CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2015 Nissan Altima shows multiple problem trends, continuing the poor reputation of the 2013 & 2014 Altima, prompting us to give it our "Beware of the Clunker" badge.

Owners are complaining about transmission problems related to the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,557 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.

2015 Nissan Altima engine problems

engine problem

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2015 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #36

May 112023

Altima

  • miles

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

The gas petal broke while accelerating to get on the highway. My safety was put at risk as I was unable to move out of harms way. I was shocked to find out the gas pedal was plastic. It was the original gas pedal provided by Nissan and I am the original owner.

- Yukon, OK, USA

problem #35

Jan 012022

Altima

  • miles
The cruise control doesn-??t work at all, then I-??ve only had the car for always two years and the power steering is giving me issues. Also when I roll the window up or dwn the lights will flicker

- Columbus , GA, USA

problem #34

Jun 122022

Altima

  • miles
The vehicle failed to accelerate in a timely manner after stopping at a traffic light without warning.

- Greenbelt, MD, USA

problem #33

May 152022

Altima

  • miles

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

The problem with the C17F1 cvt judder when pressing the gas the car would not go. So you turn car off. Then restart car pressing gas all the way down, and the car jumps forward and luckily doesn-??t hit car in front of you. Nissan is well aware of cvt transmission problems on 2011 and 2015 Altima-??s in which now it costs me $5400 to replace this transmission. Nissan should of advertised this car as LEMON transmission CAR because you are almost guaranteed to have the transmission replaced. My car has 102 thousand miles and I-??m forced to Pay $5400 for this defected transmission that Nissan was well aware of. I hate this car that I have paid so much money for. On top of list price plus this repair that I will never get my money back costs over 27000 dollars. I-??m retired and Nissan sold me a ? LEMON.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #32

May 172022

Altima

  • miles
For the last few days my car has been hesitant to accelerate. At low speed acceleration it jerks a few times then the rpms go way high and is slow to shift & accelerate. It is automatic. This problem has been gradually increasing over past 2 years. I did take it to a dealership when the hood latch was replaced due to recall this year and they just suggested I drain/replace the transmission fluid in hopes that it fixes the acceleration issues. They already knew when I went into the dealership that it wasn't in warranty anymore and because I couldn't afford to fully fix the problem they just brushed me off. This isn't a safe car anymore to drive. I have 2 children and this is our primary vehicle. I just know whatever this issue with the transmission and power train stuff is not safe and it's only a matter of time until something major brakes down, I just hope it does not clunk out on us to where we wreck. These power train/transmission issues have started affecting the cruise control, air flow of the car, and possibly affecting the sensors which then could be another ordeal with electrical issues. NISSAN WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE TRANNY/POWER TRAIN > EXTEND THE WARRANTY OR FIND AND FIX THIS ISSUE I bought the car in 2018 with less than 20,000 miles and have done regular maintenance, new tires every year, oils changes, replacing air filters and wipers, replacing brake pads, ive had to replace the brake booster already and flushed the whole brake system because of this acceleration issue I figured the brakes causing the lag but this car is just falling apart these past 2 years, rust on the trunk near the silver trim has caused the trunk to open on its own and the back-up camera feels like its slowly going out, the headlights are too dim to drive at night(even the brights now are dim), the rear passenger window just dropped down one day off the roller and I can't get the window back up and stay on the roller. Problem after Problem. Safety concern after safety concern.

- Jackpot, NV, USA

problem #31

May 092022

Altima

  • miles
My 2015 Nissan Altima SV begin losing power and revving up and RPMs but would not move. When I exited the interstate to see what was going on because at that time the check engine light had also come on I came to the stop sign and when I proceeded to move forward to find somewhere safe to park the vehicle would not go but the accelerator but the RPMs went up. Putting my wife's life and myself in danger of uncommon traffic because vehicle barely wanted to move I had the vehicle towed to Nissan dealership in the following morning the service manager called me and let me know that they checked out the vehicle and that it was a transmission and also the speed control sensor he said there was no recalls on it but did have three six and 12 month financing so that they can continue to do the repairs. I am currently just paid the vehicle off two weeks ago and I'm frustrated that this has happened. This was the third time this has happened to this vehicle the first two times my wife had to pull over waited close to an hour as vehicle cool down and then proceeded to continue home which was fine but these are happening every two to three months now.

