Three problems related to ignition have been reported for the 1996 Nissan Altima. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Distributor leaked engine oil into the electrical components, which result in complete distributor failure while driving.
I contacted a Nissan dealer parts dept. They reported to me that this is very common, and the cam sensor is now repaired in a newly designed distributor, but all the original cam sensors in the factory distributors were experiencing a high failure rate. I know of two other people who have experienced the same failure.
The ignition is malfunctioning and the vehicle will only start in neutral position.