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The short version
- An Altima wheel bearing job spans 1997 to 2021, and the 2007 model year changes almost everything about it.
- From 2007 onward, both ends bolt on. The press-in front that came before that year is gone for good.
- The front also splits by engine from 2007 through 2012, four cylinder against V6. The two unify onto one number for 2013.
- Nissan warns that a curb or pothole strike can damage the bearing races with nothing visible afterward. That is a common complaint on this car.
An Altima wheel bearing sold between 1997 and 2021 changes almost everything about itself at one point. That point is 2007, and it splits this car’s whole history into two eras.
The front stops pressing in that year. The rear gets its well known ABS split, and the engine starts deciding the front number too.
Three separate changes land on the same model year. That is why 2007 causes more ordering mistakes than any other year in this run.
The 2007 split
On 2007 cars the rear hub splits by ABS in a way that catches people out at the counter. It is the single most cited detail about this generation.
On 2007 cars the rear hub is 512388 with ABS and 512389 without it. The year alone will not order the right one.
From 2008 onward, 512388 covers a long run regardless of ABS. That makes the earlier split easy to forget when working backward from a later year.
Confirm against the number on the old part rather than the year alone. Cross referencing is on the cross reference page.
A third catalog checked lists a separate rear number for 2007 through 2009 that covers both ABS and Hybrid cars, HA590253. It sits alongside the other two rather than replacing either, a parallel listing rather than a disagreement.
2007 changed the front too: bolt on at both ends
The 2007 split at the rear gets most of the attention. The front changed just as much that year.
Every catalog checked lists the 2007 and later front as a bolt on Bearing and Hub Assembly. That is the same kind of part as the rear.
The press-in front that defined the 1993 to 2006 car is gone from that point on. Nothing on a 2007 or newer Altima needs a press.
The older, press-in front runs from 1993 through 2006. Three separate numbers cover it, 510009, 510060, and 510068, depending on year and ABS.
A reader assuming the front still presses in on a newer car will plan for labor the job no longer needs. That mistake also overstates the bill by a fair amount.
That older design and its numbers are on the press in page. The rear hub, sealed and replaced whole, carries the bearing at both ends from 2002 onward.
Nothing inside a sealed hub can be serviced or repacked. A rough one is replaced complete rather than repaired. That has held at the rear since 2002 and at the front since 2007.
There is no rebuild option on either end once that changeover happened, only replacement. That is worth knowing before a shop is asked to repack anything.
The difference between the two designs is covered in more detail on the front versus rear page, including why one costs more labor than the other.
The front splits by engine, 2007 through 2012
A second layer sits on top of the 2007 change, and it runs for six more model years. It has nothing to do with ABS or trim.
From 2007 through 2012, the four cylinder front is 513294 and the V6 front is 513296. Engine, not trim, decides which one applies.
Starting with the 2013 model year, the two engines were unified onto 513296. That stayed the case through 2018.
Assuming the engine split continues past 2012 orders the wrong number for a later four cylinder car. Assuming one number covers all of 2007 to 2018 gets an earlier car wrong instead.
Neither engine gets a handed left or right number in any catalog checked. Treat the front hub as non handed on this car, the same as the rear.
The 2007 model year alone layers an ABS split onto that engine split at the front. It does the same thing at the rear. Both splits for that one year are listed as separate rows in the table below.
The impact warning worth knowing
Nissan warns across the range that striking a curb or pothole can damage the bearing races. Nothing has to look visibly wrong afterward.
That produces noise with no play, which is a frustrating combination and a common Altima wheel bearing complaint.
A hub with impact damage can pass a simple play check and still be the source of the noise. That is what makes this warning worth repeating on any Altima with this exact complaint.
Those cases are covered on the pothole page. Ordinary wear at high mileage is still the more common cause overall.
A written warranty on the replacement part is worth reading closely on a car with this complaint. That is covered on the warranty page.
A shop that diagnoses by play alone can miss an impact case entirely. Asking about recent curb or pothole strikes is worth doing before any parts come off. That one question can shorten the whole visit.
2019 to 2021 sits past the catalogs
This is the largest gap in the run covered here, and it deserves a plain explanation rather than a guess. The redesigned car simply postdates most of the catalogs checked.
The redesigned 2019 Altima was the first to offer all wheel drive. One catalog checked lists a rear number for that AWD car, WE61896.
Nothing in the catalogs checked covers the far more common front wheel drive car for 2019. Nothing covers any position at all for 2020 or 2021.
Most Altimas sold in this window are front wheel drive. Most 2019 through 2021 owners are the ones affected by this gap, not the smaller all wheel drive group.
The all wheel drive rear number is worth checking anyway, since some owners misremember which drivetrain their own car has. A build sheet or the VIN settles that question quickly.
