Your vehicle report
2004 Nissan Altima
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 276
- Received Jan 2004 to Sep 2023
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Frame rusts and corrodes through35 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Engine suddenly shuts off while driving27 complaints · 9.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Engine stalls and loses power while driving20 complaints · 7.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #06V242000On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5L engine, the crank angle sensor is affected by temperature variations. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 14 crashes, 3 fires, 11 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
- Ignition key sticks or will not turn
- Headlights dim or fail at night
- Engine won't start or cranks intermittently
1 more problem
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 16 |
| 2005 | 10 |
| 2006 | 11 |
| 2007 | 35 |
| 2008 | 38 |
| 2009 | 26 |
| 2010 | 25 |
| 2011 | 19 |
| 2012 | 16 |
| 2013 | 17 |
| 2014 | 20 |
| 2015 | 17 |
| 2016 | 12 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 276 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 35 | 13% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 27 | 9.8% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 20 | 7.2% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 13 | 4.7% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 12 | 4.3% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 7 | 2.5% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 6 | 2.2% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 6 | 2.2% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 6 | 2.2% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 6 | 2.2% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 3 | 1.1% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #06V242000July 7, 2006294,166 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5L engine, the crank angle sensor is affected by temperature variations. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature Can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
If the interruption in the signal from the sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ECM) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will reprogram the ECM free of charge. The recall began on august 21, 2006. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2004 Nissan Altima.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN