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 2020 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while using the key fob to unlock the doors, the rear driver's and rear passenger's side doors failed to unlock as needed. The contact also stated that over time, the front driver's, and passenger's side doors failed to open while using the key fob. In addition, it was difficult to unlock the front driver's door manually with the key. The local dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the key fob not available message displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stopped at a service center. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed and stated that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 21,171. The VIN was not available.
Vehicle caught on fire while inside home @ 4:00am cst. Fire department and police department were at the scene as well. Fire department was forced to pry open the trunk to stop fire from spreading. Police gave police report at the scene due to the incident. State Farm is involved as well as the investigation team currently. State Farm insurance informed me to provide this information.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact became aware that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was an independent dealer sale. At the time of the purchase, the vehicle mileage was 83,000. It was later discovered during routine maintenance with an authorized local dealer that the mileage was 125,000.
Driving car on the freeway and car lost power. Turned the car off and checked all the fluids to make sure they were at proper levels and found no issue. Started car back up and then started smoking, open the hood and an electric fire had started, tried putting out with a fire extinguisher and it did nothing 2 min later the whole car was in flames.
Odometer Fraud - The contact purchased a 2020 Nissan Altima. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 10,976. When the vehicle was later taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, the recorded mileage was 113,000.
Driving on the freeway car started losing power, pulled over and then caught fire in matter of minutes the whole car was engulfed in flames. Fire department said it was an electrical fire near the battery and the fire wall on the driver side.
I currently own a 2020 Nissan Altima with 49,186 miles and I am reporting a recurring power door lock failure. This vehicle was inspected at the Nissan of Cumming location this morning to confirm the issue. Three of the passenger-side door lock actuators have failed within a short period of time. The two rear door locks stopped working at the same time, and approximately two weeks later the front passenger door lock also stopped working. The driver's door has started to not unlock when turning the car off where it normally did up until recently. The affected doors do not respond to the interior power lock/unlock buttons or the key fob. When attempting to lock or unlock the doors electronically, I can hear the actuators attempting to operate, but the doors do not actually lock or unlock. The doors can only be locked or unlocked manually. …
The information system head unit crashes (reboots) on demand when a MS Teams call is answered or initiated via CarPlay. Crashing of the head unit is 1) very distracting to the driver 2) avoiding it requires attention and ability to first determine incoming call is from MS Teams and then reaching down and unplugging the phone prior to answering it, causing a loss of Navigation and yet more attention loss 3) This loss of attention can cause lane deviation, lack of following traffic signals and other incidents. Problem is universal in Nissan head units in this series, google Nissan Head Unit Teams for tens of thousands of hits. Dealer and Nissan corp notified and ignore the problem. Nissan's partner in infotainment, Renault had the same exact issue and corrected it with an over the air update so it is easily fixed. …
All four of my door lock actuators have went out without warning. This has caused stress and frustration due to not having the correct access to get in and out of my vehicle. The doors would not lock or unlock by pressing the buttons on the door or on the key itself. This has also caused a big safety concern. Being able to not open my car door is dangerous and could potentially hurt myself or others. I have contacted Nissan and they stated that there were not any recalls on my vehicle but I was suspicious since all lock actuators went out around the same time frame. I have paid to get 3/4 lock actuators replaced out of my own pocket with 1 lock actuator still not fixed. I was not made aware of the lock actuators failing and didn't know that this was a problem a lot of other people were experiencing as well.
Electrical complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2020 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the electrical system of the 2020 Nissan Altima, 26% of the model year's 160 complaints. The component named most often is instrument panel › speedometer/odometer (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2020 Nissan Altima electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2020 Nissan Altima, though it has 6 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 2020 Nissan Altima electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 21,000 miles, and 63% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 fires and 0 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.