Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 1996 Nissan Altima, assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its VIN to decode that exact car, its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment, alongside these records.
Open a VIN recordRecalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Nissan Altima year.
No EPA fuel-economy match for this model. Naming may differ, or it predates EPA records.
NHTSA lists 2 recalls for this make, model and year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car. A dealer can confirm from the VIN.
Issue: RIDE CONTROL IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT STRUT MOUNTS BRANDED AS GABRIEL RIDE CONTROL OR ARVINMERITOR, P/NOS. 142435, 142193, 142305, 142303, SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE AFFECTED FRONT STRUT MOUNTS DID NOT CONTAIN A WELD JOINT BETWEEN THE BEARING HOUSING AND THE RATE PLATE.
Risk: THE ABSENCE OF THE WELD CAN ALLOW THE STRUT TO COME OUT OF ITS MOUNTING POSITION UNDER CERTAIN EXTREME DRIVING CONDITIONS WHICH COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO SURROUNDING VEHICLE COMPONENTS INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: RIDE CONTROL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE AFFECTED PARTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT RIDE CONTROL AT 1-248-458-1396.
Campaign 10E002000
Issue: CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Risk: WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
Campaign 06E026000
Rated configuration: 1996 Nissan Altima 4-DR
The parts named most often across 109 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this make, model and year.
17 crashes · 1 fire · 13 injured
2 fires
1 fire
2 crashes
1 fire
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so read this as where to look rather than as a defect rate.
CAR WAS DRIVING CRAZY AND TURNED OFF IN STREET.
MY CAR CRASHED INTO THE BACK OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO STOP, BUT MY CAR JUST DIDN'T & MY AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. EVEN BEFORE THE CRASH, THE DASH LIGHTS FLICKER ON AND OFF, & I CAN BARELY SEE WITH MY HEADLIGHTS! ALSO, MY CAR MAKES LOUD CRANKING NOISES WHEN I TURN. EVERY CAR I SEE LIKE MINE, HAS A SMASHED UP FRONT END & HAS ALL THE SAME ISSUES. I CAN'T CURRENTLY AFFORD A NEW CAR, BUT I'M SCARED TO DEATH TO DRIVE MINE, BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE. HELP ME PLEASE! WHO CAN I CONTACT? I STRONGLY BELIEVE THESE CARS ARE NOT FIT FOR DRIVING. I NEED MY PROBLEMS SOLVED FAST BEFORE SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS HAPPENS! IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN HOW DANGEROUS THESE CARS TRULY ARE, I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT SOMETHING ELSE TO KEEP MYSELF AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD SAFE. I DON'T HAVE THE MEANS AT THIS TIME IN MY LIFE TO BUY A SAFER AND MORE RELIABLE VEHICLE. I EVEN HAD TO TAKE TIME OFF FROM COLLEGE, BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION TO GET MYSELF THERE. IT'S VERY DEVASTATING. *TR
PLEASE REFER TO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (NTB98-001) WHEN ROUNDING A CURVE OR GOING OVER A DIP IN THE ROAD, AT 40 MILES PER HOUR THE CAR STARTING WOBBLING AND SWAYING AND YOU THINK IT IS GOING TO FLIP OVER. IT IS VERY SCARY. THE WOBBLE IS NOT INDUCED BY THE STEERING WHEEL, IT JUST HAPPENS. THERE IS NO REAL WARNING. I BELIEVE IT IS THE REAR LINK ARM BUSHINGS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS STORIES FROM OTHERS PERTAINING TO THIS SAME PROBLEM ON THE WEB SITE (TOPIX.NET) SEARCH PATHFINDER PROBLEMS. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN A MUST FIX FOR MANY AND IT IS VERY SCARY AND COULD BE VERY VERY DANGEROUS IF IT HAPPENED AT HIGHER SPEEDS. IT WOULD DEFINATELY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND/OR CRASH.
