2016 Nissan Altima · symptom sheet
Doors, latches or locks fail
- 31owner reports
- 50,345median miles
- 2involved a crash
Newest report Jul 23, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
46 of the 553 complaints on this car are about the latches and locks. 31 of those describe door latch.
Tick what matches of 31 reports
Door latch on other Altima years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024.
What this problem usually is
Door complaints sound minor until you read them. The most common is a "door ajar" warning with every door shut. Others describe a door that won't open from inside, one that won't latch at all, locks that cycle on their own, and occasionally a door that opened while the car was moving.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the latch (28 reports).
Recalls and investigations
2 recalls on the latches and locks cover the 2016 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.
The rear door latch/lock cable on the vehicles may have been improperly routed. As a result, lowering a rear window may inadvertently cause that door to unlatch and open.
All 4 recalls on the 2016 Nissan Altima, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
NHTSA investigations into the latches and locks on the Altima
Hertz/vehicles rented with open recalls. Open.
None of these investigations covers the 2016 model year.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 32,315 and 74,000 miles, from the 17 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2016 Nissan Altima that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
NISSAN; DOORS DIFFICULT TO CLOSE WITH TEMPERATURE BELOW FREEZING IF YOU CONFIRM: THE FOLLOWING INCIDENT, OR THE CUSTOMER REPORTS THIS INCIDENT: THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SETTING (NOT RUNNING) IN TEMPERATURES BELOW 14°F (-10°C) FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD (SUCH AS OVERNIGHT). THEN - A SIDE DOOR IS OPENED. THEN - THE DOOR IS DIFFICULT TO CLOSE/LATCH, WILL NOT CLOSE/LATCH WITH NORMAL PRESSURE;
What owners wrote
No report on this problem is short enough to quote in full.
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 2 of 31 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 85 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 70 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 61 reports
- Transmission fails or needs replacement 40 reports
- Headlights too dim or fail 37 reports
- Loses power when accelerating 26 reports