Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle from a private seller on Facebook Marketplace, the vehicle was then sold to a third person. The contact was informed by the third owner that the mileage on the vehicle was incorrect. The contact obtained a vehicle history report and discovered the mileage discrepancy. At the time the contact purchased the vehicle on the Facebook Marketplace, the seller listed the mileage at 108,757. It was later discovered that in June 2022, the mileage was listed as 156,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with an electrical fault inside the air bag, and it was determined that the air bag inside the seat back needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer stated that the electrical fault from the air bag was not under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
I was at work, the car was parked and off for more than 4 hours, came out and my car was on fire. Passenger driver side, at that point me and coworkers were rushing buckets of water and dumping them on my car. The fire department investigated and it was the cooling fan wiring that caused the fire.
I came out in the morning and the whole inside of my car had smoke damage, There seems to be what looked like a wire issue that has caused a fire in the center council of my nissan . Thank god by the grade of god the fire went out by its self . I do not want this to happen to anyone else
April-May, Key fob not being recognized so changed the battery in key fob 4 times. May, Driving at 55MPH on I495 beltway, pushed on gas and did not get gas. Immediately put on flasher and drifted to right curb. Dashboard was still lit. Turned the car off. Within minutes restarted the car and went where I was going. I had AutoZone run a diagnostic and they said the car was fine. Drove another couple of weeks before it happened again. This time the car would not restart and I was stopped in a very dangerous location so I had AAA tow it to my residence. The next day the car started. I drove another two weeks before reoccurring. I was able to drive it home and it has been parked. There are never any warning, check engine light, etc. A Nissan mechanic told me the symptoms I told him sounds like an issue with the sensor mobilizer. …
The issue appears to involve the vehicle's battery system. The issue is abnormal battery drain and corrosion buildup on the battery terminals. The failure results in the vehicle being unable to start without warning. The battery and affected components are available for inspection upon request. This issue creates a safety risk because the vehicle can become inoperable without warning, leaving me stranded. This could occur in unsafe or vulnerable situations, such as being stuck in traffic, in an isolated area, or during extreme weather conditions. The unpredictability of the failure increases the risk, as there is no reliable warning before the vehicle will not start. I've been stranded multiple times. Yes. An independent mechanic can confirm the issue. There were little to no warning indicators prior to failure. …
The car delays to accelerate from a stopped position. While sitting at traffic lights you can press the gas all the way to the floor and the car will not accelerate for a few seconds and then slingshot you forward. After this happens the car will not change gears and revs to 5000 RPMs while in the middle of traffic. If you can safely pull off to the side of the road and turn the car off for a few seconds and restart it, the car resumes to function normally. This is extremely dangerous, especially when making left hand turns with children in the car. In my research, this a known problem to Nissan and there has been no recall.
When driving down the street car shuts off lights flicker on and off continuously sometimes it don't turn back on sometimes it does but I usually just coast until it turns back on very dangerous if on freeway or heavy traffic also the brake light and and trac lights go on when this happens. When stepping on gas the rpm's go up really high like the transmission is going out
Transmission problems Brake system is horrible, constantly have to replace brakes and rotors Powertrain and other problems I've made several complaints to Nissan, I have put so much money in this car! Compressor went out almost 7 months after I purchased this car. I would give Nissan a 0 rating on the 2017 Nissan Altima
Speakers randomly stop working during a drive. No longer will come. Back on. As well as the door button to unlock the vehicle on the door handle on the driver side doesn't work at all and constant stereo issues. Stereo doesn't always provide connected devices current song playing.
Electrical complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2017 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the electrical system of the 2017 Nissan Altima, 7% of the model year's 392 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 Nissan Altima electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2017 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 2017 Nissan Altima electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 29,000 miles, and 47% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 2 injuries to electrical system 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.