2019 Nissan Altima Common Problems & Defect Telemetry
Authoritative defect intelligence synthesized from 227 verified NHTSA owner complaints, 7 federal safety recalls, and interquartile failure mileage telemetry.
The 2019 Nissan Altima receives a 4.6/10 MazicBay Reliability Index based on 227 verified NHTSA federal complaints and 7 safety recalls. The primary reported failure mode is Electrical Parasitic Drain, Infotainment & Harness Reports with a median failure point at 41,874 miles (IQR: 36,187 – 44,750 mi). Out-of-warranty repairs benchmark at $280 – $850 .
18.2 complaints / 10k sold
Verified US federal records
Crash, fire & stall audit
7 Active / Free Remedies
Top Reported Problem Clusters (7)
Electrical Parasitic Drain, Infotainment & Harness Reports
- Unexplained battery drain after sitting overnight
- Infotainment display / instrument cluster blackouts
- Accessory malfunction / alternator fault warnings
“All 4 door actuators failed over the course of a few months. Now none of the locks work, and the cost to fix them is prohibitive.”
“Well I can’t get into my car because the locks won’t work and someone broke into my car because of it. No warning signs.”
“Coolant leak not visible egr cooler and egr valve malfunction catalytic converter malfunction. Diagnosted at nissan a known issue with nissan make and model.”
Engine Stalling, Oil Consumption & Cooling Defect Reports
- Engine sudden stall / hesitation while driving
- Abnormal oil burning / consumption
- Check Engine Light (MIL) flashing
- Engine overheating / coolant loss
“Cracked Engine Head- The vehicle is around 165,000 miles and the engine has cracked. No collisions or crashes or any fault of owner. At around 100,000 miles ALL four doors had the actuators stop working within 1 week. All doors now must be manually locked and unlocked.”
“Coolant leak not visible egr cooler and egr valve malfunction catalytic converter malfunction. Diagnosted at nissan a known issue with nissan make and model.”
“Ever since I bought the car with zero miles I been having electrical issues. From reverse camera to low wash fluid light that doesn’t turned off . Now even when it’s over 100 degrees outside my car marks inside that’s 26 degrees . And now my Ac completely stopped working. I do...”
Service Brakes, ABS Actuator & Master Cylinder Reports
- Spongy or hard brake pedal travel
- ABS / Brake warning light illuminated
- Extended stopping distance / pedal vibration
“I changed the Air Mass Flow sensor and it’s still showing the check engine light on my dash board and giving me the same code after replacing it brand new. My brakes sound horrible after replacing both sets of brakes, front and back. The Foward Collision Warning sensor did not...”
“While driving my Nissan Altima in normal operation, the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly stopped and applied the brakes without any input from me. This occurred without warning and created an extremely dangerous situation. There were no other vehicles, obstacles, or apparent ...”
“Well, first, my struts are bad on the right wheel. And I've went through about 5 tires now. And I guess my wheel bearing or something is messed up too. I don't I don't know exactly, but it does not sound good. Next would be the brake light is on and it won't shut off. No matte...”
Electric Power Steering Assist & Suspension Noise Reports
- Sudden loss of electric power steering assist
- Steering wheel pull or highway wander
- Clunking / knocking noise over bumps
“Cracked Engine Head- The vehicle is around 165,000 miles and the engine has cracked. No collisions or crashes or any fault of owner. At around 100,000 miles ALL four doors had the actuators stop working within 1 week. All doors now must be manually locked and unlocked.”
“Well, first, my struts are bad on the right wheel. And I've went through about 5 tires now. And I guess my wheel bearing or something is messed up too. I don't I don't know exactly, but it does not sound good. Next would be the brake light is on and it won't shut off. No matte...”
“Vehicle door locks stopped working with key fob and with interior controls. Radio volume control on unit doesn’t work only the steering wheel control. Radio will randomly change station by itself. Radio will randomly turn on when car is off. Car will not start and has to be ju...”
Airbag Occupant Detection & Inflator Defect Reports
- SRS Airbag warning lamp illuminated
- Passenger occupant classification sensor failure
- Seat belt retractor lockup
“A truck was turning without signaling and we were passing on right side assuming he was turning left- and he suddenly jerked right causing major impact and sent us into ditch where we were stopped by impacting a solid fence.”
