2018 NISSAN ALTIMA Electrical System Problems

My Nissan Altima's power door locks failed making entry and egress sometimes impossible. While the key will unlock the driver's door, rear seat passengers have been unable to exit the vehicle without assistance due to the door being locked. Premature power door lock actuators in Nissan vehicles is reportedly a very common problem according to my research.

The driver's side door lock actuator stopped working around June 2024. Haven't replaced it yet, but bought another part. Read where others are having same issue. Just in the last couple of weeks, around June 15th, 2025, my rear driver's side door actuator stopped working as well. I have to crfrawl in from the other side and unlock the doors. Safety issue since the doors do not lock or unlock.

My back doors do not lock with the FOB or the interior door lock/unlock button. I have to manually unlock and lock my rear doors. This is a defect that Nissan is well aware of and seems to not care. My car only has 63,000 miles on it.

Dealership sold me a car that had faulty air bags but neither the manufacturer nor a dealership is wanting to correct the problem. Please help.

As I was driving on a highway, my sunglasses and light compartment on my roof completely fell out of my roof in front of my windshield view. I contacted Nissan and they stated that they could do absolutely nothing for me. Did not have any concerns regarding the fact that it almost caused me to get into an accident as it came swinging right in front of me and almost hit me and my head. This is also a very common issue when you look it up online with these vehicles.

Vehicle turned off while driving. Battery disconnected as the battery terminal connector got lose. after a quick clean-up of the terminal corrosion, it was obvious that the terminal has completely deteriorated (corroded) and has no more strength to hold a good contact to the battery terminal.

Occupant Sensor for Airbags is not working and airbag light is on, this is a safety issue which can cause loss of life in an accident this needs recalled immediately

Brake light switch went out 3 months after getting car. Car would not start then after it started it would not go in gear nor would the brake lights turn on dealership repaired it. The Brake light switch went out again one year later while driving causing my brake lights not to turn on resulting in me getting rear ended after. After I replaced the switch for the second time. It lasted maybe a year and a half or so and went out again leaving me stranded having to get a tow truck to bring car home and had to replace it a third time. I’ve had this car less than 5 years and I really believe it needs further review of the switch due to the safety risk it causes

The airbag light keeps coming on in the dashboard. I’ve had it in the shop twice for the diagnostic test and both times they said there was nothing they could find! Now it’s the 3rd time I will need to take it in and leave it and it’s the only car I have. I want to know if indeed my airbags will work in the event of an accident! If they are just turning the light off, I have no idea what will happen if I got into an accident!!

The problem of delayed acceleration. The problem occurs when the vehicle does not seem to accelerate for a short period of time. When I'm at a stop. and I depresses the pedal. The vehicle does not rev. It does not do anything for a few seconds. Even with increased force on the pedal, the vehicle does not move. The second concern is that, once it does move, it does so significantly with a jolt. This means that, after a few seconds of not functioning, the vehicle will suddenly accelerate quickly. This can create an increased risk of an accident.

The airbag safety system has failed in my car. When a passenger or driver is in the car. The weight sensors and seatbelt sensors that activate the the airbag system fail to activate. This is something that I caught and mentioned it to a Nissan dealer when my car was in for service on another recall for hood latches. This is something that not only puts risk to passenger and driver in my car. But puts others at risk as well. Nissan and the extended warranty company have failed to correct the issue. As my safety is now at risk if I get into an accident and my airbags do not deploy. The issue is that the weight sensors and modulator have gone bad. The total cost just for those two things is around $585, by the time you add in airbag system replacement it comes to around $5000 to $7000. I would like this looked at due to the cause it is a preventative measure that be taken if we take that action now. This is on the 2018 model. I am willing to help in anyway I can with the investigation.

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated upon entering the vehicle, the ignition switch failed to operate as designed. The contact was unable to start the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the brake pedal switch needing to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that they would escalate the claim. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. The VIN was not available.

Mileage: 40,000

MY PUSH START HAS BEEN GIVING ME PROBLEMS SINCE 2020. WHENEVER I HAVE THIS PROBLEM, I EITHER HAVE TO START IT WITH THE FOB OR PRESS THE PUSH START MULTIPLE TIMES. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP LAST YEAR AND WAS TOLD NOTHING IS WRONG. I JUST DROPPED IT OFF AGAIN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM.

