The short list
Where the money goes wrong — and where it doesn’t.
✕ Years to avoid
The loudest Altima year. 544 complaints, overwhelmingly the Jatco CVT — judder, slip, whine, failure from 59k to 179k. The 84-month/84,000-mile warranty extension is long spent, so a failure now is owner-pays, up to a mechanic-quoted $8,000.
CVT complaints ease, but it's still the risk. 381 complaints, still CVT-led. Mechanics call it the year reliability starts to look right, and it's in the 2017–2018 class-action CVT extension — but that coverage is at or past its limit by 2026.
The best gen-5 year — with the same catch. 223 complaints, the lowest of the old body, and the year mechanics say the Altima shines. Still the Jatco CVT underneath; a well-serviced one is a good buy, a neglected one isn't.
✓ Years to hunt for
The quietest year in the whole set. 20 complaints, no drivetrain pattern, and outside the 2019–2020 engine-bearing recall. The loudest theme is AEB false-braking, which has a dealer fix. Confirm the recall picture by VIN and it's a straightforward sedan.
The gen-6 settles down. 67 complaints and just two recalls — a tie-rod fix and a camera-harness fix. Crucially, the 2021 dropped out of the VC-Turbo engine-bearing recall population. Verify both campaigns and it's a settled used car.
Same year. Different engine.
One badge, several engines — the year’s verdict assumes the riskiest one. Yours might be the calm one.
Which engine is in the one you found?
Where the years split by engine — the 2019 line divides two different AltimasSolid engine, lottery-ticket transmission. The fifth-gen powertrain (2016–2018). The 2.5-liter four is durable; the problem is the Jatco Xtronic CVT (a continuously variable transmission) bolted to it, which judders, slips, and fails — commonly with the P17F0 code. A class-action settlement extended CVT coverage to 84 months/84,000 miles (from 60/60,000), but on any of these years that window has closed by 2026, so a failure — mechanic-quoted up to $8,000 — is owner-pays.
The redesign's mainstream engine. The gen-6 base engine (2019–2023, roughly 182–188 hp per mechanic and owner sources), direct-injected and paired with a torque-converter Xtronic CVT that mechanics call 'one of the most sophisticated CVTs' to drive but still carrying Nissan's not-long-lasting reputation. Complaint volume is far lower than the gen-5 CVT years. On 2019–2020 it also drew an Active Grille Shutter emission warranty extension (15 years/150,000 miles).
The powerful option — and an engine-bearing recall. The optional variable-compression turbo four (2019–2020 Altima; up to 248 hp on premium per a mechanic review). It's the engine behind recall 25V437, which covers 2019–2020 Altimas for an engine-bearing manufacturing defect that can cause engine failure and, if the block breaches, a fire. The remedy is a free ECM reprogram (owner letters mailed April 2026). Mechanics note Nissan later discontinued this engine — 'great on paper, disaster in the real world.' Verify 25V437 by VIN.
Partial split: the gen-6 Jatco Xtronic CVT is shared across both gen-6 engines and carries the generation's lower-volume drivetrain complaints; it folds into the engine rows above rather than getting its own. The VIN encodes which engine you're looking at — paste it and we'll tell you which row applies, plus its open recalls.
Decode my VIN — freeEvery year, rated
Each verdict links to the full report: known issues with real repair costs, open recalls, and the print-and-go inspection checklist.
The loudest Altima year in our data — buyable only with documented transmission history and expired-warranty eyes open.
544 complaints · 4 recalls
Full report →The year the CVT complaints start to ease — but the transmission is still the whole ballgame.
381 complaints · 3 recalls
Full report →The best year of the old Altima — but the CVT is still the one thing that can end the deal.
223 complaints · 2 recalls
Full report →The redesign year — only buy one with the engine-bearing recall and the launch-year fixes documented.
223 complaints · 7 recalls
Full report →Quieter than the launch year, but still inside the VC-Turbo engine-bearing recall — verify it before you buy.
172 complaints · 6 recalls
Full report →The year the Altima settles down — out of the engine-bearing recall, with only two minor campaigns to check.
67 complaints · 2 recalls
Full report →The quietest Altima year in our data — no drivetrain pattern, mostly driver-assist annoyances.
20 complaints · 0 recalls
Full report →Nearly as quiet as 2022, but a thin thread of engine and stalling reports keeps it from fully calm.
28 complaints · 0 recalls
Full report →Two generations, two drivetrain questions: is it the gen-5 CVT that's going to fail, or the early gen-6 VC-Turbo? Know which Altima you're standing in front of before you sign.
Shopping Altima years? We’ll watch them for you.
New recalls, federal investigations, and quiet warranty-extension programs land months after you buy. Tell the canary which years you’re considering — it sings when something changes.
Watch my years — freeCross-shopping?
Same class, checked the same way: