2018 Nissan Altima: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2018 Nissan Altima
On the 2018 Nissan Altima, the failure owners report most often is other brake problem, and the reports cluster around 35,000 miles. The earliest to appear is backup camera failure, reported by a median of 15,000 miles. Overall it scores 63 out of 100, high risk for a 2018.
High risk for a 2018 — 246th riskiest of the 251 2018 vehicles we can rate. 323 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
The failures owners actually file about
Owners have reported 37 named failure modes on the 2018 Nissan Altima, and the three most-reported carry 25% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Other brake problem leads with 37 reports, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 15k to 42,500 miles.
Other driver assistance problem follows with 23 reports, usually reported between 18k to 65,000 miles.
Other electrical problem follows with 22 reports, usually reported between 21k to 35,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into adas (45), brakes (42) and electrical (28).
When these failures get reported
172 of the reports on the 2018 Nissan Altima came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 36,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 75% by 50,000 miles and 99% by 100,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 40,000 and 50,000 miles, which alone holds 21% of the dated reports.
49% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
In the order they tend to show up: backup camera failure around 17k, other electrical problem around 31k, no-start or intermittent start failure around 34k and other brake problem around 35k.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 37. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 11 mention a crash and 1 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.52, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other brake problem at $300–$1,800, other driver assistance problem at $250–$1,800, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000 and airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault at $300–$1,600. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
15% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other brake problem | brakes | 37 | 29 | 15k | 35k | 43k | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 23 | 16 | 18k | 46k | 65k | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 22 | 12 | 21k | 31k | 33k | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 20 | 3 | — | 55k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 18 | 16 | 18k | 34k | 47k | 0.1 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 15 | 13 | 45 | 37k | 56k | 0.0 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 14 | 3 | — | 59k | — | 0.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Backup camera failure | infotainment | 12 | 8 | 2k | 17k | 49k | 0.0 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 11 | 3 | — | 20k | — | 0.0 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 9 | 3 | — | 39k | — | 0.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 9 | 9 | 21k | 37k | 65k | 0.0 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$900 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 7 | 5 | — | 59k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| CVT failure | transmission | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $3,000–$8,500 | Critical |
| Headlight failure or clouding | lighting | 6 | 5 | — | 44k | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Tail light, brake light or signal failure | lighting | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $100–$900 | Moderate |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 4 | 1 | — | 69k | — | 0.0 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 4 | 3 | — | 65k | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 4 | 1 | — | 48k | — | 0.0 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 3 | 1 | — | 14k | — | 0.0 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Premature brake pad or rotor wear | brakes | 3 | 3 | — | 30k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Power steering pump or fluid leak | steering | 3 | 3 | — | 100 | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Strut, shock or spring failure | suspension | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Loss of power steering | steering | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $600–$2,800 | Critical |
| Rust or structural corrosion | body | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $500–$6,000 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 2 | 1 | — | 15k | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 2 | 2 | — | 18k | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Overheating | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Alternator or charging system failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $450–$1,600 | High |
| Engine sensor failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $180–$900 | Moderate |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 40k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Master cylinder or brake booster failure | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $450–$2,200 | Critical |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 59k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 1 | 1 | — | 13k | — | 0.0 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | Moderate |
| Software fault or failed update | software | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $0–$600 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 59 | 29 | 16k | 38k | 45k | 0.2 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2018 Nissan Altima draws about 1.1 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 73rd percentile of complaint rates among 2018 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 305,303 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2018 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2018 model year
NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2018 Nissan Altima, affecting an estimated 332,016 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch and back over prevention: sensing system: camera. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
1,831,818 vehicles 2020-05-28- Defect
- 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.
- Consequence
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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…
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
1,228,830 vehicles 2019-09-12- Defect
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in…
- Consequence
- The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2018 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
How 2018 compares with the other years
High risk for a 2018 — 246th riskiest of the 251 2018 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 29 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2018 comes out best at 63 and 2024 worst at 83, with 2018 itself at 63.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2018, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2013–2018 generation specifically, 2018 is the strongest year at 63 and 2013 the weakest at 73.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2013-2018 generation, 2018 Nissan Altima scores best at 63 and 2013 Nissan Altima worst at 73.
Where to spend the inspection money
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: cruise control failure from about 45, backup camera failure from about 2k, other brake problem from about 15k and no-start or intermittent start failure from about 18k.
On a 2018 Nissan Altima with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether cruise control failure has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
The limits of complaint data
323 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 323 reports, 172 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 53% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Nissan Altima?
The most-reported failures are other brake problem (37 reports, median 35,000 miles), other driver assistance problem (23 reports, median 45,000 miles) and other electrical problem (22 reports, median 30,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2018 Nissan Altima problems start?
Backup camera failure is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 15,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 1,900 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 36,000 miles.
Is the 2018 Nissan Altima reliable?
It scores 63 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 246th riskiest of the 251 2018 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2018 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Nissan Altima is best?
Within the 2013–2018 generation, 2018 scores best at 63 out of 100 and 2013 worst at 73. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed