Model year 2021 · Midsize Cars

2021 Nissan Altima: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings

EPA rates the 2021 Nissan Altima at 29–32 mpg combined across 6 versions. NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 70 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

Safety recalls

EPA combined mpg

29–32

NHTSA overall rating

5/5

Recall file dated Oct 27, 2026 · EPA file dated Sep 29, 2026 · updated Oct 27, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT

Check your own car: enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls for that exact vehicle, and contact a Nissan dealer to schedule the repair — safety recall repairs are free. The list below covers the whole model year, so not every recall applies to every car.

2021 Nissan Altima recalls

NHTSA's recall file lists 2 safety recalls for the 2021 Nissan Altima, newest first.

Back over prevention: Sensing system: Camera

NHTSA 23V628000 Reported Sep 8, 2023

Filed by: Nissan North America, Inc. (manufacturer recall no. R23C3)
Units affected: 153,376 (estimate)
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Altima and 2020-2021 Sentra vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23C3.

Full recall record on nhtsa.gov

Steering: Linkages: Tie rod assembly

NHTSA 21V138000 Reported Mar 4, 2021

Filed by: Nissan North America, Inc. (manufacturer recall no. PC795)
Units affected: 2,407 (estimate)
Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles. The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.
Risk: A detached tie rod ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the left and right-side tie rod ball joint fasteners, or install new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PC795.

Full recall record on nhtsa.gov

Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.

2021 Nissan Altima fuel economy by version

EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination. Annual fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year (55% city, 45% highway) at EPA's current fuel-price assumptions; your cost will vary.

2021 Nissan Altima EPA fuel economy
Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	Fuel	City/Hwy/Comb	Fuel cost/yr	CO2 g/mi
Altima	2.5L 4-cyl	Automatic	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	28/39/32 mpg	$2,100	281
Altima AWD	2.5L 4-cyl	Automatic	All-Wheel Drive	Regular	26/35/29 mpg	$2,300	295
Altima AWD SR/Platinum	2.5L 4-cyl	Automatic	All-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/34/29 mpg	$2,300	309
Altima SR	2.5L 4-cyl	Automatic	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	27/37/31 mpg	$2,150	290
Altima SR/Platinum	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	Automatic	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/34/29 mpg	$2,300	311
Altima SV/SL	2.5L 4-cyl	Automatic	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	27/37/31 mpg	$2,150	289

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA), file dated Sep 29, 2026. Each version links to its FuelEconomy.gov record.

EPA estimates come from standardized lab tests so cars can be compared fairly; real-world mileage depends on speed, weather, load, tires and driving style.

2021 Nissan Altima crash-test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the tested versions. More stars mean a lower chance of serious injury in that type of crash. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2021 Nissan Altima NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicle	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk	Forward collision warning
2021 Nissan Altima 4 DR AWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	5 stars	9.2%	Standard
2021 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	5 stars	9.2%	Standard

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program), checked Oct 26, 2026.

Star ratings compare vehicles of similar size and weight; a frontal rating for a large pickup is not directly comparable with one for a small car.

2021 Nissan Altima owner complaints

Owners have filed 70 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Nissan Altima, most recently on Sep 10, 2026. 7 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 4 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.

Most-cited components in 2021 Nissan Altima complaints
Component named in complaints	Mentions
Electrical system	20
Forward collision avoidance: Automatic emergency braking	18
Service brakes	18
Unknown or other	12
Forward collision avoidance: Warnings	7
Steering	7
Engine	6
Suspension	5
Back over prevention: Warnings	3
Power train	3

Source: NHTSA consumer complaint files (complaints received since January 1, 2015). One complaint can name several components.

Had a safety problem with your vehicle? You can report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem.

Other Nissan Altima model years

Nissan Altima by model year
Year	Combined	Recalls	Complaints	Overall rating
2026 Altima	28–30 mpg	0	1	5/5
2025 Altima	28–31 mpg	2	7	5/5
2024 Altima	29–31 mpg	1	41	5/5
2023 Altima	29–31 mpg	0	30	5/5
2022 Altima	29–32 mpg	0	31	5/5
2020 Altima	29–32 mpg	6	161	5/5
2019 Altima	29–32 mpg	7	234	5/5
2018 Altima	26–31 mpg	2	226	5/5
2017 Altima	26–31 mpg	3	393	5/5
2016 Altima	26–31 mpg	4	555	5/5
2015 Altima	26–31 mpg	10	952	5/5

All Nissan Altima years compared · Decode a VIN

Other 2021 Nissan models

2021 Nissan 370Z 2021 Nissan Armada 2021 Nissan Frontier 2021 Nissan GT-R 2021 Nissan Kicks 2021 Nissan LEAF 2021 Nissan Maxima 2021 Nissan Murano 2021 Nissan NV200 Cargo Van 2021 Nissan Rogue 2021 Nissan Rogue Sport 2021 Nissan Sentra 2021 Nissan Titan 2021 Nissan Versa

Sources

Recalls: NHTSA recall flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010), dated Oct 27, 2026, plus a live check of api.nhtsa.gov in your browser.
Complaints: NHTSA consumer complaint flat files (COMPLAINTS_RECEIVED), counts only — we do not republish complaint text.
Crash tests: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings API.
Fuel economy: FuelEconomy.gov vehicles file (U.S. DOE and EPA), dated Sep 29, 2026.
NHTSA, EPA and DOE do not endorse OpenVIN. Vehicle names identify vehicles only; OpenVIN is not affiliated with Nissan.