Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My 17 year old daughter was involved in an accident with my 2005 Nissan Altima on May 21, 2014. She was hit by another vehicle in which she received back, leg and knee injuries. My vehicle was hit hard on the front passenger side in which the airbag did not deploy when clearly it should have by the impact of the accident and the speed of the other driver. To add, my daughter was wearing her seat belt and thank god there were no fatalities. When I purchased the vehicle I had no idea that there had been recalls on the vehicle for airbag issues. I would not have purchased it if so. In doing research I am finding out about the airbag issues affecting past and current Nissan models. The car was deemed a total loss by my insurance company. The airbag system should deploy when the restraint controller detects a moderate to severe frontal collision. …
My 17 year old daughter was involved in an accident with my 2005 Nissan Altima on May 21, 2014. She was hit by another vehicle in which she received back, leg and knee injuries. My vehicle was hit hard on the front passenger side in which the airbag did not deploy when clearly it should have by the impact of the accident and the speed of the other driver. To add, my daughter was wearing her seat belt and thank god there were no fatalities. When I purchased the vehicle I had no idea that there had been recalls on the vehicle for airbag issues. I would not have purchased it if so. In doing research I am finding out about the airbag issues affecting past and current Nissan models. The car was deemed a total loss by my insurance company. The airbag system should deploy when the restraint controller detects a moderate to severe frontal collision. …
We are the second owner of the car, a family member was the first and bought it new from a Nissan dealership. One day in October 2014 my husband got in the passenger side and said it felt squishy. He stuck his hand under and could feel rot. We drove the 2.1 miles home and then he looked. That is when he discovered a hole at least 9 inches in the floor. I asked the previous owner if anything ever happened that would cause that and he said so it was never in an accident and the dealer who did all the maintenance work never mentioned seeing a rust spot. Now the hole is huge and is going fast. We have to use this vehicle because we can't afford a new one. Nissan says it is because it is an old car. My 1993 Honda civic (over 210,000 wisconsin miles on it) and my husband's 2002 Nissan sentra ser are older and they do not have rust underneath. …
I am the original owner of this vehicle. I found out on line , that there is an inferior design flaw which is extremely dangerous,that involves water accumulation and severe rusting clear thru both the inner and lower floor boards, on most 2002 to 2006 Nissan's. I checked my vehicle and found on the front passenger side,I have a 6 to 8 inch hole clear thru both the inner and lower floor boards. This condition is extremely hazardous in that in addition to someone possibly falling thru the hole , engine exhaust carbon monoxide fumes as well as water can enter the vehicle. There is also the possibility of an electrical short in the wiring that can cause a fire and result in death. …
I brought my car to Firestone to have numerous repairs done on my car 6/27/15-6/30/15. While they had the car up on the lift, the tech noticed and told me that my floor boards are rusting out and he could see clear through to my carpeting. My windows have been repeatedly getting dirty from the inside and I could never figure out why. I have asthma and I am very concerned about the fumes that are entering my vehicle. This now explains why I feel the need to use my inhaler more frequently when I'm in my car or getting out of my car on shorter trips. For instance, I have a 1.5 mile ride to the train for my commute to work. By the time I get to the train, I'll need to use my inhaler again already. My car is paid off. I had planned to keep this car as long as I possibly could so I can pay down debt. Also, I had just this past weekend spent around $700 in repairs on my car. …
While I was parked at home I was examining the underside of my 2005 Altima and to my shock found a 12 inch by 10 inch section of rust with large flakes coming from the floor panel on my passenger side. There are holes in this section that are penetrating through the layers towards the inside of the car. The drivers side has the beginning of rust and cracking floor panel as well. I am cannot believe this, I am the second owner and have meticulously maintained the car just as the first owner had and there is no rust anywhere else on the body. I researched this rusted out floor paneling and found that there are news stories and that it is a nationwide problem that Nissan needs to address! I do not feel safe structurally with the rust compromising strength and safety and I do not want to have any passengers ride in that seat. …
I took my Altima to the Nissan dealership for regular maintenance and the mechanic noticed the common rusting problem in my front passenger side floor board. There is a hole about 3-4 inches and you can look up and see the carpet. I'm really upset and wasn't aware of this issue with altimas when I bought my car preowned six months ago. It is in otherwise excellent condition, completely pampered by the previous owner and myself, and shouldn't be rusting through at this age and with only 59K miles on it. Despite what Nissan might be claiming, having large holes in your floorboard is an absolute safety hazard and I really feel concerned for the Altima owners who didn't catch the problem as early as I have, or even have yet to discover it! Some of the holes that other people have experienced can fit more than a foot through!! I am also very concerned about the fumes creeping in. …
A few years ago I was alerted by my mechanic that the passenger floor boards were rusting at an advanced rate. My mechanic said the rest of the car was in great shape and it was a shame the floor was failing prematurely. He recommended I take it to the Nissan dealership to see if there was a service recall or a service bulletin. I stopped by the dealership on a Saturday and the service writer looked at the floor of my car and said that he had never seen such a thing on any Nissan. He said there was nothing he could do and recommended we contact Nissan. We contact Nissan and never even got a response. At the time we searched the internet and found numerous people reporting the issue. So I find it hard to believe that Nissan had never heard of the issue. …
Underneath the floor boards on both sides are rusting out. The drivers side is especially bad. I have owned the car since it was new but just recently noticed this problem. Also the paint ont the hood, top and exterior review mirrors has faded. Otherwise the car seems to be in good shape. It has 119,560 miles on it and I planned on using it for a while longer. We have owned a total of 5 nissans beginning in in 1989 and all have been good vehicles. We are currently leasing a rogue. I am hoping that Nissan will take care of this problem. Even though I have been a loyal Nissan owner for many years I'm not past changing brands, and will when this lease is up if they can't do something about these floor boards at the very least. I feel that this could cause issues in a number of ways. …
As the original owner of this Altima, we were alarmed when our son said he could see the carpeting hanging through the bottom of the vehicle. We contacted our Nissan dealer who said the repairs wouldn't be covered and to pursue it with Nissan corporate. We paid out of pocket for the repairs (safety concerns) and formally requested reimbursement. I received a call and was told it was declined due to vehicle's age and due to the fact we're in the "north-east salt states". I asked why 2005 Honda's, Chevy's and Buick's from the same locale aren't experiencing the same issue?? When I asked for a detailed denial of my claim (one citing the reasons I was being given verbally) I was told absolutely not and that Nissan would only supply a "general" letter of denial. Seriously?? Does anyone else think this sounds like an unethical practice? …
Body complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2005 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 351 complaints about the body & structure of the 2005 Nissan Altima, 32% of the model year's 1,091 complaints. The component named most often is body (295 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Nissan Altima body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2005 Nissan Altima, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Altima body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 103,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 10 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.