Buyer Research

2017 Nissan Altima — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $9,000–$14,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 15 Nissan Altima years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

A fifth-generation Altima near the end of its run, and the record reads like the earlier years with the volume turned down a notch: 133 of 390 complaints — 34% — are the CVT, and most of the 41 under VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL describe the same transmission, a three-second dead spot from a stop followed by a lurch. The second story is an airbag warning light that dealers trace to the seats themselves, at four figures. None of the three recalls is drivetrain: two are a rear door that can pop open when the window goes down, one is a hood latch. This is a comfortable, cheap-to-run sedan that can be a fine buy at $9,000–$14,000 — if the CVT has service history, behaves on a long warm test drive, and the airbag light is off and stays off. Without those, the discount over a Camry or Accord is not a discount.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 390 owner complaints for the 2017 Nissan Altima, and 3 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 34% of them are about one thing — the transmission and drivetrain. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

3 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2017 Nissan Altima

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

CVT hesitates from a stop then lurches; shudders and loses speed on the highwayHigh — wallet impact

Owners describe two versions of the same transmission. Around town: you stop at a light, press the pedal, and for three or four seconds nothing happens — no revs, no movement — then the car slingshots forward. On the highway: a shudder, then the car will not go past about 40 mph while the engine hums; codes P0776 and P0841 (pressure control solenoid and fluid pressure sensor) come up. Independent shops mostly will not open a Nissan CVT, so it is dealer money. A class action settlement extended CVT coverage on some Altima model years — ask a Nissan dealer to check this VIN for any remaining warranty or goodwill rather than assuming. Test drive it warm for at least twenty minutes with a dozen stop-and-go pulls and a sustained highway stretch; any delay from a stop or a flare of revs without speed is the transmission telling you the truth.

Repair cost (estimate): $3,500–$5,000 for a replacement CVT; $1,200–$2,000 for a valve body — about 43% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (133), throttle and cruise control (41).

Airbag warning light traced to the seat — side airbag or seat wiring, out of warrantyHigh — wallet impact

72 complaints, and the pattern is specific: the airbag light comes on, sometimes after a bump in the road, and the dealer diagnoses a fault in a seat — the driver's seat back one visit, the passenger's the next. The seat-mounted side airbag and the wiring running into the seat are the usual culprits, code B0020 among others, and the quote is a seat back assembly. Nissan has generally refused to cover it outside the 3-year/36,000-mile warranty. While that light is on, the whole SRS system is disabled, so it is not cosmetic. Ten of the 72 complaints are non-deployment reports after crashes. At the car: cycle the key and watch the airbag light go out after its self-test; slide both front seats fully forward and back and see whether it comes on.

Repair cost (estimate): $900–$2,500 for a seat back with side airbag

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (72).

Rear door can unlatch when the window goes down — recalled twice (17V040, 18V915)Medium

Recall 17V040 covers 2015–2017 Altimas whose rear door latch-lock cable was routed wrong, so lowering a rear window can pull the cable and open the door while driving. Nissan's first fix was itself done wrong on some cars, hence recall 18V915 in late 2018 to redo it. Both are free. Check the VIN on NHTSA's lookup for both campaigns; if only the first shows, the second still needs doing. A quick test: with the car parked and the rear doors closed, run each rear window fully down and back up and confirm the door stays shut and locked.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Hood secondary latch can corrode and let the hood fly up (recall 20V315)Medium

Recall 20V315 covers 2013–2018 Altimas: if the primary hood latch is released by accident, a corroded secondary latch can stay unlatched and the hood can open at speed. Nissan's remedy is a stronger release spring, a warning label and a corrosion treatment, free. It shows up under STRUCTURE in the complaint record as well. Pop the hood and check that the secondary catch springs back cleanly and is not crusted with rust — cars from salt states are the ones to watch.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (18); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Engine stalls, exhaust smell in the cabin and three fire reportsMedium

40 complaints under ENGINE with three fires and one crash. The mix includes stalls while driving, rough running with the check engine light, and an exhaust smell inside the car — which on this generation is worth taking seriously, since a leaking exhaust manifold or a cracked flex pipe can put fumes into the cabin through the fresh-air intake. Some of the loss-of-power reports here are really the CVT. Have a shop pull codes and check for exhaust leaks under the hood; smell the cabin with the heater on fresh air at idle.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$1,200

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (40).

Forward emergency braking that phantom-brakes, and a rear camera that blacks outLow

Several owners of SV and SL trims with the forward collision radar report the system warning that the sensor is blocked, and twice in the record it braked hard for nothing. The rear camera image dropping out is a common Nissan head-unit fault of this era. Neither is a big bill — a sensor realignment or a camera or head unit — but a car that brakes on its own on the highway is a problem you want fixed before you rely on it. Test the camera and drive past parked cars and overhead signs to see whether the radar warning fires.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$800

Source: not yet checked against public records.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗A pause of more than a second between pressing the pedal from a stop and the car moving
✗Revs rise while speed stays flat on the highway, or a shudder at steady throttle
✗Airbag warning light on, or one that comes on after a bump
✗Rear door pops open when the rear window is lowered
✗Exhaust smell inside the cabin at idle

Good Signs

✓CVT fluid changed at least once with Nissan NS-3 and a receipt, or a documented CVT replacement
✓Recalls 17V040, 18V915 and 20V315 all closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Airbag light goes out after the self-test and stays out with both seats moved
✓Twenty warm minutes of stop-and-go with an instant, smooth pull-away every time
✓Remaining factory or extended CVT coverage confirmed in writing by a Nissan dealer