1996 ALTIMA LEFT FRONT TIRE SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE. *TS *JB
MY DAUGHTER'S 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA DEVELOPED AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT SOMETIMES LEFT HER STRANDED. WHEN I DISCOVERED WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, I WANTED OTHERS TO KNOW. THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL CONNECTION INSIDE THE FUEL TANK. IT WAS BURNED AND HAD ACTUALLY MELTED THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK WHERE THE CONNECTORS WERE. IT WAS THE TWO WIRE CONNECTOR THAT CONNECTED DIRECTLY TO THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP. THE FUSE WAS A 15 AMP FUSE, BUT THE WIRES AND THE CONNECTORS LOOKED SMALL FOR THAT KIND OF CURRENT DRAW. THIS LOOKS TO ME LIKE A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. ALSO, I FOUND IT INTERESTING THAT THE WIRE "PIGTAIL" WAS NOT AVAILABLE FROM NISSAN AS A REPAIR PART. *NM
NO ACCELERATION WITH AIR CONDITIONER ON. O2 SENSOR REPLACED, IS THAT NORMAL. BRAKES GOING OUT AFTER RECENTLY HAVING THEM FIXED, WHY? *AK
I HAVE A 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA GXE. THE AIR BAG SYSTEM DEVELOPED A PROBLEM, I.E. THE INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OUT - IT CONTINUED TO FLASH. UPON DIAGNOSIS BY THE NISSAN SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY DETERMINED THE PROBLEM TO BE A MALFUNCTIONING CONTROL MODULE. THIS WILL CAUSE THE UNIT TO NOT OPERATE PROPERLY. I HAVE LEARNED THROUGH THE NHTSA WEBSITE THAT NISSAN HAS HAD PRIOR PROBLEMS WITH THESE AIR BAG SYSTEMS, AND MY PROBLEM MAY BE A CONTINUATION OF THESE.*AK
AIR BAG MODULE. LIGHT ON DASH STARTED TO FLASH . TOOK CAR TO DEALER SHIP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS THE AIRBAG MODULAR AFTER THEY CHECK OUT THE COMPUTER. I ASKED THE SERVICE MANAGER IF THEIR WAS A RECALL ON THIS AND HE SAID NO. I ASKED IF THIS WAS COMMON AND HE SAID HE HAD SEEN THIS BEFORE IN THIS MODEL AND YEAR. THE PART COST OVER $550.00 NOT INSTALLED. HE TOLD ME TO TRY TO FIND ONE IN A JUNK YARD, TOLD ME HOW TO REMOVE AND INSTALL SAME AND EVEN OFFERED TO LET ME BORROW THE SPECIAL TOOL NEEDED TO REMOVE AND INSTALL SAME. THEN I WAS TO BRING BACK CAR TO HAVE THE LIGHT RESET, AS THIS WOULD DETERRMINE IF THE MODULAR THAT I GOT WAS ANY GOOD. IF LIGHT DIDN'T RESET THEN THAT MODULAR WAS NOT GOOD. IT WAS LAST YEAR WHEN THE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND I HAVE NOT AS YET FOUND A MODULAR IN A JUNK YARD. *LA
I BOUGHT MY PRE-OWNED 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA IN NOVEMBER OF 2000. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY WITH MY TRUNK WHEN IT RAINS. THE RAIN WATER IS LEAKING INTO THE TRUNK THROUGH THE REAR LIGHTS. I HAD THE SEAL CHECKED AND THAT WAS OKAY. I WENT TO TRADE IN THE CAR, FOR AN UPGRADE, AND THEY HAD ASKED ME ABOUT THE REAR LIGHTS. THEY HAD SAID THAT THERE WAS A RECALL BECAUSE OF THE LEAKS. I WAS WONDERING IF THIS IS TRUE AND IF NOT, I WOULD LIKE TO PUT IN A COMPLAINT ABOUT THEM. *AK
RE: NISSAN ALTIMA 1996: THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS TOO NEW TO GO BAD AND THERE ARE TOO MANY BAD ONES SHOWING UP. I HAD TO REPLACE IT AT A VERY HIGH COST TO ME, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY 6 YEARS OLD. *AK
THIS COMPLAINT IS ON 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA GXE. ON 9/21/03, THE CAR FAILED TO START IN THE MORNING EVEN THOUGH IT HAD NO ISSUES THE NIGHT BEFORETHE ENGINE TURNED BUT WOULD NOT CATCH ON AND IGNITE. ON THE FOLLOWING DAY, A LOCAL MECHANIC FOUND THE ROOT CAUSE TO BE THE FAILED FUEL PUMP, THEREBY EXPLAINING THE SYMPTOMNO FUEL TO THE ENGINE, NO IGNITION. ADDITIONALLY AND MORE CRITICALLY, HE FOUND THAT THE PLASTIC HOUSING OF THE POWER CONNECTOR (POWER TO DRIVE THE PUMP) WAS SEVERELY DAMAGEDIT HAD MELTED WITH INDICATIONS FOR ARCS. THE CRITICAL ASPECT IS THAT THE BURNED/ARC-ED SIDE OF THE CONNECTOR (ELECTRICAL FEED-THROUGH) SITS INSIDE THE FUEL TANK AND WOULD SIT IN THE FUEL VAPOR WHEN THE FUEL IS LOW IN THE TANK. THIS COMBINATION OF ARCING AND FUEL VAPOR, I BELIEVE, CONSTITUTES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE WITH POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE CONSEQUENCES. IT IS VERY FORTUNATE THAT THIS POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSION DID NOT MATERIALIZE. HOWEVER, THE SITUATION, I BELIEVE, DEFINITELY WARRANTS FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY THE MANUFACTURER AND BY NHTSA. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE DAMAGED PARTS. *JB
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A RIGHT-ANGLED FRONTAL COLLISION WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN. NEITHER THE DRIVER OR PASSENGER AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.*AK *CB
Showing 12 of 109 complaints.