2018 Nissan Altima: common problems and reliability

The 2018 Nissan Altima has 222 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 2 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are service brakes and electrical system. Owners most often flag cvt transmission failure: catastrophic failure requiring full replacement, often between 80,000-150,000 miles; symptoms include jerking, shuddering, loss of acceleration, lurching at low speeds, and inability to rev beyond a certain rpm. associated with multiple class-action lawsuits, especially for 2010-2020 models. frequency: very frequent.

Safety record for the 2018 model year

222
Owner complaints
2
Recalls
11
Crash reports
0
Fire reports

Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2018 Nissan Altima vehicles (US, public record).

Is 2018 a good year for the Altima?

Across the 6 Altima model years we track, complaint volume runs from 20 (2022) to 1,063 (2002). With 222 complaints, the 2018 Altima sits belowthe model's median of 498.

These are raw NHTSA complaint totals, not adjusted for how many cars sold or how long each model year has been on the road. Older and higher-selling years accumulate more complaints.

Where owners report problems

service brakes
49
electrical system
37
air bags
35
power train
22
forward collision avoidance
15

Recalls affecting the 2018 Altima

latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch

Campaign 20V315000

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch ma

back over prevention: sensing system: camera

Campaign 19V654000

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 Vers

What owners say across generations

Extremely negative sentiment regarding long-term reliability, dominated by widespread and severe criticism of the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

  • CVT transmission failure: Catastrophic failure requiring full replacement, often between 80,000-150,000 miles; symptoms include jerking, shuddering, loss of acceleration, lurching at low speeds, and inability to rev beyond a certain RPM. Associated with multiple class-action lawsuits, especially for 2010-2020 models. Frequency: very frequent.
  • CVT-related problems (general): Whining noise, rubber band effect, laggy throttle response, and general concerns about long-term durability. Frequency: very frequent.

Owner insights cover all generations of the Altima. See the full Altima owner picture and every model year.

Typical used price

Used Altima listings typically run $16,897–$25,989 across 2010 to 2025 model years.

Other Altima model years

Compare every Altima year side by side to see how 2018 ranks against the rest.

Compare the Altima against its rivals