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.

3.9

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,914 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.

2006 Nissan Altima transmission problems

transmission problem

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2006 Nissan Altima Owner Comments

problem #15

Aug 122011

Altima 6-cyl

  • 57,000 miles

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

Attempted to shift and clutch pedal sank to floor and would not return, clutch did not disengage. Made it very difficult to get car out of gear, and impossible to reengage gear. Luckily was able to coast to a stop without accident. Dealer reported failed clutch line / master cylinder led to loss of fluid & inability to disengage clutch.

- Poway, CA, USA

problem #14

Jul 262011

Altima

  • 20,000 miles
Nissan Altima 2006 manual transmission: Clutch losses pressure. I have taken car in to Nissan for issue. Vehicle bought in Aug 2006. Approximately 2 years later issue began. Clutch drops down while car in motion. Manually move clutch back up with foot. When first taken into Nissan (windward Nissan, honolulu hi) was told that there was nothing wrong. Clutch continued with issue very intermittenly. Upon arrival to san diego ca, I decided to take to mossy Nissan (national city). I was told that I needed a new clutch. I was reffered to Nissan 1 for assistance. Nissan covered the replacement of the clutch. It has then been about a year and a half and issue persists. Now clutch drops and I have to pull over, wait a few minutes and see if clutch comes back up. Cannot put vehicle in gear while clutch is down. I googled "clutch issues with Nissan vehicles" and there was a link to your website.

- Temecula , CA, USA

problem #13

Jan 012011

Altima

  • 84,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving she continued to hear a loud noise coming from the back of the vehicle. She also mentioned that every time she had to shift gears they would lock and in order to continue driving she had to engage the shift release button. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the gear shift needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 86,000.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #12

May 102010

Altima

  • 20,000 miles

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

I have a 2006 Nissan Altima SE-R. the clutch repeatedly looses pressure when the ambient temperature is hot combined with a heavy traffic situation. I have brought the car to the dealership several times and they say they have replaced the cylinder, but the problem persists. I did a little online investigating and it appears as though I am not the only person that owns an Altima that is plagued by the safety issue. It almost is impossible to shift.

- Coraopolis, PA, USA

problem #11

Aug 172010

Altima

  • 54,000 miles
2006 Nissan Altima ser. When driving the clutch sinks. Several pumps will get it back in order. Also at times on a cold start it doesn't feel like the clutch disengages completely.

- Huntley, IL, USA

problem #10

Jul 082010

Altima

  • 61,988 miles
I have been have trouble with my 2006 Altima SE-R since buying it at 52K miles. It's like everyone else; the clutch gets real floppy and looses pressure until it sinks to the floor and wont return. This has happened to me about 30 or 40 times since buying the car in October 2009, but I can't replicate for the dealer. They also say that they have never heard of this before, and nobody has ever complained about it to them - apparently they are lying. This afternoon, I was driving my son home from daycare, and the clutch did this very thing, but for the first time, I could not get the car out of gear and I was in bumper to bumper traffic. I almost hit the guy in front of me. When I finally yanked it out of gear, I couldn't put it back into gear because the clutch was stuck to the floor. I sat on the side of the road for an hour with my 14 month old son in 99 degree heat waiting for the clutch to "repair itself". this is bogus and Nissan needs to own up to their responsibility of fixing these cars before someone dies.

- Lilburn, GA, USA

problem #9

Aug 012007

Altima

  • 17,000 miles

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

Don't know of any events but I have a 2006 Nissan Altima SE-R 6-spd and the clutch pedal has this problem where it sinks to the floor and I have no play what so ever to switch gears or even get out of neutral. I have been on many forums where this seems to be a major problem with alot of 6 spd transmissions for the Altima. I have had the car since Jan 2007 and have had this problem a few times. Once, the car just didn't start at all cause I had to pressure in the clutch and had to be towed and the Nissan dealership in austin replaced both the slave and master cylinder and said that would fix it but I still get the same problem. My father and a couple of my friends who drove the car have has the same problem. Just want to have the car fixed so I don't have to worry about this anymore and want to know what to do next.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #8

Jan 242010

Altima

  • Manual transmission
  • 32,435 miles
On my 2006 Nissan Altima with the manual transmission, it has a tendency to just lose pressure on the clutch pedal as I am driving making it hard or sometimes very near impossible to shift in and out of gears.......has happened to me on busy roads causing a very scary situation.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #7

Feb 082007

Altima

  • 20,000 miles
I have a 2006 Altima SE-6 with a 6-speed manual transmission. During hot weather of after the vehicle is driven for extended times, the clutch will make a howling sound accompanied with a shuttering when released to pull off from a full stop. This event will also cause the vehicle to stall unless excessive revolutions (over 3000 RPM) are applied during release. In traffic or on a hill, this has caused the vehicle to roll backwards. Took car to a couple of dealerships; all of whom claim inability to reproduce the issue. This has been happening since October 2007. This issue only appears when the drive train is warmed up; however, it pretty much occurs each and every time when the temperature conditions are met.

