Automatic Transmission Torque Converter Problems of Nissan Altima

Nissan Altima owners have reported 26 problems related to automatic transmission torque converter (under the power train category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Nissan Altima based on all problems reported for the Altima.

1 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2008 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 10/06/2020

I have the transmition code p7044 (defective torque converter) car has only 97000 miles danger is at times car will not move.

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2 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 01/17/2020

The torque converter would seize if the car slowed down causing the engine to stall. Restarting the car would be no problem (in park or neutral) and it idled fine. As soon as you put it in gear, the problematic torque converter would cause the car to stall again. The car is currently (01/23/2020) at poughkeepsie Nissan (NY) getting fixed.

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3 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 11/02/2019

Tl- the contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving a 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The battery light illuminated after the vehicle shut off. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but to no avail. The vehicle was towed to buckeye Nissan 3820 parkway ln, hilliard, OH 43026 (614) 771-2345 where the torque converter and the transmission were replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they had performed updates to the new transmission that was placed in the vehicle and assured him that the failure would not occur again. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was 84,300. Jo.

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4 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 10/03/2019

I have a 2014 Nissan Altima. One morning after having drove about 15 miles on the city street, turning my car off and then on again after about 10 minutes, my car started shutting off when put in drive. I had to get it towed. My mechanic called Nissan and gave them the failure code. He was told that it was the torque converter. It was locked and so the transmission needed to be replaced. I've been reading up on this and other complaints. Nissan issued a recall on the cvt reprogramming, but I think they know that there is more wrong with the transmissions they installed these cars than that. Reprogramming the cvt is simple for them, it's just a software upgrade. Now I'm finding out that the torque converter is failing (locking up) on thousands of cars. I feel Nissan should be held accountable for these repairs.

5 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2010 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 06/22/2019

My struts beginning to sound horrible. I was traveling and as I would speed up the rpms would go higher making a whistling noise. Service engine light came on. I went had it put on a computer and it's said transmission and torque converter clutch solenoid.

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6 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 02/04/2019

Tl the contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. When the vehicle was shifted from the park position into drive, it failed to move. In addition, when the gear shifter was moved into reverse, the vheicle failed to drive. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to st. Charles Nissan (located at 5625 veterans memorial pkwy, st peters, mo 63376) where it was diagnosed that the torque converter failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 34414336. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

7 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 11/28/2018

While driving on city busy street at 35 mph downhill, the car shudder and stopped. It lost power to all of its electrical and mechanical component. It was a busy office hour and so very dangerous, I somehow managed to steer the car to the side of the road and stop it. Trying to start the car again, engine will turn on in parking or neutral but as soon as switched to drive or reverse, it will shudder and stall. Took it to the dealership to find it is a cause of faulty torque converter. The torque converter gave away without any sign or warnings. The car drove fine until the second before this happened. It could have happened at an interstate highway with high speeds and caused an unavoidable mishap. This issue should be looked in for thousands of people's safety that drive Nissan.

8 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 07/23/2018

In August of 2017 my 2014 Nissan Altima's torque converter fragmented pieces of itself into my transmission fluid. This resulted in my car tugging and shuddering while driving under speeds of 30 mph including slowing down and accelerating. At a point my vehicle turned off while in drive and I took my vehicle back to the selma Nissan dealership. After a week of no finding of the issue it was brought to fresno lithia with the same result of no finding of the issue. A year later the vehicle produced the same problems and again the vehicle shut off while in drive and I immediately took the vehicle back to the fresno lithia dealership for a full inspection again. Upon further identification they noted that this has become a common problem with 2013 & 2014 Nissan Altimas as the torque converter will become stuck and while shifting and force the vehicle to stall and shut off. This is a common problem and yet I had to pay for a new transmission for my vehicle. I've called Nissan corporate at (615) 725-7154 and they informed me they do not conduct recalls. I see that if this transmission problem is so common why is it not on a recall and I should not have to pay for this fix on my 4 year old car. I'm a marine veteran with a 2 month old baby and $3500 for a transmission is not cheap for me in my position. I do have documentation from 3 dealerships noting I brough in my vehicle with the occurring problem dating back a year ago. I also have printed documentation of my new transmission for my vehicle and positive test result of my vehicle performing 4 out of 10 times of vehicle shuddering and turning off. This problem seems to be swept under the rug by Nissan as they might fear a recall of their vehicles.

