Automatic Transmission Problems of Nissan Altima - part 2

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Altima. The driver states there was a recall done on the electronic control module last year at 32,433 miles. The contact states they have never had any problems with the vehicle until after the recall was done. The vehicle will jerk while doing high speeds on the highway and recently while driving at 25mph the vehicle completely shut off on it's own. The driver then waited a minute and started the vehicle again and was able to drive it. The failure mileage on the vehicle was 35,000 and the current mileage is 50,000.

See all problems of the 2005 Nissan Altima 🔎.

Many times after owning my 2005 Nissan, I started having to crank the engine a couple of times before it would start. This should not happen on a car that was only 4 years old when it first started happening. Also the key gets stuck in the ignition which it has been doing for a couple of years. No one knows what it is. I just put it back in drive then park to take the key out.

Timing chain on my 2005 Nissan Altima is making a buzzing/whining noise at the engine area. This whole process started on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 when the Nissan service department found the issue and stated that it should be fixed to the amount of $1,578. 00 (+tax). They even sent a "cpia - goodwill recommendation" request to which Nissan's message back was "goodwill is not recommended". At that time I explained to them that it did not make any sense to me why a timing chain that is meant to outlast the life of the engine would need to be replaced when my vehicle only has 76,717 miles on it. I have always ensured it is well maintained at the intervals recommended and I am a very safe and good driver and keep my vehicle in good working condition, it is not neglected in anyway. They suggested that I phone the Nissan customer care line to see if there was anything further that could be done. After 6 phone calls with Nissan customer care they too decided that they felt it was out of warranty and not their problem. So I went back to the dealership and received a recommendation to speak with the service manager. I sent him a very detailed email requesting assistance, he stated he'd look into my concerns. Unfortunately, he too received the same response that Nissan feels they are not obligated in anyway to repair the timing chain on my vehicle because it is out of the warranty period. At this time I plan to pursue this further by contacting the better business bureau and lemon law to see if they can assist in anyway. I believe that it is ridiculous for the consumer to pay the cost of replacing a part that should be replaced by the manufacturer since it is obviously a defective part, since it's designed to out live the life of the engine, last I checked 76,000+ miles on a Nissan is not the life of the engine. I hope that Nissan will finally realize they are responsible and assist in resolving this matter for me.

I owned a 2007 Altima at the time. The problem occurs at speeds over 45 mph. If emergency brakes are slammed and lockup until vehicle comes to complete stop the throttle becomes totally unresponsive for up to 1 minute. This happened to me at an intersection and scared the!@#$% out of me. Similar thing occurred a few days later. I decided to test if this issue can be duplicated. It can with almost 100% accuracy. Took car to dealership. Duplicated the issue for their confirmation and left car for examination. According to service rep "it is to dangerous to drive car in this condition\". A few hours later got a call from dealer with the following explanation. They tested this issue and were able to repeat it on 3 identical cars. Apparently manufacturer told them that this is an expected behavior to protect certain components of a car transmission. I have been in contact with Nissan USA and was told that this is not a defect but a design to protect transmission. I have taken several other Altimas for test drive and spoke to a number of people. Apparently this issue affects all Altimas equipped with cvt but not with abs. I believe that abs allows transmission to rotate thus correcting the issue. As far as I am concerned not been able to move a car for up to a minute after an emergency braking could be more dangerous then the emergency itself. Can you visualize your self being stuck at an intersection (happened to me) or on a highway? this issue can be easily duplicated . I have traded my car in as I was too scared to drive it.

See all problems of the 2007 Nissan Altima 🔎.

2008 Nissan Altima 2. 5 4 cylinder with cvt transmission, when pulling out on highway the car began to accelerate normally at first (0 to 25 mph) but then would not accelerate and coasted into traffic nearly causing accident. This happened twice more on the way to the dealership. The problem happens intermittently and has been reported to a Nissan dealer twice for repair under warranty. Check engine light came on when lack of acceleration happened 3 times and twice the dealer reset the code, change the fluid and reprogram the computer and said it was just a fluke and that it found no hardware problems. The Nissan cvt transmission control electronics are unreliable, unsafe and should be investigated. This recurring problem very nearly resulted in a major accident today.

