IllustrationWHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE ON LOWBEAM AT NIGHT YOU CAN HARDLY SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING. I AM VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS. YOU WILL BE SEEING ANOTHER COMPLAINT HERE AGAIN FROM ME IF THIS SHOULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
2005 Nissan Altima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Altima years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Nissan Altima are substantially higher 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
1050–25K
9325–50K
16650–75K
20775–100K
239100–150K
98150K+
908 reports with mileage · 183 unknown
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.
- Structure. Review the 351 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 259 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 141 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
48 crash reports18 fire reports44 injury reports
Exterior Lighting complaints
13 reportsI PURCHASED A NEW 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA THE FIRST TIME I DROVE THE CAR AT NIGHT AND TURNED ON THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS, I NOTICED THAT THE LIGHTS PROJECTED FAR LESS THAN I HAD BEEN USED TO IN THE 1998 ALTIMA OR EVEN THE 1988 SUBARU THAT WE HAVE. DRIVING AT NIGHT IS SCARY, UNCOMFORTABLE AND MOST CERTAINLY DANGEROUS. MY WIFE, THE SE…
Read full complaint
I PURCHASED A NEW 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA THE FIRST TIME I DROVE THE CAR AT NIGHT AND TURNED ON THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS, I NOTICED THAT THE LIGHTS PROJECTED FAR LESS THAN I HAD BEEN USED TO IN THE 1998 ALTIMA OR EVEN THE 1988 SUBARU THAT WE HAVE. DRIVING AT NIGHT IS SCARY, UNCOMFORTABLE AND MOST CERTAINLY DANGEROUS. MY WIFE, THE SECOND DRIVER IN OUR FAMILY, NOTICED THE PROBLEM, AS DID A NEIGHBOR.ONE EVENING I LINED UP BOTH THE 1998 ALTIMA AND THE 2005 ALTIMA SIDE BY SIDE AND TURNED ON THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS OF EACH. THE NEW 2005 ALTIMA HEADLAMPS PROJECTED LESS THAN 2/3RDS THE DISTANCE AS THE 1998 ALTIMA. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER TO NO AVAIL. NISSAN ISSUED ME A REFERENCE COMPLAINT NO.4858724. THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND THAT IT JUST MAY BE THE DESIGN. THE DESIGN! THEY ADVISED ME TO GO TO ANOTHER DEALER PREFERABLY AT NIGHT. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENTS CLOSE AT NIGHT SO THAT IS A VERY REMOTE POSSIBILITY. I ASKED IF THEY COULD RECOMMEND AFTER MARKET BULBS THAT I, AT MY OWN EXPENSE, COULD HAVE INSTALLED. THEY OFFERED NO ADVICE. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE A REAL DANGER TO ALL NIGHT DRIVERS ESPECIALLY ELDERLY DRIVERS. THIS IS A AN IMMINENT OR EVEN FATAL DANGER. AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN! I SINCERELY HOPE YOU WILL INVESTIGATE THIS DIRE SITUATION AND I PRAY NO LIVES ARE LOST IN THE MEAN TIME. *JB
HIGH BEAM LIGHT CASTS A STRONG BEAM OF LIGHT STRAIGHT UP TO THE SKY. *TC THIS WAS A DISTRACTION AND DANGEROUS. AT ALL TIMES THE HIGH BEAMS WERE VISIBLE TO OBJECTS 10-15 FEET ABOVE THE VEHICLE. *SC
Official recalls
107V527000 · Engine And Engine Cooling
Nov 14, 2007
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 2.5L ENGINE, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR CAN OVERHEAT CAUSING A BRIEF INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL OUTPUT FROM THE SENSOR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL FROM THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR IS SO BRIEF THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) LOGIC DOES NOT HAVE TIME TO DIAGNOSE THE CONDITION, THE ENGINE MAY STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AT A LOW SPEED INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ECM FREE OF CHARGE. CERTAIN MY 2006 ALTIMAS WHICH HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY REMEDIED UNDER RECALL CAMPAIGN 06V223 (NISSAN R0606) ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL SINCE THE REPROGRAMMING FOR 06V223 ALSO INCLUDED THIS REPROGRAMMING. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
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.