CarComplaints.com Notes: You don't want to get 2009 and 2010 Altima owners started about their cars. That is, unless, you know how to start their cars.
These vehicles can suddenly become impossible to start thanks to a faulty electronic steering column lock (ESCL). Nissan dealers will gladly replace it, but that will run you $1000.
More info & videos about the Nissan ESCL defect are available over at NissanProblems.com.
It's one of the many reasons this car was named CarTalk's Turd of the Week and given our Beware of this Clunker badge. Two dubious honors.
THE CAR SHIFTS WHEN IT WANTS TO I TRY TO SLOW DOWN HOPING THAT WILL HELP IT SHIFT, WHEN YOU TAKE OFF IT SHUDDERS AND STALLS FOR A SEC WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE ON THE GAS IT DOES THE SAME THING AND AFTER BEING AT A STOP LIGHT IT STALL AND SHAKES BEFORE TAKING OFF AGAIN. PRESS THE GAS THE CAR LURCHES FOWARD. ITS REALLY DANGEROUS ON THE HIGHWAY. AND THE SAD PART IS THERE IS A CURRENT LAWSUIT ON NISSAN FOR THE SAME TRANMISSION IN MY CAR AND IM BEING TOLD I CANT GET IT REPLACED BUT THE COVERAGE FOR MY CAR YEAR AND MODEL ENDED BEFORE I EVEN GOT THE CAR! BUT YET AND STILL IT STILLS HAS THIS SAME RAGGEDY TRANSMISSION THAT THEIR BEING SUED FOR RIGHT NOW!
This is the second transmission I have put in this vehicle, in less than 2 years. The first was at 120,000 miles. The brand new transmission was purchased from Leith Nissan. It has less than 60,000 miles on the brand new transmission and it has failed. Nissan will not stand behind their transmission. When the problem was reported to them, they said sorry it was past the warranty that came with the brand new factory transmission. How can they sell faulty parts and then not stand behind them? This is a serious Nissan issue that needs to be taken care of. I have seen online numerous people posting about their CVT transmission failing.
Catalytic converter failed first - that was very expensive to fix. Speed sensors went out shortly after. Then out of the blue, no warning at all, car started jumping and jerking when you put it in reverse or in drive. It cost an arm and leg to fix due to having to put a new cvt transmission in it. I've had to rent a car for more than 5 months all together because my 2010 Nissan Altima always has has something wrong with it. Plus all the labor cost. I'll never recommend nor buy another Nissan period they are nothing but trouble!! Pure junk.
Check engine light came on. Replaced oxygen sensor and ordered catalytic converter. A couple days before replacing catalytic converter when accelerating or stopping the vehicle shudders. When you get past 20mph it runs fine. Mechanic is saying it needs a new CVT transmission they said its a common thing for these transmissions but Nissan won't own up to it. Now I'm stuck with a car that I just put over $500 in and now it needs another $4,000 worth of work.
The car gave me no problems until June 22, 2018, then it started acting up making noise and acting like gears were catching and it would release and then drives fine for awhile. Now it barely wants to move at time. Nissan said since I was past 120,000 it was nothing they could do to help.
- Cindy D.,
Tallahassee, FL, US
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CVT transmission failure. After operating for an hour or so, the transmission begins to whine. Shortly afterwards, it locks into high gear, won't downshift. Manual control is unavailable. Car can't accelerate due to locking in high gear. Acrid fumes fill passenger compartment, very distressing. Dear, JIM CLICK NISSAN in Tucson, will diagnosis but has already warned me that I will be liable for diagnostic and disassembly-reassembly fees if problem is not found to be attributable to CVT. CLICK failed to inform me when they finally answered my inquiries that the warranty has been extended! Said nothing until I learned about that and asked them. This Nissan Altima is absolutely the worst automobile I've ever owned. DON'T BUY A NISSAN!
This is a huge safety defect. I was driving on the highway, going about 65/70 MPH. I had to brake, due to traffic. I pressed on the gas, it went all the way to the ground, the car didn't accelerate at all. I released the gas an pressed again...still the same thing. this is in the middle of very fast moving traffic. I had to put my hazards on, as the car continued to slow down... Then all of a sudden as I was releasing my foot from the gas...it forcefully accelerated causing me to slam on the brakes , to keep me from hitting the car in from of me. I haven't driven the car since. It's sitting in my driveway. I'm afraid to drive it, and at the present moment, don't have the means to get it towed anywhere to be looked at. It's such a shame that as soon as you pay a car off, and you are no longer covered under the warranty, that you start to have major problems. I bought a nissan, because they were known for their longevity....I will never buy Nissan again. I look on the sites to see if there is a recall for this issue, and have not found one. please someone help me. I'm a single mom, with two kids. One in high school and the other in college. I can't afford another car note.
We took our Nissan Altima to our local dealer and had the transmission serviced . My husband talked to the service tech while he was there about the transmission and was asking if it had filters he assured him it didn't within a week my transmission went out . I ended up finding someone that knew more about the transmission and it does have 2 filters . I think Nissan just wants to let them clog up so they can replace your transmission !!! Or else they just don't know what they are doing either way there cars are JUNK and I won't buy another one !!!
1 week before, anyone sitting in my car says transmission is very smooth. Next week all of a sudden gear is free and I find out that the transmission is failed and needs to be replaced. Super expensive repair out of the blue, really frustrating.
My car died on the way home and had to be towed only to find out it was the transmission. Nissan Corp told me to get it towed to a dealer which I did only to incur more towing fees. The dealer tells me it is shot and gives me the code to call corporate. Corporate tells me that since I am 405 out of the extended warranty of 120,000 they will not help me. Corporate also stated that they are not obligated to let us know that they extended the warranty for a second time because of the bad transmission so unless you happen to hunt their website for issues you would not have known there was a problem with the transmission.
I drive 3000 miles a month so it would have been nice to have some sort of warning that this was an issue. Nissan purposely did not put this as a recall, they are hoping we all fall out of warranty so they will not have to fix the problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
THE CAR SHIFTS WHEN IT WANTS TO I TRY TO SLOW DOWN HOPING THAT WILL HELP IT SHIFT, WHEN YOU TAKE OFF IT SHUDDERS AND STALLS FOR A SEC WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE ON THE GAS IT DOES THE SAME THING AND AFTER BEING AT A STOP LIGHT IT STALL AND SHAKES BEFORE TAKING OFF AGAIN. PRESS THE GAS THE CAR LURCHES FOWARD. ITS REALLY DANGEROUS ON THE HIGHWAY. AND THE SAD PART IS THERE IS A CURRENT LAWSUIT ON NISSAN FOR THE SAME TRANMISSION IN MY CAR AND IM BEING TOLD I CANT GET IT REPLACED BUT THE COVERAGE FOR MY CAR YEAR AND MODEL ENDED BEFORE I EVEN GOT THE CAR! BUT YET AND STILL IT STILLS HAS THIS SAME RAGGEDY TRANSMISSION THAT THEIR BEING SUED FOR RIGHT NOW!
- Hillary G., Hugo, OK, US