Though the Nissan Altima is a fairly popular car model, it’s not without serious safety problems. An owner of a 2019 Nissan Altima filed a class action lawsuit against Nissan, alleging that the car’s automatic emergency braking system caused random braking and other malfunctions just weeks after she bought it.
Nissan allegedly ignored customer complaints about AEB systems, and many owners of 2017–2021 Nissan Altima cars have submitted complaints to federal authorities.
To highlight issues with Nissan Altima Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking, we have compiled some complaints submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Please note that the complaints on Nissan Altima FCW and AEB systems have been edited for grammar and clarity.
2017 Nissan Altima: Front Impact Radar Malfunction
At certain times, the front impact radar will say it is blocked or not functioning. Twice, it has actually applied the brakes with nothing in front of it. Now, the air bag light is on and will not go off.
2017 Nissan Altima: AEB Malfunction
Nissan’s Automatic Emergency Braking system is malfunctioning. The alarm goes off ‘front radar unavailable due to obstruction” and little symbol lights up of two cars crashing on dashboard panel. My vehicle stops short intermittently when this warning occurs. I have noticed the problem is more frequent when I make a turn or go over a speed bump. In inclement weather, it seems to happen more frequently… The car comes to complete stop without me touching the brake. I was almost rear ended twice today because of this. On the way home from work today the warning light came on 3 times after making several right turns on city streets. It was also raining. My car stopped short and car behind me had to slam on their breaks to avoid hitting me.
2018 Nissan Altima: AEB and Cruise Control
Every time I am driving, the automatic emergency braking light illuminates at around 55mph and it stays lit constantly. The system automatically brakes when nothing is in front of my vehicle, almost causing the person behind me to hit me. The cruise control will not allow me to set it after turning it on either.
2019 Nissan Altima: Random Stalling
The Automatic Emergency Braking System continuously brakes and slows the car down when driving. One particular incident happened on 6/15/2021 when I was travelling at 45MPH and there were cars behind me. The system beeped as if it detected a crash and then stopped the car. There were no other cars in front on me and I almost got into an accident because of the sudden braking. There were no warning lamps, messages, or anything else that would prompt the vehicle to immediately brake. It has done this 3 more times in the last two weeks and it’s hazardous to me and other drivers on the road. Now every time I put my vehicle in drive, it says AEB malfunction and the vehicle no longer detects forward collisions or any passengers. I haven’t taken the vehicle to the dealership yet; however, I had an oil change and when the dealer inspected my vehicle, they said everything was in good shape. I’m not sure how this was missed.
2019 Nissan Altima: Warning Light
The forward collision warning malfunctions and a warning light is displayed. This used to be an intermittent problem, which now occurs every time I drive the vehicle. This is an important safety feature in the vehicle.
2019 Nissan Altima: Collision Avoidance
While driving at various speeds, the collision avoidance system would randomly activate and reduce the vehicle’s speed. The failure occurred, although no objects were present nearby. The cause of the failures were not determined. In addition, while driving approximately 35 mph and pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle slowed before the braking system malfunctioned causing the vehicle not to stop and crashed into the rear of a truck.
2020 Nissan Altima: Stopped In A Snowstorm
During a snowstorm a couple weeks ago, my 2020 Nissan Altima’s Forward Collision kicked in, locking up my brakes, causing me to slide into a curb and nearly rear end another vehicle also causing alignment issues and problems with the traction system.
Due to locking the brakes, this accident was caused. It was on a city street while I was in motion. However, the forward collision kicked in way early and slammed the brakes, which is extremely dangerous in cold and wet road conditions. There is a structural integrity issue near the cars suspension where a rod is rounded at the ends, but flat in the center and when the collision with curb happened, it bent that bar at the flat part, causing the alignment issue. This accident also caused my car to lift off the ground about 6 inches and to drive straight, requiring me to take one whole lane of traffic and turn my steering wheel 90 degrees to stay straight and on the road.
This extremely dangerous for this system to react as is did as if it did not react I had plenty of time and space and wouldn’t have wrecked. The speed limit in the area is 15mph and I was going no more than 10mph due to the snow and frozen roads. This has given me migraines. I have had issues with my wrists, neck, back and ribs due to the whiplash caused as the car ended up speeding up heading into the crash due to the abrupt hard slam of the brakes caused by the forward collision on icy roads.
If you have recurring problems with your Nissan Altima’s Forward or Automatic Emergency Braking system, your vehicle may be a lemon. However, Nissan Altimas are not the only Nissan vehicle model experiencing these recurring problems. Read more about common Nissan AEB system problems and your California lemon law rights. If you would like more information, complete the form below to request a free consultation.
Lemon Law Help by Knight Law Group is an automotive lemon law firm that exclusively practices in California. If you are a California resident who purchased or leased a defective vehicle from a licensed dealership in California, we may be able to help you get rid of your potential lemon and recover significant cash compensation. Model year restrictions apply: 2017–Present vehicle models only.
However, we cannot help those who reside outside of California or purchased their vehicle outside of California unless they are active duty members of the Armed Forces, nor will we be able to refer those to a lemon law firm in their states.
To learn more about the California Lemon Law and your legal rights, visit our guide on the California Lemon Law for more information.
