2.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,441 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2001 Nissan Altima engine problems

engine problem

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2001 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Apr 012012

Altima

  • 82,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2001 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while stopped, there was a significant decrease in the engine rpms and the engine began to shake. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that an intake gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #21

Dec 152011

Altima

  • 159,999 miles
When I bought the car there was a piece of tape over the airbag light and auto zone helped me take it off. The Nissan died getting off the interstate and I lost all control of the steering and brakes. Later to find that I needed a oxygen sensor and now electrical problems with the airbag light being on. I took the car to the dealership and they said I needed evac hoses but all the dealer did was unhook one so they could charge me for codes because they could not find my problem with no engine light present. So my mechanic found the unhooked hose and put it back on and it was previously not unhooked. The car dies randomly in traffic and is very hazardous to be rear ended or even to hit some one else with the dealer not even knowing how to properly resolve this issue"??" my mechanic will be helping me to make this car safer for me to drive.

- Johnson City, TN, USA

problem #20

Oct 012010

Altima

  • miles
The vehicle frequently stalled during the past month. Now its millage is 105,000.

- Willimantic, CT, USA

problem #19

Apr 012008

Altima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car stalling when not in motion, shutting off in the middle of traffic, occurs whenever I drive the car. The intake manifold gasket has to be replaced. Many other consumers share the same problem. Nissan Altima 2001 limited edition.

- Florissant, MO, USA

problem #18

Dec 112009

Altima

  • miles
Second time manifold gasket problem has occurred on my 2001 Nissan Altima. It has a rough idles when stopped at lights, in gear, neutral or in park. Nissan need to be accountable for this widespread problem. Both instances have included the engine stalling in the middle of traffic.

- Ventura, CA, USA

problem #17

Aug 142009

Altima

  • 107,475 miles
2001 Nissan Altima has a defective intake manifold gasket, causes rough idle and car to shut off when engine is on. This leads to loss of control of car and stalling in traffic. This is a common problem with a $10 part, which costs $600+ to repair. Nissan should be aware of this common problem and have it replaced on these cars.

- Earlysville, VA, USA

problem #16

Nov 062009

Altima

  • 139,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Extremely rough idling that dulls down upon putting car in park but does not stop. It seems as though the car might stall at times. Problem has been getting progressively worse for the past few months. I was stopped the other day on a hill and the car lost acceleration power and almost stalled. This could be a major safety issue that could lead to accidents with stalling or the loss of acceleration power. This problem started about 6 months ago. Check engine light has also appeared and remained on constantly. Took it in for repair and apparently it is a intake manifold gasket that needs replaced, which is a very expensive repair ($600-$800). It seems to be a common problem and potentially very dangerous one that needs to be addressed/recalled.TR

- Baden, PA, USA

problem #15

Mar 122009

Altima

  • 47,000 miles
At first my car started shaking and I was told that there was water in my gas tank. I had a tune up done on my car and the shaking stopped momentarily. The shaking started again and would get so bad that my car would shut off in the middle of the street. I was driving and about to get on the highway and my car shut off in the middle of oncoming traffic. Thankfully, it was early in the morning and there were only few cars on the road. I took my car to a mechanic and he stated that the intake manifold gasket needed to be changed. After doing some research I have found that other people with the same car are having the same issue.

- Flushing, NY, USA

problem #14

Jun 022009

Altima

  • 70,000 miles
Owner of a 2001 Nissan Altima SE 2.4L, bought new in 2001, all services and taken good care. Had the manifold gasket repaired, then the O2 sensor, and now the whole catalytic converter is faulty and the estimate for this last work is $400 (from a local cheap mechanic, forget about the brand name mechanics in bay area, would be 3 times I guess). Miles on the car : only 70K and I am the only driver. Check carcomplaints.com for 100+ Nissan Altima 2001 car engine complaints alone. Please I would request this organization to take action and let Nissan pay for the services and lost time because of this bad design and common problem. Thank you. Shahid usman

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #13

Nov 012008

Altima

  • 70,000 miles
Car very roughly idles, and has shut off about 3 times. Oil inside the #1 spark plug wire where it connects to the plug. Changed, fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs, plug wires, rotor, distributor cap, valve cover gasket, antifreeze, oil and oil filter.

- South Salem, NY, USA

problem #12

Oct 112003

Altima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Nissan Altima gle 2001 required the intake manifold gasket replacement on 10/11/03 under warranty because the car idled very high when at a stop light. The same problem has recurred. When consulting carcomplaint.com there are over 80 of the same complaints. My daughter had the same problem and did not report it. She had it repaired without warranty coverage. I suggest that you go to www.carcomplaint.com/Nissan/Altima/2001 and read the complaints. I am sure this defect is not limited to the 2001 Altima.

- Dumfries, VA, USA

problem #11

Jan 282009

Altima

  • 58,000 miles
My 2001 Nissan Altima shakes when in the idle or stop position. Have had all the repairs done to that I could afford. Went on to autobeef.com and read 74 other complaints for the same problem. We all have the same question why wasn't this car recalled or fixed by Nissan. It was a mistake on their behalf. I am scared to drive my car and it is my only means of transportation. I think that this problem should be researched and taking care of and not by the consumer of these dangerous cars. Also someone should read the complaints on this make, year and model of this car. It is a 2001 Nissan Altima and the major complaint is a faulty intake manifold gasket. Like I said it is an issue that needs to be looked into and something done about it before there are any deaths. Or is that something that has to happen before the problem is taken care of"?????"