See all problems of the 2008 Nissan Altima 🔎.

I have 2002 Nissan Altima 2. 5 s,my car burn oil like crazy, could make a fire if I didn't keep checking on the oil level, I spent 5 quart just from iowa to minneapolis and for the local drive I need to refill 1 quart of oil every 5-6 days (between office and home which is just 4 minutes driving).

See all problems of the 2002 Nissan Altima 🔎.

Throughout the last 4 yrs, on several occasions when shifting the transmission it doesn't engage. I have pulled from a parking spot using reverse, and just when I am pulling into traffic and shift to drive the car doesn't respond. The engine doesn't react to the accelerator; the engine is running but the car is unresponsive. When it happens I have to push the car to the side of the road and turn it off. One time it took about 15 mins to be able to restart and restore all functions. On another occasion I ended up having to wait until the next day. The scary part is that the engine and transmission are completely unresponsive when you need it the most; getting into traffic. I have been blessed and very lucky that it has only happened when pulling out of a parking spot or my out of my driveway. What I am extremely afraid is if this were ever to happen when pulling out into a highway or busy street traffic. This is similar to the risk associated with recall NHTSA campaign #07v527000. Please correct the problem before someone gets kill; we should never wait that long or let it go that far.

Nissan Altima 2004. Has around 91,000 miles. Transmission jerk a little, like it was jumping into gear. Car shut off with no warning while going down a hill. I was able to put the car in neutral while coasting and restart the car. Three days later the engine shuts off again. The vehicle was at a light. This time it took several tries to start the vehicle. At a busy intersection it stopped again the same day but was able to restart. I took the car to a dealership (car is in germany due to military). They told me they would call me back. I have not received a call. I called Nissan north America and I was told that the car falls under 2 recalls. Both the valve screws and the sensor. I may end up having to pay for it all even though nna says they "should" handle it here.

See all problems of the 2004 Nissan Altima 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Altima. While driving 55 mph, the transmission would skip without warning. As of March 25, 2008, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 37790.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact heard a loud snap underneath the vehicle while driving. He attempted to place the vehicle in drive and reverse, but it failed to move. The vehicle was towed to his residence and was later towed to the dealer. The mechanic stated that the vehicle needed a new engine and transmission. Through online research, the contact discovered that the 2006 Altima's have a recall for the same failure. The speed and recall number were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 127,000.

See all problems of the 2003 Nissan Altima 🔎.

The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Altima. The vehicle rolled backwards as the passenger was exiting. The door bent backwards and scratched the entire side of the vehicle. The contact jumped into the moving vehicle to depress the brake pedal. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure. The current mileage was 4,600 and failure mileage was 2,500. The consumers daughter injured her arm, when she tried to get out of the way of the rolling vehicle. Updated 12/12/07.

The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Altima. While driving 55 mph, under normal driving conditions the vehicle began to jerk. The check engine light came on and contact pulled over, placed the vehicle in park, and the emergency lights illuminated. The front end of the vehicle quickly caught fire on the front drivers side and consumed the vehicle along with it's contents in less than five minutes. The contact stated that the vehicle did not loose power while it was on fire, but before the vehicle stopped it did loose its gas pressure. While the vehicle was on fire the contact could see liquid burning from the vehicle. The contact did not smell gas before the fire. The driver received bruises exciting the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the mechanic. The current and failure mileages were 3,500. The contact has pictures available. Updated 02-01-08 the consumer stated the vehicle was on fire when he stopped. Updated 02/01/08.

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. Intermittently, when shifting from first to second gear and vice versa, there is a hard jerk. It feels as if the front end of the vehicle is going to drop. The failure occurs once the vehicle has warmed up, especially in warm weather when the contact brings the vehicle to a stop. The dealer first suggested that a transmission flush was needed, but later stated that a brand new transmission was needed because the current one was failing. The VIN, purchase date, and engine size were unknown. The current mileage was 82,000 and failure mileage was 65,000.

