IllustrationTHIS CAR HAD BEEN REPAIRED ALMOST EVERY YEAR SINCE I OWNED THIS CAR IN SEPTEMBER 2004. HAD A SUDDEN OVERHEAT PROBLEM RECENTLY. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME ENGINE HEAD GASKET WAS DAMAGED OR WORE OUT. DID NOT REPAIR THE CAR. THE CAR HAS 131,000 MILES. *TR
1997 Nissan Altima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 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: 20 of 108 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 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. 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.
31 crash reports5 fire reports18 injury reports
Power Train complaints
8 reportsCONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR
WHEN TRAVELING AT 40 OR MORE VEHICLE WOULD DOWNSHIFT UNEXPECTEDLY. VEHICLE BEEN IN DEALER SHOP ON FOUR OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK
CAR BUCKS AT ALL SPEEDS, ALL GEARS, ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS. HAS BEEN EXAMINED BY LANG'S AUTO (R5674) AND BOB SHARP NISSAN IN WILTON, CT. NEITHER COULD IDENITIFY PROBLEM ON COMPUTER OUTPUT, BUT MULTIPLE MECHANICS COULD FEEL BUCKING. BUCKING IS SIGNIFICANT AND JARS PERSONS IN THE CAR. NISSAN DEALER HAD THE CAR FOR THREE WEEKS …
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CAR BUCKS AT ALL SPEEDS, ALL GEARS, ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS. HAS BEEN EXAMINED BY LANG'S AUTO (R5674) AND BOB SHARP NISSAN IN WILTON, CT. NEITHER COULD IDENITIFY PROBLEM ON COMPUTER OUTPUT, BUT MULTIPLE MECHANICS COULD FEEL BUCKING. BUCKING IS SIGNIFICANT AND JARS PERSONS IN THE CAR. NISSAN DEALER HAD THE CAR FOR THREE WEEKS AND FINALLY GAVE IT BACK REPORTING THEY COULD NOT IDENITIFY PROBLEM OR FIX IT. SUGGESTED PREMIUM GAS AND DRY GAS WHICH WE HAVE DONE AND IT HAS NOT HELPED. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. WE HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND CAN NOT TAKE THEM IN THAT CAR AS THEY WOULD BE JARRED. WE HAVE NO ADDITIONAL RECOURSE WITH DEALER AS ORIGINAL DEALER WENT OUT OF BUSINESS AND THE ONE WE WENT TO CAN NOT FIX AND WILL NOT CONTINUE TO TRY. CAR IS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 80/ WEEKDAY FOR COMMUTING PURPOSES AND ON WEEKENDS. THE BUCKING DOES NOT SEEM TIED TO ANY OTHER EVENT (GEARS, SPEEDS, ETC.) *AK
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE LOSES POWER AND STALLS, AND CANNOT SHIFT GEARS WHEN IN MOTION AND WHEN MORE THAN THREE PEOPLE AR E IN THE VEHICLE. *AK
RECALL WORK PERFORM ON THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID ASSEMBLY, HOWEVER FOUND THE TRANSMISSION DAMAGED AND IN NEED OF COMPLETE REPLACEMENT.
AIRBAG - DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY IN 35MPH HEAD-ON CRASH. DRIVER WAS SEVERELY INJURED. BRAKES - BRAKES DID NOT ADEQUATELY STOP THE VEHICLE IN 35MPH HEAD-ON CRASH. DRIVER WAS SEVERELY INJURED. TRANSMISSION - TRANSMISSION CONSTANTLY SLIPS, TAKES FEW MINUTES TO ENGAGE FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. ENGINE - ENGINE WON'T STA…
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AIRBAG - DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY IN 35MPH HEAD-ON CRASH. DRIVER WAS SEVERELY INJURED. BRAKES - BRAKES DID NOT ADEQUATELY STOP THE VEHICLE IN 35MPH HEAD-ON CRASH. DRIVER WAS SEVERELY INJURED. TRANSMISSION - TRANSMISSION CONSTANTLY SLIPS, TAKES FEW MINUTES TO ENGAGE FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. ENGINE - ENGINE WON'T START AT RANDOM. DEALER FINDDS NO PROBLEMS. HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES SINCE PURCHASED VEHICLE.
STARTER FAILED.
Official recalls
196V185000 · Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly
Oct 10, 1996
CERTAIN BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES WERE PRODUCED WITH A "BUCKLE BASE" THAT WAS IMPROPERLY HEAT TREATED. THIS CAN CAUSE THE "BUCKLE BASE" TO BE BRITTLE FAILING TO COMPLY TO FMVSS NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION, THESE SEAT BELTS MAY NOT RESTRAIN AN OCCUPANT INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES AND REPLACE THEM 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.