NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 179 owner complaints for the 2020 Nissan Altima.
6Safety recalls
179Owner complaints
16Complaints citing a crash
7Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: engine and cooling, backover prevention and rearview camera, tires, steering, and 1 more. Most-reported area: electrical system (45 complaints, 25%).
6 safety recalls for the 2020 Nissan Altima
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
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.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
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.
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."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles.
On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Altima and 2018-2021 Titan vehicles equipped with Continental tires.
The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.
Risk: A detached tie rod ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, and increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
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 rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
Risk: Rear window glass that separates from the vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
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.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles.
NHTSA listing: ALTIMA. Nissan campaign PC752.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 179 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Altima. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Electrical system45 · 25%
Engine36 · 20%
Forward collision avoidance29 · 16%
Most named: warnings (19); automatic emergency braking (11)
Steering20 · 11%
Brakes18 · 10%
Powertrain17 · 9%
Visibility/wiper10 · 6%
Unknown or other35 · 20%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Nissan Altima recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2020 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Altima drew the most (110) and the 2020 drew 56.
Owner complaints
2020: 179 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Nissan Altima
Model year
Complaints
2016
553
2017
391
2018
225
2019
232
2020
179
2021
70
2022
30
2023
29
2024
41
2025
7
2026
0
Safety recalls
2020: 6 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Nissan Altima
Model year
Recalls
2016
4
2017
3
2018
2
2019
7
2020
6
2021
2
2022
0
2023
0
2024
1
2025
2
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Nissan Altima 4 DR AWD
Rollover risk 9.2%
Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 9.2%
Questions
What are the most common 2020 Altima problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: electrical system (45), engine (36), forward collision avoidance (29). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2020 Nissan Altima safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 Nissan Altima earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Altima has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Nissan dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: ALTIMA.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.