IllustrationWHILE DRIVING FRONT SIDE AXLE BROKE, CAUSING LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. VEHICLE HAS BEEN CHECKED BY DEALER.*AK
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 reportsVEHICLE VIBRATES WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED DUE TO ROTORS BEING DEFECTIVE. HAD THEM RE URFACED 3 TIMES, PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK.
WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING AIR CONDITIONING WAS LEAKING COOLANT INSIDE OF VEHICLE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK
THE FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS CEASE UP AND PULLS SEVERELY HARD TO THE LEFT INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC. THE CALIPERS LOCK UP WITHOUT APPLYING BRAKES AND EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT TURNED ON. THE CONSUMER CAN SMELL THE BRAKES DUE TO BEING SO HOT. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. NLM
SUNVISOR 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
AFTER STARTING VEHICLE BATTERY EXPLODED, CASING HAD CRACKED.*AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A 73 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION HITTING A GUARDRAIL AND TREES. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER/ PASSENGER AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSE UNKNOWN. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
CONSUMER STATED A LOCAL DEALERSHIP IS REFUSING TO PERFORM A FRONT END ALIGNMENT, WHEN AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, THE INNER AND OUTER TIE RODS APPEARED TO BE DEFECTIVE, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BEFORE AN ALIGNMENT COULD OCCUR, INSTEAD OF AN ALIGNMENT THEY SUGGESTED TIRE MAINPULATIONS, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL…
Read full complaint
CONSUMER STATED A LOCAL DEALERSHIP IS REFUSING TO PERFORM A FRONT END ALIGNMENT, WHEN AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC EXAMINED THE VEHICLE, THE INNER AND OUTER TIE RODS APPEARED TO BE DEFECTIVE, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BEFORE AN ALIGNMENT COULD OCCUR, INSTEAD OF AN ALIGNMENT THEY SUGGESTED TIRE MAINPULATIONS, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *JG *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A BUMPER REAR END ACCIDENT AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT 5MPH. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *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
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.