Match the number on the old part or match by VIN for any of those years and positions. This is the single biggest documented gap on this page, larger than anything else this generation carries.
A shop with the car in front of it can usually read the old number straight off the hub. That works even when a printed catalog has nothing to say about the specific year.
A dealer parts counter working from the VIN is often the more reliable path for these three model years specifically, since it can pull the build data directly.
Later catalog updates may close some of this gap in time. Until then, matching the old part or the VIN stays the reliable route for these three model years. Neither shortcut costs more than a short wait at the counter.
Diagnosing an Altima wheel bearing
- Ask what it hit, since impact damage explains noise without play.
- Rock the wheel at twelve and six with it raised.
- Coast in neutral at the same speed to separate the driveline from the wheel.
- Rule out the tires, since cupped tread hums close to the same way.
- Confirm engine and year together before ordering a front hub from 2007 to 2012.
The checking routine is on the checking page. Telling tire hum from bearing noise is on the tire noise page.
A fair number for either end is on the quote page. Neither end has needed press labor since 2006.
None of these five steps needs a lift. A jack and a pair of stands are enough to narrow the corner down before calling a shop.
Altima wheel bearing part numbers
| Years | Detail | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 to 2021 | Front and rear, front wheel drive, not listed by any catalog checked | match old part or VIN |
| 2019 | Rear, all wheel drive | WE61896 check price |
| 2016 to 2018 | Front, unified across engines | 513296 check price |
| 2014 to 2018 | Front, unified across engines, parallel listing | WE60603 check price |
| 2013 to 2015 | Front, unified across engines | 513296 check price |
| 2008 to 2018 | Rear, single number, both ABS states | 512388 check price |
| 2007 to 2018 | Rear, parallel listing | WE60522 check price |
| 2007 to 2013 | Front, 3.5 liter V6, parallel listing | WE60603 check price |
| 2007 to 2012 | Front, 3.5 liter V6, 32 tooth spline | 513296 check price |
| 2007 to 2012 | Front, 2.5 liter four cylinder, parallel listing | WE60520 check price |
| 2008 to 2012 | Front, 2.5 liter four cylinder, 29 splines | 513294 check price |
| 2007 to 2009 | Rear, ABS and Hybrid | HA590253 check price |
| 2007 to 2009 | Front, 2.5 liter, ABS and Hybrid | HA590250 check price |
| 2007 to 2009 | Front, 3.5 liter, ABS | HA590252 check price |
| 2007 | Rear, with ABS | 512388 check price |
| 2007 | Rear, without ABS | 512389 check price |
| 2007 | Front, 2.5 liter four cylinder, with ABS | 513294 check price |
| 2007 | Front, 2.5 liter four cylinder, without ABS | HA590251 check price |
| 2002 to 2006 | Rear hub, ABS | 512201 check price |
| 2002 to 2006 | Rear hub, without ABS | 512202 check price |
| 2002 to 2006 | Front, press-in, shared with Maxima | 510060 check price |
| 2000 to 2001 | Front, ABS, serviceable with seals 710108 | 510009 check price |
| 2000 to 2001 | Front, without ABS, serviceable | 510068 check price |
| 1993 to 1999 | Front, serviceable | 510009 check price |
Every model year this chart resolves: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. A 2019, 2020 or 2021 Altima sits past the catalogs checked and goes by the old part or the VIN.
The rear splits by ABS for 2007 alone, then settles onto one number from 2008 on. The front splits by engine from 2007 through 2012, then settles onto one number from 2013 on.
The 2007 model year carries both splits at once, front and rear. After 2018, only a narrow AWD rear number exists anywhere in the catalogs checked. Nearly every 2019 through 2021 car goes by the old part or the VIN instead.
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Common questions
Which Altima wheel bearing do I need?
At the rear, 512388 covers most years from 2008 on. On a 2007 car it splits by ABS, 512388 with it and 512389 without. At the front, engine and year both matter through 2012, then one number returns for 2013 and later.
Do I need a press?
Not from 2007 onward. Both ends bolt on from that year forward. Only the 1993 to 2006 front pressed into the knuckle, and only at that one end, never the rear, on any year of this car.
Does the front change by engine?
Yes, from 2007 through 2012. The four cylinder and V6 fronts share one number again starting with 2013, and that stayed true through 2018.
What about a 2019 to 2021 Altima?
Only the 2019 AWD rear has a documented number, WE61896. Everything else in that span goes by the old part or the VIN, including the more common front wheel drive car and both years after it.
Why is there noise but no play?
Impact damage can dent the races with nothing visible. Nissan warns about this across its range, and it explains a fair share of Altima complaints filed with no measurable wheel play at all, front or rear.