Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
21–24 mpgcombined; city 18–21, highway 25–29; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$13,530–$15,470U.S. average; Ohio $12,090–$13,820 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Owners have filed 824 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Altima. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Structure
221
2
0
8
Engine and engine cooling
189
2
5
3
Engine
166
3
6
2
Power train
79
3
0
2
Electrical system
72
3
3
0
Unknown or other
64
1
2
1
Air bags
43
27
0
40
Vehicle speed control
38
5
0
4
Fuel/propulsion system
24
1
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
21
0
1
0
Suspension
18
1
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
16
1
0
0
14 more parts
Steering
15
2
1
0
Service brakes
10
1
0
2
Exterior lighting
9
1
0
3
Tires
9
1
0
0
Seats
8
2
0
2
Wheels
7
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
6
0
0
0
Equipment
4
0
0
0
Seat belts
4
2
0
3
Visibility
4
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
3
0
0
0
Fuel system, other
2
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
2
0
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2006 Altima over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 2.5L ENGINE, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR CAN OVERHEAT CAUSING A BRIEF INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL OUTPUT FROM THE SENSOR.
Risk: IF THE INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL FROM THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR IS SO BRIEF THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) LOGIC DOES NOT HAVE TIME TO DIAGNOSE THE CONDITION, THE ENGINE MAY STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AT A LOW SPEED INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ECM FREE OF CHARGE. CERTAIN MY 2006 ALTIMAS WHICH HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY REMEDIED UNDER RECALL CAMPAIGN 06V223 (NISSAN R0606) ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL SINCE THE REPROGRAMMING FOR 06V223 ALSO INCLUDED THIS REPROGRAMMING. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.5L ENGINES MAY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION AS A RESULT OF IMPROPER PERFORMANCE OF THE PISTON RINGS.
Risk: IF THE OIL IS NOT MAINTAINED AT LEAST AT THE MINIMUM LEVEL, ENGINE DAMAGE CAN OCCUR AND IN EXTREME CASES RESULT IN AN ENGINE FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM OR ENGINE COMPUTER). YOUR VEHICLE WILL ALSO BE INSPECTED TO DETERMINE IF IT HAS BEEN CONSUMING ENGINE OIL AT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL RATE. IN A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF VEHICLES, ENGINE REPLACEMENT WILL BE NEEDED. ON JUNE 9, 2006, NISSAN NOTIFIED OWNERS OF THE POSSIBILITY OF EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING THE OIL AT A PROPER LEVEL. FOLLOW-UP LETTER TO OWNERS ADVISING THEM OF THE STATUS OF THE RECALL WAS SENT DURING AUGUST 2006. FOLLOWUP LETTER TO OWNERS WAS SENT ON NOVEMBER 15, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE REAR SUBFRAME MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED INCORRECTLY, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRACK IN A BRACKET WHICH HOLDS PART OF THE REAR SUSPENSION.
Risk: IF THE BRACKET IS CRACKED, THE STABILITY OF THE VEHICLE MAY BE AFFECTED UNDER SEVERE DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS COULD LEAD TO A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR SUBFRAME TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS MANUFACTURED INCORRECTLY AND REPLACE IT, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 27, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 77 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2006 Altima, the latest on Apr 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (14), engine and engine cooling (14), equipment (12), structure (9), service brakes (5).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2006 Altima.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: midsize cars. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Altima Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Manual 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
21 / 29 / 24
Altima Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
21 / 27 / 23
Altima Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Manual 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
19 / 25 / 21
Altima Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
18 / 26 / 21
Altima Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S5)
Regular Gasoline
18 / 27 / 21
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data