KnownCarProblems2014 Nissan Altima Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,114 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Nissan Altima, most often about the lights (27% of complaints, typically around 80,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Altima model year since 2000 and has 8 recalls.
Most common 2014 Nissan Altima problems
Lights
299 complaints · 27%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights.
Front headlights are very dim at night. Very poor visibility. Cannot see the road. Replaced light bulbs and it did not improve the problem at all.
Headlamps are very dim while driving at night. Control arms are loose, I'm guessing the result of the 2 flaps on each side.underneath the car keeps coming loose even after replacing plastic screws. No accidents have occurred.
Transmission
209 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
Driving in middle lane on expressway in chicago, when slowing down for traffic accident again I thought I was hit from behind because my car jumped. As I came to a complete stop, car jumped again and then died. Towed to the dealer, was first told it was an ECM defect and would replace under warranty. Then received a…
I recently purchased a 2014 Nissan Altima s with 48,000 miles on it. After driving it for four months I recently started having an issue. At first I thought it was bad gas because the car started jerking and acting like it was not getting gas. I purchased the stuff for fuel that you use to increase the octane in the…
Air bags
208 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 22,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, sensor.
While driving my 2014 Nissan Altima, the passenger side airbag light stayed on although an adult passenger was sitting in the seat. I pulled over, turned the car off and re-started it, the light went off. This has happened twice within a month.
2014 Altima has been into dealer for passenger air bag issues and twice they have done things, but we still have the problem. A passenger over 125 pounds is sitting in the seat and the air bag light saying the air bag is turned off is on. Have to shut the car off and turn on again and it will then go out. Makes me…
Suspension
132 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: front.
Left rear lower contrl arm broke while car was being driven.was able to pull of the road and had to have it towed to a repair shop ad wait while the part was ordered.
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the contact switched lanes and the vehicle began to swerve and shake uncontrollably. The traction control warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the shoulder and called roadside assistance. The vehicle was towed to an independent…
Other or unspecified
83 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 66,000 miles.
I was driving my Nissan Altima home from the dealership on a busy street, similar to a highway and it kept stopping everytime I tried to take off. It would drive and turn off I would have to crank it back up and it would drive a bit and then abruptly turn back off. I took it back that same day and was assured nothing…
The interior door handle of the driver's door abruptly stopped working in the morning while out running errands. I pulled into a parking space and turned off the vehicle then attempted to exit but the door handle would not open the car door. I feared I would be trapped inside the car. I managed to climb over the…
Engine
80 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles.
My car as at a stop sign off a highway. As I tried to excelerate, the car died. I put the car in park. I let it sit for a second, put it in drive, it moved less that a foot and died. I was able to make it to a service station where they told me I needed a new battery. One week later I was on the highway trying to…
My car has had many problems with the check engine light. My smog mechanic has checked it, he stated it needed a mass airflow senser. He installed it. $$$$$$ light went out, came back on in a day or to. He ordered another one, same thing happened. I am really tired of this. I bought the car new, only has 68000 miles…
Electrical
71 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 32,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel.
I bought the car last year and it has only been about 13 months. About three months ago, I noticed that there was a kind of jerk when I would start off a stop light and accelerate. First thinking it was not a great deal, I kept going however I noticed it that it was becoming more constant. One day about to reverse out…
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that when the front passenger seat was occupied, the air bag off warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number…
Steering
58 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 12,500 miles.
I purchased a brand new 2014 Nissan Altima sv from baker Nissan north in houston, texas (19630 northwest fwy, houston, tx 77065 ([phone]). My transmission has failed twice (replaced the first time and now having to be replaced again) and I have been getting the run around from the dealership. This issue should not be…
Noticed that when holding the steering wheel at the 9:00 and 3:00 position and pulling straight up there was .25" of up and down play in the steering column. The dealer replaced the steering column under warranty on 11/04/2014. Part # 48810-3ta1b, column steering-tilt.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2014 Nissan Altima recalls
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If the primary latch is inadvertently released again and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an ownerâs manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed june 30, 2021. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: recall 16v-029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 altimas and this recall applies to all vehicles covered by 16v-029 even if those repairs have already been performed.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 nissan altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.
