2015 Nissan Altima Brakes Problems

Our Nissan Altima has been experiencing the brake lamp relay switch issue, where the brake light will be on when brakes are not pushed and causes issue with acceleration. There is an existing recall open on this exact issue for the 2013-2015 models, however when I called a Nissan Service Center was advised our VIN is not part of the recall and would not be covered. Obviously the manufacturing date for our vehicle and others likewise should be included as it is the same exact issue. This puts a huge risk that this faulty product will cause an accident when you are unable to get up to speed because of the faulty parts.

NHTSA ID

11654276

Incident

Mar 1, 2025

This is my 3rd Altima. The first 2 were amazing. This 1 is not. I bought it used from Shift.com with 73k miles on it. About 6-8 months later I started feeling something wrong in the steering. The shop I took it too said the lower control arms were in the rear were corroded and the bushing were going bad. Tried to get it repaired thru the extended warranty I paid extra for but that was a nightmare and we ended fixing it ourselves. Something was still wrong. I put new tires on it, still wrong. Changed out the struts on front and shocks on rear, new control arms,, bushings, sway bar links, and tie rods. New brake pads and rotors. Then I bought custom wheels and another set of new tires for it. Took it and had an alignment done. The shop said everything looked good. Not long after it started drifting all over the road and I started hearing a whining noise. The next shop said the electric hydraulic power steering pump was going bad. Again the warranty company only allows the shop to call in and handle any repair claims and then they make them sit on hold forever. This is my only transportation and I can't wait for it to break in order for the warranty to repair it. In the meantime trying to figure out what to do the car is getting harder to drive straight down the road. I turned left thru an intersection and ran over the center median blowing out a tire. In 2 other occasions I hit my new wheels on the curb because the steering wheel has excessive play in it. We ended up changing the power steering unit without help from the warranty. After some research I had the lower steering shaft replaced also. The entire suspension has been replaced(front struts 2x) and it only has 115k miles on it. It's had 3 alignments in 2 years and yesterday the man at Les Schwab said the rack and pinion has some play in it. As well as the upper steering shaft needing to be replaced also. Oh and the CVT transmission is now leaking.

NHTSA ID

11550664

Incident

Mar 6, 2023

My car only has 36,400 miles. I went for an oil change at a third party garage and was told my front control arms are cracked and need to be replaced. I went to the dealer who confirmed this and also said there was a recall on the rear control arms. I have talked to numerous mechanics who said that the control arm should not be failing at 36,400 miles. I contacted Nissan asking them to help me with the cost of the front control arms since they are failing at such low mileage. They are not willing to do anything. I feel like the front should be replaced by the dealer.

NHTSA ID

11515312

Incident

Mar 30, 2023

I bought my car brand new in 2015 from a Nissan dealership. Few months after that the breaks started making noise. I took my car to the dealership thinking that I needed new breaks and learned that the breakes were fine and the issue was debris accumulations inside the breaks. Since then I had the same issue a number of times, roughly every 3-5 months depending mileage. Through the years I learned that this was a rather known issue with Nissan Altima 2015. The issue requires opening the breaks, cleaning, and then putting them back. Because this was a known issue, the dealerships fixed my car for free in the past. But last time, I took it to another dealership near my current location and they charged me almost $300 for cleaning the breaks. I'm reporting to see if it would be possible to investigate and find solutions for this recurring issue. I have several recipes dating back to 2015, not sure if they indicate details on the cleaning though.

NHTSA ID

11480289

Incident

Aug 30, 2021

I HAVE BEEN IN 2 ACCIDENTS AND AIR BAG HAVE NEVER EXPLODED. THE AIR BAG DOES NOT WORK AND I HAVE BEEN TO NISSAN SEVERAL TIMES.

