AI Damage2017 Nissan Altima: common problems
Owners of the 2017 Nissan Altima filed 393 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and air bags. The maker issued 175 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 393
- involving a crash
- 24
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 175
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 34% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 19% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 10% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 10% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 5% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 5% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 133 complaints (34% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 31.
- Air bags: 74 complaints (19% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 4.
- Vehicle speed control: 41 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 2.
- Engine: 39 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 12.
- Electrical system: 27 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 50.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.5 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 3.5 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- CVTnamed in 41 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 393 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 133 | 3 | 31 |
| Air bags | 74 | 10 | 4 |
| Vehicle speed control | 41 | 2 | 2 |
| Engine | 39 | 1 | 12 |
| Electrical system | 27 | 1 | 50 |
| Service brakes | 19 | 3 | 4 |
| Exterior lighting | 18 | 0 | 20 |
| Structure | 18 | 1 | 8 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 16 | 2 | 3 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 11 | 0 | 8 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Seats | 5 | 0 | 2 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. There were no reported fires. A police report. The driver hit her head on the steering wheel, sustaining a concussion, and medical attention was provided at the emergency room. The fire department was on the scene.
No brakes is dangerous, let alone feeling like my life was gonna end. I cried. Thinking Jesus my children were home. I have noticed that both airbag "warning" signs have displayed and won't go off. I would hate to have or hear of a fatality, from this. Please look into other reports.
There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had previously reported an incident for acceleration and throttle issues. While his sister was driving and reversing, the vehicle was slow to accelerate. There were no warning lights illuminated.
235/45r18 there is a malfunction on this car the tire pressure keeps going out and blowing my tire also the car was giving to me with ran down tires which I was told was dangerous the company imperial auto mall switched the tires and said they was good but the car blew completely out while driving with my kids I…
I was the driver in the driveway of a friend’s house and as I tried to pull closer to the house (to perform a K-turn in a tight spot), with my foot (lightly) on the gas pedal, the car suddenly surged forward and hit the house.
The transmission on my 2017 Nissan Altima is stalling. It stall when I accelerate and in the middle of driving. This is a safety issue and has caused me to be in a recent accident.
I was on my way to work on Saturday 12/18 and as I was making a left turn my steering wheel locked and I actually hit a curb hopped it and went back into traffic. My axel broke on left hand side and blew my tire. Thankfully my children weren't in the car and a police officer happen to see the whole thing.
On Sunday December 12th just north of Birmingham on I-65 there was a foreign object in the lane (appeared to be a fairly large piece on concrete). It was between 8-9p thus dark. Due to the amount of traffic driver could not swerve to avoid the object.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 152 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 7% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Altima has 160 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 393, above average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other…
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
- INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED…
INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED WITH DTC C1A16 OR C2582 IF YOU CONFIRM IMPORTANT: The purpose of ACTION (on the next page) is to give you a…
- DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed…
- INTELLIGENT KEY INITIALIZATION PROCEDURE STOPS OR WILL NOT CONTINUE This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
- VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- DTC P17F0 OR P17F1 STORED IN THE TCM This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
- WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA “WRITE” PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NHTSA lists 175 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Nissan Altima?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, air bags, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 393. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (27%), airbag warning light (12%), hesitation when accelerating (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2017 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA lists 175 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2017 Nissan Altima from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2017 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.