IllustrationPOSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE RESULTED IN ENGINE FIRE. *MJS
1996 Nissan Altima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Nissan Altima are lower than 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: 9 of 92 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
20 crash reports5 fire reports10 injury reports
What owners actually said
92 reportsAIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY - CAR WAS TOTALLED. *AK
VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENLY ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP & WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AFTER BEING TEST DRIVEN. THE PROBLEM WOULD HAPPEN AT LEAST 5 TIMES IN ONE DAY. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER & INFORMED HAD NOT HEARD OF THAT PROBLEM BEFORE. DID …
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VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENLY ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP & WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AFTER BEING TEST DRIVEN. THE PROBLEM WOULD HAPPEN AT LEAST 5 TIMES IN ONE DAY. CONTACTED MANUFACTURER & INFORMED HAD NOT HEARD OF THAT PROBLEM BEFORE. DID NOT OFFER ANY HELP. *AK
NP SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON, BUT FIRESTONE TECHNICIANS INDICATE THEY ARE UNABLE TO RECEIVE AN UNDERSTANDABLE CODE TO INDICATE WHICH SYSTEM IS FAILING WHEN THEY DID THE DIAGNOSTIC. IT RECEIVED A 707, BUT APPARENTLY THIS IS NOT A CODE THAT GOES WITH ANY FAILURE. THEY HAVE TOLD ME TO GO DIRECTLY TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT…
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ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON, BUT FIRESTONE TECHNICIANS INDICATE THEY ARE UNABLE TO RECEIVE AN UNDERSTANDABLE CODE TO INDICATE WHICH SYSTEM IS FAILING WHEN THEY DID THE DIAGNOSTIC. IT RECEIVED A 707, BUT APPARENTLY THIS IS NOT A CODE THAT GOES WITH ANY FAILURE. THEY HAVE TOLD ME TO GO DIRECTLY TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT WHY THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT IS COMING ON. IT MAY BE SOMETHING TO NOTE, THAT THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON NEW YEAR'S DAY...COULD THIS MEAN THERE IS A Y2K COMPUTER THING GOING ON? PLEASE HELP! THANK YOU, HEATHER. *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. HOWEVER, CONSUMER WAS NOT DRIVING FAST ENOUGH FOR THE AIR BAGS TO HAVE DEPLOYED. CAR FILLED WITH SMOKE MAKING, IT WAS HARD TO SEE THE ROAD. *AK
I CONTACTED A NISSAN DEALER PARTS DEPT. THEY REPORTED TO ME THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON, AND THE CAM SENSOR IS NOW REPAIRED IN A NEWLY DESIGNED DISTRIBUTOR, BUT ALL THE ORIGINAL CAM SENSORS IN THE FACTORY DISTRIBUTORS WERE EXPERIENCING A HIGH FAILURE RATE. I KNOW OF TWO OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE.
NO SUMMARY
WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION DUAL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT ABSOLUTELY ANY KIND OF IMPACT, CAUSING $2600 WORTH OF DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE INJURIES TO DRIVER AND PASSENGER. *AK
WAS COMING TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN ENGINE STARTED RACING, ALMOST TOOK OFF. HAD FOOT ON BRAKES AT TIME. TURNED VEHICLE OFF. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER NEXT DAY & MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF ENGINE RACING. HAS HAPPENED TWICE ALREADY. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.