NHTSA ID

11476156

Incident

Mar 12, 2020

JULY 2018: BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAD INTERMITTENT FAILURES - ONCE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, IT WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT OVER A MONTH-LONG PERIOD. ONCE THE PROBLEM OCCURRED, THE CAR WOULD ONLY USE NEUTRAL GEAR. (DETAILED DESCRIPTION ATTACHED) HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 50+ MPH AS WELL AS FROM STOP SIGNS, STOP & GO TRAFFIC. JULY 2019: BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAD INTERMITTENT FAILURES - THE CAR WOULD NOT START EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED; THE CAR'S ELECTRONICS DID NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED.

NHTSA ID

11222202

Incident

Jun 21, 2019

Mileage

111,728 mi

BREAK FAILURE BY SUDDEN - ON 05/09/19 WHEN I TRY TO PARK MY CAR, I STEPPED ON BREAK AND SLOWLY MOVE INTO PARKING SPOT; THE BREAK WAS SUDDENLY DROP INTO VACUUM WITHOUT RESISTANCE. MY BRAIN REACTION BY TRYING TO STOP A CAR, BUT SINCE THE BREAK SUDDENLY FAILURE, I CHANGED FROM BREAK PEDAL TO GAS AND CAUSE THE CAR TO MOVE FORWARD, WHICH HAD CAUSED AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

11206922

Incident

May 9, 2019

Mileage

68,745 mi

NISSAN ALTIMA 2015 REQUIRES THE PRESS OF THE START BUTTON AND BRAKE TO START ENGINE. THE ENGINE WILL NOT START DUE TO STIFF BRAKE. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AT THE MOMENT THIS ISSUE WAS DISCOVERED.

NHTSA ID

11187413

Incident

Mar 14, 2019

STARTED THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN TRYING TO APPLY THE BRAKES THE BRAKES DIDN'T WORK. PUMP BRAKES CONTINUOUSLY AND THE CAR WOULDN'T STOP.OAT CONTROL OF THE CAR AND PLUNGED INTO A DITCH.

NHTSA ID

11182381

Incident

Feb 22, 2019

Mileage

85,000 mi

I TOOK MY CAR TO BE SERVICED AT DISCOUNT TIRE SHOP IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA. I PAID $195.00 TO HAVE MY BRAKES REPLACED, BECAUSE THE BRAKES WERE SQUEAKING. I RE-QUESTED HAVING MY BRAKES REPLACED. NOT ONCE DID THE TECH ASK IF I WANTED MY OLD BRAKES CONFISCATED. THE TECH TOLD ME THAT THERE DID NOT SEEM TO BE ANYTHING WITH THE BRAKES. HE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO HAVE THE BRAKES REPAIRED; I TOLD HIM YES, IF IT MEANS THE SQUEAKING WILL STOP. THEY REPAIRED THE BRAKES AND THE SQUEAKING BECAME EVEN WORSE THAN BEFORE. I DEMANDED MY MONEY BACK FROM THE DEALER MANAGER, AND HE REFUSES TO GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK. HE DROVE MY CAR AFTER THE REPAIR AND MY FAMILY MEMBER AND I BOTH HEARD THE CAR SQUEAKING; HOWEVER, THE MANAGER TOLD US HE DID NOT HEAR ANY SQUEAKING. TO DATE THE BRAKE IS STILL SQUEAK-ING. THE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT BOTH HE AND HIS CHILDREN ALL HAVE ALTIMAS, SO I ASSUME THAT HE TOOK MY BRAKES TO USE ON ONE OF THEIR CARS. HE TOOK MY BRAKES AND IT APPEARS THAT HE DID ABSOLUTELY TO MY OLD BRAKES; BECAUSE IT WAS ON THAT DATE SQUEAKING AND TO DATE, SQUEAKING EVEN WORSE THAN BEFORE. I AM AGAIN REQUESTING THAT THIS MANAGER, REIMBURSE ME $189.00 FOR A BRAKE JOB THAT WAS SIMPLY NO DONE, OR THAT WAS INCORRECTLY REPAIRED. (MORE DETAILS WILL BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST). HE STATED THAT HT WOULD REIMBURSE ME MY $189.00; YET TO DATE, HE HAS NOT DONE SO. IT SHOULD BE NOTED: I PURCHASED THIS CAR IN 2017; MY DEALER PROVIDED ME WITH NO TYPE OF SAFETY RECALLS WHATSOEVER, I JUST LEARNED TODAY THAT THERE WERE RECALLS. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

