IllustrationAFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FROM THE DEALER THE HOOD FLEW OPEN. *NLM
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
What owners actually said
123 reportsTHE COIL SPRING BROKE. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY DIDN'T COVER THE REPAIRS. MR *PH *JB
SEVERAL TIMES THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START, I HAD TO HAVE IT JUMP STARTED. USUALLY HAPPENED AFTER IT HAD BEEN DRIVEN FOR A SHORT TIME, STOPPED AND THEN TRIED TO RESTART. ONE TIME IT WOULDN'T START EVEN WITH A JUMP. BATTERY WAS REPLACED AND IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ALL READINGS FOR BA…
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SEVERAL TIMES THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START, I HAD TO HAVE IT JUMP STARTED. USUALLY HAPPENED AFTER IT HAD BEEN DRIVEN FOR A SHORT TIME, STOPPED AND THEN TRIED TO RESTART. ONE TIME IT WOULDN'T START EVEN WITH A JUMP. BATTERY WAS REPLACED AND IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ALL READINGS FOR BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR CAME BACK NORMAL.*JB
WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROL ASSEMBLY FELL APART ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. THE ONLY WIPER THAT WORKS IS PASSENGER SIDE NOW. IT WAS SNOWING HARD AND ALMOST CAUSED A ACCIDENT ON I81 IN SYRACUSE. I REMOVED ASSEMBLY AND INSPECTED IT. WHICH LOOKS LIKE THE CAUSE WAS LACK OF GREASE IN THE BALL AND SOCKET JOINT OF CONTROL LINKAGE.*JB
THE SWAY BAR AND CRUISE CONTROL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*JB*TS
WHILE DRIVING AT 30/35 MPH ,VEHICLE WAS IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, AND NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. TS
CONSUMER WAS IN HEAD ON COLLISION AND THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY UPON COLLISION. TS
WHEN PUTTING GAS IN THE TANK IT SPLASHES BACK OUT OF TANK. *AK *NLM
VEHICLE HAS NO POWER WHEN DRIVING, CANNOT ACCELERATE CORRECTLY OR SPEED UP WHEN CONSUMER WANTS TO. CONTACTED THREE DEALERSHIPS,AND ALL THREE THEY COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM.*AK
HORN IS SO LOW, IF ANOTHER DRIVER HAS WINDOW UP, CONSUMER WON'T BE ABLE TO HERE THE HORN. ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS.DEALER CONTACTED.*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.