2017 Nissan ALTIMA - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2017 Nissan Altima received an impressive overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 according to the crash test data. It excelled in front and side crash tests, scoring 5 out of 5 in those categories. The Altima also received high ratings in various other safety aspects such as rollover protection and side pole crash tests. One notable feature is the inclusion of standard electronic stability control, which enhances the vehicle's stability on the road.

Additionally, the Altima offers an optional forward collision warning system to alert drivers of potential collisions ahead. However, it does not come with a lane departure warning feature. Despite its high safety ratings, there have been 290 complaints reported for this model, and it has undergone 3 recalls for various issues. Overall, the 2017 Nissan Altima is a safe choice with advanced safety features, but it's essential for drivers to stay informed about any potential recalls and address them promptly.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

290

Recall Count

3

Investigation Count

3

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2017 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2017 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Optional
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2017 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2017 Nissan Altima 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2017 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 5 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2017 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 3 3 4
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 3 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 3 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 4 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2017 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2017 Nissan ALTIMA

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"cvt transmission has gone out and it is a road hazzard. the vehicle doesn't accelerate, jolts, and sputters. there was no warning or reason for a well maintained car under 97k mileage to be having this issue. upon further investigation it is a common problem with nissan but nothing is being done to get these cars fixed and off the road before there are bigger problems."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2025-10-01
Complaint:
"when operating my nissan altima 2017 i was alerted with warning lamp annd it notified me to check engine and then it went away. the car started to jerk, also the car rpm’s went up and took it awhile to reset while at a stop light…i then parked the car and when i tried to start it, the shift would shift to drive and reverse but the car wouldn’t move…so i towed the car home and after almost 3 weeks i was able to save money to tow it to a nissan dealership and they confirmed i needed a new cvt transmission…quoted me 7,800 for replacing and labor fees. i have read about the 2017 nissan settlement after doing a lot of research on the vehicle, i need help with the next steps. cause that price to fix it isn’t affordable for me while making car payments still. car is still in my possession currently, just have to pay it to be towed back to my residence"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-09-09
Complaint:
"the transmission failed as i was entering a highway and accelerating. the speed went from 45 mph to 0 in a matter of seconds. once the car died, i could not put it in any gear, drive or reverse, and get the car to move."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-06-09
Complaint:
"called nissan to advise them of how dangerous it was to drive my car because the transmission was not responding. all they read to me was it is your problem nissan cannot repair your vehicle. i advice them of this problem way before my vehicle had 100k miles."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2022-12-04
Complaint:
"my car only has about 113,000 miles and the cvt transmission is completely ruined. it’ll cost me over $3,200 to repair, and this is a very common and known issue to nissan. see other class action lawsuits."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-04-08
Complaint:
"i changed the transmission fluid at 60k on my 2017 nissan altima sv. at 70,500 miles while driving on the highway my car started slipping, jerking off wears. i had no warning lights or signs that it was overheating. we pulled over for 30 minutes and continued. we were 45 minutes from home. it didn’t take long before it started again. the car would come out of wear and it would only run at 40mph going up hills. once we got off the highway, the car wouldn’t go into gear. we didn’t make it home. i called my local nissan dealership and they informed me i had no warranty at all. we had the car towed to a local transmission repair shop. my transmission was done. i put in a used transmission in for $3,300. 2 months later i get a notification from nissan that the cvt transmission warranty has been extended to 84000 miles or 84 months, whichever came first. i called nissan consumer affairs and they basically said, you repaired your car on your own there’s nothing we can do. nissan has class action lawsuit which the time limit that has already expired. i still filled my paperwork proof with no answer what so ever. i can assure you i will not buy another nissan vehicle again!"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-08-06
Complaint:
"i was driving on the freeway 8/1/23. there was a bit of traffic so my speed varied. i was attempting to accelerate at one point and the car wouldn't go any faster than about 60 mph. i started hearing a sqealing / screeching noise too. i was scared my car was about to stop. i didn't know if i should pull to the shoulder or just continue to my offramp. i managed to get off the fwy and make it home a few miles away with some lurching / jerking. on 8/3/23, the next time i drove the car, i was trying to pull my car out of my garage for a mobile mechanic to look at. it wouldn't reverse, and was just still when i pressed the gas. it wouldn't do anything in drive but rev. the mobile mechanic got there and managed to drive it a bit and i heard it making a super load noise and saw the car lurching and jerking he told me the transmission was bad. the car is not safe to drive. it has 52,000 miles on it and i have barely drove in the 4 years i've had it. i spoke to nissan consumer affairs and they told me to take it to the dealer for a diagnosis. the car got towed to the dealer to see if it qualifies for the nissan extended warranty for cvt transmissions. i am afraid to drive the car now. i thought i was buying a solid car. i didn't think i could go wrong with nissan mechanically at such an early stage in the car's life."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-01-08
Complaint:
"driving down the highway at 12am the vehicle lost power and slowed immediately to 20mph. i pulled over, shut off the engine and waited 5 minutes. restarted the engine and the vehicle ran fine. recently while driving the vehicle i have noticed delays of 2-3 seconds in throttle engagement before acceleration. my son, preston hodnett was on the freeway and the vehicle slowed down to 10mph. he pulled over, turned the vehicle off and restarted the vehicle and was able to return to normal freeway speeds. this occurred with no check engine light at the time. the vehicle is a 2017 with 65.4k miles. the manufacture is saying it is a transmission issue and will take $6.2k to repair. i cannot afford the replacement cost and this is a continued known issue with nissan vehicles and the nissan representative advised a transmission shop separate from nissan that they cannot replace my transmission due to a current lawsuit with consumers in the state of california. in my opinion, this vehicle is endangering me and my family and this appears to be a class issue. the first issue occurred over two years ago and then went away entirely. recent issues have arisen that resemble or exceed the first incident which are causing severe safety concerns. no warning lights were present during these issues."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-06-06
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2017 nissan altima. the contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact smelled an abnormal odor. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the transmission had a defective solenoid. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 137,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-03-02
Complaint:
"cvt transmission issues the car looses power starts high rpm and will not shift then accelerator fails to respond altogether causing car to suddenly slowdown in traffic. this is second time this has happened; first occurrence was on 3/27/22. the dealership reprogramed the cars computer that time. 4/23/23 this time i had to have the car towed back to the dealership."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-11-04

Recalls for the 2017 Nissan ALTIMA

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"nissan north america, inc. (nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 altima vehicles, previously remedied under recall number 17v-040. the door latch-lock cable may not have been routed properly in the rear door when the remedy was applied. as a result, the cable may interfere with the window regulator causing the rear passenger door to unlatch and inadvertently open without warning when the window is lowered."
Consequence:
If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.
Remedy:

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will secure the latch-lock cables in the correct position using the new remedy procedure, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7669.

Component(s) Involved: STRUCTURE > EMERGENCY > ESCAPE/EGRESS/EXIT
Date of incident: 2018-12-19

NISSAN Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

NISSAN ranks 5 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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