NissanAltima2018Overview/nissan/altima/2018/base/

2018 Nissan Altima

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2018 Altima.

Body PASSENGER CAR

The 2018 Nissan Altima is a passenger car requiring 4.9 quarts of 0W-20 engine oil, technical specifications that place it within the model's mainstream maintenance parameters. Data from the 1993–2025 production span shows this specific model year generated 223 owner complaints across two recalls—a figure that sits well below the line's 2013 high-water mark of 2,304 grievances yet remains significantly elevated above the 2025 low of six reported issues. This positioning indicates a moderate reliability profile that avoids the severe defect clustering seen in peak trouble years while still reflecting higher incident reporting than the near-zero early data typical of the most recent model year.

Model year202520242023202220212020201920182017

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4.9 qtOEM · verified
Engine oil type0W-20OEM · verified
Lug nut torque83 ft-lbsOEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 35 · 550 CCA battery, OE oil filter 1520865F0E. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 35 · 550 CCAOEM · verified
Tire sizeP215/60R16OEM · verified
Wheel / rim7.0 inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter1520865F0E
Engine air filter165463TA0J alt 165460Z000
Spark plug224013TA1B alt 22401EW61C
Front wiper blades288903TA1B alt 288903TA0D
Serpentine belt117203TA0C alt 117206TA0A
Thermostat21200EA000 alt 21049ED00A
Cabin air filter272779NM0A

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length191.7 in
Overall width72 in
Overall height57.9 in
Wheelbase109.4 in
Curb weight3203 lb
Track (front / rear)62.6 / 62.2 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)60/40

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Altima of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

6.1–8.2 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 6.10 sec — 2013 3.5 SV
YearTrim / engine0–60¼ mileHPDrivetrain
20162.5 SV 2.5L I-47.80 sec16.00 sec182 hpFWD
20162.5 SV 2.5L I-48.20 sec16.50 sec182 hpFWD
20133.5 SV 3.5L V66.10 sec14.60 sec270 hpFWD
20132.5 SL 2.5L I-47.40 sec15.70 sec182 hpFWD
20132.5 SV 2.5L I-47.60 sec16.00 sec182 hpFWD
20132.5 SL 2.5L I-47.70 sec16.10 sec182 hpFWD
20132.5 SL 2.5L I-47.70 sec15.90 sec182 hpFWD
20132.5 SV 2.5L I-47.70 sec15.90 sec182 hpFWD

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4.9 qt of 0W-20 engine oil, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 83 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission FluidNissan CVT fluid NS-3
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity7.8-8.7
Brake FluidDOT 3
Engine CoolantUse Nissan long life coolant
Engine Coolant Capacity8.3
Engine CoolantUse Nissan long life coolant
Engine Coolant Capacity9.7
Engine Oil0W-20

Engine torques

Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)7.4 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)7.4 ft-lbs
Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Bolt(s)5.1 ft-lbs
Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor Bolt(s)5.1 ft-lbs
Camshaft Sprocket and/or Gear Bolt(s)76.0 ft-lbs
Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Sensor Bolt(s)18.0 ft-lbs
Oxygen (O2S) Sensor Bolt(s)31.0 ft-lbs
Knock Sense (KS) Bolt(s)18.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts83 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub81.0

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order1-3-4-2
Cylinder Firing Order1-2-3-4-5-6
Curb Idle Speed (No Load)650 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (No Load)50 rpm
Curb Idle Speed (Secondary Under Load)650 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (Secondary Under Load)50 rpm
Curb Idle Speed (No Load)650 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (No Load)50 rpm

Battery & A/C

Oil GroupPAG
Oil Type46
Oil Capacity4.30 oz
Standard BCI Group Number35
Standard BCI Cranking Performance550 cca

Service checks

RPM51.0
Engine Compression177
Engine Compression142

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier TorqueFront: 20; Rear: 32
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt TorqueFront: 107; Rear: 62
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness after RefinishFront: .945; Rear: .315
Variation from Parallelism Thickness Variation.0006
Maximum Rotor RunoutFront: .0016; Rear: .002
Maximum Drum DiameterParking Brake: 6.810

