The most commonly experienced problems with the 2015 Nissan Altima include transmission failure, dim headlights, and poor steering at highway speeds.
Overall, the Nissan Altima is one of the great all-around family sedans. Excellent fuel economy, satisfying engine power, athletic handling, and high safety scores all serve to put this midsize sedan at the top of every family’s must-test list.
But even good cars have bad years, and 2015 was just one of those years for the Altima. In this article, trusted car insurance broker app
and Altima authority Jerry
looks at what went not-so-right for the 2015 Nissan Altima. We’ll investigate how reliable the 2015 Altima really is, and we’ll end off with some tips on how to lower your Nissan Altima insurance costs
. The most common 2015 Nissan Altima problems
On paper, the 2015 Altima has everything to satisfy a family’s needs. It has high safety ratings, registering a five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and earned a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS. It’s efficient—the 2015 Nissan Altima’s mpg rating is 27 city/37 highway, for a combined rating of 31 mpg—and it ranks in the top five midsize cars in terms of dependability according to J.D. Power.
In practice, however, the 2015 Altima has been a tad inconsistent. The NHTSA has received a total of 754 complaints about the 2015 Altima.
One of the biggest issues has been with the Altima’s powertrain. There have been 63 reports on CarComplaints.com from owners describing sputters, jerking, vibrations, and transmission failure, and another 18 complaints describing engine issues such as stalling, knocking, and acceleration issues.
Likewise, the NHTSA has received 133 powertraincomplaints from 2015 Altima owners. This is a pretty big red flag, as transmission repairs can be one of the most costly fixes you’ll ever have to do on your car.
The most consistently reported problem on the 2015 Nissan Altima is that the headlights are too dim. The NHTSA has received 201 complaints about exterior lighting issues, and CarComplaints notes 52 mentions of this problem from their users.
Among the more serious problems the 2015 Altima faces is the passenger-side airbag deployment. A glitch in the Altima’s software causes the car’s computer to not register when a passenger is seated in the front passenger seat. This causes the passenger-side airbag to deactivate, which poses a serious risk to passengers in the event of a collision.
Another potentially serious issue concerns faulty hood latches. The primary latch sometimes releases unintentionally, while the secondary latch is prone to corrosion causing it to fail as well. If both of these latches fail at the same time, the car’s hood could open while driving causing the driver’s vision to be completely obstructed.
Other common complaints about this model include:
Camshaft and crankshaft sensor
Catalytic converter failure
Interior accessories (various)
The NHTSA has issued 10 formal recalls for the 2015 Nissan Altima and launched three additional investigations.
Of the 10 recalls, three are related to the passenger airbag issue and three are related to the hood latch concern. Two more recalls targeted a problem in which rear doors may inadvertently unlatch and open when the rear window is lowered. Of the remaining two recalls, one warns about a fuel leak between the fuel-sending unit and the fuel tank that increases the risk of fire, and the other addresses loose front brake calipers due to improper bolt tightening.
Two of the investigations that the NHTSA has conducted on the 2015 Nissan Altima are related to rear suspension control arm failure. This issue may be related to lane wandering that some Altima drivers report when driving at highway speeds. The third investigation targeted air bag inflators rupturing during deployment, potentially causing injury or death to vehicle occupants.
Most of the issues listed above for the 2015 Nissan Altima are fairly serious, as they are potentially quite costly or are potentially quite dangerous.
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Is the 2015 Nissan Altima reliable?
As far as reliability is concerned, the Nissan Altima does register good scores. RepairPal.com gives the Altima a 4/5 rating.
The years 2013–2015 were dark times for the Nissan Altima, however, with 2013 being the most troublesome year for the model. Issues decreased in 2014 and 2015. On the upside, the Altima has registered minimal complaints over the past five years, and the ship appears to have been righted.
Today, the Nissan Altima shares the top spot with the Toyota Camry
, the Kia K5
, and the Chevy Malibu
as J.D. Power’s most reliable midsize cars of 2022, boasting an 82/100 reliability rating. According to Repair Pal, the average annual cost of repair for a 2015 Nissan Altima is $446, which puts it on the lower end of the overall cost of car ownership scale. Still, that’s higher than the 2015 Hyundai Sonata
with a yearly maintenance cost of about $428, or the 2015 Toyota Camry which has a bragable annual repair cost of just $378. How to simplify car insurance shopping (and still optimize coverage!)
While the 2015 Nissan Altima will save you money with its low annual cost of maintenance, you can save more money by getting cheap car insurance
with Jerry
. Jerry makes shopping for car insurance easy. All you have to do is download the app and enter some basic information. Then just sit back and watch the savings roll in.
How does Jerry do it? By comparing auto insurance quotes from dozens of car insurance providers to find the absolute best rate for the type of coverage you’re looking for! And the best part is that Jerry is a licensed broker, which means you can switch providers right in the app without having to talk to anybody.
“Using Jerry
is a super straightforward process, and at each step, you can see exactly what coverage you’re paying for. Thanks to Jerry, I’m paying $900 less each year while keeping full coverage for my new car!” —Martin H.
Saved $725 annually
4.7
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