On some minor slopes, but not all, the cvt transmission-equipped 2007 Altima will roll backwards several feet while in "drive" posing a hazard to objects and persons behind the vehicle. This is consistently reproducible in our home driveway but not on steeper slopes such as a parking garage. The surprising condition caused my wife to panic and almost lose control, nearly striking another vehicle. The dealership has been very responsive. However, as of this posting, Nissan north America acknowledges but refuses to fix the issue.

1. )when the car warm ups after 15-20 minutes, the slip and traction control off light come on. 2. ) the speedometer fails, the wipers sometimes fail (in the rain!), and now the headlight go on off by themselves (at night!!!) 3. ) the car was taken to a dealer. They adjusted a lose wire 1st, second they replaced an abs actuator, the 3rd time at the dealer they ordered a transmission computer gizmo (is on order and not replaced).

Altima kept dying at random times and places. Engine would shut off while the car was in motion as the engine light would come on. Dealer traced problem to a bad sensor. Cam and crank sensors replaced and so far this has fixed the problem. $$$ .

My 02 Altima has had four recalls, including the last one in question. I began having problems with the car lurching this summer. It acted as if it was going to die. It even began to die on me once or twice at idle speeds. On Aug 24th, when I pulled out of the parking lot, the car died. It died three times while I was trying to turn around and get back to the parking lot. I took the car to a reputable, ase certified mechanic. Meanwhile, I checked the web. No additional recalls were listed. ) the mechanic diagnosed that the crank shaft positioning sensor needed replacing. The car continued to lurch and act like it was going to die while I was driving. The techs recommended I take it to the dealer. The Nissan dealer informed me that the problem was known. Nissan had issued a recall, the car needed the ecm reprogrammed. After they reprogrammed the ecm, Nissan stated that the crank position sensor still needed replacing. I took it back to the mechanic that had already replaced the sensor. They also said it needed a new cam sensor. They replaced both sensors at no additional charge. Within a few days, the car exhibited the same, previous symptoms. I took it back to Nissan. The serv dept informed me that the issue was the throttle body assembly. The bad news - the cost was $1000. The part was estimated at $550 and labor was around $450. Estimate time of repair = 1 1/2 hour. The warranty is 5 yrs / 60k miles. He stated if the mileage was 60k miles, then the throttle body would be covered under warranty. . . But, since the mileage read 65k miles, then it would not be covered. The service manager applied for a goodwill warranty. The request was denied. I contacted Nissan. After filing the complaint and waiting for a response, I finally opted to have the car repaired at my own expense. To date, Nissan declined to pay for any part of the throttle body repair. However, they have promised to reimburse me for the crank position sensor.

Nissan has admitted via a letter that certain vehicles (mine is one) are subject to high oil consumption and the result could be a fire in the vehicle. Nissan has attempted to correct this changing the oil and filter, promising to monitor the level - subject to another trip to the dealer- at 700 subsequent miles, they will then provide an unknown 'fix' to the issue if the oil level has decreased to their satisfaction, if no noticeable decrease in their perception, then monitor another 700 miles - return to dealer again and have them review, possible fix is to replace the engine at that time. The concern is that when one purchases a new vehicle, if the manufacture knew of the defect and potential hazard, then the sale should not have been allowed. Further, a new vehicle now needs to be monitored and returned to the dealer every 700 miles - I can not think of an example of more inconvenience. The safety hazard of a fire or breaking down - all in a vehicle with 1500 miles on it is incredulous. I can not let my family drive in the car and am concerned with my own safety. A 22000 vehicle that is brand new should not be allowed to be sold and have consumers asked to continue to operate the vehicle. I do hope this is investigated. I understand that a total of 80000 Altimas were affected. I would like to know when the manufacturer was aware of this problem, why it did not stop sales immediately and why the manufacturer will not just fix the issue. I also understand that the vehicles within the VIN range that are on Nissan dealer lots are being sent back to have the engines replaced. Next, a problem at 1500 miles with the transmission occurred. The vehicle experienced problems in shifting and maintain gear. This resulted in the service engine light illuminating and the dealer 'getting a part' to fix it. I would like to know what the issue is with the transmission that had only 1500 miles on it to malfunction.

