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Nissan Altima 1998–2001 problems by year and mileage

2nd generation (L30)

NHTSA data through 24 September 2026529 complaints, 242 with mileageMethod

Which year is yours? Tap it to see what breaks on it.

• 1998—too few
• 1999100kmedian
• 200084kmedian
• 200166kmedian

Each tile shows the median mileage at which that model year’s failures were reported. The 1999 reports latest and the 2001 earliest, but part of that gap is age: the 1999 has had 2 more years on the road to accumulate mileage. 1 of these years carries fewer than 30 reports with an odometer reading and shows no median at all, rather than one computed from a handful.

The short answer

“Is the 1998–2001 Nissan Altima reliable?”

Median of reported failures

78,000 mi

90% of reports came by

153,000 mi

Reports with mileage

242

Recalls

1

Most reported

1. Engine and its cooling system24.6% of complaints · median 75,000 mi
2. Electrical system11.9% of complaints · median 70,000 mi
3. Airbag system10.8% of complaints · median 75,000 mi

When each system fails ↓

Documented problems

• Engine1998–2001
• Emissions1998–2001

What each one is ↓

Owners filed 529 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998–2001 Nissan Altima; the engine and its cooling system leads with 24.6% of them, and half of the 242 that record an odometer reading came by 78,000 miles. A count like this can’t rate reliability on its own: NHTSA records what owners chose to report, not how many of each car were sold.

Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 52,000 and 115,000 miles.

Before-you-buy checklist ↓At your mileage ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗

How many miles does a 1998–2001 Nissan Altima last?

Figure 1 · Nissan Altima 1998–2001 · 242 reports with mileage

Mileage at failure

Complaints per 20,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 46 complaints.

463523120

19.0% of all reports fall between 60,000 and 80,000 miles

25k50k75k100k125k150k175k200k

• Rest of the range
• Median
• 200,000+ — 6 complaints (2.5%), plotted separately

10%

33,500

25%

52,000

Median

78,000

75%

115,000

90%

153,345

Tallest bin: 46 complaints between 60,000 and 80,000 miles. Based on 242 complaints that record mileage. Bin width 20,000 miles.

Show the numbers

Complaints by mileage bin

Mileage	Complaints	Share
0–20,000	12	5.0%
20,000–40,000	23	9.5%
40,000–60,000	44	18.2%
60,000–80,000	46	19.0%
80,000–100,000	37	15.3%
100,000–120,000	24	9.9%
120,000–140,000	20	8.3%
140,000–160,000	14	5.8%
160,000–180,000	11	4.5%
180,000–200,000	5	2.1%
200,000+	6	2.5%

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.

What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.

Common Altima problems, and when they happen

Figure 2 · Nissan Altima 1998–2001

When each system fails

Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.

System0–12,000 mi factory-defect window12,000 mi and beyond wear and service lifeMedian

1. Throttle and speed control43 reports49,00034,000–118,000Throttle and speed control: 43 reports, median 49,000 miles, middle half 34,000 to 118,000 miles.
2. Visibility equipment38 reports59,00035,000–79,000Visibility equipment: 38 reports, median 59,000 miles, middle half 35,000 to 79,000 miles.
3. Electrical system63 reports70,00050,000–108,000Electrical system: 63 reports, median 70,000 miles, middle half 50,000 to 108,000 miles.
4. Fuel system26 reports74,00057,000–86,000Fuel system: 26 reports, median 74,000 miles, middle half 57,000 to 86,000 miles.
5. Engine and its cooling system130 reports75,00057,000–99,000Engine and its cooling system: 130 reports, median 75,000 miles, middle half 57,000 to 99,000 miles.
6. Airbag system57 reports75,00052,000–113,000Airbag system: 57 reports, median 75,000 miles, middle half 52,000 to 113,000 miles.
7. Suspension42 reports113,00089,000–169,000Suspension: 42 reports, median 113,000 miles, middle half 89,000 to 169,000 miles.

5001k2k5k10k20k50k100k200k

• Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”

Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.

All systems in a table

Complaints by vehicle system

System	Complaints	Share	Median	25–75%
Engine and its cooling system	130	24.6%	75,000	57,000–99,000
Electrical system	63	11.9%	70,000	50,000–108,000
Airbag system	57	10.8%	75,000	52,000–113,000
Throttle and speed control	43	8.1%	49,000	34,000–118,000
Suspension	42	7.9%	113,000	89,000–169,000
Tyres	42	7.9%	—	—
Hydraulic brake circuit	41	7.8%	—	—
Visibility equipment	38	7.2%	59,000	35,000–79,000
Transmission and driveline	28	5.3%	—	—
Fuel system	26	4.9%	74,000	57,000–86,000

System by system, in words

Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 78,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.

