Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I bought my car brand new in 2015 from a Nissan dealership. Few months after that the breaks started making noise. I took my car to the dealership thinking that I needed new breaks and learned that the breakes were fine and the issue was debris accumulations inside the breaks. Since then I had the same issue a number of times, roughly every 3-5 months depending mileage. Through the years I learned that this was a rather known issue with Nissan Altima 2015. The issue requires opening the breaks, cleaning, and then putting them back. Because this was a known issue, the dealerships fixed my car for free in the past. But last time, I took it to another dealership near my current location and they charged me almost $300 for cleaning the breaks. I'm reporting to see if it would be possible to investigate and find solutions for this recurring issue. …
Our Nissan Altima has been experiencing the brake lamp relay switch issue, where the brake light will be on when brakes are not pushed and causes issue with acceleration. There is an existing recall open on this exact issue for the 2013-2015 models, however when I called a Nissan Service Center was advised our VIN is not part of the recall and would not be covered. Obviously the manufacturing date for our vehicle and others likewise should be included as it is the same exact issue. This puts a huge risk that this faulty product will cause an accident when you are unable to get up to speed because of the faulty parts.
My car only has 36,400 miles. I went for an oil change at a third party garage and was told my front control arms are cracked and need to be replaced. I went to the dealer who confirmed this and also said there was a recall on the rear control arms. I have talked to numerous mechanics who said that the control arm should not be failing at 36,400 miles. I contacted Nissan asking them to help me with the cost of the front control arms since they are failing at such low mileage. They are not willing to do anything. I feel like the front should be replaced by the dealer.
Service brakes, hydraulic foundation components: disc: caliper The bolts on all 4 of my tires are constantly going loose and I have problems with my front brakes never lasting as long as they should and always burn out very fast.
This is my 3rd Altima. The first 2 were amazing. This 1 is not. I bought it used from Shift.com with 73k miles on it. About 6-8 months later I started feeling something wrong in the steering. The shop I took it too said the lower control arms were in the rear were corroded and the bushing were going bad. Tried to get it repaired thru the extended warranty I paid extra for but that was a nightmare and we ended fixing it ourselves. Something was still wrong. I put new tires on it, still wrong. Changed out the struts on front and shocks on rear, new control arms,, bushings, sway bar links, and tie rods. New brake pads and rotors. Then I bought custom wheels and another set of new tires for it. Took it and had an alignment done. The shop said everything looked good. Not long after it started drifting all over the road and I started hearing a whining noise. …
Break failure by sudden - on 05/09/19 when I try to park my car, I stepped on break and slowly move into parking spot; the break was suddenly drop into vacuum without resistance. My brain reaction by trying to stop a car, but since the break suddenly failure, I changed from break pedal to gas and cause the car to move forward, which had caused an accident.
Rear brakes worn down to metal with only 35,000 miles on odometer while front brakes indicate far less wear and did not require replacement. This condition is indicative of malfunctioning or mis-adjusted proportioning valve. It also indicates potential stability and handling issues due to higher braking force being applied to rear brakes while stopping. Dealer (surf city Nissan, hunting beach ca), when questioned, gave various reasons as to why this was happening: 1. "your car has rear disc brakes and that's why they wear out faster" 2. "it depends on who's driving the car" 3. "older cars apply more force to the font than the back brakes, not the new ones" all of these statements are contradicted by sae publication, "vehicle dynamics, stability and control", 2017. …
I took my car to be serviced at discount tire shop in hollywood, california. I paid $195.00 to have my brakes replaced, because the brakes were squeaking. I re-quested having my brakes replaced. Not once did the tech ask if I wanted my old brakes confiscated. The tech told me that there did not seem to be anything with the brakes. He asked me if I wanted to have the brakes repaired; I told him yes, if it means the squeaking will stop. They repaired the brakes and the squeaking became even worse than before. I demanded my money back from the dealer manager, and he refuses to give me my money back. He drove my car after the repair and my family member and I both heard the car squeaking; however, the manager told us he did not hear any squeaking. To date the brake is still squeak-ing. …
I bought our 2015 Nissan Altima s brand new from fenton Nissan east, in del city, OK, in less than a year, the brakes starts making very loud squeaky noises, whenever the car is in motion, and I apply the brakes. I took this car to have it looked at, at hudiburg Nissan dealership, oklahoma city, OK and they did something to it that got rid of noise for a week, then, the high pitched noise came back, when in motion and I apply the brakes. A little later, I took my car to fenton Nissan east dealership in del city, and the service woman said "I have lots of customer complaints about these Nissan Altima cars and there is nothing that can be done but switch out the brake system and replace it with another. She said it would cost me $400.00 or live with the noise." I believe this is a hazardous issue that should be fixed before someone gets killed because the brakes are not working properly. …
While driving 3-5 MPH in a roundabout, the right front brake engaged on its own, locking the right front wheel. This caused the car to shake and the right wheel screeched to a halt while the left wheel could still move. I immediately pressed the brake to stop the car. I had to press and release the brake at least twice before the right front wheel brake unlocked. I drove to my home less than 1/3 mile away and examined the right front wheel. I could smell burning rubber and the wheel was very hot. During the 16 months I have owned this car, there have been several instances where it seemed the front brakes were engaging for no reason. These incidents occur when I am merging onto the highway or rounding a curve at speeds greater than 45 MPH. It feels like one or both front brakes are engaging briefly and immediately releasing, even though I am not pressing the brake pedal. …
Related 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.
Brake complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2015 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the brakes of the 2015 Nissan Altima, 3% of the model year's 955 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2015 Nissan Altima brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-733 (caliper, Nov 5, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2015 Nissan Altima brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 35,000 miles, and 29% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to brakes 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.