11164088

Incident

Oct 28, 2018

Mileage

26,310 mi

NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. (NISSAN) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2015 ALTIMA AND 2016 MAXIMA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED OCTOBER 6, 2015, TO OCTOBER 7, 2015. THE AFFECTED VEHICLES HAVE FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS WHOSE MOUNTING BOLTS MAY NOT BE PROPERLY TIGHTENED. I CRASH MY CAR ON AUG/16 AND DEC/17. BOTH FOR THE SAME REASON. I LEASE THIS CAR ON MARCH/2016. I'M NOT SURE THAT THE DEALER FIX THE PROBLEM BEFORE LEASED.

NHTSA ID

11130039

Incident

Dec 15, 2017

2015 NISSAN ALTIMA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PROBLEMS WITH BRAKES. *LD *TR

NHTSA ID

11080549

Incident

Mar 3, 2018

REAR BRAKES WORN DOWN TO METAL WITH ONLY 35,000 MILES ON ODOMETER WHILE FRONT BRAKES INDICATE FAR LESS WEAR AND DID NOT REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. THIS CONDITION IS INDICATIVE OF MALFUNCTIONING OR MIS-ADJUSTED PROPORTIONING VALVE. IT ALSO INDICATES POTENTIAL STABILITY AND HANDLING ISSUES DUE TO HIGHER BRAKING FORCE BEING APPLIED TO REAR BRAKES WHILE STOPPING. DEALER (SURF CITY NISSAN, HUNTING BEACH CA), WHEN QUESTIONED, GAVE VARIOUS REASONS AS TO WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING: 1. "YOUR CAR HAS REAR DISC BRAKES AND THAT'S WHY THEY WEAR OUT FASTER" 2. "IT DEPENDS ON WHO'S DRIVING THE CAR" 3. "OLDER CARS APPLY MORE FORCE TO THE FONT THAN THE BACK BRAKES, NOT THE NEW ONES" ALL OF THESE STATEMENTS ARE CONTRADICTED BY SAE PUBLICATION, "VEHICLE DYNAMICS, STABILITY AND CONTROL", 2017. DEALERS WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS CONDITION IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT INVESTIGATE IT FURTHER. DEALER, SERVICE REP AND SERVICE TECHS ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH BASIC PRINCIPLES OF VEHICLE OPERATION, SAFE OPERATION AND FUNCTION. CONTACTED NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, TN (IAN) AND THEY WOULD GIVE NO TECHNICAL INFORMATION OR OPINION ON THE APPARENT UNSAFE CONDITION OF THE CAR AND DEFERRED TO THE "EXPERTISE" OF THE DEALER. AS INDICATED ABOVE, THE DEALER DISPLAYS LITTLE OR NO EXPERTISE WITH REGARD TO THIS CONDITION.

NHTSA ID

11080906

Incident

Mar 19, 2018

Mileage

35,000 mi

I HAVE BEEN IN A FEW ACCIDENTS AND MY AIRBAGS DON'T WORK.

NHTSA ID

11075160

Incident

Oct 29, 2016

Mileage

25,000 mi

BRAKES HAVE BEEN SQUEEKING FOR A YEAR. TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND THEY CLAIMED BRAKE DUST AND THAT THEY ARE CERAMIC BRAKES. UTTERLY ANNOYING AND IT IS ONLY A YEAR OLD. SQUEEK HAPPENS ANYTIME BRAKE IS PRESSED.

NHTSA ID

11064242

Incident

Aug 9, 2017

I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES, THEY SQIUK ALL THE TIME. THE ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AND I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD TO REPLACE THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSER MY CAR IS ONLY A 2015. THIS IS NOT RIGHT.

