CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2006 Nissan Altima has a trend of engine & transmission problems.
Excessive oil consumption is the main problem reported by owners. Nissan did a recall back in 2006 for oil consumption due to bad piston rings, but many owners report to us that the recall didn't fix the problem. The dealer only had to check the oil consumption rate. Typically 1 qt per 1,000 miles is "acceptable" per OEM standards ... that's a lot of oil!
The 2006 Altima also has a defect trend of CVT transmission failure showing up around the 100,000 mile mark.
It's an expensive repair at over $2,000 average repair cost. For more information see Nissan Altima CVT defect info on NissanProblems.com.
I bought a used 2006 Altima 2.5 and it had lots of power and drove like a dream...for about 3 weeks. Then the engine light came on and it started to idle rough and almost die at stops. I put it in neutral and it purred. When the light changed and I put it in drive, it took right off. This might happen in 1 out of 7 or 8 drives.
Took it to my mechanic who did a diagnostic that showed #3 cylinder was misfiring. He swapped #3 and #4 to see if it would show #4 next time. Car ran great for about a week and then the light was back on and it was doing the same thing again. Went back to shop and this time it said #2 misfiring. He then checked the plugs and said there were carbon marks on the outside of the plugs, so we changed those. Again it ran great for a few weeks and then it all started again.
Having done some research on problems common to this model year I see I am not alone. The car is now getting hard to start. The first start of the day now takes 4 or 5 attempts to start. After that it usually starts fairly easy. When it runs good it runs fantastic...but when it doesn't it is awful. There is no real rhyme or reason to what it is going to do on any given day...that is what is making it so hard to nail the true cause down. I am at my wits end...please help!
I purchased this car from the original owner. Has been a great car. In the last month the check engine light keeps coming on. Have replaced the speed/crank sensor, reset the light but it has came back on again. I have 147,000 miles on this car and love the way that it drives and rides. Will defiantly put more money in the car but curious as to what the problem may be. Any suggestions?? Thanks
This actually has been happening over the last 2 years or so gradually. Was mostly happening when driving on the freeway...would all of a sudden "jerk" a little, but nothing significant until the last 6 months or so, where it was happening at least once a week, usually when I was on the freeway, it felt like the car was going to stop all of a sudden. A few weeks ago, it did the "jerking" again and then the check engine light came on. I took it to my mechanic who put it on the computer which showed a speed sensor out. That was replaced, then it said the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced as well as the MAF sensor. 3 days after all this was fixed, the car jerked again suddenly, thankfully when I was not going fast, I took it to the dealer, who put it back on the machine and said it was wiring. They checked all wires and plugs, found nothing. Said to bring it back when it starts to do it more and more. Now 5 days later, the check engine light came on again but no jerking this time. Taking it back to the dealer who said they would attach a computer type thing to it and let the mechanics drive the car around until it does it again.
Anyone have any problems with this or suggestions?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I bought a used 2006 Altima 2.5 and it had lots of power and drove like a dream...for about 3 weeks. Then the engine light came on and it started to idle rough and almost die at stops. I put it in neutral and it purred. When the light changed and I put it in drive, it took right off. This might happen in 1 out of 7 or 8 drives.
Took it to my mechanic who did a diagnostic that showed #3 cylinder was misfiring. He swapped #3 and #4 to see if it would show #4 next time. Car ran great for about a week and then the light was back on and it was doing the same thing again. Went back to shop and this time it said #2 misfiring. He then checked the plugs and said there were carbon marks on the outside of the plugs, so we changed those. Again it ran great for a few weeks and then it all started again.
Having done some research on problems common to this model year I see I am not alone. The car is now getting hard to start. The first start of the day now takes 4 or 5 attempts to start. After that it usually starts fairly easy. When it runs good it runs fantastic...but when it doesn't it is awful. There is no real rhyme or reason to what it is going to do on any given day...that is what is making it so hard to nail the true cause down. I am at my wits end...please help!
- Mike G., Bakersfield, CA, US