9 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 06/22/2018

In July/August of 2017, my vehicle was sputtering at lower speeds when accelerating or decelerating and then the vehicle would suddenly turn off. There were several scenarios when this happened during busy traffic. Upon receiving a manufacturer recall, I took the vehicle to the dealership for maintenance on the transmission computer system. All seemed fixed until June of 2018 when the vehicle was having the same issues, again while in the middle of traffic. I took the vehicle into the dealership and the dealership is telling me the transmission torque converter was damaged and I need to replace the entire transmission at a cost of $4,300. Upon internet research, it seems this has been a common problem for Nissan's cvt transmission; in fact, Nissan extended 2012 and previous models transmission warranties to 10 year 120,000 miles. So far, Nissan has offered no assistance or good will in fixing the defected part / issue.

10 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 04/21/2018

It started with a whirling when descending an incline. Since I had the recall work completed, I assumed this sound was normal. I have never driven or been a passenger in a Nissan. Exactly 1,383 miles after my warranty and 13 months and 2 days after the recall work the car began to shudder and cut off at intersections. This is extremely dangerous in atlanta and its famous spaghetti junction. The first time I assumed it was a fluke. The 2nd time I wanted to blame it on bad gas. I had a diagnostic done, however, there were no codes. A technician drove it and said it felt like it was searching, but did not shut off. He told me to pop it in neutral when approaching a light or slow down. I drove to an aamco where it shuddered and shut off in their lot. Five hours later aamco was unable to duplicate the shut off and found no codes. I took it to a different Nissan dealer than the one that performed the recall work. They got no codes, but they were willing to sell me a battery, cables and an idle reboot for $360! the Nissan manager picked me up as a curtsey and once I told him the problems, he immediately said that he knew exactly what the problem was-the torque converter. That basically the car was stuck in 4th and couldn't slip into 1st. I asked that a technician drive it home in hopes of duplicating. The next day a service rep reported that they were unable to duplicate the shuddering/shut-off, but that they could feel it searching for gears. They said it was possibly a torque converter and that a total rebuild of the transmission at $4,000 was required. Aamco is willing to replace the torque converter as long as I acknowledge that I may need a total rebuild as they have never seen it just be a torque converter. As I owe more than the car is worth, I have zero options but to pay for a costly rebuild.

11 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 02/23/2018

Tl the contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. While driving 30 mph in local traffic, the vehicle decelerated to 5 mph without warning. The contact was able to avoid a crash by coasting onto the road shoulder. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was towed to brown's fairfax Nissan (11010 fairfax boulevard, fairfax, va 22030, (703)-591-8009) where it was diagnosed that the transmission torque converter failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 83,000.

12 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 12/02/2017

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced hesitation without warning. Hamilton Nissan (1929 dual hwy, hagerstown, MD) diagnosed that the torque converter clutch seized and the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

13 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 10/18/2017

Vehicle was at dealer for oil change, service advised that "recall" campaign pc4900 reprogram transmission control module was performed. After driving the car for 6 days and 447 miles, it died while sitting completely still, idling in traffic (in "drive"). The vehicle shuddered so violently when it died, I thought that I had been rear-ended. The vehicle would restart but died immediately upon any attempt to shift into reverse or drive. Had it towed back to the dealer, diagnosis was torque converter failure. Total transmission replacement. Never had any mechanical issues with this car until now.

14 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 04/29/2017

Vehicle is a 2014 Nissan Altima 4 cylinder motor. It recently had the transmission recall, disguised as a "campaign" performed. It was a software update. Since then, the car upshifts while decelerating, causing the engine to stumble & almost stall. It is similar to the torque converter locking up & affecting the drivetrain. If the engine stalled, driver would lose control of the vehicle & might crash the car. The car is in motion when it happens on a road where speeds are about 50 mph, which is about the speed we were driving when it happened. It has happened while driving straight or in mild turns.

15 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 03/28/2017

2014 Nissan Altima s, 74,000 miles. I shifted the car from park to reverse to back out of parking space, the car shuddered and died. I am very fortunate that I wasn't hit by oncoming traffic as the car would not move. I had my daughter steer the car while I pushed it out of the way of traffic. I tried several more times to put the car in gear, it would run for a few seconds and die. There were no previous performance problems and no engine warning lights to indicate a problem. I had the car towed to a Nissan dealer. It was diagnosed with "torque converter failure/ need to replace cvt unit/ found no dtc's stored/found not tranny leaks/ printed off tranny "a" and "b" counts just in case" I have read other reports of these Altima's completely failing in rush hour traffic because of Nissan's defective transmission. My family was lucky. The situation could have ended very badly if this defective car had died in traffic, causing me or an innocent serious harm. Now, my family is facing an almost $5000 dollar repair on a three year old car that I don't trust anymore.