See all problems of the 2006 Nissan Altima 🔎.

Car would stall at low speeds or when stopped. I took the car to the dealership, they explained to me that my crankshaft position sensor was failing and that they would replace it for approximately $600. I then took the car to a private mechanic who replaced the sensor for $222. 91. Car purchased in 2004. Additional work required: engine replacement, wheel bearings replacement, transmission replacement, and interior panels replacement. . Read more...

: the contact stated the air bag light on the dash flashed constantly. There is a safety improvement campaign, # 02i001000, regarding the air bag. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the safety improvement campaign; however it is not included in the safety improvement campaign due to the VIN. Updated 4/17/2006 - the vehicle was taken to a dealer who indicated that eh air bag was defective. The dealer refused any assistance because the vehicle was 2000 mile out of warranty. The check engine light illuminated. The dealer found antifreeze leaking into the cylinders. The driver's side low beam headlamp was inop. The tech replaced the right side headlight bulb. Radiator leaked coolant. The heater blew out cool air when the vehicle was stopped. The tech found an air pocket in the coolant system. Replaced clutch assembly. Cylinder head gasket was replaced.

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. The automatic transmission failed while driving. It began to leak and smoke. The current mileage is 39,400 miles. There were no lights that came on prior to the failure. This occurred on September 21, 2005. This was the ninth time that the vehicle has been in the shop for various problems, transmission, fuel pump, and axle. This is the second transmission in the vehicle this new transmission has only about 5000 miles. The car has been in the shop for the transmission five times.

Model: 2004 Altima-4 cylinder-auto problem: problem: all of a sudden, car won't drive forward, pressing gas pedal do nothing. The car ignition had to be turned off and then turned on to solve the problem. The problem happens without warning. Very dangerous while driving in a busy road, accident will happen.

When at a stop engine revved at a high rate. Consumer shifted to neutral, then to drive to stop vehicle. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

See all problems of the 2000 Nissan Altima 🔎.

Car started, but as I was soon to find out, would not accelerate over 1000 rpms. Pulled out in traffic before I realized it would not go. Was pulling into traffic from driveway and almost has a collision because I could not accelerate to the flow of traffic. Managed to pull over the car to a safe spot. Turned off engine. Restarted and worked fine for a while. Later, would happen every few times I started the car. I had to check if engine would rev before driving. If it did rev, problem would not re-appear until turning engine off. Many times, would not start at all, and when it would and would not rev. After repeated attempts at re-starting, engine would start and rev and be ok until turned off. Took car to dealer. Turned out to be the "throttle chamber. " replaced under California's 50,000 mile emissions warranty, but only after I pointed out that coverage. Service rep at dealer mentioned to me he was seeing this failure on Nissan 3. 5 litre v6s. Posters to internet newgroup also report seeing this problem.

While driving at any speed vehicle stalled. Consumer restarted vehicle, and drove it to dealer for inspection, but mechanic could not duplicate the problem.

My 2001 Nissan Altima, with approx 89000 miles, has started experiencing engine failure at cruising speeds (50-70 mph) on the freeway. It is intermittent with no apparent warning. First, all guages, including gas, temperature, rpm and odometer, fall to zero. The car jerks as if downshifted, and slows drastically, and the gas pedal does not accelerate the car. It has happened 7-8 times in the past few weeks. The radio display light also blanks out, not sure if this is related or a separate problem.

See all problems of the 2001 Nissan Altima 🔎.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. In 2003, the vehicle began jerking and would come to a complete stop without warning. The vehicle was taken to two dealers and the radiator and crank sensor were replaced. The manufacturer was notified and a report was taken. The investigation concluded that the vehicle could not be replaced under the lemon law because the time had expired. The speed and powertrain were unknown. The current mileage was 55,000 and failure mileage was 7,435. Updated 02/12/08. The consumer stated the vehicle stalls and then shoots forward. Updated 02/12/08.