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #6

Jan 142008

Altima

  • 38,000 miles
I have a 2006 Nissan Altima SE-R with a 6 cylinder engine and a 6-speed manual transmission. Periodically throughout the last 30 months the clutch would fall to the floor while driving, making it difficult to shift. The solution was to catch the clutch with the driver's toe and raise it manually back into position each time prior to a shift. This is difficult, distracting, and dangerous and could easily cause an accident. I reported it to my dealership but they were unable to duplicate it and therefore did not fix the problem. This month, at 38,000 miles, the clutch has fallen to the floor and has remained stuck there, rendering the vehicle completely undriveable. The dealer now recommends replacing the master and slave clutch cylinders, however they intend to charge $709.97 for it. This is obviously a defective part since it has had problems from 6,000 miles on and is reported by many other Nissan owners as well on internet forums. Example: www.nissanclub.com/forums/2005-2006-Nissan-Altima-SE-R-discussion/273277-slave-clutch-cylinder-recall.html I reported the problem to Nissan, however they have "decided" not to assist me with this repair. The Nissan file number is 6393944. It is my hope that someone will take an interest in this issue before this incident causes a fatal wreck.

- Georgetown, TX, USA

problem #5

Jun 022008

Altima

  • miles

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

My 2006 Nissan Altima (6,500 miles) was purchased new from the dealer. During the past mont I have been experiencing a problem with my clutch pedal going all the way to the floor when pressed and not returning. I checked on line and identified that apparently with the 6 cyl. Engine and standard transmission this is a common problem with the break down of the dot 3 brake fluid that is used in the clutch master cylinder. Many sites recommend the higher boiling temperature of the dot 4 or 5.1. the dealership insists that dot 3 is sufficient however in talking to other Altima owners on line it is a recurring problem.

- Smithfield, RI, USA

problem #4

Jun 012008

Altima

  • 30,000 miles
2006 Nissan Altima ser clutch sinks to the floor and prevents use of gears. Happens once a month in traffic or on hot days. Nissan has not yet fixed the problem. It is dangerous being stranded on the highway.

- Pincourt Quebec Canada, VT, USA

problem #3

Jun 272006

Altima 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 9,286 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Altima. On one occasion, when the vehicle was placed in reverse, it rolled forward to the sidewalk. On two occasions, when the vehicle was placed in reverse, it rolled forward towards the sidewalk. The contact used both the foot brake and the emergency brake to finally stop the vehicle. The vehicle was never taken to the dealer. On twelve occasions, when the floor clutch was pressed, it became stuck. She had to manually work the clutch back to its normal position. On three occasions, when driving between 1-20 mph, the engine would shut off. On two occasions, while the vehicle was idling, the engine shut off. On four occasions, the vehicle restarted on its own. On one occasion, she had to call roadside assistance for a jump start. The vehicle sustained damage to the front bumper from rolling forward into the sidewalk. In January of 2008, the contact received a letter from Nissan concerning her vehicle not having ABS; however, the information she received when the vehicle was purchased stated that it did have ABS. The powertrain was unknown. The current mileage was 28,650 and failure mileage was 9,286.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #2

Sep 202007

Altima 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 26,000 miles
Clutch sinks to the floor, and I am unable to get the car in gear. Driving along highway and unable to get the car in gear during a downshift. Lucky to be able to pull over without being hit. Stranded on the side of the road. Nissan could not "replicate" the problem. No fix. Extremely dangerous situation. I am lucky not to have had a crash. Yet!

- Centreville, VA, USA

problem #1

Apr 232007

Altima 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 9,000 miles
The transmission(standard)will just drop out of 5th gear into the neutral position. This has happened 4 times in the last three weeks. There are 10,800 miles on the vehicle. It was purchased new. 2006 Nissan Altima sl. When the transmission has disengaged I have been traveling freeway speeds and the cruise control is set causing a quick rise in the rpms-which is not good for any engine.

- Beaver, UT, USA

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