Mileage: 57,000

BASICALLY I WAS AT THE STORE CAME OUT TO GO HOME AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START THEN AFTER A WHILE IT STARTED UP BUT THEN WHEN I WENT TO DRIVE IT AGAIN IT WAS GIVING ME A HARD TIME TO START AND AFTER I WAITED A WHILE AND TRIED AGAIN IT STARTED UP BUT WOULD NOT SWITCH GEARS OUT OF PARK AT ALL AND IT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM I WENT TO NISSAN AND WHEN I GOT THERE THEY TOLD ME TO CHANGE THE KEY FOBS IN WHICH I DID AND IT STARTED UP WITH NO PROBLEM BUT AFTER A FEW WEEKS THE SAME PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED THEN IT FEES LIKE THE VEHICLE STALLS TO DRIVE OFF WHEN YOU PRESS THE GAS. AND WHEN IT WOULDN'T START IT KEPT SHOWING MY BRAKE PEDAL AND KEY FOB TOGETHER. I WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT AND ACTUALLY HAD TO END UP CALLING MY ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T START UP AND THERE ARE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ANYTHING COMING UP ON MY DASHBOARD OK TOP OF THAT I JUST HAD THE BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE CHECKED AT NISSAN AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG

Mileage: 61,000

THE AIRBAG LIGHT OF THE VEHICLE COMES IN AND OFF. IT STARTED FROM A LONG DRIVE AND SINCE THEN THE LIGHT STAYS CONSTANTLY ON OR FLICKERS.

Mileage: 65,000

MY BACKUP CAMERA ALWAYS GOES BLACK AND DOESN'T ALWAYS PROVIDE VIDEO. BACKUP CAMERA SHOES BLACK/BLANK SCREEN WHEN TRYING TO BACK UP PERIODICALLY.

Mileage: 31,000

MY FRONT CRASH SENSOR DOESN'T WORK ALL THE TIME. PERIODICALLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT RAINS IT WILL TURN OFF AND GIVE ME A WARNING. HOWEVER A LOT OF TIMES IT IS NICE AND SUNNY OUT AND IT CUTS OFF. THIS HAPPENS ON CITY STREETS AS WELL AS THE HIGHWAY.

Mileage: 31,000

WHEN TRYING TO PUSH START THE BRAKES FEEL HARD AND UNABLE TO PUSH DOWN SO THE PUSH START WILL WORK. HAVE TO PLAY WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR IT TO GO DOWN AND ABLE TO START THE CAR.

Mileage: 31,000

THE START STOP BUTTON THAT YOU PRESS TO START THE CAR MESSES UP AND DOES NOT START THE CAR . EVEN IF YOU DO IT MULTIPLE TIMES , AND THE (PARK REVERSE NEUTRAL DRIVE) PRND LEVER WON'T MOVE