The engine and its cooling system accounts for 24.6% of complaints (130 reports, 91 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 75,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 57,000 and 99,000 miles.

The electrical system accounts for 11.9% of complaints (63 reports, 37 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 70,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 50,000 and 108,000 miles.

The airbag system accounts for 10.8% of complaints (57 reports, 25 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 75,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 52,000 and 113,000 miles.

Throttle and speed control accounts for 8.1% of complaints (43 reports, 24 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 49,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 34,000 and 118,000 miles.

The suspension accounts for 7.9% of complaints (42 reports, 19 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 113,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 89,000 and 169,000 miles.

Visibility equipment accounts for 7.2% of complaints (38 reports, 19 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 59,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 35,000 and 79,000 miles.

Known problems with the 1998–2001 Altima

Before you buy a 1998–2001 Altima: the 3-minute check

Generated from 242 mileage-tagged complaints, 1 recall campaign, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.

For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 52,000 and 115,000 miles, with a median of 78,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.

On inspection, the engine and its cooling system and the electrical system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The electrical system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 70,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.

None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.

Altima problems by mileage: where your car sits

Type your odometer reading, or read the common mileages in the table. Your marker lands on the timing chart above and on the curve below.

Your odometer, milesGo

Figure 3 · Nissan Altima 1998–2001 · 242 reports with mileage

Share of reports below each mileage

Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.

100%75%50%25%0%

25k50k75k100k125k150k175k200k

• 60,000 mi — 33% of reports below
• 120,000 mi — 77% of reports below
• 200,000 mi — 98% of reports below
• Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
• Your odometer — appears after you enter it above

The staircase tops out at 98%: the remaining 2.5% of reports (6) came above 200,000 miles.

Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.

1998–2001 Nissan Altima recalls (1)

NHTSA records 1 recall campaign covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.

Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.

Recall repairs are free at an authorized dealer, for any owner. Summaries below shorten NHTSA’s own wording.

1. Feb 2001 · 2000–2001 · TiresUnder these circumstances, a belt edge separation is posible, which could resulting in the loss of tire…

   The defect. Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with firestone firehawk gta-02 , size p205/55r16 89h tires. The recalled tires are identified by DOT serial #w2 t2 vf3 xxx or w2 t2 vf3 xxxx; where xxx may be 289, 299, 309, 319, 329, 339, 349, 359, 369, 379…

   What can happen. Under these circumstances, a belt edge separation is posible, which could resulting in the loss of tire pressure.

   The free fix. Bridgestone/firestone will replace the tires which were installed as original equipment on these Altima vehicles. Firestone is conducting the owner notification and remedy for this campaign. Owner…

   NHTSA campaign 01V-065 (2001-02-23).

Crashes, fires and injuries owners reported

What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 529 complaints against this generation:

Crashes

83 (15.7%)

Fires

12

Injury reports

48

Fatality reports

2

These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.

Altima problems by model year

The 2000 drew the most complaints of this generation, 160, most of them about the engine and its cooling system, and the 1999 the fewest, 87. A typical year drew about 141.

What Altima owners reported

the contact owned a 1999 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into another vehicle that made a sharp left turn across the contact's lane. The front driver and passenger air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries that later required medical…

1999 · 43,000 miles · Airbag system

the contact owns a 1998 Nissan Altima. Upon starting the vehicle and shifting from park to drive, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to engage as it traveled to the floor. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped once it crashed into the…

1998 · 180,000 miles · Brakes

the contact owns a 2001 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft, catalytic converters, emissions control, and sensors…

2001 · 50,000 miles · Electrical system

I was driving down the street at about 15 miles an hour and my tire on the passenger side turned out word and then hit a car on the side of the road. Upon further inspection i realized that the car had come apart at the control arm , at the hub and the transaxle had separated as well. Found these parts at the place i…

2001 · 169,000 miles · Suspension

Built from 242 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-09-26 · open data · how it is built

Other Altima generations

• Altima 2002–2006 3,301 reports with mileage, most about the engine and its cooling system
• Altima 2007–2012 3,144 reports with mileage, most about the steering
• Altima 2013–2018 3,509 reports with mileage, most about the transmission and driveline
• Altima 2019–2025 147 reports with mileage, most about the electrical system

Other midsize cars from the same years

• Chevrolet Malibu 1997–2003
• Honda Accord 1998–2002
• Toyota Camry 1997–2001
• Volkswagen Passat 1998–2005