- Whitehall, PA, USA

problem #10

Apr 042008

Altima

  • 89,000 miles
At 89,000 miles my 2001 Nissan Altima gxe began experiencing extremely rough idling. Engine will stall. This has happened to hundreds of other Altima owners I am asking for a recall to correct this manufacturers defect.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #9

Aug 112008

Altima

  • 55,000 miles
I have a 2001 Nissan Altima. Similar to what I have read on dozens of website, it started idling high (at only 55,000 miles) and ultimately had to replace the intake manifold gasket at a cost of $852.05. I was told not to drive the car after the problem had been diagnosed. Sadly for me, it was three weeks after the extended warranty had expired and Nissan refused to offer any price break on the service. This problem seems to be exceedingly common - and often on very low mileage vehicles such as mine. Nissan should issue a recall and fix this problem.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #8

Oct 282008

Altima

  • 52,400 miles
I have Nissan Altima gxe model 2001. After a thorough research on the web, I find that "intake manifold gasket leak" is a common problem in Nissan Altima. It cost between $700 - $1200 (though part is for $15-$30 only). With this problem, car start shaking violently when you stop at light. Service engine light fequently lights up. Car stalls abruptly in the light. On a high way drive, car can stall anytime which is a great hazard, especially when you travel with a kid or an old age people. Nissan should help owners fix this and should immediately recall this cars with this kind of faulty parts.

- East Windsor, NJ, USA

problem #7

Jan 052008

Altima

  • 85,105 miles
I have a 2001 Nissan Altima gxe with 89,207 miles on it. Several months ago, I noticed a rough idling at stoplights, so bad sometimes I thought my car was going to die out on me. On September 19, 2008, I took my car into the mccarthy blue springs Nissan and was told that I needed to replace my intake manifold. They had to order the parts, and was advised to not drive my car again until it gets fixed. So, I had to leave my car at the Nissan dealership over the weekend and was not able to pick it up until September 22, 2008. In other words, I was without a car for 4 days. In researching my problem online to see if it's a notable problem with Nissan Altima's I came across several websites complaining of the same thing. Most of which had to replace the intake manifold at much lower mileage than mine. The replacement costs seems to be about the same across the board, to be between $700 and $800 plus. In researching my problem I don't understand why this hasn't been a recall for all Nissan Altima's. there are many websites complaining of the very problem of having to replace the intake manifold on Nissan Altima's. when I took my car in previously (January 5, 2008) for the same problem I was told that I had a broken motor mount. So, I paid to have that fixed which was over $450. My car ran fine for about a month, until I started noticing that it was idling hard at stoplights, but I figured it was just due to the cold. When I called Nissan about it, they asked me if my check engine light was on, and it wasn't so they just said it was due to it being cold. But it never stopped and continued to get worse and worse. Until I finally was able to take it back into Nissan to have them look at it again and that's when they said it was the intake manifold. I'd like to know how many complaints have been submitted on this very problem and how many it takes for you to consider a recall.

- Blue Springs, MO, USA

problem #6

Aug 182001

Altima

  • 57,240 miles
Like many others, my 2001 Nissan Altima with only 57,000 miles on it displayed a check engine soon light. This occurred while my wife was idling at a traffic light. It is not a failure but if not corrected could crack the engine block. The error code crossed to a misfire in cylinder #4. I have found an inordinate number of folks with the same problem with their 2000 Nissan Altima. Our warranty has expired and I was quoted $920 to fix this problem which appears to be the result of poor engineering design or mediocre materials used for the gasket. I would like to reference four different complaints regarding this same issue: 10167168 10145161 10100639 10163901 this information was mined from www.carcomplaints.com. what exactly is the minimum criteria used to determine a recall or something to that effect" is there any Agency that can compel Nissan to make something so obvious and prevalent among their customers right again"

- Warner Robins, GA, USA

problem #5

Apr 012008

Altima 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
The car - 2001 Altima - had a rough idle at all stops. It felt as if the car was going to stall. An independent mechanic felt a 60,000 mile tune-up at a cost of $600 would solve the problem. He even checked Nissan recalls to aid with the diagnosis. None were found that applied. The problem persisted after the tune-up. The car was taken to Nissan where it took the mechanic less than one minute to diagnose the problem. He reported that this was a common problem with the model and year of the car. They would need to replace the intake manifold gasket at a total cost of $825.32. A subsequent search of the internet found that this was indeed a common problem with Nissan not taking any responsibility for the problem.

- Morton Grove, IL, USA

problem #4

Feb 202008

Altima 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles
As seen on the internet at least 50 times. Intake manifold gasket blown on #4 cylinder, Nissan refuses to do a recall. I'll never buy another.

- Virginia Beach, WV, USA

problem #3

Nov 202006

Altima 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,177 miles
In November 2006, my check engine light illuminated (Nissan Altima 2001) and I brought it to my mechanic for service. It was determined that there was a misfire condition in one of the engine cylinders. Consequently, the head gasket and various associated components were replaced. However, a day after getting this fixed the check engine light came back on. It appears that the real problem was with the intake manifold gasket, which is an expensive and labor intensive job. After searching the web, I have found that this appears to be a common problem associated with Nissan Altima made around 2001. For example, see the following website: www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Altima/2000/engine/intake_manifold_gasket_leak_car_shakes.shtml common to nearly all cases (even those brought to Nissan dealers) is it typically takes multiple attempts to realize that the true problem is a faulty intake gasket. Before getting it fixed the engine was beginning to get shaky, especially at idle speed.

- Beltsville, MD, USA

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