Home › Nissan › Altima › 21V138000

Nissan Altima tie rod can come apart, steering loss

NHTSA campaign 21V138000 · Reported 2021-03-04 · Nissan North America, Inc.

critical How serious is it? About this label

Very serious — steering can fail suddenly and without warning; the notice does not tell owners to park the car, but this should be repaired as soon as you can get an appointment.

What's wrong, in plain English

A tie rod is the part that connects your steering to a front wheel. On these cars, the fastener holding the tie rod joint was not tightened properly, so the joint can separate from the wheel assembly. If that happens, you lose steering control with no warning at all. A dealer will tighten the fasteners on both the left and right sides, or install new fasteners if they are needed.

What you should do

1. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if your Altima is included.
2. Call your Nissan dealer or Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7769 and reference recall PC795.
3. Have both tie rod fasteners tightened or replaced — the repair is free.

Affected vehicles (2)

2020 Nissan Altima
2021 Nissan Altima

Who to contact

Nissan — official Nissan recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-867-7669

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Nissan steering recalls: tie rods, steering bolts, and lost power assist · all 8 Nissan recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Nissan Altima vehicles. The tie rod ball joint fastener was not tightened properly, which could result in the tie rod ball joint detaching from the steering knuckle.
Safety risk: A detached tie rod ball joint can cause a loss of steering control, and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the left and right-side tie rod ball joint fasteners, or install new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The began March 31, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7769. Nissan's number for this recall is PC795.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.