Most common 2015 Nissan Altima problems
Share of the 955 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Nissan Altima complaints by model year
Best Altima years: 2022, 2025, 2023. Years to avoid: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2009, 2002. Compare all years →
2015 Nissan Altima recalls (10)
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.
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 Owner's Manual addendum card with instructions on how to…
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.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will secure the latch-lock cables in the correct position using the new remedy procedure, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2019.
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.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will correct the rear door latch/lock cable routing, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City…
Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano,…
Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Remedy: These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk.
Show 4 more recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Caliper
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Altima and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured October 6, 2015, to October 7, 2015. The affected vehicles have front brake calipers whose mounting bolts may not be properly tightened.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will check the brake caliper mounting bolts, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Fuel system, gasoline
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2015 Nissan Altima:
Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure
PE18-013 was opened on December 1, 2018, with 4 complaints to ODI alleging incidents of the lower control arm fracturing at a connection point to the vehicle chassis due to corrosion. ODI has received an additional 87 complaints since the PE was opened. During PE18-013, Nissan indicated model years 2013-2018 shared a common rear lower control arm design.
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure
On July 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened EA19002 to investigate instances of alleged rear lower control arm failures in 2013-2018 Nissan Altima and 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima vehicles. At the time the investigation was opened ODI had 91 consumer complaints alleging rear lower control arm failures in the subject vehicles.ODI was concerned about these complaints because many of them alleged an…
What 2015 Nissan Altima owners say
Lights all 270 →
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the side mirrors adjuster switch was no longer operable. The contact stated that the passenger's side headlight was inoperable. The contact stated that her husband was an independent mechanic, and he replaced the passenger's side headlight bulb. The contact stated that 6 months later, the driver's side headlight became inoperable. The light bulb was replaced; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the rear passenger's side and front driver's side parking lights, and the front driver's side and passenger's side fog lights became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's husband inspected the headlight fuses and noticed that they were in good condition; however, the contact's husband replaced the headlight fuses, but the failure persisted. …
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds with the headlights activated, the illumination from the headlights was extremely dim, as if the headlights were not turned on. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the headlight assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to another dealer, where it was determined that the headlight assemblies needed to be replaced because the filament behind the light bulbs had disintegrated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Air bags all 177 →
The contact owned a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, a vehicle had failed to yield into oncoming traffic which resulted in her hitting the side of other vehicle at an angle on the front passenger side bumper. The contact stated that the airbags did not deploy upon impact. No medical attention was given at the scene and a police report was not filed. The contact's vehicle was towed to an independent body shop where it was deemed a total loss. The contact sustained injuries days after the accident and was treated at local hospital. A CT scan and X-ray showed that the contact suffered a concussion. She also experiences pain to her upper and lower back as well as neck but had yet to receive an official diagnosis for that. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. …
Failure of Airbags to deploy after a rear end collision by another car. On 01.31.2025. My vehicle - a Nissan Altima 2015 was hit by an SUV while stopped at an intersection behind another vehicle. My Altima was thrust forward into the vehicle stopped ahead ome causing significant rear damage to the rear and front bumper, the trunk, and left tail lights. Despite the force of the collision and the resulting hit of the front car ahead, none of the Altima airbags deployed to protect me from serious injuries which can be potentially fatal. This indicates that the airbags may be faulty and non-operational. The car has been deemed a total loss and insurance has declined my claim and cannot compensate me because of limited collision coverage for the vehicle, and the offending driver fled the scene and cannot be identified. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 161 →
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the transmission seemed as if it was experiencing a failure since the vehicle would jerk while driving with an abnormal odor of coolant burning. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,200.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle jerked and made an abnormally loud sound. The vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact stated that the check engine and stabili-trak warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The repair was pending. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the VIN was included in Nissan Manufacturer Recall Number: PC490. The contact was advised that a manager would reach out. However, the contact was awaiting a call from the manager. …
2015 Nissan Altima engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | CVT | FWD | 27 / 37 / 31 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | CVT | FWD | 22 / 31 / 26 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2015 Nissan Altima a good car?
Based on 955 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2015 Altima rates avoid: 2.3× as many complaints as a typical year of the Altima at the same age. It is one of the Altima years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2015 Nissan Altima?
The lights — 270 complaints, 28% of all complaints for this model year, most often about headlights. Next are the air bags (177) and transmission & drivetrain (161).
How many recalls does the 2015 Nissan Altima have?
There are 10 recalls for the 2015 Nissan Altima, the most recent from May 28, 2020 (latch). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Nissan Altima?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2022, 2025 and 2023. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2009 and 2002. See the full Nissan Altima years comparison.
At what mileage do 2015 Nissan Altima problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 57,000 miles; 43% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.