"How reliable is the 2003 Nissan Altima?"

"Based on 1099 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Nissan Altima has a median complaint mileage of 86300 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Nissan Altima?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Nissan Altima is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 1099 total complaints filed."

2003 Nissan Altima: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1099 complaints

1099

Total Complaints

86,300mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

59,000 25th Percentile

86,300 Median Mileage

121,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

256

ENGINE

117

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

106

STRUCTURE:BODY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

STRUCTURE

AIR BAGS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"2003 NISSAN ALTIMA WITH 3,539 MILES ON JAN 17TH MY WIFE DROVE IT OUT FOR THE GROCERY SHOPPING. WHEN SHE CAME BACK SHE PARKED THE CAR ON THE DRIVE WAY IN 'P' WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AS SHE WAS TO GO OUT AFTER UNLOADING THE SHOPPING BAGS FROM THE TRUNK. SHE GOT OFF FROM THE CAR AND OPENED THE TRUNK AN..."

"WE PURCHASED A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA S ON NOVEMBER 12, 2002. WE NOTICED A ROUGH VIBRATION WHEN WE ARE SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN DRIVE AND WHEN WE HAVE IT IN PARK. WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY TO BE CHECKED AND WE WERE TOLD IT WAS NORMAL. WE WANTED TO EXCHANGE THE VEHICLE FOR AN..."

"A/C COMPRESSOR DOES NOT DISENGAGE WHEN THE MANUAL SELECTOR SWITCH IS MOVED FROM THE DEFROST POSITION. THIS IS COVERED BY A SERVICE BULLETIN NTB03-048 DATED 5-6-03 FROM NISSAN CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS NOTED AS A CHANGE IN OPERATION FROM EARLIER MODELS AND I FEEL IT IS DANGEROUS. THE ONLY W..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28