How many miles will a 1998 Nissan Altima last?
Half of the 29 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1998 Nissan Altima that list mileage came after 93,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 178,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 123 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
Buying this 1998 Altima? Enter its VIN.
Complaint figures describe the model year, not one vehicle. The decode is free; the original ClearVIN PDF is $14.99 one time, with no account: odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for that VIN.
Title brands · Odometer records · Auction history, where reported
No subscription. No charge to check the VIN. Report contents vary by vehicle; applicable tax is shown at checkout.
See what the paid report includes →Of the 29 complaints on the 1998 Nissan Altima that list mileage, the middle half came between 70,000 and 147,000 miles; 14 (48%) came after 100,000 miles, 5 (17%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
Check the records on file before you buy
VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1998 Nissan Altima.
One VIN. One $14.99 history report.
For $14.99, VIN Lookup delivers an original ClearVIN vehicle-history PDF for the 1998 Nissan Altima VIN you enter: title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file. ClearVIN is on the U.S. Department of Justice’s list of approved NMVTIS data providers; VIN Lookup sells that original report. The records returned vary by VIN.
The VIN decode is free. No card is needed until you choose to buy; applicable tax is shown at checkout. A missing record is not proof that an event never happened.No account · Refund reviewed if not delivered, unopenable or wrong VIN by our error · Sold by VIN Lookup (SH LLC, Sheridan, WY)Original provider PDF
One time, no subscription
How many miles will a 1998 Altima last?
The 29 mileages owners gave run from 33,500 to 187,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 70,000 miles, half at or under 94,000, three quarters at or under 146,200 and nine in ten at or under 179,000; 14 (48%) came after 100,000 miles, 5 (17%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 1998 Altima wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 33,500 miles |
| 25th percentile | 70,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 94,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 146,200 miles |
| 90th percentile | 179,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 187,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 14 (48%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 5 (17%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Every model year together: Half of the 10,423 NHTSA owner complaints on the Nissan Altima that list mileage came after 71,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Nissan Altima last? →
Common problems with the 1998 Altima
NHTSA's file holds 123 owner complaints on the 1998 Nissan Altima. Owners named the airbags most often: 15 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 15 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electrical System | 15 | 5 | 70,000 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 14 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 14 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 12 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 123 complaints, 17 report a crash, 2 report a fire and 9 report an injury (9 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 1998 Altima a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1998 is a good or a bad Altima: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1998 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 123 complaints, the 1998 ranks 23rd of the 32 Nissan Altima model years from 1993 to 2024 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2013 (2,315). The fewest: the 2023 (30).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 Altima | 122 | 13 | 122,000 |
| 1994 Altima | 106 | 16 | 114,000 |
| 1995 Altima | 180 | 21 | 110,000 |
| 1996 Altima | 92 | 9 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1997 Altima | 108 | 20 | 88,839 |
| 1998 (this page) | 123 | 29 | 94,000 |
| 1999 Altima | 87 | 30 | 99,000 |
| 2000 Altima | 160 | 84 | 83,000 |
| 2001 Altima | 159 | 99 | 66,000 |
| 2002 Altima | 1,047 | 799 | 88,155 |
| 2003 Altima | 883 | 725 | 84,900 |
| 2004 Altima | 276 | 225 | 73,480 |
| 2005 Altima | 1,091 | 903 | 86,000 |
| 2006 Altima | 824 | 647 | 90,000 |
| 2007 Altima | 498 | 394 | 60,000 |
| 2008 Altima | 1,047 | 697 | 70,000 |
| 2009 Altima | 1,601 | 1,287 | 78,500 |
| 2010 Altima | 393 | 282 | 53,953 |
| 2011 Altima | 246 | 177 | 70,000 |
| 2012 Altima | 426 | 307 | 75,000 |
| 2013 Altima | 2,315 | 1,670 | 65,000 |
| 2014 Altima | 1,114 | 726 | 64,000 |
| 2015 Altima | 956 | 544 | 57,000 |
| 2016 Altima | 555 | 295 | 58,000 |
| 2017 Altima | 395 | 167 | 55,000 |
| 2018 Altima | 226 | 110 | 36,000 |
| 2019 Altima | 235 | 76 | 16,147 |
| 2020 Altima | 183 | 47 | 34,000 |
| 2021 Altima | 71 | 13 | 44,011 |
| 2022 Altima | 32 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2023 Altima | 30 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2024 Altima | 44 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
The linked 2015–2022 pages show NHTSA's September 15, 2026 collection, so their counts can differ from this table's.
Every Altima year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Nissan Altima years to avoid →
1998 Nissan Altima recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 1998 Nissan Altima (0 vehicle campaigns and 4 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 1998 Altima lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 1998 Altima.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 94 of the 123 complaints on the 1998 Nissan Altima give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA names counted: ALTIMA and ALTIMA HYBRID. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only these.
- Recall-file names matched: ALTIMA and ALTIMA HYBRID.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
1998 Nissan Altima questions
How many miles will a 1998 Nissan Altima last?
Half of the 29 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1998 Nissan Altima that list mileage came after 93,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 178,000 miles. Of the 29 complaints on the 1998 Nissan Altima that list mileage, the middle half came between 70,000 and 147,000 miles; 14 (48%) came after 100,000 miles, 5 (17%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 1998 Altima that never had one.
What are the most common 1998 Nissan Altima problems?
NHTSA's file holds 123 owner complaints on the 1998 Nissan Altima. Owners named the airbags most often: 15 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 123 complaints, 17 report a crash, 2 report a fire and 9 report an injury (9 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 1998 Nissan Altima a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1998 is a good or a bad Altima: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1998 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 123 complaints, the 1998 ranks 23rd of the 32 Nissan Altima model years from 1993 to 2024 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2013 (2,315). The fewest: the 2023 (30).
How many recalls does the 1998 Nissan Altima have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 1998 Nissan Altima (0 vehicle campaigns and 4 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 1998 Nissan Altima before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1998 Nissan Altima.