Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The rear sway bar broke while driving under normal conditions. It prompted me to get online to see if there were any problems with this issue. It seems that there is an engineering defect in the product as thousands of Altima owners have attested to the same problem with the sway bar. And, they all seem to break in the same place. Why is this not a recall issue? It's certainly dangerous enough driving down the road with a piece of pipe hanging down dragging on the road. I do not understand why Nissan is not held to a higher standard or expectation, and why so many owners are having to pay to get a defective engineered product fixed. Come on guys...do something about this before someone gets killed. [redacted]
While walking to the vehicle an object was seen hanging down from behind the left drivers side rear wheel area. After crawling under the vehicle to investigate I positively confirmed the rear sway bar was broken off right at the bushing. The driver side end of this bar is still attached at the linkage rods, but is completely broken off from the rest of the sway bar at the left side bushing and bracket. Please force Nissan to step up to the plate and at least issue a service bulletin if they are too stubborn to issue a recall. Make them agree in writing to dump the manufacturer of this inferior hollow part. Judging by the numerous broken 2007 Altima sway bar complaints, there is an apparent quality problem here.
I was driving on the interstate and I put the car in cruise control. The car comes off cruise control and I enter it into cruise control again. The same results happen. Then I notice my RPM accelerating and my MPH decelerating. I knew I had to pull my vehicle over to the side of the road immediately. As I'm switching lanes my car starts to smoke profusely and I say small flames from the front of the vehicle. Nissan affairs refuses to fix my vehicle because it is exactly 1, 918 miles outside of the warranty. Although, my transmission blew prematurely.
Walked outside to notice something was loose and hanging underneath my car. After taking my car to the local Nissan dealership, they told me that my stabilizer (sway bar) was broken and would cost nearly $400 to replace. After receiving the news, I decided to research and found that a myriad of people are experiencing the same problem. I would really appreciate this issue being taken care of without having to come out pocket, considering that my driving couldn't have caused this.
Heard a loud pop while driving forward, pulled over only to find a broken stabilizer bar, hanging on the rear driver side. Looked on the web to find many people having the same problem. Part is defective, called Nissan told it would be about $500.00. Owned many different cars and never ever had a stabilizer bar just break. Very disappointed with Nissan America....
Sway bar broke without any collision and with normal use. This does not normally happen with other cars. The sway bar is hollow unlike others and May be the reason for the problem. This is a common problem that is on many Nissan forums online.
Rear sway bar snapped off at point inside rubber bushing on driver's side. I researched online and found numerous complaints of this issue on various message boards, youtube, and the NHTSA safety complaint web site. The sway "bar" is actually a hollow tube, like a pipe, which is obviously not strong enough to support the load of the vehicle during normal driving conditions. Broken piece was hanging down very close to the ground (less than 1/2 inch) and was rattling/banging/rubbing against other suspension components and cables. Others May have noticed sparks coming from under the vehicle when hitting bumps/dips while driving, which could potentially cause a fire on the side of the road. (it is not uncommon for dragging metal to start fires like this.) I had also noticed that while making turns, it feels like the suspension is "loose" and the vehicle is harder to control. …
I was replacing (myself) the broken left rear spring and noticed that sway bar is hanging under the car. It was snapped off on the right side next to the bushing. The snapping surface was already rusty, which told me that it was broken already some time ago. I was very surprised to find that my sway bar is not actually a bar, but a hollow pipe!!! Additionally, my left rear spring was broken very strange - about two thirds of a turn was snapped from the top... Interesting that I did visit Nissan dealership for tire propation - they did not find neither broken spring, nor snapped sway bar!.. Instead, they "strongly recommended" the whole bunch of questionable (and expensive) repairs for the upcoming inspection... I have found in the internet, that broken sway bar is a common problem for this type of vehicle (bad design - use of hollow pipe instead of bar). …
I own a 2007 Nissan Altima. I purchased this vehicle new in July 2007. I had to replace the tires @16,000 miles. I had problems with the tire pressure light on the dash always coming on for no apparent reason. The A/C compressor had to be replaced at approximately 37,000 mi. The second year I owned it, at a cost of $750.00. Now, just after my third anniversary of ownership the rear sway bar has broken. In checking on the internet, I find that all these are common problems. However this sway bar problem is a danger for personal safety. The bar is made out of a hollow tube and it rusted into close to where the bar joins the frame. I have never had an accident, had the car towed or driven on anything but paved roads. It just broke for no apparent reason other than poor materials. Of course this is not covered either!!! …
As I was driving home from work I noticed a noise in the rear of my vehicle. I made an appointment to have it looked at and it was said to me that my rear shocks are bad and that they had seized into the knuckle and were rusted. I then proceeded to contact Nissan north America to see if they would help out with this issue due to the vehicle only having 42000 miles. They told me that because I had an extended warranty and it was not Nissan's, and because it was not in the factory warranty that it was not their problem. I feel that this is a safety concern because the vehicle is very well maintained and there was a recall on the rear sway bar which could have affect on the rear suspension. They did not feel that my reasoning for requesting assistance was valid and I do not feel safe driving a vehicle that could potentially fall apart while driving.
Suspension complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2007 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 121 complaints about the suspension of the 2007 Nissan Altima, 26% of the model year's 471 complaints. The component named most often is rear (42 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Nissan Altima suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2007 Nissan Altima, though it has 3 recalls 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 2007 Nissan Altima suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to suspension 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.