16 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 08/01/2016

Torque converter shot, needs transmission replaced.

17 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 07/11/2016

I drive a 2013 Nissan Altima and I am outside of my power train warranty 77,800 . My car stopped on my way to work and I had to restart it several times, a diagnostic test was performed and was told it is my cvt torque converter (transmission). Was bad, the auto shop printed a recall that was done for Nissan customer, contacted the service department no knowledge of the recall, they stated not under warranty. Contacted Nissan consumer affairs had a case review done and received a call back, I explained to them I researched information, there are so many cvt transmission issues with their cars, rep stated there was nothing they could help me with. Contact legal advice and was given this website and other information there is an ongoing investigation concerning this issue . Something has to be done a. S. A. P. With this faulty transmission, I am very disappointed to know this has been an issue for a while recalls were done from 2003-2010 and the problem was fixed . Please make a decision soon to fix this issue, it is a hazard, car starting and stopping at red lights, etc. Thank you.

18 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 12/26/2015

Car was driving down the road and stalled out on me completely as I was coming to a stop light about to get on interstate 81 in staunton va. I was able to restart the car back up, but the car would die out if I shifted it from park to drive. Local sheriff's deputy was kind enough to protect our car at this busy intersection as we waited for tow company. Dealership advised the torque converter had locked up. Once they had it up on lift, it disengaged and started working properly. However, the mechanic (who was very professional at valley Nissan in staunton va) advised me that it could break down again at any point. It was very scary when it died it in motion, so we went with the option to replace the torque converter and the transmission (advised that was the only option to really fix this issue). Repair bill from valley Nissan in staunton va is $3114. 39 for transmission replacement. Googling cvt 2013 Nissan Altima issues brings a plethora of results. I am clearly not the only person to have this issue. This happened at 64,207 miles, - 4,207 miles over the factory warranty for the transmission. Can't understand how the people who work at Nissan could stand behind any product that has a failure rate of under 100,000 miles for a transmission in this world now. They made it seem like a failure at 60k miles was normal.

19 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 12/07/2015

I recently purchased a previously owned 2013 Nissan Altima 2. 5 sv and noticed almost immediately a shudder and juttering of the vehicle which suggested a load on the engine or transmission. It creates a relatively loud sound and a not very smooth ride. You can feel the vibration in the steering wheel. As I began to research what might be wrong I found that there have been numerous complaints about the cvt transmission by many owners. Fixes and/or explanations by the dealers have ranged from complete transmission, torque converter, valve body assembly and alternator replacement to reprogrammimg the transmission to dealer service departments suggesting that this is normal for a cvt transmission. I don't know of any published recall notices or service bulletins for this problem and from my research a good many instances occur after the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty has expired. Since I purchased this vehicle used and it has 51,000 miles on it I am very concerned that I may be facing a costly repair in the not too distant future. I bring this to your attention because I have already lived through this experience once before with a 2005 Ford five hundred with a cvt transmission which ended up costing me close to 2,000 dollars to have the dealer fix it out of warranty. In my view I firmly believe that manufacturers are having nightmarish problems with this type of transmission and so they are trying to bury the problem until warranty expiration because the cost incurred by the manufacturers of a mandated recall would cost them millions of dollars for a permanent fix. I implore you to begin an investigation into the viability and reliability of cvt transmission technology across all manufacturers so that the public can best be served by the truth, the inherent problems and the permanent resolution of what also can be a safety issue for many motorists. Thank you.

20 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2012 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 09/13/2014

Alright so today I noticed a whining noise coming from the transmission. On my way home from work, just after leaving my car kept slipping out of gear. I get on the highway and the engine light comes on. Then im stuck in 5th gear for the rest of the way home. I got the flash codes and did a bit of research, here is what I found. 2012 Nissan Altima sedan - torque converter clutch circuit intermittent pausible causes: - faulty torque converter clutch solenoid valve - torque converter clutch solenoid valve harness is open or shorted - torque converter clutch solenoid valve circuit poor electrical connection - low transmission fluid level - dirty transmission fluid I have to pull over for about 5 minutes then start my care for the sensor to reset so that I can drive my desired speed limit. Once it gets hot the transmission will not allow me to drive more than 60-65mph. The dealer says I need to new transmission. I have 95,000 miles on my 2012 Nissan Altima 2. 5 s and is already having problems. It's difficult for me to travel as much because of these issues. After an hour of driving, my transmission whines and my speed limit drops when driving this is extremely dangerous and deadly. I fear that because of the decrease in speed could be potentially dangerous.

