"How reliable is the 2004 Nissan Altima?"

"Based on 334 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Nissan Altima has a median complaint mileage of 71000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Nissan Altima?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Nissan Altima is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 334 total complaints filed."

2004 Nissan Altima: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 334 complaints

334

Total Complaints

71,000mi

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.

49,546 25th Percentile

71,000 Median Mileage

100,066 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

STRUCTURE:BODY

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

STEERING

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)

AIR BAGS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ONE OF THE REAR SEATBELTS IS DEFECTIVE - IT WILL NOT CLICK WITH ANY OF THE BELTS.ASSENGER SEATBELT 'RATCHETS' WHEN PULLED OUT ALL THE WAY AND WILL NOT ALLOW THE PASSENGER TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT FIRST UNBUCKLING THE SEATBELT, LETTING IT FULLY RETRACT AND THEN FASTENING IT AGAIN. QUITE OFTEN THIS HA..."

"WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH VEHICLE VIBRATED AND PULLED TO THE RIGHT. DEALER REPLACED FOUR TIRES AND PERFORMED FRONT END ALIGNMENT. HOWEVER, THE SAME PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK THE VEHICLE STILL VIBRATES BETWEEN SPEED OF 40-60 MPH. *SC"

"ONCE BACK SEAT PASSENGER IS BUCKLED IN TO SEATBELT, BELT STICKS AND WILL NOT GIVE. IF PASSENGER LEANS AGAINST THE HEAD REST, THEY WILL HAVE TO UNDO THE SEATBELT TO BE ABLE TO MOVE AT ALL.*AK"

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