Nissan Altima / 1996
1996 Nissan Altima problems
Owners have filed 117 complaints about the 1996 Nissan Altima with NHTSA. Air bags account for 32.5% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of electrical system at 9.4%.
Complaints117
Crashes27
Fires5
Injuries18
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 32.5% · 38
Electrical system 9.4% · 11
Engine and engine cooling 8.5% · 10
Power train 7.7% · 9
Vehicle speed control 6.0% · 7
Service brakes, hydraulic 5.1% · 6
Visibility 4.3% · 5
Unknown or other 3.4% · 4
Severity
Of those complaints, 27 describe a crash, 5 describe a fire and 18 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 29 model years of the Nissan Altima in this data, 1996 draws comparatively few complaints; 2013 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 8 in the last three years against 18 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 83,075 miles.
In owners' own words
After vehicle was struck from the passenger's side, passenger's side air bag deployed and bursted from the seam, causing chemical powder to spill into vehicle, onto the face of the passenger, resulting in difficulty breathing. Dealer contacted. Feel free to provide further details. Air bags
While driving at 15 mph the defective driver's and passenger's airbags deployed while driving over a hump on the driveway causing unnecessary injuries to the occupant. Dealer stated the airbags deployed as necessary even without a direct frontal impact. Air bags
Consumer states while driving the airbag sensor light illuminated. Took to dealer and they stated that the control unit for the airbag had failed. Consumer feels unsafe, airbags may not deploy in an accident. Please provide any further information. Air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…