The 1994 Nissan Altima has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 396,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 120 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS03V1500002003-04-25190,000 affected
Defect
NISSAN IS RECALLING MY 1994 AND EARLY 1995 ALTIMA VEHICLES FOLLOWING REPORTS THAT PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTS IN THESE VEHICLES HAD CAUSED A NUMBER OF MODERATE-TO-SEVERE EYE INJURIES. NISSAN HAS DEVELOPED A NEW PASSENGER AIR BAG THAT IS LESS POWERFUL WHEN IT INFLATES IN A CRASH TO REDUCE THE RISK OF AIR BAG…
Consequence
NISSAN EXPECTS THAT THIS NEW AIR BAG CAN HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF AIR BAG INFLATION-RELATED INJURIES.
Remedy
NISSAN WILL REPLACE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AT NO CHARGE TO THE CONSUMER. THE MANUFACTURER HAS REPORTED THAT OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 28, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
ENGINE MOVEMENT CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO THE AIRFLOW METER/FILTER HOUSING AND SUPPORT BRACKET, WHICH IS MOUNTED IN THE ENGINE AIR DUCT, CAUSING THE THROTTLE CABLE HOUSING TO PULL OUT OF THE CABLE GUIDE. THIS MAY PREVENT THE THROTTLE FROM RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS RELEASED.
Consequence
IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, LOSS OF THROTTLE CONTROL COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy
NISSAN WILL REPOSITION THE THROTTLE CABLE HOUSING IN THE SUPPORT BRACKET TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SLACK FOR ENGINE MOVEMENT. A RUBBER STOPPER WILL BE CLAMPED TO THE CABLE TO MAINTAIN THE CORRECT POSITION FOR THE CABLE AT THE SUPPORT BRACKET. IN ADDITION, THE THROTTLE CABLE WILL BE TESTED FOR PULL OUT RESISTANCE FROM THE…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
28
24crashes21injuries
AIR BAGS
9
2crashes3injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
9
5crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
6
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
4
3crashes5injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
3
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
3
TIRES
3
Total complaints120
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Vehicles throttle was stuck open which caused a vehicle to collide into homeowners trailer.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 nissan altima. When the contact started the vehicle, released the emergency brake, and depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle accelerated backwards from the driveway, crossed the street, and crashed into a ditch. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 nissan altima. When the contact started the vehicle, released the emergency brake, and depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle accelerated backwards from the driveway, crossed the street, and crashed into a ditch. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 nissan altima. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the roadway and was restarted. The failure recurred and the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was not called. The…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 nissan altima. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the roadway and was restarted. The failure recurred and the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was not called. The…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 nissan altima. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The failure recurred multiple times intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The…”
“The air bag light came on and won,t go off! *tr”
“My car is a 1994 nissan altima 4 door with 107,000, and no previous mechanical issues ever. There are thousands of nissan owners out there experiencing this same issue, why has nissan done nothing to help? I feel this problem could become a safety hazard as the car randomly stalls in traffic. 1)…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA01015 Opened 2001-08-09 · closed 2003-04-24
PASSENGER AIR BAG-RELATED FACIAL/EYE INJ
BY LETTER DATEDAPRIL 11, 2003, NISSAN NOTIFIED NHTSAIT WILL CONDUCT A CAMPAIGN TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULE WITH A DEPOWERED AIR BAG MODULE IN MODEL YEAR 1994 - EARLY 1995 (BUILT PRIOR TO MARCH 2, 1995) NISSAN ALTIMA VEHICLES. THE REPLACEMENT MODULE WILL BE PROVIDED AT NO CHARGE TO OWNERS.THE DEPOWERED AIR…
InvestigationPE01008 Opened 2001-03-13 · closed 2001-08-09
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1994 Nissan Altima as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.