Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2017 Nissan Altima: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 390 safety complaints about the 2017 Nissan Altima with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

390
Complaints
3
Recalls
3
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 24 crashes, 7 fires, 23 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Power train / transmission leads the complaint list, cited in 133 of 390 complaints, followed by Airbags & restraints.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 27 of the 390 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. One recall is a do-over. NHTSA records show recall repairs that were previously performed incorrectly — worth a VIN check even if you had recall work done.
  4. 3 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2017 Nissan Altima, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 390 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Power train / transmission
133
Airbags & restraints
75
Other / unspecified
64
Speed control
41
Engine & cooling
40
Body & structure
36
Electrical
26
Brakes & stability
21

"Transmission was completely replaced by Nissan 8/2023 after failing. June 2025 transmission fails again is needs yet another complete replacement. Nissan will not assist. Claims "warranty period" expired. BRAND NEW transmission fails in under 2 years and around 10k miles???"

Owner complaint filed July 2025 · Power Train · NHTSA ODI 11671226

"When driving down the street car shuts off lights flicker on and off continuously sometimes it don’t turn back on sometimes it does but I usually just coast until it turns back on very dangerous if on freeway or heavy traffic also the brake light and and trac lights go on when this happens. When stepping on gas the rpm’s go up really high like the transmission is going out"

Owner complaint filed June 2025 · Power Train,Electrical System,Exterior Lighting · NHTSA ODI 11669034

When complaints were filed

Complaint filings for the 2017 Nissan Altima over time:

Complaints filed per year — 2017 Nissan Altima
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
9
23
38
78
46
45
50
44
38
19
17181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026).

How the 2017 compares with other model years

Across the Nissan Altima model years we track, the 2013 has the most complaints on file (2,309); the 2017 ranks 7 of 7.

Total complaints by model year — Nissan Altima
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
1,547
425
2,309
1,112
949
552
2017
390
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 3 recalls, including a do-over

3 recalls apply to some or all 2017 Nissan Altima vehicles. Note the flagged campaign: it covers vehicles whose earlier recall repairs were performed incorrectly.

Jan 201717V-040
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch

Nissan 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 cause that door to unlatch and open.

Dec 201818V-915Repair done incorrectly
Structure:Emergency:Escape/Egress/Exit

Nissan 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 remedy was applied. As a result, the cable may interfere with the window regulato…

May 202020V-315
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:Latch

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.

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2017 Nissan Altima have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 390 complaints about the 2017 Nissan Altima with NHTSA. The most-reported system is power train / transmission.

How many recalls does the 2017 Nissan Altima have?

The 2017 Nissan Altima has 3 NHTSA recalls on file. One recall reopens earlier campaigns whose repairs were performed incorrectly. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2017 Nissan Altima safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2017 Nissan Altima an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.