SINCE I PURCHASED THIS 2018 ALTIMA (I HAD PREVIOUSLY DRIVEN A 2016 ALTIMA WITHOUT AEB), I HAVE GOTTEN FALSE POSITIVES FROM THE FRONT SENSOR, STOPPING MY CAR AT RANDOM TIMES IN CLEAR DAY LIGHT TRAFFIC, ON DRY PAVEMENT, WITH NO LEAVES OR OTHER ROAD DEBRIS. FRONT SENSOR HAS CONTINUOUSLY REPORTED THE "FRONT SENSOR NOT AVAILABLE" ALERT MULTIPLE TIMES IN MY CARS SHORT LIFETIME, FOLLOWED BY THE CRASH ICON AT RANDOM TIMES OF THE DAYS, AND ALL SPEEDS INCLUDING IN THE STOPPED POSITION. THE SENSOR GOES OUT REGARDLESS OR WHETHER THERE ARE OTHER VEHICLES AROUND. I REPORTED THESE ISSUES BEGINNINGIN OCTOBER 2018 (THE SAME MONTH I PURHCASED MY CAR). NO NISSAN VEHICLE SHOULD BE EQUIPPED WITH THE TECHNOLOGY WHERE DRIVER'S HAD NO CLUE WHEN THE VEHICLES WILL COME TO A HALT AND LOCK WITHOUT WARNING. THIS COMMONLY HAPPENS WHEN THERE ARE CARS AROUND ME AND THERE IS A CHANGE IN SPEED (ANTICIPATED OR NTO), WHICH IS COMMON IN LA. MY FRONT SENSOR HAS MALFUNCTIONED SEVERAL TIMES AND ENGAGED THE BRAKES, SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 50MPH. MY CAR ALSO SEEMS TO LUG AT TIMES WHEN I BRAKE FROM A DISTANCE AND NORMALLY WHICH CONCERNS ME. I HAVE REPORTED THIS ISSUES TO TECHNICIANS AND HAD THE BRAKES CHECKED WITH NO PROBLEMS FOUND SO I HAVE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO WAIT FOR THE ISSUES WITH MY BRAKES AND CAR TO COMPILE. THE OWNER'S MANUAL ADMITS AEB SYSTEMS DO "NOT FUNCTION IN ALL DRIVING, TRAFFIC, WEATHER, AND ROAD CONDITIONS" BUT THE MANUAL LEAVES OUT THE PART ABOUT HOW THE SYSTEMS CAN CAUSE VEHICLES TO SUDDENLY STOP EVEN WHEN NO OBJECTS ARE IN THE DRIVING LANE. I ORIGINALLY REPORTED THIS ISSUE TO STEVE YAEGER ON OCTOBER 19, 2018--THE SAME MONTH I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. HAVE BROUGHT IN MY VEHICLE INTO TO NISSAN VARIOUS TIMES IN THE FIRST 3 MONTHS BUT TECHNICIANS ALWAYS TOLD ME THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO AND JUST SHAKE OFF MY CONCERNS/TRY TO GIVE EXPLANATIONS.

Mileage: 53

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PUSH TO START FEATURE FAILED TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SEVERAL UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS DEPRESSING THE PUSH TO START BUTTON THE VEHICLE STARTED AND OPERATED AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GRAND BLANC NISSAN (8346 HOLLY RD, GRAND BLANC, MI 48439, (810)893-6510) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,344.

Mileage: 32,344

THE BACKUP CAMERA WOULD NOT WORK. CAMERA SCREEN WAS BLACK IN REVERSE MODE. SOMETIMES THE SCREEN GET STATIC LINES AND THEN BLACKS OUT. I NEED THE BACKUP CAMERA VERY MUCH BECAUSE I HAVE LIMITED TWISTING AT MY WAIST.

Mileage: 48,000

RADAR SENSOR FOR AEB AND FCW MALFUNCTIONING, TURNING OFF AT RANDOM SITUATIONS, BRAKING WHEN NO VEHICLE IS NEAR, FALSE ALERTS CROSSING RAIL ROAD TRACKS, ETC. TOOK TO NISSAN DEALERSHIP UNDER WARRANTY BUT ISSUE WAS NOT FIXED SINCE THEY CLAIM TO BE BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL PRIOR CRASH. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPORTED IN A CRASH, AND AEB IS MALFUNCTIONING CONSTANTLY TO THE POINT WHERE IT MAY BE UNSAFE INSTEAD OF A SAFETY FEATURE.

Mileage: 35,000

THE CAR WILL NOT START USING PUSH TO START WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED. THE CAR IS AN AUTOMATIC AND THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO A FAULTY STOP LIGHT SWITCH. THE SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY AND IS A SAFETY CONCERN. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND THE CAR IS LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD.

Mileage: 50,000

NTERMITTENT FRONT RADAR. WARNING MESSAGE WILL APPEAR STATING "FRONT RADAR UNAVAILBLE DUE TO OBSTRUCTION" WHEN THERE IS NOT AN OBSTRUCTION. THIS ALSO HAPPENS WHEN IT RAINS INTERMITTANTLY. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE "OBSTRUCTION" IS CLEARED AND THE SYSTEM RESUMES FUNCTIONALITY.

