IllustrationWHEN DRIVING IN COLD WEATHER VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
1993 Nissan Altima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1993 Nissan Altima do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 231.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Altima years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 13 of 122 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
19 crash reports3 fire reports15 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
16 reportsCONSUMER NOTICED OIL SPOTS IN PARKING LOT, AND IT GOT WORSE AND WORSE. TOOK VEHICLE TO MECHANIC OIL PAN WAS WORN OUT, AND OIL WAS JUST RUNNING OUT FROM BACK OF IT.*AK
OIL LEAK DEVELOPED AT ENGINE TIMING COVER. ESTIMATE TO REPAIR OVER $2000. MANUFACTURER CONTACTED BUT DENIED THERE WERE ANY OPEN SERVICE BULLETINS ON THIS PROBEM AND DECLINED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIR DESPITE THERE BEING A BULLETIN NUMBER NTB95058A ON THIS EXACT PROBLEM IN THE NHTSA DATABASE.*AK
ENGINE MISS AND STALLING DUE TO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR FAILURE. *MJS
VEHICLE WAS LEAKING OIL FROM THE BOTTOM. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR REPAIRS, AND TECHNICIAN SAID THAT ENGINE TIMING COVER WAS DEFECTIVE. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK *ML
THE TIMING COVER GASKET FAILED AND IS LEAKING OIL, TSB IS ISSUED CONCERNING THIS FAILURE. *MJS
PROBLEM STARTING VEHICLE, IT WOULD IDLE ERRATICALLY AND VERY LOW, SOMETIMES IT WOULDN'T START AT ALL. THEN WHILE DRIVING THE CAR LOST POWER AND CAUGHT VERY ERRATICLLY MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL MY SPEED. SEVERAL WEBSITES IDENTIFY THE CRANK ANGLE SENSOR
THE EXHAUST SYSTEM HAS FAILED US TWICE ONCE WHEN WE FIRST GOT THE CAR FOR NO REASON IT HAPPENED ON OR AROUND 09/1997 AND THEN AGAIN 10/1999 THE TAIL PIPE KEEPS BREAKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON.
THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START RIGHT AWAY, USUALLY IT TAKES ABOUT 30 MINUTES - 1 HOUR TO START. VEHICLE WILL ALSO STALL/SHUT DOWN INTERMITENTLY. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM ,CLAIMS THAT THE VEHICLE IS NORMAL. *AK
THIS PROBLEM BEGAN WITH THE CAR STALLING AT STOP SIGNS. THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURED THE CAR STALLED OUT AND RAN REALLY ROUGH. THERE WAS LOTS OF WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE EXHAUST. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THOMAS NISSAN AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY PUT THE CAR ON THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND THE PROBLEM WA…
Read full complaint
THIS PROBLEM BEGAN WITH THE CAR STALLING AT STOP SIGNS. THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURED THE CAR STALLED OUT AND RAN REALLY ROUGH. THERE WAS LOTS OF WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE EXHAUST. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THOMAS NISSAN AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY PUT THE CAR ON THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND THE PROBLEM WAS THE SPARK PLUGS. THEY CHANGED THE PLUGS AND THE CAR DIDN'T STALL ANY LONGER BUT IT RAN SORT OF JERKY. IT PROGRESSED FROM THERE TO STALLING AT EACH AND EVERY STOP. IT SOON BEGAN TO STALL WHEN EVER I SLOWED TO MAKE A TURN. WE TOOK IT IN TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED, CHANGED THE FUEL FILTER, AND THE PLUGS. AFTER THIS WORK WAS COMPLETED THE CAR DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET AND HAD TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE STREET. AT THIS POINT WE REPLACED THE OXYGEN SENSOR AND THE CAR RAN OKAY. WE HEADED FOR HOME ONLY TO HAVE THE CAR DIE COMPLETELY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEN IT DIED I WAS DOING ABOUT 65MPH. THE PERFORMANCE DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT IT WILL NO LONGER START AT ALL. I HAD THE DISTRUBITOR REPLACED AT THE ADVICE OF A MECHANIC AND THIS DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. SO IF ANYONE OUT THERE KNOWS HOW TO SOLVE THIS RIDDLE OR HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW THEY HANDLED THE PROBLEM.
Official recalls
194V035000 · Vehicle Speed Control
Feb 28, 1994
ENGINE MOVEMENT CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO THE AIRFLOW METER/FILTER HOUSING AND SUPPORT BRACKET, WHICH IS MOUNTED IN THE ENGINE AIR DUCT, CAUSING THE THROTTLE CABLE HOUSING TO PULL OUT OF THE CABLE GUIDE. THIS MAY PREVENT THE THROTTLE FROM RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS RELEASED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, LOSS OF THROTTLE CONTROL COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy: NISSAN WILL REPOSITION THE THROTTLE CABLE HOUSING IN THE SUPPORT BRACKET TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SLACK FOR ENGINE MOVEMENT. A RUBBER STOPPER WILL BE CLAMPED TO THE CABLE TO MAINTAIN THE CORRECT POSITION FOR THE CABLE AT THE SUPPORT BRACKET. IN ADDITION, THE THROTTLE CABLE WILL BE TESTED FOR PULL OUT RESISTANCE FROM THE GUIDE IN THE EVENT THE CABLE WAS DAMAGED. THE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY WILL BE REPLACED, IF NECESSARY.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE94035 · Seat Belt LOCK-UP
Opened Apr 26, 1994 · Closed Aug 31, 1994
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts
There is no summary currently available