Nissan Altima 1998–2001
2nd generation (L30)
NHTSA data through 13 August 2026652 complaints, 306 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 306
- Median of reported failures
- 80,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Engine and its cooling system (20.6%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 51,134 and 120,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Nissan Altima 1998–2001 · 306 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 32 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 10 complaints (3.3%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 32,223
- 25%
- 51,134
- Median
- 80,000
- 75%
- 120,000
- 90%
- 160,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 9 | 2.9% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 8 | 2.6% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 5 | 1.6% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 29 | 9.5% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 19 | 6.2% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 32 | 10.5% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 26 | 8.5% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 24 | 7.8% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 26 | 8.5% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 18 | 5.9% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 15 | 4.9% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 17 | 5.6% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 14 | 4.6% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 12 | 3.9% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 7 | 2.3% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 12 | 3.9% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 7 | 2.3% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 7 | 2.3% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 9 | 2.9% |
| 200,000+ | 10 | 3.3% |
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.
Owners filed 652 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998–2001 Nissan Altima, and 306 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 51,134 and 120,000 miles. The median is 80,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are the engine and its cooling system (20.6% of complaints, typically around 78,000 miles), the electrical system (9.8% of complaints, typically around 69,000 miles), the airbag system (8.9% of complaints, typically around 73,000 miles).
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 1998–2001 Nissan Altima last?
Half of the failure reports on the 1998–2001 Nissan Altima were filed by 80,000 miles and 90% by 160,000 miles — figures drawn from 306 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
10 reports (3.3%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Altima reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 1998–2001 Altima: the 3-minute check
Generated from 306 mileage-tagged complaints, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check engine on 1998–2001 cars. Timing chain guide and tensioner wear on the KA24DE; distributor and crankshaft position sensor failures causing intermittent stalling and no-start.
- Check emissions on 1998–2001 cars. Catalytic converter and oxygen sensor failures generating high check-engine-light complaint volume.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 51,000 and 120,000 miles, with a median of 80,000. 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 69,000, 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.
What fails, and when
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.
- 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.
- Visibility equipment38 reports59,00035,000–79,000Visibility equipment: 38 reports, median 59,000 miles, middle half 35,000 to 79,000 miles.
- Electrical system64 reports69,00049,000–108,000Electrical system: 64 reports, median 69,000 miles, middle half 49,000 to 108,000 miles.
- Airbag system58 reports73,00045,000–113,000Airbag system: 58 reports, median 73,000 miles, middle half 45,000 to 113,000 miles.
- Fuel system28 reports74,00057,000–86,000Fuel system: 28 reports, median 74,000 miles, middle half 57,000 to 86,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system134 reports78,00057,000–99,000Engine and its cooling system: 134 reports, median 78,000 miles, middle half 57,000 to 99,000 miles.
- Suspension43 reports113,00089,000–169,000Suspension: 43 reports, median 113,000 miles, middle half 89,000 to 169,000 miles.
- 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.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and its cooling system | 134 | 20.6% | 78,000 | 57,000–99,000 |
| Electrical system | 64 | 9.8% | 69,000 | 49,000–108,000 |
| Airbag system | 58 | 8.9% | 73,000 | 45,000–113,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 44 | 6.7% | — | — |
| Throttle and speed control | 43 | 6.6% | 49,000 | 34,000–118,000 |
| Tyres | 43 | 6.6% | — | — |
| Suspension | 43 | 6.6% | 113,000 | 89,000–169,000 |
| Visibility equipment | 38 | 5.8% | 59,000 | 35,000–79,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 30 | 4.6% | — | — |
| Fuel system | 28 | 4.3% | 74,000 | 57,000–86,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Nissan Altima 1998–2001 · 306 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.
- 60,000 mi — 33% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 58% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 75% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 97%: the remaining 3.3% of reports (10) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
33% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 57,000–99,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 49,000–108,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 45,000–113,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 34,000–118,000 mi
- Visibility equipment — middle half 35,000–79,000 mi
- Fuel system — middle half 57,000–86,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Suspension — middle half 89,000–169,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
58% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Visibility equipment — median 59,000 mi
- Fuel system — median 74,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 57,000–99,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 49,000–108,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 45,000–113,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 34,000–118,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 89,000–169,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
75% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine and its cooling system — median 78,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 69,000 mi
- Airbag system — median 73,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 49,000 mi
- Visibility equipment — median 59,000 mi
- Fuel system — median 74,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Suspension — middle half 89,000–169,000 mi
Which systems, and when
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 80,000 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 20.6% of complaints (134 reports, 93 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 78,000 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 9.8% of complaints (64 reports, 38 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 69,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 49,000 and 108,000 miles.
The airbag system accounts for 8.9% of complaints (58 reports, 26 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 73,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 45,000 and 113,000 miles.
Throttle and speed control accounts for 6.6% 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 6.6% of complaints (43 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 5.8% 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.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2001 model year drew the most — 202 complaints — while 1999 drew the fewest at 110. The median year sits at 170.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 652 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 112 (17.2%)
- Fires
- 14
- Injury reports
- 65
- Fatality reports
- 3
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.
Documented problems
Engine 1998–2001
Timing chain guide and tensioner wear on the KA24DE; distributor and crankshaft position sensor failures causing intermittent stalling and no-start.
Emissions 1998–2001
Catalytic converter and oxygen sensor failures generating high check-engine-light complaint volume.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 141 | 36 |
| 1999 | 110 | 40 |
| 2000 | 199 | 109 |
| 2001 | 202 | 121 |
What owners reported
Power locks go on and off repeatedly, making all kinds of racket and buzzing sounds, even when car is turned off!! Have to play with key and locks to get into the car... Fuel door opens on own repeatedly, won't stay shut. Brakes make a deep growling sound when gently pressing the brake pedal. Car has 40,000 miles on…
1998 · 43,000 miles · Latches and locks
After arriving home safely from a long highway drive (7 hrs), our car sat for about 5 hours. When i started the car, i smelled smoke and heard a unusual rubbing noise under the hood. After popping the hood, i saw smoke pouring out of the alternator. I turned off the engine, went inside to get a fire extinguisher. The…
1998 · 67,000 miles · Electrical system
The car was idle at a red light when it shut down completely (engine, radio, lights, etc). It would not start again. I got a jump and it started. The next day it started fine. I let it idle for about 15 minutes and it was okay. I drove it for a few minutes and it died again. I had it towed to a repair shop. None of…
1998 · 70,000 miles · Electrical system
July of 2002 (days before my vacation) my Altima would not start. I was under an third party service agreement and was towed 25 miles from work to the selling dealership. It was determined that wires in/ around the fuel pump had been severely damaged and needed to be replaced, the damage to the wires caused excessive…
1998 · 86,000 miles · Electrical system
Built from 306 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page