NHTSA ID

11062700

Incident

Jan 5, 2018

Mileage

55,000 mi

I BOUGHT OUR 2015 NISSAN ALTIMA S BRAND NEW FROM FENTON NISSAN EAST, IN DEL CITY, OK, IN LESS THAN A YEAR, THE BRAKES STARTS MAKING VERY LOUD SQUEAKY NOISES, WHENEVER THE CAR IS IN MOTION, AND I APPLY THE BRAKES. I TOOK THIS CAR TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT, AT HUDIBURG NISSAN DEALERSHIP, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK AND THEY DID SOMETHING TO IT THAT GOT RID OF NOISE FOR A WEEK, THEN, THE HIGH PITCHED NOISE CAME BACK, WHEN IN MOTION AND I APPLY THE BRAKES. A LITTLE LATER, I TOOK MY CAR TO FENTON NISSAN EAST DEALERSHIP IN DEL CITY, AND THE SERVICE WOMAN SAID "I HAVE LOTS OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE NISSAN ALTIMA CARS AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE BUT SWITCH OUT THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER. SHE SAID IT WOULD COST ME $400.00 OR LIVE WITH THE NOISE." I BELIEVE THIS IS A HAZARDOUS ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE FIXED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. TODAY, DECEMBER 14, 2017 THE HIGH PITCHED NOISE IS PRETTY CONSTANT, WHENEVER I DRIVE THE CAR AND APPLY MY NISSAN ALTIMA S BRAKES. GOD FORBID, THAT I EVER HAVE TO APPLY MY BRAKES QUICKLY. YES, I AM AFRAID THAT MY BRAKES WILL GIVE OUT, IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY.

NHTSA ID

11054824

Incident

Apr 1, 2016

Mileage

10,000 mi

WHEN PLACED ON PARK THE CAR STILL ROLLS FORWARD OR BACK AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR PULLS WHEN DRIVING IN A SLOW SPEED OF 5-20 MPR AND SOMETIMES THE FLOOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE VIBRATE. ALSO, THE ELECTRICAL BUTTONS LOCATED ON THE STEERING WHEEL ARE UNABLE TO BE USED WHEN ON PARKED OR DRIVING. THE VOLUME OR PHONE OR SELECTION SWITCH DOES NOT WORK AGAIN...

NHTSA ID

11032124

Incident

Oct 6, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, BRAKE FLUID LEAKED FROM THE ABS ACTUATOR. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,431.

NHTSA ID

10926351

Incident

Nov 1, 2016

Mileage

82,431 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES MADE A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE JERKED AND STOPPED QUICKLY REGARDLESS OF THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE PADS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000.

NHTSA ID

10903929

Incident

Apr 1, 2015

Mileage

39,000 mi

FIRST I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND THE CAR JUST STOPPED, I STARTED THE CAR BACK UP AND IT WENT. I DROVE ABOUT 3 MILES AND IT WAS LIKE I COULDN'T STEER THE CAR AND AS I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKES THE CAR WAS LIKE ACCELERATING. I HAD TO REPEATEDLY PUSH ON BRAKES FOR THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP. I HAVEN'T HAD THIS CAR BUT 6 MONTHS AND IT'S A NEW VEHICLE