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21 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 05/03/2014

Making a left turn into shopping center and car started jerking , two days later going through a 25mph school zone and car started jerking ,took car into dealer and I was told that they replaced the transmission when I picked car up, on the way home whenever I would slow down to stop the car would make a whining noise and it would come to a hard stop, took car back to dealer and was told that it was normal . It was not dointhat before they changed the transmission Nissan consumer affairs sent a specialist out to check the car out he drove the car and he felt the issue , I was told that it was the torque converter locking up and that was normal, took car to another dealer for a second opinion and he drove the car and experience the issue again I was told that it was the torque converter locking up , it makes this jerking at different speed levels and the whining and hard stopping is constant the second dealer told me that I may have a software problem because the computer that they hooked up to the car shows no problems I am still experiencing the problem . Something needs to be done to correct this issue . It was not making the whining noise and making the hard stops where it makes the car move. I am still dealing with these issues.

22 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2014 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 09/24/2013

While attempting to make a turn at a stop light, vehicle began to shake and slow down. It felt as if it was going to lose power. I had to push the accelerator harder than expected as there was another vehicle bearing down on me in oncoming traffic. This is a new vehicle. I brought it to the dealer and it appears to be a torque converter issue. The shaking is not an issue in itself, however it could lead to accidents if someone is making a turn and needs to get out of oncoming traffic as the transmission does not seem to respond as expected.

23 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 09/03/2013

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the torque converter would remain locked until the vehicle came to a stop. In order to maintain the torque converter in the locked position, the rpms would have to be high above 1,000, which the contact stated that the normal idle was 750. The contact stated that the brakes were also prematurely wearing due to the engine not assisting in decelerating. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was advised that the vehicle was performing as designed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 4,000.

24 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2013 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 08/03/2013

My cvt transmission problem was at 900-miles took to dealer wilkes Nissan in wilkesboro,nc like 8-times and 2-times to another. Cvt would shudder at highway speeds. Wilkes Nissan said that was normal in one sentence,then in the next say they could not get it to duplicate. After several attempts to get it fixed the service manager jim barre was walking out in the service bay and was telling me as my girlfriend was hearing this that "Nissan knows that this is a problem,but doesn't have a fix for this and that they should have never let that out of the factory like that" while he was saying this a employee had walked by and overheard this. And he was shortly fired afterwards?they took my car in and had it for like 2-days and put a 124-miles on my car,I had explained that he didn't need to do that just take off get up to highway speeds and slow down then take off,it will start to shudder. I came down and got the service manager jeff walters and the tech rode with me and I got it to shudder inside of 15-minuets with them with me. We got back to the dealership and within 15-minuets mr. Walters service manger said "we just got a techincal service bulletin in October 2013 in which was a lie. I found out a technical service bulletin was issued on June 13th 2013 for a "cvt clutch engagement shudder" & mr. Walters looked mad when we got back from the test drive. They decided to replace the torque convertor and had my car for 16-days,when I returned to pick up the car,the wilkes Nissan delership said that everything was fine and within 11-miles they car started shuddering again at slow speeds as well as highway speeds. I was got so sick from all the arguing that I went into the hospital in December 2013 for 5-days. I had the problem and was sick for months so when I started to feel better. I took the car down to wilkes and they said Nissan refused to work on my car even though under warranty.

25 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2005 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 07/09/2004

While driving on the highway at 70 mph consumer slammed on the brake pedal in a panic situation and brakes locked up, causing the vehicle to skid. Vehicle skidded 15 feet before coming to a complete stop. Dealership indicated that tires had flat spots because of this incident. Also, the torque converter was locked up. This failure was likely to recur if the brake pedal was depressed in a panic situation at speeds of 35 mph or faster. When applying vehicle brakes in a panic the torque converter locked up and caused the vehicle to lose power. The consumer was unaware that this was a characteristic of the vehicle.

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26 Automatic Transmission Torque Converter problem of the 2005 Nissan Altima

Failure Date: 07/09/2004

When applying vehicle brakes in a panic the torque converter locked up and caused the vehicle to lose power. The consumer was unaware that this was a characteristic of the vehicle.


Other Common Power Train related problems of Nissan Altima


Safety Ratings of Altima Cars
Fuel Economy of Altima Vehicles
Altima Service Bulletins
Altima Safety Recalls
Altima Defect Investigations