Throughout the decades, the Nissan Altima grew from its upscale compact origins to become the marque’s bread-and-butter offering in the midsize sedan segment. With its reputation for excellent fuel economy, athletic handling and a comfortable cabin with a broad range of tech and convenience features, it’s no surprise that over 307,000 U.S. buyers made the 2016 Altima their midsize sedan of choice.
Even the best vehicles on the market can be subject to vehicle recalls. The 2016 Altima, for instance, is the subject of several recalls according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Vehicle recalls often include issues that may impact the safety and overall operation of your vehicle. Having these issues corrected at your local dealer as soon as possible helps keep you and your passengers out of harm’s way while ensuring your vehicle works as intended.
You can find out whether your vehicle is affected by one or more of the recalls listed below by visiting the NHTSA website or by contacting your local dealer. If you recently purchased your vehicle, a vehicle history check can reveal if these issues were already addressed by the previous owner.
So far, the 2016 Nissan Altima is involved in four recalls mainly affecting door latch components.
Passenger Airbag May Not Deploy Due to OCS Error
Recall Number: 16V244000
Recall Date: April 26, 2016 – Components Involved: Passenger frontal airbag
The 2016 Altima and several other vehicles within the Nissan lineup rely on the Occupant Classification System or OCS to detect when adult or child front seat passengers are present and activate the passenger frontal airbag as needed. This system may malfunction in recalled vehicles and prevent the system from detecting front passenger occupants correctly. As a result, the passenger frontal airbag may fail to deploy in the event of a crash. The fix involves reprogramming the Airbag Control Unit and OCS Electronic Control Unit in affected vehicles.
Rear Door may Open when Window is Lowered
Recall Number: 17V040000
Recall Date: January 18, 2017 – Components Involved: Door latch-lock cable
On certain 2015-2017 Nissan Altimas, rear door latch/lock cable may fail due to improper routing. Due to this installation flaw, lowering the rear window may cause the window regulator to snag on the cable, causing the rear door to accidentally unlatch and open. This could potentially place rear passengers at risk if the vehicle is in motion. Your nearest Nissan dealer will correct the cable routing free of charge.
Rear Door May Open When Window is Lowered
Recall Number: 18V915000
Recall Date: December 19, 2018 – Components Involved: Door latch-lock cable
Consider this recall as a follow-up to the previous recall involving the rear door latch/lock cable. On vehicles repaired under the previous recall, the rear door latch/lock cable routing may still interfere with the window regulator and cause the rear door to unlatch and open when lowering the rear window. The fix involves securing the rear door latch/lock cable using a revised method.
Unintentional Release of Primary Hood Latch
Recall Number: 20V315000
Recall Date: May 28, 2020 – Components Involved: Secondary hood latch
On model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altimas, the secondary hood latch may corrode over time and subsequently malfunction if the primary hood latch is accidentally released. Without the secondary latch engaged, the hood could suddenly open if the primary latch fails while driving, increasing your risk of a vehicle crash.
Research into a potential fix is still ongoing as of May 2020. In the meantime, Nissan mailed interim notices to owners instructing them on proper latch maintenance as well as a reminder to fully close the hood before driving. Nissan expects to have a remedy available sometime during the third quarter of 2021 and the manufacturer will send a second notice once remedy parts become available.