NHTSA ID

10876314

Incident

Jun 23, 2016

Mileage

6,400 mi

BRAKE ISSUE, ABS, TRACTION, WHILE DRIVING MY CAR AT 15 MPH MY BRAKES LOCKED UP AND STOPPED MY CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD (WITH TRAFFIC) FAIRLY FORCEFUL STOP I MIGHT ADD. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN A GRINDING NOISE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES AT RANDOM TIME. 1 WEEK PRIOR TO THE ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES MY DRIVING ASSIST SENSORS MALFUNCTIONED. AFTER OBTAINING A RENTAL CAR THE SATURDAY THAT MY BRAKES FAILED I WAS TOLD THAT MONDAY MORNING THAT MY CAR WAS FINE AND THAT MY BRAKES FAILED WHEN MY DRIVER ASSIST SENSORS MALFUNCTIONED A WEEK PRIOR. TALK ABOUT SCARY AND MY FAMILY NO LONGER FEELS SAFE IN MY CAR. NISSAN TOLD ME THIS WAS A NORMAL FUNCTION OF THE CAR AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. THERE IS ALSO ACCORDING TO NISSAN REP AN UNKNOWN CLANKING NOISE COMING FROM THE SUSPENSION AND OR STEERING. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT WITH ALL OF THESE ISSUES GOING ON THERE IS A HUGE RISK OF MY FAMILY BEING IN HARMS WAY.

NHTSA ID

10870616

Incident

Apr 23, 2016

Mileage

14,500 mi

WHILE DRIVING 3-5 MPH IN A ROUNDABOUT, THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE ENGAGED ON ITS OWN, LOCKING THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO SHAKE AND THE RIGHT WHEEL SCREECHED TO A HALT WHILE THE LEFT WHEEL COULD STILL MOVE. I IMMEDIATELY PRESSED THE BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR. I HAD TO PRESS AND RELEASE THE BRAKE AT LEAST TWICE BEFORE THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BRAKE UNLOCKED. I DROVE TO MY HOME LESS THAN 1/3 MILE AWAY AND EXAMINED THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. I COULD SMELL BURNING RUBBER AND THE WHEEL WAS VERY HOT. DURING THE 16 MONTHS I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INSTANCES WHERE IT SEEMED THE FRONT BRAKES WERE ENGAGING FOR NO REASON. THESE INCIDENTS OCCUR WHEN I AM MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY OR ROUNDING A CURVE AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 45 MPH. IT FEELS LIKE ONE OR BOTH FRONT BRAKES ARE ENGAGING BRIEFLY AND IMMEDIATELY RELEASING, EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE FRONT END OF THE CAR WILL SHAKE AND IT FEELS LIKE THE FRONT WHEELS ARE WOBBLING AS IF THEY ARE LOOSE. I CHECKED BOTH WHEELS AFTER THESE INCIDENTS AND COULD NOT VISUALLY IDENTIFY ANY PROBLEMS. NEITHER WHEEL WAS LOOSE OR WORN.

NHTSA ID

10860116

Incident

Apr 6, 2016

Mileage

15,000 mi

BRAKES ON MY CAR ARE SQUEAKING VERY LOUDLY. JUST HAD THEM FIXED A WEEK AGO AND THEY ARE WORSE NOW THEN THEY WERE BEFORE. APPLYING THE BRAKE WITH A LITTLE PRESSURE THERE IS NO NOISE ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT THERE IS A LOT OF NOISE THAT I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE IT.

NHTSA ID

10852533

Incident

Mar 30, 2016

Mileage

33,000 mi

I WAS AT THE TOP OF THE STREET WHEN I TRIED TO PRESS ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN BECAUSE OF A RED LIGHT AHEAD. THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND MY CAR ACCELERATED FASTER. I THEN STEPPED ON MY E-BRAKES AND MY CAR CONTINUED TO GO FASTER INSTEAD OF SLOWING DOWN. THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER IS REAR ENDING THE BACK OF A SUV. I HAVE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES AND THEY DID NOT WORK EITHER. I WAS ABOUT 200FT AWAY FROM THIS VEHICLE SO I HAS PLENTY OF SPACE AND TIME TO STOP MY CAR BUT INSTEAD MY CAR WENT FASTER DESPITE SLAMMING ON BOTH THE BRAKES AND E-BRAKES. MY CAR IS NOW TOTALED AND AM CURRENTLY SUFFERING INJURIES TO MY HAND, NECK AND BACK.

NHTSA ID

10816465

Incident

Dec 23, 2015