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs — tightening sequence 3 stages
117.0 inch lbs.17 in
252.0 inch lbs.52 in
396.0 inch lbs.96 in
Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs — tightening sequence 5 stages
1Bolts 7-1017 in
2Bolts 1-6104 in
3All bolts52 in
4Bolts 1-680–104 in
5Bolts 7-1074–91 in
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 3 stages
122.0 ft. lbs.22 ft. lbs
2Back off 360.0 degrees360 degrees
314.0 ft. lbs.14 ft. lbs
390.0
Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 2 stages
114.0-15.0 ft. lbs.14–15 ft. lbs
290.0-95.0
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
131.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 6031 ft. lbs
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
132.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 84 degrees-9032 ft. lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 3 stages
1Bolts 1, 2, 3, 618 ft. lbs
2Nuts 4, 518 ft. lbs
333
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

Prep Lower: Step 1: 5.2 ft. lbs.

219.0 ft. lbs.; Upper Bolts: 8.019 ft. lbs
Main Bearings — tightening sequence 3 stages
1Bolts 1-1029 ft. lbs
2Bolts 1-1060 degrees
319.0
Main Bearings — tightening sequence 2 stages
126.0 ft. lbs.26 ft. lbs
290.0
Engine Valve Cover Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
12.5 ft. lbs., Step 2: 7.02.5 ft. lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages
11.5 ft. lbs., Step 2: 6.01.5 ft. lbs

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 5,000 mi; spark plugs at 105,000 mi; coolant at 105,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 105,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 5,000 miEngine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace) · Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 10,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Brake Line (inspect) · Brake Linings (inspect) · Brake Rotor (inspect) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Transmission Assembly (inspect fluid level)
Every 15,000 miCabin Air Filter (replace) · Keyless Entry Remote Battery (replace)
Every 20,000 miBrake Hydraulic System (drain, refill & bleed) · Drive Axle Assembly (inspect) · Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System Lines (inspect) · Fuel Line (inspect) · Steering Gear Box Assembly (inspect)
Every 30,000 miEngine Air Filter Element (replace)
At 40,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect)
At 105,000 miEngine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill) · Spark Plugs (replace)
At 180,000 miEngine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 2018 Nissan Altima sits at the tail end of the fifth generation (2013–2018), a redesign cycle that began with a massive 2,304 federal complaints in 2013. Since that peak, the generation followed a consistent downward trend in complaints, falling to 384 in 2017 and reaching its lowest point with 223 complaints in the 2018 target year. While complaints and recalls (2) remained low compared to previous years, federal investigations ticked up slightly from 3 in 2017 to 4 in 2018, and the most common complaint areas were "Unknown or Other" (37), Air Bags (24), and Power Train (17). Notably, 2019 saw a sharp increase in recalls to 7, suggesting that some late-generation issues might have been formally addressed after the 2018 model year. The data does not specify the root causes of these complaints, but the overall trajectory indicates significant quality stabilization by 2018. Given its position at the bottom of the generation's complaint arc and its low recall count, the 2018 Altima represents one of the more reliable model years of its generation, making it a relatively safe used buy provided you confirm the two outstanding recalls have been addressed.

2
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
191
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
4
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
223
Owner complaints
11 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★★
Frontal★★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 223 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Unknown Or Other37
Air Bags24
Power Train17
Service Brakes14
Electrical System13
Latches/Locks/Linkages11
Exterior Lighting8
Forward Collision Avoidance6

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 2 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

20V315000Latches/Locks/Linkages:Hood:LatchReported 28/05/2020

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch… Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owner’s Manual…

19V654000Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: CameraReported 12/09/2019

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and… Remedy: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 191 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
NTB09-131C2026-04-13StructureCERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision…
NTB09-131C2026-04-13StructureCERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision…
NTB15-049CC2026-03-30Electrical SystemTELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION HINT: This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4G…
NTB19-033G2025-02-20Forward Collision AvoidanceINTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION…
NTB12-103I2024-06-06Power TrainCVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA “WRITE” PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Altima. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2018 Altima take?

4.9 qt of 0W-20 STARBURST, per the factory manual.

Does the 2018 Altima have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.