See attached document for complaint.
2020 Nissan Altima steering problems
13 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). 3 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- crashes
- 3
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Nissan Altima steering problems in other years
Related recalls
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- 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.
Recall number 21V138000 · Recall details
What 2020 Nissan Altima owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The tire rod assembly disconnected and caused a near miss accident. The steering was no longer intact. The car had to be towed and repaired to the nearest auto repair shop.
While accelerating from a complete stop, the car stalled with tires, powertrain, and steering wheel all locked. For 15 seconds, the steering wheel, tires, and car was unable to be manipulated. During acceleration, the speed was less than 15mph when it came to an abrupt stop. Another car behind me almost hit me when my car came to a stop. Car was just serviced for another warranty issue a few months ago by Nissan dealership.
I bought a used (7,000 miles) 2020 Nissan Altima 2.5 SV. Bought the car January (18-19th) 2022. The same week I bought it I noticed a noise coming from the right side of the car. I would later come to find out it was a wheel bearing, which when not fixed can lead to some serious safety concerns. The wheel can potentially come off during driving! At high speeds in particular, that is dangerous. I am glad it did not happen to me, but it could have caused fatal accidents. Anytime I made turned my wheel to the right I heard a low droning/humming/vibrating noise from the opposite side. It was more pronounced with speed and depth of turn. These turns do not have to be very deep; most highways have curves in them, and this is when I would hear the noise. It usually began at speeds of 50-60mph, but as the issue became more pronounced over time (this took a whole year to resolve) this changed, and I was able to hear it from 30-40mph. Nissan did not want to warranty this at first, at multiple dealership locations. More time passed and I noticed the wheel bearing noise getting more and more pronounced. I brought it to another dealership that was not a Nissan dealership, and they said it’s clearly the wheel bearing. That’s the first time I had been told what this could possibly be. I brought it to the local Nissan dealership after this, so I could get this done under warranty. Remember, this has been happening since I bought the car, and I am at less than 17k mileage. I told them I was concerned about the wheel bearing and that I thought this was the issue, and it was more pronounced now than in the past. They said, "the car is fine" and that the noise it’s “normal.” I asked how a loud noise happening only conditionally and to only one side of the car was “normal”, and he had no reply for that. Months later the noise is became incredibly disturbing, and I spoke with the manager, and they finally fixed the wheel bearing under warranty.
1. Power steering cuts off while driving. Occurs intermittently -- once every two weeks or so. I am guessing that the intermittent nature of this is why more have not reported it. Warning lights show on dash indicating ABS, etc. but codes disappear when car is turned off and back on. Yes, you can inspect this. We bought a BlueDriver OBDII with an app because we couldn't capture this and the dealer couldn't recreate the problem. I have the records of the codes. We were able to get the vehicle to the dealer while still running and they are fixing it by replacing the ABS computer (at significant cost). 2. Sudden loss of power steering could result in a major accident -- especially in emergency situations, at higher speeds or if the driver was weaker/smaller. My wife drives this car, and it was a major shock when this happened. Fortunately, she was moving less than 30 mph when this happened -- and she was not trying to avoid an accident. 3. The problem has been reconfirmed by Regal Nissan Service at this time. [XXX] See above for description of how hard it was to capture this condition. 4. The component has been deemed unworking. I believe that the dealer is just replacing it, however, vs, in-depth diagnosing at the corporate level. 5. The warning lights come on at the same time the power steering stops. There is absolutely no pre-warning. We have no idea if the ABS system also stops working because conditions were dry, speed was low, no slamming on of brakes -- but I am guessing that the ABS also wouldn't work. That's a guess. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Tie rod ball joint snapped and broke at 15mph causing vehichle to loose control and forced off-road into a fence post. No Collison warning or lane departure warning. I had the vehichle towed back to dealership Nissan Wesley chapel. I was in process of possibly purchasing vehichle. Couldn’t find financing for me so received a letter rescinding their transaction. My ins agency Esurance concluded it a tota loss. Never heard back from Nissan or my ins. agency on what caused it to break. Everytime I asked I was never given a response. I have several photos of vehichle and found a recall for tie rod and ball joint fasteners on same make and year. Would like some answers to this safety issue being if I was going faster I could have been killed. 2 days prior to accident began hearing clicking noise when going over speed bump. Took vehichle for private inspection and a vehicle system scan reported systems w/codes for intelligent cruise control/advanced driver assistance system and laser/radar.
When making a routine right-hand turn, the steering system failed. Driver had an unresponsive vehicle which crashed into a bridge rail. Driver was taken for medical attention. No warning lights prior to the crash. Vehicle has only been serviced by the dealer Nissan Peacock of Houston since purchased in December of 2019. A vehicle recall (the federal safety agency Campaign ID: 21V138000) was issued for this year, make, and model, but not for this particular VIN. This recall was for the tie rod ball joint fasteners.
When braking there is a popping noise coming from the front of the car. And the Foward Braking light comes on for 5-10 mins of driving time then goes off
I brought this car last year of 2020 and I had my car for a year and a half and all of a sudden my drive train is making noise, to a point people on the street thinks it’s gum shots. My car already passed inspection way before this started. I took it back to the place I got it from they had no loaners I have to wait a week to come in I have to drive the car to work and I’m scared it’s gonna lock or break down on me my car should not be having these problems I have receipts of me taking car of my car to ensure nothing happens. Then all of a sudden my airbag lights come so if someone did hit me my airbags would not deploy.
I was driving home and my steering wheel locked up on me while my car was in motion. I eased on down the road thinking that it locked because of a safety warning, but it never unlocked. I eased my car onside the road and put it in park. While in park, the power steering light appeared on the dashboard. Once I turned my car off, the steering wheel was still locked. This risked my safety because I was not able to control my vehicle.
Questions about the 2020 Nissan Altima steering
Does the 2020 Nissan Altima have steering problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the steering of the 2020 Nissan Altima, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2020 Nissan Altima steering problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 2020 Nissan Altima steering?
Yes, 1 recall: 21V138000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Nissan Altima have bad steering?
The Nissan Altima model years with the most steering complaints are 2009 (859 complaints), 2013 (94 complaints) and 2014 (58 complaints).
Other 2020 Nissan Altima problems
Electrical 43Engine 40Driver assistance 33Brakes 18Transmission 18Visibility 10Airbags 8Fuel system 7Acceleration 6Body 6Wheels 6Suspension 5Tires 3Locks 2Seat belts 2Seats 2Lights 1
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