Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle would not start. The contact pressed the start button and depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to start-up. After multiple attempts the vehicle eventually started however, the failure recurred several times. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as a faulty brake sensor. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.
The problem of delayed acceleration. The problem occurs when the vehicle does not seem to accelerate for a short period of time. When I'm at a stop. and I depresses the pedal. The vehicle does not rev. It does not do anything for a few seconds. Even with increased force on the pedal, the vehicle does not move. The second concern is that, once it does move, it does so significantly with a jolt. This means that, after a few seconds of not functioning, the vehicle will suddenly accelerate quickly. This can create an increased risk of an accident.
I've had to replace the break sensor a few times and it's unusual... My check engine light came on and it reads the code for the catalyst converter.., the auto part store saw a recall on this for my make and model but not seeing it here . The code was cleared and hasn't came back on yet but I'm anticipating it will .. these two issues need to be further looked into please
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving, the feb automatic collision notification illuminated then unilluminated. The contact stated that while approached a stop sign at 500 feet, while depressing the brake pedal, it went to the floorboard causing the distance to be extended. As a result, another vehicle came across the contact crashed into the right rear wheel of the other vehicle. No warning lights illuminated. The contact nor the other driver did not sustained injuries. A police report was filed. The other vehicle was towed. The contact was advised by the police office was to use the emergency brake and drove the vehicle to his residence. …
I have 2018 Nissan Altima sr special edition with about 25,000 miles on it. For the past few months the indicator front radar unavailable due to obstruction has been going off constantly. Last night when I was coming home from work on a major highway the indicator came up and shortly after the blinking yellow indicator of a car came up and started breaking by itself, twice. The first time I was traveling about 75 MPH and the drivers assistant started breaking. There was not a car in front of me or around me at all. I pulled over immediately and saw nothing in the way of the sensor. The second time it happened probably about 10 miles from the first time it happened. Then, I turned off the 'drivers assistants'. This could have been a very bad accident if there was another car around me at the time. I took my car in this morning to the dealership I bought the car from. …
While driving the vehicle, notification of "feb: unavailable front radar obstruction" comes on and stays illuminated for upwards of 5 to 10 minutes before turning off. This occurs when there are no vehicles in front of mine and no road hazards that would have triggered it to turn on. I feel that this is a big safety issue with the way the car is designed to stop when it detects a hazard. This started out randomly over this past summer and in the last week, has been a daily occurrence. When I spoke to the dealership about it, the soonest they had an opening to address it is a month away. No a happy camper, feels like they are not as concerned as I am with the safety of my vehicle. Brake switch failure less than one year of ownership of the vehicle. Unable to push the brake pedal in to start the vehicle. The only way to get the switch to release is to tap on it with a hammer. …
While driving a sensor light appears and reads obstruction unavailable and stays for several minutes before turning off this happens at least 5 to 6 times a week. Another problem im having is a knocking sound under driver feet while driving and turning I took it in to have it checked and the technician drove it heard the sound kept the car a whole day but said he couldn't find anything wrong but clearly there is a problem if he and I hear can hear the noise. When I picked the car up it still makes the same sound and I'm afraid while driving something May happen to the wheels. It sounds to me like this is a rotor problem. I've taken the car in twice regarding this same problem and it has not been fixed. …
The vehicle is frequently not recognizing that the brake is depressed. The brakes work fine but with the car not recognizing the brake is depressed, it will not start (as it is a push button start and the brake needs to be depressed for the car to start). Also because of it not recognizing that the brake is depressed, it occasionally will not shift out of park. Additionally because the vehicle does not recognize that the brake is depressed, the brake lights do not work which is a huge safety issue as other vehicles do not know that the car is braking. It happens when the vehicle is stationary as well as when it is being driven both at low speeds and highway speeds. The brake light sensor I believe is to blame for all of the above issues. Apparently it is fairly common with Nissan altimas and other Nissan vehicles as well. …
While driving home and just entering my neighborhood, I noticed a low tire warning on my dashboard. I looked at the pressure and there was approximately 26 pounds still in the tire and the closest place to fill up was at my house. While approaching a right turn in the neighborhood and because of the winter weather conditions of snow and ice on the road, I slowed down to a crawl and applied my brake prior to and while turning. While in the beginning of my turn, I instantly realized that I had no control of my car and I slid into a snow bank on the side of the road. There is no doubt that I was going too slow for my car to slide. I was right down the road from my home so I continued home thinking I could not have had significant damage; however, as I was driving, my ride did not feel normal even though I was traveling at a very slow pace. …
Automatic emergency breaking turns off constantly. When a truck towing a trailer passed me a light came on and a message flashed on the dash. It said that the radar was unavailable because of an obstruction. It happened again at an intersection. It seems to go off several times a day when it senses cars beside me, at intersections, turning... I made an appointment with Nissan service at jeff wyler kong?s Nissan in mason ohio. They found DTC # c1a16 radar stain and c1b55-97 radar blockage. They reprogrammed the radar unit. It still didn?t work. They said the part needs to be replaced to the tune of $1637.86. We bought this car specifically for the AEB. We researched it?s reliability through consumer reports. I checked and there were no recalls. There were no accidents on the vehicle?s history report. I?d run a small general OBD reader that did not show the code before buying. …
Brake complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2018 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 49 complaints about the brakes of the 2018 Nissan Altima, 22% of the model year's 226 complaints. The component named most often is antilock › wheel speed sensor (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2018 Nissan Altima brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2018 Nissan Altima, though it has 2 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 2018 Nissan Altima brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 34,000 miles, and 40% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 0 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.