Air bags: occupant classification
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ecu and update the ocs software free of charge. The recall began february 13, 2017. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 altima vehicles manufactured january 3, 2013, to july 29, 2013, 2015-2016 rogue vehicles manufactured october 14, 2014, to august 12, 2016, and 2016 maxima vehicles manufactured june 4, 2015, to august 19, 2015. An incorrect occupant classification system (ocs) electronic control unit (ecu) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ecu and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
Air bags: occupant classification
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet city express owners will be notified by general motors. Dealers will reprogram the air bag control unit (acu) and ocs electronic control unit (ecu) in altima, maxima, murano, rogue, and sentra vehicles, and replace the ocs ecu in leaf, nv200, nv200 taxi, pathfinder, infiniti q50, jx35, and qx60 and chevrolet city express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on may 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, infiniti customer ser
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 nissan maxima, 2013-2016 nissan altima, nv200, leaf, sentra, and pathfinder, 2014-2016 nissan nv200 taxi, infiniti qx60, qx60 hybrid, and q50 hybrid, 2014-2017 nissan rogue and infiniti q50, 2015-2016 nissan murano, murano hybrid, and chevrolet city express, 2014-2015 nissan pathfinder hybrid, and 2013 infiniti jx35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger occupant classification system (ocs) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14v-565 and 15v-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on february 17, 2016. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: this recall supersedes recalls 14v-565 and 15v-116.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 nissan altima vehicles manufactured march 6, 2012, to december 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Air bags: occupant classification
Risk: If the ocs does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the ocs software, free of charge. The recall began on november 30, 2015. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 altima and pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 nissan sentra vehicles, 2013 infiniti jx35 vehicles, 2014-2015 infiniti qx60 vehicles and 2014 infiniti qx60 hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (ocs) control unit during a repair. These ocs control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Fuel system: fuel system, gasoline
Risk: If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on september 28, 2015. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) notified the agency on july 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 nissan maxima vehicles manufactured february 10, 2015, to august 18, 2015. On october 14, 2015, nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a v6 engine manufactured march 30, 2012, to august 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the july 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began march 31, 2015. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: this recall is an expansion of recall 14v-565.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 nissan altima vehicles manufactured march 1, 2013, to december 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Electrical: software
Risk: If the ocs does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the ocs software, free of charge. The recall began on april 14, 2014. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 altima, leaf, pathfinder, and sentra, model year 2013 nv200 (aka taxi) and infiniti jx35 and model year 2014 infiniti q50 and qx60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (ocs) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Rear suspension control arm failure
Summary
On july 29, 2019, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened ea19002 to investigate instances of alleged rear lower control arm failures in 2013-2018 nissan altima and 2016-2018 nissan maxima vehicles. At the time the investigation was opened odi had 91 consumer complaints alleging rear lower control arm failures in the subject vehicles.odi was concerned about these complaints because many of them alleged an increased steering effort or loss of vehicle control.at the time these complaints were received, odi was also aware of a proactive service campaign addressing 2013 nissan altima in salt-belt states for a similar concern. Since opening the investigation, odi has confirmed, based on
Rear suspension control arm failure
Summary
Pe18-013 was opened on december 1, 2018, with 4 complaints to odi alleging incidents of the lower control arm fracturing at a connection point to the vehicle chassis due to corrosion. Odi has received an additional 87 complaints since the pe was opened. During pe18-013, nissan indicated model years 2013-2018 shared a common rear lower control arm design. Nissan provided complaint and warranty data regarding 48 incidents of the subject failure. The majority of the complaints are from vehicles registered in salt belt states. There have been no crashes, injuries, or fatalities confirmed as of this date. Nissan advised that it has conducted testing to assess safety risk. Nissan states that due t
Occupant classification system failure
Summary
In may 2016, nissan north america issued a safety recall (16v-244) to address the problem of improper classification of adult front seat passengers in approximately 3.3 million vehicles, including those in the scope of this investigation when it was opened (almost one million vehicles) and additional vehicles, as shown below.nissan models: certain model year 2013-2016 altima, 2013-2016 leaf, 2016-2017 maxima, 2015-016 murano and murano hybrid, 2013-2016 pathfinder, 2014-2015 pathfinder hybrid, 2014-2017 rogue, 2013-2016 sentra, 2013-2016 nv200, and 2014-2016 taxi.infiniti models: certain model year 2013 jx35, 2014-2017 q50, 2014-2016 q50 hybrid, and 2014-2016 qx60 and qx60 hybrid.chevrolet m
Occupant classification system failure
Summary
In april 2014, nissan north america launched safety recall 14v-138 to address problems with the occupant classification system (ocs) algorithm in the following vehicles: model year (my) 2013-2014 nissan altima, pathfinder, sentra and leaf; my 2013 infiniti jx35; my 2014 infiniti qx60 and q50; and my 2013 nissan nv 200/taxi vehicles.according to nissan, the ocs may misclassify adult front passenger occupants and turn off the passenger's frontal air bag for an adult occupant of sufficient weight.in march 2015, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened this recall query after the agency received approximately 124 complaints alleging problems with the ocs after the recall repairs and/or o
Questions about the 2014 Nissan Altima
- What are the most common problems with the 2014 Nissan Altima?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: lights (299 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles); transmission (209 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); air bags (208 complaints, typically around 22,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2014 Nissan Altima have?
- 8 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 28, 2020 (doors and locks). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2014 a bad year for the Nissan Altima?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Altima model year since 2000, with 1,114 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.