The 2021 Nissan Altima has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 155,783 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 111 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
BACK OVER PREVENTION23V6280002023-09-08153,376 affected
Defect
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,…
Consequence
A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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. …
STEERING21V1380002021-03-042,407 affected
Defect
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.
Consequence
A detached tie rod ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“While heading west on interstate after a drs. Appointment my wife was driving our 2021 nissan altima when suddenly there was a loss of power to the engine as if the engine was overheating or had loss of fuel or only able to slowly exit the freeway to a safe place and call a tow truck, after 1 1/2…”
“While heading west on interstate after a drs. Appointment my wife was driving our 2021 nissan altima when suddenly there was a loss of power to the engine as if the engine was overheating or had loss of fuel or only able to slowly exit the freeway to a safe place and call a tow truck, after 1 1/2…”
“Often while driving the car loses power as if the power went off or I ran out of gas,,, studder for a moment then pick up power to continue to drive is the best way I can describe it. Immediately after I get a notification on the dashboard saying maintenance something”
“Often while driving the car loses power as if the power went off or I ran out of gas,,, studder for a moment then pick up power to continue to drive is the best way I can describe it. Immediately after I get a notification on the dashboard saying maintenance something”
“Often while driving the car loses power as if the power went off or I ran out of gas,,, studder for a moment then pick up power to continue to drive is the best way I can describe it. Immediately after I get a notification on the dashboard saying maintenance something”
“Dealership found metal contamination in oil pan from engine. They diagnosed as car needing a new engine due to engine failure. The car only has 90,000 miles and it’s a 2021.”
“Rear door actuator failed again.”
“The contact owns a 2021 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving on four occasions, the front driver's side seat belt unintendedly unbuckled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationAQ22003 Opened 2022-12-16 · open
Hertz/Vehicles Rented with Open Recalls
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…
InvestigationPE23023 Opened 2023-12-13 · closed 2025-07-18
Complete loss of motive power due to engine failure
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…
InvestigationPE23023 Opened 2023-12-13 · closed 2025-07-18
Complete loss of motive power due to engine failure
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…
InvestigationPE23023 Opened 2023-12-13 · closed 2025-07-18
Complete loss of motive power due to engine failure
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Nissan Altima as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.