We sometimes joke about certain brands being like Lego, where you can swap parts from one to another as easily as the interlocking bricks. When you do it to a 1990s Honda or Volkswagen, the results are awesome. When Nissan does it to some Altima sedans, and it isn’t on purpose, then it’s a much bigger problem.
These Altima Sedans Could Have Truck Nuts Bolts
2023 – 2025 Nissan Altima 6th Gen (L34) Sedan – interior view of the front cabinNissan
Nissan has announced it is recalling 149 Altima sedans from model year 2025. The problem is that Nissan installed some bits meant for the Frontier pickup into some Altimas, which was only possible because the two are built at the same factory in Canton, Mississippi.
No, nobody ended up with an Altima accidentally packing a 3.8-liter V6 under the hood, or all-terrain tires, or anything like that. Still, the mistake is a serious one, hence the recall.
The mixed-up parts were hex bolts, which sounds like a supremely simple item that shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. But, when the fasteners are connected to airbag assembly, it’s a different story entirely. In this case, the mistaken bolts were used to attach the front passenger airbag and front passenger knee airbags to the vehicle. They were the correct thread, and appear to have been the same length, but they weren’t the right parts.
Because they were used in airbags, it’s a problem. The bolts that went into the 149 Altimas may not have enough load bearing capacity when the airbag deploys, and that could cause the airbag to move when it deploys, or to deploy improperly. That increases the risk of an injury in a crash.
How Did This Happen, And What Is The Fix?
2023 Nissan Altima Interior Steering WheelNissan
A Nissan repair tech at the Canton plant discovered the problem. They noticed it in December 2025, and that led to Nissan auditing 96 Altimas in the plant’s yard. All 96 had the wrong bolts, so the company launched an investigation.
In documents filed with the NHTSA, Nissan said that it reviewed material handling records and found the cause of the problem. A technician on the assembly line “inadvertently selected fasteners designated for another vehicle line.” In this case, it was the Frontier line, not the Altima line.
Nissan Hex Bolt 81-46816-1GNissan
Nissan spent the first half of this year testing to determine if it was a problem or not. It ran tests of the fasteners to see if they were up to the task, and found out that “the incorrect fasteners may not maintain the required load-carrying capacity if yielding occurs during airbag deployment.” So it’s possible there could be a problem, though not certain.
When it comes to safety, that’s not good enough, so Nissan is replacing all the affected bolts. Each of the vehicles being recalled will get four new fasteners from a Nissan dealer.
Curiously, the bolt listed as being the part that should be installed in the vehicle is a commonly used one across the Nissan lineup. The part number traces to a “hinge bolt” used in hood hinges, instrument panel cross members, and other locations. The part number is in nearly every Nissan from 2000 to 2025… but not the Altima or the Frontier.
Nissan will send out letters to customers starting September 25. The new parts should be available then, and so the fix should be a quick process. Anyone with questions can contact Nissan or a Nissan dealer.