Mileage: 20,000

INTERMITTENT FRONT RADAR. WARNING MESSAGE WILL APPEAR STATING "FRONT RADAR UNAVAILBLE DUE TO OBSTRUCTION" WHEN THERE IS NOT AN OBSTRUCTION, THEN THE SYSTEM DEACTIVATES THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE "OBSTRUCTION" IS CLEARED AND THE SYSTEM RESUMES FUNCTIONALITY. THIS WILL REPEAT QUITE OFTEN. WHILE I OWN A NISSAN ALTIMA, IT APPEARS THIS IS AN ISSUE IN THE NISSAN SENTRA, AS WELL.

Mileage: 21,000

SECOND ISSUE WITH MY 2018 NISSAN ALTIMA. WAS IN THE SHOP IN OCTOBER FOR THE FRONT COLLISION SENSOR MALFUNCTIONING. SENSOR WAS DETECTING OBSTRUCTIONS WHEN NOTHING WAS THERE. LOCAL DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE SENSOR IN OCTOBER. LESS THAN ONE MONTH OUT OF THE SHOP (THIS WEEK), THE SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED AGAIN. STATED FEB: UNAVAILABLE FRONT RADAR OBSTRUCTION AND WAS STEADILY BLINKING AGAIN.AGAIN, NOTHING IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE THAT WOULD HAVE TRIGGERED THE SENSOR. CONTACTED NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS ADVISED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN FOR REPAIR. DROPPED VEHICLE TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD LOOK AT THE SENSOR AND CHANGE OUT THE BRACKET THE SENSOR SITS IN TO SEE IF THAT CORRECTS THE ISSUE. VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THIS ISSUE. .

Mileage: 21,000

THE FRONT COLLISION RADAR SENSOR KEEPS GOING OFF AND ON. TOOK INTO DEALER AND SAID IT WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND DON'T KNOW WHY IT IS NOT RECALLED YET. THE PART IS $1500 WHICH IS OVER 10% OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS I DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT IS ON OR OFF. THE THE SENSOR GOES OFF STAY FRONT SENSOR IS UNAVAILABLE DUE TO OBSTRUCTION AND THERE IS NOTHING THERE. IT WILL TURN OFF AND ON SEVERAL TIMES IN A DRIVE.

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, NOTIFICATION OF "FEB: UNAVAILABLE FRONT RADAR OBSTRUCTION" COMES ON AND STAYS ILLUMINATED FOR UPWARDS OF 5 TO 10 MINUTES BEFORE TURNING OFF. THIS OCCURS WHEN THERE ARE NO VEHICLES IN FRONT OF MINE AND NO ROAD HAZARDS THAT WOULD HAVE TRIGGERED IT TO TURN ON. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE WAY THE CAR IS DESIGNED TO STOP WHEN IT DETECTS A HAZARD. THIS STARTED OUT RANDOMLY OVER THIS PAST SUMMER AND IN THE LAST WEEK, HAS BEEN A DAILY OCCURRENCE. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT IT, THE SOONEST THEY HAD AN OPENING TO ADDRESS IT IS A MONTH AWAY. NO A HAPPY CAMPER, FEELS LIKE THEY ARE NOT AS CONCERNED AS I AM WITH THE SAFETY OF MY VEHICLE. BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE LESS THAN ONE YEAR OF OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE. UNABLE TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL IN TO START THE VEHICLE. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE SWITCH TO RELEASE IS TO TAP ON IT WITH A HAMMER. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN OCCURRING FAIRLY REGULARLY FOR THE PAST WEEK BEFORE I COULD GET IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY. (IS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED TOMORROW??) AT ONE POINT, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START ALTOGETHER. POPPED THE HOOD TO JUMP START IT, AND NOTICED BLACK POWDERY STUFF ON THE TOP OF THE BATTERY AS THOUGH THE BATTER HAD GOTTEN TOO HOT AND BOILED OVER POSSIBLY. THE DEALERSHIP TEST THE BATTERY AND TOLD ME THAT MY BATTERY IS FINE AND FULLY CHARGED. THIS WAS AFTER I HAD IT ON THE CHARGER FOR SEVERAL HOURS YESTERDAY SO THAT IT WOULD START FOR ME TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP.

Mileage: 19,575

VEHICLE IN MOTION AND WARNING SIGNAL 'FRONT RADAR UNAVAILABLE DUE TO OBSTRUCTION'.