The automobile accelerated while the consumer's foot was on the brake. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer/mechanic three times and because the vehicle did not duplicate the problem, the mechanic was unable to find out what was happening with the automobile. The third time he just left the vehicle with mechanic/dealer so that they may drive the automobile to see if the problem resurfaced. The vehicle was shifted into drive but went into reverse.

Delays, obvious jerking, felt during acceleration at approximately 10 mpr. It is worse when car starts cold particularly in the morning. Jerking forward during deceleration (without braking) at approximately 30 mpr. It has been getting worse as the car puts on more mileage.

2003 Nissan Altima with 3,539 miles on Jan 17th my wife drove it out for the grocery shopping. When she came back she parked the car on the drive way in 'p' with the engine running as she was to go out after unloading the shopping bags from the trunk. She got off from the car and opened the trunk and unloaded the shopping bags and took them to the kitchen through the garage. She took few bags each time to the kitchen so she traveled few times from the car to the kitchen. Then she walked to the mailbox and then took the last bag from the trunk and after closing the trunk walked to the kitchen. Soon later she opened the kitchen door and walked into the garage when she noticed that the car was coming toward her. It happened so fast and as she looked at the car she got paralised and the car bumped into the water heater base and stopped with the engine running and in 'p'. My wife didn't get hurt by 1/16" or so. . . My daughter ran to the car to see what happened and verified if the car was in 'p' or not. It was in 'p' and the indicator light on the panel showing 'p' too!! I took some pictures of it since there was nothing I could do at that moment. My wife was in shock. So I stayed with her that evening and right next day early morning took the car to the Nissan dealer and reported the problem. The service dept checked it out and said that they were not able to find anything wrong with the car and told me and to my wife and my daughter that we have to use our insurance to fix the damages caused to the car and the house by the malfunction of the car. No further action was taken by the Nissan dealer regarding this issue although I requested to contact Nissan USA corp to report the problem.

We purchased a 2003 Nissan Altima s on November 12, 2002. We noticed a rough vibration when we are sitting at a traffic light in drive and when we have it in park. We took it back to the dealership the next day to be checked and we were told it was normal. We wanted to exchange the vehicle for another Altima of same value because we have friends with 2002-2003 Altimas and they are not having this problem. We have taken it back several times but they still continue to say it is normal. Also, we are having a problem with acceleration on this vehicle. When you take off it hesitates before it picks up speed and the transmission doesn't seem to be changing out smoothly. We aren't having any luck with the dealership we purchased it from. It seems as though they don't care about the customers after they get your $20,000 + check. I really think there should be a better way for customers to receive quality service from these dealerships after purchase. We feel like we purchase a 2003 lemon and we think that Nissan corp. Should make these dealerships that are selling their products satisfy the customer before/after the sale.

Car shifted in park and keys removed. Car failed to start until reinserted transmission into park. Dt.

Hard to shift gears from park to drive. Consumer had to use both hands to shift gears. Contacted dealer, and dealer stated there was residue in gearshift.

See all problems of the 1999 Nissan Altima 🔎.

This vehicle may have a safety problem. When I back the car, I was braking the car. However the engine ouputs too much power and it is very hard to control. Also another time, I have to brake hard to stop the car as the engine output too much power while braking.

Car bucks at all speeds, all gears, all weather conditions. Has been examined by lang's auto (r5674) and bob sharp Nissan in wilton, CT. Neither could idenitify problem on computer output, but multiple mechanics could feel bucking. Bucking is significant and jars persons in the car. Nissan dealer had the car for three weeks and finally gave it back reporting they could not idenitify problem or fix it. Suggested premium gas and dry gas which we have done and it has not helped. This has been a problem for the last several months. We have two small children and can not take them in that car as they would be jarred. We have no additional recourse with dealer as original dealer went out of business and the one we went to can not fix and will not continue to try. Car is driven approximately 80/ weekday for commuting purposes and on weekends. The bucking does not seem tied to any other event (gears, speeds, etc. ).

See all problems of the 1997 Nissan Altima 🔎.