“The airbag system failed to deploy during a collision. The vehicle is currently in not my possession. The airbag control module, sensors, and airbags themselves can be inspected to determine the cause of non-deployment. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at ris...”
“The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated her son was driving on the highway at 70 MPH, when an abnormal smell of garbage was followed by smoke being emitted from a hole in the rear side of the front passenger seat. No warning lights were illuminated. The conta...”
Transmission Hesitation, Hard Shifting & Slipping Reports
- Hard gear shifts / delayed engagement into Drive/Reverse
- Transmission shudder / jerking under acceleration
- Transmission slipping between gears
“Engine and transmission disengaged from each other and I could no longer accelerate or keep speed. I had to pull over, turn off the car and turn it back on. Local shop took a look and confirmed a cooling System Failure. The system is not at the right pressure at operating temp...”
“Every time I put the breaks on or go over any kind of speed bump, it bounces and sounds like warn out bed springs. Out of nowhere The volume on my radio will turn up extremely loud. Its happened more than a handful of times while driving and it scared me to the point of having...”
“On August 30, 2025, while driving on the highway, my 2019 Nissan Altima displayed a “CVT (AT) Hot / Power Reduced” warning. Power was limited, but the engine did not shut off. I immediately scheduled service at Paul Miller Nissan in Fairfield, CT. At the September 2, 2025 visi...”
Fuel Pump Pressure Loss & Fuel Delivery Defect Reports
- Sudden loss of propulsion power at highway speeds
- Extended engine cranking / failure to restart
- Fuel odor near fuel tank / engine bay
“I've been having engine & engine cooling problems also fuel system how many car starting up etc.I've been having this problem around July”
“The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated and hot air came out of the vents, entering the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the coolant reservoir needed to b...”
“Check Engine Light "P0087" "Fuel Rail/System Pressure-Too Low" Engine Stall Message- Its a recall out already just not for all 2019 Nissan Altima whixh it should be”
Official NHTSA Safety Recalls (7)
TIRES
Summary: 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.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019 Altima vehicles equipped with front wheel drive (FWD) and 2.5 liter engines. The fuel pump lock ring may not be fully engaged, possibly causing fuel to leak. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019 Altima vehicles. The retainer clip connecting the low pressure fuel tube to the high pressure fuel pump may not have been locked into position.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019 Nissan Altima vehicles. The brake switch bracket may be in the incorrect location, which may cause the brake switch to remain on.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Summary: 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."
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
Summary: 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.
Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist for 2019 Nissan Altima
Before purchasing a used 2019 Nissan Altima, perform the following targeted inspections based on reported federal defect patterns:
Scan the OBD-II port under the dash for pending freeze-frame codes (e.g. P0300 misfires, P0087 fuel rail pressure, P0420 catalytic efficiency).
Test vehicle at low-speed stop-and-go and highway merges. Check for delayed reverse engagement or gear shift shudder between 2nd and 3rd gears.
Verify that all 7 NHTSA safety recall campaigns have been performed by an authorized dealership using the VIN.
Ensure the instrument cluster, center screen, and auxiliary charging ports operate with stable 12.0V–14.4V alternator voltage.
Defect & Reliability Q&A: 2019 Nissan Altima
Is the 2019 Nissan Altima a reliable used car?
The 2019 Nissan Altima earns a 4.6/10 MazicBay Reliability Index based on 227 federal owner reports. Vehicles maintained under factory service schedules exhibit strong longevity past 150,000 miles.
What is the most frequent defect reported on the 2019 Nissan Altima?
The leading complaint category is Electrical Parasitic Drain, Infotainment & Harness Reports, with a median failure point around 41,874 miles (IQR: 36,187 – 44,750 mi).
Are there free recall repairs available for the 2019 Nissan Altima?
Yes, the NHTSA records 7 safety recall campaign(s) for this model year. All safety recalls are performed 100% free of charge by authorized franchise dealerships regardless of vehicle warranty status.