As summer approaches, this man says you need to beware of Nissan Altimas hitting the road. He may have a point.
While sedans have dwindled in popularity, Altimas have remained at the top of Nissan’s bestseller list and are generally popular due to their fuel efficiency, comfort, and price.
Despite their popularity, it’s unclear if the company will continue producing one of its best-selling products. It’s rumored that Nissan will discontinue the Altima in 2026. Altima haters everywhere are rejoicing at the thought of having fewer of these vehicles on the road.
But how did the Altima become so notorious?
A Punchline With Four Wheels
In a Facebook Reel, car lover Shadetreemotors jokingly accuses Nissan of lacking creativity in its designs.
“Watch out, everyone, it’s springtime. That means the Altimas will become more aggressive and numerous,” Shadetreemotors jests while showing clips of broken down and damaged Altimas.
To help people stay safe out there, he compiled a list of all the Nissans you should look out for on the road. Fair warning, his list is highly unserious.
“Remember, Nissan doesn’t make any car that isn’t Altima based,” Shadetreemotors says in the reel.
As images of various models of damaged Nissans flash by, Shadetreemotors describes them as the Smalltima, Talltima (pickup truck), Crawltima (bigger truck), HVACinstalltima (white cargo van), Beckywe’regoingtothemalltima (pink SUV), and Recalltima (Nissan with a deployed airbag).
“Stay safe out there,” he warns.
One of the Most Dangerous Cars on the Road
Shadetreemotors may have been joking, but he does have a point about Altimas being dangerous.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an independent nonprofit dedicated to making vehicles and roads safer, conducted a study of driver deaths that occurred from 2018 to 2021. It found that the Nissan Altima has among the worst death rates. The Altima comes in at number nine for driver death and 14 for other driver death.
In contrast, the Nissan Pathfinder 2WD and Nissan Murano 2WD were among the safest for driver deaths. According to the study, the vehicles with the highest rate of driver deaths are:
- Mitsubishi Mirage G4
- Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback
- Dodge Challenger 2WD
- Hyundai Accent
- Chevrolet Spark
- Kia Rio sedan
- Dodge Charger HEMI 2WD
- Chevrolet Camaro convertible
- Nissan Altima
- Kia Forte
The study found the vehicles with the highest rates of other-driver deaths are:
- Ram 3500 Crew Cab long bed 4WD
- Dodge Charger HEMI 2WD
- Ford F-350 Crew Cab 4WD
- Ram 2500 Mega Cab 4WD
- Kia Optima
- Kia Rio sedan
- Ram 2500 Crew Cab short bed 4WD
- Ford F-250 Crew Cab 4WD
- Dodge Charger 2WD
- Ram 1500 Crew Cab short bed 2WD
Why the Bad Rep?
The consensus on Altima drivers being reckless is so clear that there’s even a term for it: “Big Altima Energy.”
And despite having good safety ratings, from 2020-2022, The Autopian reports that Altimas had a crash claim rate 45% above average and more than double the average rate of personal injury and medical payment claims for midsize sedans.
One Redditor shared why they think this may be the case. They think it has to do with the drivers, not the car.
“Nissans are heavily used in the rental market and resold cheaply—who buys cheap cars?” they wrote. “Poor people and those with bad driving records who can't get financing. People working delivery jobs, or multiple jobs—both with an elevated risk for accidents. I mean—any other vehicle could slot right in if used the same way.”
Commenters React
People were highly amused by Shadetreemotors' take on Nissans.
“I saw this a year ago and always laugh to myself whenever I see an HVAC Installtima,” a top comment reads.
“My dads Altima is called the Assaultima. I named it,” one person shared.
“I’m a dealer, the one and only Altima I got had a bullet hole in it,” another wrote.
“Nissan Altimas always have the right of way…. Whoever is less afraid to get into an accident will always have the right of way,” a commenter said.
Via direct message, Shadetreemotors told Motor1, "Nissan is a terrible car company and all their cars are based on one terrible car."
"As a mechanic I can confidently say not one of their current cars is remotely reliable."
