECES OF GLASS IN MY SKIN AND IN MYT BOYFRIENDS SKIN!! There was also damaged on the inside of the car that HIT ME IN MY HEAD AND FACE!!!!!!!!!!!
Exterior lighting, Nov 3, 2023
The headlights of my vehicle are so dim I cannot drive the vehicle at night. This is a safety issue, why has there never been a recall on this problem?
Suspension, Oct 28, 2023
On the October 28, 2023, at 2pm, I, was in the process of performing a backing maneuver into my driveway. As I was reversing, I suddenly felt a strong vibration and experienced an inability to move the vehicle further. I promptly exited the vehicle to inspect the situation. Upon examination, I observed that the issue was attributed to a complete failure of the Passenger Side (PS-R) lower control arm. This failure was caused by extensive rust, which had resulted in the control arm being completely broken. The severity of this structural failure rendered the vehicle inoperable and unsafe to drive.
Power train, Lane departure, Back over prevention, Sep 26, 2023
Unknown
Suspension, Power train, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 22, 2023
It smells like gas when I start the car. It's also wasting alot of gas. I have to put gas every couple of days. I spend more money putting gas. The steering and suspension and the tires keep giving me problems to where the brakes locked up on their own and now it drives really bad especially on the freeway. The steering wheel moves alot when I'm on the freeway sometimes feel like I'm loosing control of the car. The gas pedal gets stuck and the gear shift gets stuck in park. I have to use a nail filer the metal ones and push and hold the shift lock for it to move into gear. The car keeps saying Key not Detected even tho it's in the car with me. I just got the car from a small dealership in pomona in April of 2023
Exterior lighting, Sep 20, 2023
LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS EXTREMELY DIM
Power train, Sep 16, 2023
Metal shavings detected in transmission oil (under code P17F1) - car only has 90,000 miles. Dealership quoted $5,760 to fix. This is a common problem with the make/model and should have been recalled. Current extended warranty only covers 5 years, previous models' (Nissan altima 2007-2010) extended warranty for this same issue covered 10 years.
Power train, Sep 15, 2023
transmission failed twice. first time i would have to floor the gas for the car to accelerate. i took to dealer, warranty was still active and transmission was replaced. again, about 13 or 14 mo later the transmission failed again. i had it replaced again. i have receipts for all work. the car has been driving fair the last 12 months.
Suspension, Sep 7, 2023
Broken drivers side rear control arm due to corrosion.
Engine, Sep 7, 2023
I have purchased low pressure AC hose part from the local Nissan Altima dealer as there is a mechanical design issue where the low pressure AC hose is rubbing with the other part and causing a damage to the hose thus leaking refrigerant gas and spilling on the floor. I have replaced this part twice. The first time I replaced this part did not understand the real issue, the second time I have taken a closer look and found out that the low pressure ac hose is rubbing with the other part of the engine which is next to it, I went back to the dealer and informed the situation and requested to cover the warranty. He did not even bothered to look into my issue and ignored me. I had to replace the part twice due to a poor design issue and this is also a safety hazard. I have then contacted Nissan Manufacturer customer service and explained the issue, they also ignored my complaint without a resolution. I request your intervention and resolve this issue.
Air bags, Aug 30, 2023
The air bag system light comes on, the code is B0020 - Side A/B module LH, and I am able to reset the system with a code scanner. The light goes out and operates normally for a few days or weeks, then without warning the A/B illuminates again for no apparent reason. I understand this is not a component problem but a wiring issue. I have read that the path the wire harness takes from the connector under the driver's seat to the side air bag device has two tight pinch point bends causing the wiring to intermittently break the connection causing the A/B light to come on and shut off the system. The fix, I understand, is to replace the driver's seat back at a cost of $1,600. Why isn't there a recall on this? From what I see on the web this seems to be a common problem to this vehicle. This is not a wear and tear issue or abuse, the vehicle owner has not done anything to cause the wiring problem. The problem was built into the vehicle when it was manufactured by the routing of the wiring. I understand the problem will continue until the wiring fully breaks inside the wiring insulation covering and it can no longer be reset. Since this is a safety issue causing the A/B system not to operate properly why hasn't there been a push to get the manufacturer to own up to the error and repair the vehicle at no cost or offer a substantial discount. I am not sure how many vehicles have been affected and many owners may have a difficult time justifying this expense to a 9 year old vehicle for an issue they had no control. Can NHTSA offer advice or assistance with pushing for owner cost relief from the manufacturer?
Exterior lighting, Aug 14, 2023
The lighting system on 2014 Nissan Altima completely failed to the point where we couldn't drive the vehicle at night. We were unable to see the road. While searching Internet for potential issues, we found out that Nissan settled a lawsuit regarding the issues related to failing headlight/delamination issue (Suarrez vs. Nissan, 1-855-786-0996). We were never notified of the issue or the opportunity to fix the problem. Please see your file MC-[XXX}. We were hoping to have this corrected, but Nissan refuses to cover the cost of repair, which was estimated at $1,575.58 by our local Nissan dealer. They claim that the deadlines no longer apply to our case. Any help is greatly appreciated since we are sure many other drivers are in similar situation, based on online forums and defect reporting. Thank you! “INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”
Other or unspecified, Aug 3, 2023
I was driving for approximately one hour on Interstate 95N. In heavy traffic, but still at speed limit. Then exited onto Rt. 40 N. For about 10 minutes. When I turned onto the back road to my destination, my car instantly started swerving all over the road. I had to immediately pull off into the grass to get off the road. I had to be towed. The driver side rear control arm broke completely in half. It is severely rusted. I had to replace both sides, because the other side is rusted also. I was lucky it didn't happen moments earlier while driving at a high speed on the highway. I would most likely have lost control of my vehicle. And in heavy traffic, it's very likely that other cars would have been in danger due to the failure of my car. I saw that there was a recall on the 2013 Nissans, and I believe that 2014 owners also should have been made aware of the rust issues. I have only had my car for about 2 years bought from Carvana. I had a hood latch recall, but I honestly feel my life and others could have been horrifically affected by this, the use of inferior materials or lack of protective coating or whatever the cause. I have never seen a car under ten years old corroded like this.
Air bags, Jul 25, 2023, crash
My son was involved in an accident this weekend. A car pulled out in front of him and he hit them going between 45 and 55 MPH. None of his airbags deployed in his 2014 nissan altima. He had his seat belt on, but instead of the airbag keeping him from hitting the steering wheel like it should we ended up in the ER with chest pain. Thankfully he is ok along with his passenger, but I feel the airbags should have deployed. I'm not sure who I need to speak to about this. As is can see all of the black car's airbags deployed.