Buyer Research

2024 Nissan Altima — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $20,000–$26,000. 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

Forty-one complaints and one recall, and the recall is the reason to check the VIN before anything else: 23V882 is the bolts holding the electric power steering unit to the rack, which can loosen and lock the steering. The fix is a whole new steering gear, free, and the five steering complaints — two of them crashes — sit right next to it. Beyond that the record is small and spread thin across five clusters of five, so treat it as an early sketch: water finding its way into the cabin and trunk and growing mold, a moonroof that shattered on a clear day at 65 mph, the automatic emergency braking either grabbing for nothing in the rain or, in two crash reports, not stopping the car at all, and a stall at 45 mph in ten-degree weather. Seven crashes and six injuries in 41 complaints is a heavier ratio than the years before it, though the count is too small to make much of. We would buy a 2024 only with the steering recall shown complete on the VIN, a dry trunk floor under the spare, and a highway drive under overpasses with no phantom stop — and we would say that a thin record on a car still under warranty is not a reliability rating either way.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 41 owner complaints for the 2024 Nissan Altima, and 1 recall campaign.

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. No single system dominates; the largest group is the body and structure at just 12%. Complaints spread thinly like this usually means ordinary wear and one-off faults rather than a designed-in weakness.

One recall campaign covers 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 2024 Nissan Altima

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

Steering rack bolts can loosen and lock the steering (recall 23V882)High — wallet impact

Recall 23V882 covers 2024 Altimas whose bolts joining the electronic power steering unit to the steering rack may back out, which Nissan says can cause loss of steering control or a steering lock-up. The remedy is a replacement steering gear assembly at no charge; letters went out in February 2024. Five steering complaints sit on this year's record with two crashes among them. Run the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup before you drive it, and on the test drive turn lock to lock in a parking lot listening for a clunk, then feel for any dead spot or notchiness at the straight-ahead on the road. Any of those on a car with the recall open is a walk-away until the dealer has done the work.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $1,500–$2,500 for a steering gear out of pocket if the VIN is somehow outside the campaign

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (5); 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Emergency braking grabs for nothing in the rain — and in two crash reports the brakes did not stop the carHigh — wallet impact

Five complaints under forward collision avoidance and five under brakes, sharing several of the same incidents. One driver says the brakes activated on their own in the rain with the collision warning lit and the car felt like it was sliding; another had phantom braking at 35 mph. Two crash reports describe the opposite — a stop-sign approach where the pedal did nothing after a clinking noise and a burning-rubber smell, and a braking assembly the owner says was improperly put together at the selling dealer. One car threw every warning on the cluster at once, ABS included, while moving. No recall covers the braking on this year. Drive it in traffic and past parked trucks, check that the pedal is firm at the top and does not sink at a stop, and look for the AEB warning light on the dash — if it is on, the system is not protecting you.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$600 for a radar recalibration; $900–$1,800 for a radar unit

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (5), the brakes (5).

Water leaks into the cabin and trunk and grows mold; a moonroof that shattered at speedMedium

The largest single cluster is body and structure, and it is water: white mold on the trunk floor and in the spare-tire well after water got in, a mold smell in the cabin of a car with 25 miles on it, water pouring out of the driver's door when it opened because the door seal leaked, and a visible gap in the trim where the rear glass meets the roof. One owner's moonroof exploded outward at 65 mph on a clear 43-degree day with no impact. Lift the trunk carpet and the spare, press the floor and smell it; run a hand along the door bottoms after a rain; check the rear-glass trim for gaps. Mold remediation on a car this new should be the seller's problem, not yours.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$900 for a seal repair and mold cleanup; $800–$1,500 for a moonroof glass and headliner

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (5).

Stalls while driving with every dash light on — one fire, one crash in the engine clusterMedium

Five engine complaints with a fire and a crash among them, plus four under power train with another crash. The one owners describe most plainly is a car that stalls at speed — 45 mph in ten-degree snow at 13,000 miles — with all the dashboard lights on and an engine error message, then a loss of brake and steering assist. Nine complaints between the two clusters is not enough to say what fails, and Nissan has not issued a recall, so this is a test-drive matter: a cold start, five minutes at idle with the air conditioning on, and a hot highway run with no stumble, no shudder from the CVT and no 'engine malfunction' message. Ask the seller directly whether the car has ever shut off on them.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 for a diagnostic and a sensor; $3,500–$5,000 if the CVT needs replacing

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (5), the transmission and drivetrain (4).

Rear camera image dropping out — a familiar sixth-generation complaintLow

Three back-over prevention complaints on this year, which on the 2020–2023 Altimas meant a rear camera that goes grey, white or black in reverse. The 2021 got a harness recall for it; the 2024 has not, so a camera that drops out is a warranty visit while the car is under 36,000 miles and a few hundred dollars after. Test it in reverse in both shade and full sun before you leave the lot.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$500 for a camera or harness

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under back over prevention (3).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Recall 23V882 open on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✗Clunk or dead spot at the straight-ahead when turning lock to lock
✗Musty smell in the cabin, or damp carpet under the trunk floor
✗AEB warning light on the dash at start-up
✗Brake pedal that sinks at a stop or feels soft at the top

Good Signs

✓Steering gear replaced under 23V882, with the dealer invoice
✓Trunk floor and spare well bone dry and fresh-smelling with the carpet lifted
✓Highway drive past parked trucks and under overpasses with no phantom brake
✓Rear camera clear in reverse, in shade and in sun
✓Remaining Nissan powertrain warranty confirmed on the VIN