The 2009 Nissan Altima has 3 recalls, the most serious being two chassis-level defects that can cause sudden loss of vehicle control: a front strut that can pull free from its mounting and, on vehicles with 16-inch alloy wheels, lug nuts that can work loose until a wheel detaches.
The strut defect affects the upper mounting hardware, and if the strut rod pulls out of position, steering and handling can deteriorate rapidly without warning. The wheel issue is limited to vehicles equipped with 16-inch alloy wheels, where the wheel attachment may not hold properly under normal driving loads. The third recall covers a small number of vehicles with an out-of-specification weld in a door assembly that does not meet federal side impact protection standards, which can reduce the door's ability to protect occupants in a side collision.