KnownCarProblems2020 Nissan Altima Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 159 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Nissan Altima, most often about the electrical (27% of complaints, typically around 21,000 miles). It is 21st of 27 Altima model years by number of complaints and has 6 recalls.
Most common 2020 Nissan Altima problems
Electrical
43 complaints · 27%Half of these problems showed up before 21,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument panel, seat heater, 12v/24v/48v battery, ignition.
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…
Parked the car for roughly 10 minutes. Came back and started car with all lights on dash illuminated. Hard to drive, hard to steer and could not tell how fast vehicle was moving as speedometer didn't work. This has happened before, had it taken to Nissan dealer. Advised that they couldn't duplicate the lights issues…
Engine
38 complaints · 24%The engine light constantly comes on. Have had the solenoid valve timing control replaces twice and engine light back on for the same problem. I have had my car for 6 months and has been in the shop frequently.
During cold temperatures the car accelerates poorly, engine RPM is unusual. At least one instance of the engine warning light illuminates with a "service now" message displayed. In all cases the vehicle engine was running, in (slow) motion, and on a city street and one incident on a highway going straight ahead. A…
Other or unspecified
35 complaints · 22%The vehicle's speedometer will "twitch" at varied speeds like there is an electrical "pulse" going through the speedometer needle. I had the car in the service department of butler Nissan in macon, georgia; the service write advised me that the mechanic did see the issue as I described, and stated that the service…
Just purchased my car 2 months ago, and I'm starting to see chips/crack on the top of the winshield. I didn't hit anything or any debri. I beleive this is a defect. I am going to see the dealership, and see what they tell me.
Driver assistance
29 complaints · 18%Parts named most often: warnings, automatic emergency braking, assist, warning.
During a snow storm a couple weeks ago in colorado my 2020 Nissan Altima's forward collision ADAS kicked in locking up my breaks causing me to slide into a curb and nearly rear end another vehicle also causing alignment issue's and problems with the traction system. Due to locking the brakes this accident was caused.…
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the collision avoidance system failed to activate, and the vehicle crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged, but no air bags deployed. No injuries…
Brakes
18 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 10,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving in reverse the automatic electronic braking activated although no objects were present behind the vehicle. Additionally, while switching to the reverse the message indicating an object was behind the vehicle was displayed. While driving the…
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the message "engine malfunction" was displayed, and the check engine, traction control, and forward collision avoidance warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was…
Transmission
17 complaints · 11%Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
During cold temperatures the car accelerates poorly, engine RPM is unusual. At least one instance of the engine warning light illuminates with a "service now" message displayed. In all cases the vehicle engine was running, in (slow) motion, and on a city street and one incident on a highway going straight ahead. A…
Parked the car for roughly 10 minutes. Came back and started car with all lights on dash illuminated. Hard to drive, hard to steer and could not tell how fast vehicle was moving as speedometer didn't work. This has happened before, had it taken to Nissan dealer. Advised that they couldn't duplicate the lights issues…
Steering
13 complaints · 8%During a snow storm a couple weeks ago in colorado my 2020 Nissan Altima's forward collision ADAS kicked in locking up my breaks causing me to slide into a curb and nearly rear end another vehicle also causing alignment issue's and problems with the traction system. Due to locking the brakes this accident was caused.…
Visibility and wipers
10 complaints · 6%My windshield cracked in october 2020. Bought it in august 2020 and my sister and mother both own nissans(sentra and rouge). Both windshields are cracked.
Since the purchase of this vehicle I've had two instances that I feel are defect related. The tire indicator lights continued to read low air. The tire was leaking some type of black film and a huge knot appeared on the side of the tire. Another incident involved the tire completely blowing. The tire defects were…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2020 Nissan Altima recalls
Engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
Risk: Engine failure increases the risk of a crash. A bearing failure may cause a breach in the engine block, allowing hot oil to be discharged, increasing the risk of an engine fire.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed april 8, 2026. Owners may contact nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261 or infiniti's customer service at 1-800-662-6200. Nissan's numbers for this recall are r25a8/a9 and r25b1/b2.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 rogue, 2019-2020 altima, 2019-2022 infiniti qx50, and 2022 infiniti qx55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5l or 4-cylinder 2.0l variable compression turbo (vc-turbo) engines. The engine bearings may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine failure.
Backup camera: camera
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed october 19, 2023. Owners may contact nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is r23c3.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 altima and 2020-2021 sentra vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 111, "rear visibility."
Wheels and tires: sidewall
Risk: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on may 11, 2021. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is pc798.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 altima and 2018-2021 titan vehicles equipped with continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Steering: tie rod assembly
Risk: A detached tie rod ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the left and right-side tie rod ball joint fasteners, or install new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The began march 31, 2021. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is pc795.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 nissan altima vehicles. The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.
Wheels and tires: tires
Risk: Over cured tires can result in a sidewall break causing a sudden loss of air or the tread separating from the tire. Both conditions increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began december 10, 2020. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-8677669. Nissan's number for this recall is pc765.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2020 altima s grade vehicles equipped with continental procontact tx tires, size 215/60 r16 h, with tin date code 3320 and mold id s-419149. The tires may have been over cured.
Visibility and wipers: glass, side/rear
Risk: Rear window glass that separates from the vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the back window glass, free of charge. The recall began november 4, 2020. Owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is pc752.
Full defect summary
Nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2020 altima, maxima and leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
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
Complete loss of motive power due to engine failure
Summary
On december 13, 2023, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe23-023 to investigate allegations of engine failures leading to loss of motive power in model year (my) 2021-2023 nissan rogue; my 2019-2021 nissan altima; and my 2019-2021 infiniti qx50 vehicles. At that time, odi had received 6 vehicle owner questionnaires (voq) and multiple early warning reports, with consumers reporting engine knocking noises accompanied by a loss of engine power while driving. The investigation identified bearing failures in certain vehicles equipped with the subject 3-cylinder 1.5l or 4-cylinder 2.0l variable compression turbo (vc-turbo) engines. Odi also identified early warning reports describin
Hertz/vehicles rented with open recalls
Summary
Nhtsa is opening this audit query to investigate whether the hertz corporation (hertz) has complied with the requirements of the national traffic and motor vehicle safety act (safety act). The safety act requires, among other things, that a rental company shall not rent a vehicle subject to a safety recall unless the recall remedy has been performed. 49 u.s.c. ⧠30120(I).NHTSA is in receipt of information that indicates hertz rented vehicles to customers without having performed required recall repairs. Accordingly, we are opening this audit query to seek additional information concerning this issue.
Questions about the 2020 Nissan Altima
- What are the most common problems with the 2020 Nissan Altima?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (43 complaints, typically around 21,000 miles); engine (38 complaints); other or unspecified (35 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2020 Nissan Altima have?
- 6 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 27, 2025 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2020 a bad year for the Nissan Altima?
- It is 21st of 27 Altima model years by number of complaints, with 159 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.