2018 NISSAN ALTIMA HAS A DEFECTIVE PUSH START AND BRAKING SYSTEM. UNABLE TO START CAR WITH PUSH START BECAUSE IT FEELS AS IF THE BRAKES ARE STUCK. HAVE TO CONTINOUSLY PUMP THE BREAK IN A EFFORT TO GET THE BRAKE TO RELEASE IN ORDER TO START THE CAR.

Mileage: 30,100

2018 NISSAN ALTIMA HAS A DEFECTIVE PUSH START AND BRAKING SYSTEM. UNABLE TO START CAR WITH PUSH START BECAUSE IT FEELS AS IF THE BRAKES ARE STUCK. HAVE TO CONTINOUSLY PUMP THE BREAK IN A EFFORT TO GET THE BRAKE TO RELEASE IN ORDER TO START THE CAR. THERE IS ALSO AN ISSUE WITH THE FRONT RADAR SENSORS. I WHILE IN MOTION I RANDOMLY RECEIVE AN AUDIBLE ALERT AND WARNING MESSAGE SAYING THAT THE FRONT RADAR IS UNAVAILABLE DUE TO OBSTRUCTION YET THERE WOULD NOTHING IN FRONT OF THE CAR.

2018 NISSAN ALTIMA HAS A DEFECTIVE PUSH START AND BRAKING SYSTEM. THE CAR WILL NOT START WITH THE PUSH START AND BRAKE PEDAL. I WAS PARKED AND WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR THE PUSH START WOULD NOT WORK.

Mileage: 46,500

DURING RANDOM DRIVING THE FORWARD COLLISION SENSOR COMES ON STATING THAT FORWARD COLLISION IS UNAVAILABLE. SOMETIMES THE SENSOR WILL GO OFF 1-2 TIMES OR UP TO 6 TIMES IN ONE DAY. THIS SENSOR CONTROLS THE (AEB) AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING. NISSAN HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS ISSUE IN SEVERAL CARS BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. THIS VEHICLE IS MY WORK VEHICLE AND MY PERSONAL NISSAN PATHFINDER HAS ALREADY HAD THE PART REPLACED WITH LESS THAN 10,000 MILES. CURRENTLY MY VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WANT $1700.00 FOR REPAIR OF FAULTY SAFETY PARTS. I'VE BEEN DRIVING IN PERFECTLY SUNNY DAYS, ON BUMPY BACK ALLEY, JUST DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAYS AND THE SENSOR GOES OFF. I BELIEVE THAT THIS ISSUE IS MORE WIDESPREAD THAN THEY ACKNOWLEDGE. OUR FLEET OF COMPANY CARS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE ROGUE, ALTIMA.

Mileage: 43,000

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PROCEED AFTER A STOP SIGN WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON DASH INCLUDING THE BATTERY LIGHT. I PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS. WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS THE CAR MADE NO ACCELERATION NOISE AND DID NOT MOVE. THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. I MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO MOVE FORWARD, BUT THE LIGHTS REMAINED AND THE CAR DID NOT MOVE. I HAD A FULL TANK IF GAS AND A RECENT OIL CHANGE. I THEN PUT THE CAR IN PARK, AND USED MY PUSH BUTTON TO TURN OFF THE CAR. I WAITED A FEW SECONDS AND RESTARTED THE CAR. IT DID START AND I WAS ABLE TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY. I WAS ON A SIDE STREET AND HAD BEEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES.

I PURCHASED A NEW 2018 NISSAN, THE FRONT END COLLISION SENSOR IS ALARMING AND HAS EVER SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS AND THEY HAVE REFERRED ME TO NISSAN AND SAY THAT I SHOULD WAIT FOR THE RECALL. I THINK THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AS MY CAR IS NOT SAFE WITH THE FRONT END COLLISION NOT WORKING PROPERLY. PLEASE HELP ME FIX THIS PROBLEM. AS I AM DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THE SENSOR ALARMS AND SAYS IT IS NOT WORKING WHEN THERE IS NOTHING IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. I HAD ONE DEALER TELL ME IT WAS PICKING UP THE SUN......PLEASE HELP.

Mileage: 8