Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving up an incline at 65-70 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and briefly lost automotive power. The vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the stop lamp switch and wiring had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. Most recently, the contact stated that while driving up an incline at 60-70 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and briefly lost automotive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the headlights were extremely dim. The contact used high-beam headlights to see the road ahead. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the headlight bulbs; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight had become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with an internal headlight failure, and it was determined that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the headlight bulbs; however, the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
The transmission has went out twice on this car within 2 1/2 years. I don't drive it excessively. It is dangerous and a major safety issue for me to drive my car especially with children in it. I can be at a red light and on the highway etc. it's very slow to accelerate that can cause an accident and other things, at the red light it takes a long time to start moving, it's very sluggish. It drives very slowly on highways like 20 mph and on the road. It will start off slow and then accelerate and go super fast, that really scares me. It jerks really bad and everything that causes me to have anxiety attacks, IBS etc. Its getting worst everyday. It's a major safety hazard on the road especially for my children. My son is scared, panics and cry's as well in the car because how it's driving. I have a baby and an 8 year old. I'm disabled as well as my son. …
The headlights are really dim .. can barely see when driving at night .. I took it to the dealership and it says it failed inspection but im out of warranty extension .. there was a class action lawsuit for this problem and nissan replaced the headlamps for free instead of a 1,200 $ fix .. but I literally bought the car March 23rd of this year , not even a month ago and had no idea about any of this until it was too late to get it fixed with financial help .. since I just bought the car is there any way to get any help with this or maybe I can get lead in the right direction because I do not have $1,200 for the headlights but they are bad .. I even got pulled over the other night because I had to ride with my high beams on and got a ticket ! please help just bought car and it is very scary to ride at night .. and due too I work in a restaurant and I am a closer I have to .. …
I am concerned about the safety of my headlights. I haven't had my car long but noticed how dim the headlights were in comparison to my other car. I frequently would drive my old car with the fog lights illuminated due to wildlife concerns. My Nissan, though ten years newer, has lighting that is way worse. Sure enough, an animal ran out across my part that I could barely see. I looked into replacement bulbs when I stumbled across a class-action lawsuit regarding dim headlights. However, since I recently bought this car used, I apparently have no recourse. This is most definitely a safety issue. Furthermore, if the issue is due to the projector lens, then the repair should be made at Nissan's expense. Additionally, several people say that changing the bulbs do not help. I haven't had my car looked at by anyone because they just want to change the bulbs. …
The safety of the vehicle and individuals are put into a potentially dangerous position due to the knowledge that Nissan has concerning the headlamps of Nissan Altima. This is a known issue that the headlamps are defective and are dimming due to deamination, they have already settled a class action case of Suarz v. Nissan North America, Inc. My car is affected by this issue but I never received notification of the settlement. If this is a know issue and has been settled once already and poses a danger to the general public why has there not been a recall on this issue? The lights on my car were inspected by a certified Nissan dealer and failed inspection, I had reached out to Nissan about having this issue resolved and they have denied any remedies to correct this and make it safe. What needs to happen for this to rise to the level of have Nissan recall and fix this know danger?
The headlights are extremely dim and unsafe to drive on the road at night. We first began noticing it a few months ago and it looks like there was a settlement online for this exact reason, but we didn't find out about it until the aforementioned few months ago, well past the settlement window. This is a safety issue and needs to be addressed with a proper recall as, looking around online I'm seeing reports of not just it being a safety issue, but I'm seeing people actually being cited for the lighting being insufficient for it passing inspection. This should be ranked right up there with the vehicle being undrivable during nightfall. It apparently is not fixed with a bulb replacement and it has to do with the makeup of the lighting housing materials melting or becoming deteriorated over time.
The low beam headlights is very dim. It is almost impossible to see using that and driving at night. Whatever reflecting coating nissan put inside of the low beam headlight has faded away causing the light to not reflect properly and thus providing little to no light when you try to use the low beam headlights. This is extremely dangerous because this significantly reduces the visibility when you are driving at night. The car does not give you any warning about how dim the light. I have not gotten into an accident yet mostly because I avoid driving at night because of these dim headlights. I replaced the headlights on my car and that seems to have done almost nothing to help with visibility.
Headlight complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2016 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the lights of the 2016 Nissan Altima, 8% of the model year's 554 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Nissan Altima headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2016 Nissan Altima, though it has 4 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 2016 Nissan Altima headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 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.