2020 Nissan Altima: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 157 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (22% of complaints); the 2021 and 2022 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 4 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Jun 2025
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 157 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact became aware that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was an independent dealer sale. At the time of the purchase, the vehicle mileage was 83,000. It was later discovered during routine maintenance with an authorized local dealer that the mileage was 125,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2026
“Odometer Fraud - The contact purchased a 2020 Nissan Altima. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 10,976. When the vehicle was later taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, the recorded mileage was 113,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Apr 2026
“The warming lights for different items come on at random. Examples :Low washer fluid, gas cap open, speedometer digital speed not showing.”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“Message popped up while driving saying "engine malfunction power reduced service now". Pairs with the check engine light coming on”Owner report · Engine · Jan 2026
“Need a new engine / gasket confirmed by pep boys. Been at the dealership a lot more than usual lately and they kept telling me everything is fine with my vehicle”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2025
“Locks no longer work with key fob or button within car and sometimes even takes multiple attempts to manually unlock. This poses a danger if needed to enter or exit the car in a hurry.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2025
“When I am driving my car randomly states check engine and makes a beeping noise and then the engine starts to make some type of combustion noise and then slows down and then turns off.”Owner report · Engine · Nov 2025
“2020 Nissan Altima involved in a 3 car collision. Altima was rear ended by a vehicle travelling approximately 50 MPH and forced Altima to rear end the vehicle in front of it. Vehicle is a total loss. No air bags deployed.”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2025
“The vehicle has activated a false aeb on several ocassions since I purchased the vehicle. I immediately took it back to nissan and they stated there were no recalls and the vehicle seemed to have no issues. I've had the vehicle for 5 years and it continues to occur, nearly causing a traffic collision. Twice this year, the vehicle made a complete stop on the hwy and took a minute before I could resume driving.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Sep 2025
“The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V437000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was filed. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Sep 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 15 of these complaints and injuries in 13 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23C3.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the back window glass, free of charge. The recall began November 4, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC752.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima S grade vehicles equipped with Continental ProContact TX tires, size 215/60 R16 H, with TIN date code 3320 and Mold ID S-419149. The tires may have been over cured.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle's tires to see if they are affected, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-8677669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC765.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles. The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the left and right-side tie rod ball joint fasteners, or install new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PC795.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Altima and 2018-2021 Titan vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC798.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. The engine bearings may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine failure.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 8, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800-647-7261 or Infiniti's customer service at 1-800-662-6200. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R25A8/A9 and R25B1/B2.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2020 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Altima by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2020 Nissan Altima reliable?
NHTSA has 157 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2020 Nissan Altima. The most complained-about area is electrical system (22% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2020 Nissan Altima problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 18,000 miles or less.
Does the 2020 Nissan Altima have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning back over prevention: sensing system: camera. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.