IllustrationEXTENSIVE RUST THROUGH OF LOWER RADIATOR SUPPORT BRACKET CAUSED THE RADIATOR TO DROP DOWN, DAMAGING COOLANT AND A/C LINES. REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF SUPPORT, RELATED SUPPORT BRACKETS, AND REPAIR TO A/C SYSTEM. *TR
1998 Nissan Altima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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: 29 of 123 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 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports2 fire reports9 injury reports
Structure complaints
6 reportsSUNVISOR OFTEN FALLS OUT OF THE BRACKET AND FALLS ONTO MY FOREARMS WITHOUT WARNING WHILE I'M DRIVING. NUMEROUS TIMES HAVING BEEN STARTLED BY THIS OCCURRENCE; I'VE REACTED BY JERKING THE WHEEL. IT'S AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN.*AK
DOORS LOCK ON THEIR OWN. ALSO, WHEN UNLOCK INGDOORS ON INSIDE OF VEHICLE THEY AUTOMATICALLY LOCK BACK UP. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER GAVE CONSUMER A TSB ON VEHICLE CONCERNING DOOR LOCKS BEING DEFECTIVE.*AK
IHAVE CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE MY SERVICE HAD BEEN DONE ON ALL OF MY COMPLAINTS AND HAVE GOTTEN NO SATISFACTION.
AFTER VEHICLE IS STARTED THE POWER LOCKS ACTIVATE ON THEIR OWN. IF CONSUMER STEPS AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE STARTING IT, LOCKS WILL ACTIVATE. SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING THEY ACTIVATE, AND THE ALARM GOES OFF. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK
DOOR LOCK FAILED. YH
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.