Nissan Altima vs Tesla Model 3
Owner complaints, worst years and recall history side by side, from official NHTSA data. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Raw complaint counts are not adjusted for sales volume.
Nissan Altima
- Total complaints
- 15,475
- Avg per model year
- 469
- Recall campaigns (all years)
- 50
- Most complained year
- 2013 (2,310)
Top problems: Power Train, Air Bags, Engine and Engine Cooling
Tesla Model 3
- Total complaints
- 4,311
- Avg per model year
- 431
- Recall campaigns (all years)
- 36
- Most complained year
- 2018 (1,020)
Top problems: Forward Collision Avoidance, Unknown / Other, Vehicle Speed Control
Complaints by model year
| Year | Nissan Altima | Tesla Model 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 115 | ||
| 2024 | 41 | 216 | ||
| 2023 | 29 | 424 | ||
| 2022 | 30 | 764 | ||
| 2021 | 70 | 662 | ||
| 2020 | 179 | 451 | ||
| 2019 | 231 | 612 | ||
| 2018 | 225 | 1,020 | ||
| 2017 | 391 | 26 |
Method. Complaints are unique NHTSA reports per model year. A model that sold more units will naturally accumulate more complaints — compare the shape across years, not just the raw totals, and read the year pages for what actually fails.