- Tucson , AZ, USA

problem #30

Aug 282021

Altima

  • miles

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

Twice now when I have gone to pull out my car has died on me with no warning.The first time was in Aug,2021 the next was in Sep or Oct 202. I have also noticed that when I'm driving and not accelerating (like going down a hill) then start accelerating the car will sputter like if it's not getting gas. It is really scary when it has died on me pulling out I've almost got hit by other vehicles.

- Blountville, TN, USA

problem #29

Sep 122021

Altima

  • miles
Car was misfiring for a while. Got spark plugs and coils changed. Two days after they were changed car still kept misfiring and jerking and wouldn-??t change from the first gear and takes a minute to accelerate after a complete stop. Has white smoke coming from the muffler. Two days ago it stalled to start and would not drive or reverse. Dash board keeps saying system malfunction and LDW (lane departure warning) and BSW (blindspot warning) and check engine light stays on.

- Port St. Lucie , FL, USA

problem #28

Jul 242021

Altima

  • miles
I was driving and the vehicle started to accelerate on its own as I proceeded to press the brakes the vehicle got faster

- Stone Mountain , GA, USA

problem #27

May 112021

Altima

  • 1 miles
Cvt transmission issuses exceleration issues, vibration when trying to pick up speed jerking motion overringing. City highway when trying to pick up speed

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #26

Mar 242021

Altima

  • 0 miles

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

My vehicles transmission I was told it has to do with transmission I thought it was a cv joint I not but it turned out to be way more then then that the accelerator peddle would get stuck and then take off fast almost hit someone.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #25

Aug 042020

Altima

  • 185,000 miles
My 2015 Nissan Altima began stalling when I engaged the accelerator pedal. It stalled and eventually sounded as if it were struggling to shift gears began moving forward. While driving 55 mph, I was forced to abruptly engage the brake pedal to avoid crashing into another vehicle; however, when I applied the accelerator pedal the vehicle strained to move forward and accelerate but within a few minutes I was able to drive the normal speed. The vehicle does hesitate every time I drive it.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #24

Aug 122019

Altima 4-cyl

  • 50 miles
I have two ongoing issues that seems to be a very common issue with Nissan Altima. 1st issue is periodically I have no acceleration on gas pedal. This is very sporadic and only seems to happen when the vehicle is warmed up. Almost had crash on a couple of occasions while going thru intersection. Second problem is periodically the cruise control will not engage. These problems are getting worse. Car only has 80K miles on it. 1st appeared around 50K miles on it.

- Primm Springs, TN, USA

problem #23

Apr 222020

Altima

  • 75,000 miles
Having intermittent issue with accelerator not funcitioning. From time to time you can step on gas and it will not respond. Other issue is the cruise control will not funcition intermittently.

- Primm Springs, TN, USA

problem #22

Feb 212020

Altima

  • 40,000 miles
I have noticed that when pressing down on the the acceleration pedal there is sometimes an extended delay and the car does not move. It does not happen always, but I have read that alot people are having the same issues, and no one seems to know the cause. Personally, after putting the car in park, turning off and turning on the car seems to allow it to accelerate again. My specific experience with this happened twice in a two week span. I was stopped at a light with the brake pedal pressed down on a regular two way roadway. As the light turned green, I attempted to accelerate by pressing the gas pedal but the car would not move, and the rpms would just go up. This same experience happened another time as well. Please look into it as a possible recall for some programming on this cvt transmission, as this could be a very potentially bad risk, especially driving on the highway where losing the ability to accelerate can result in major accidents/deaths.

- Mineola, NY, USA

problem #21

Jan 132020

Altima

  • 72,200 miles
After about 20 minutes or so of the car running it starts to do this thing where is does not accelerate for a couple seconds while pressing the gas pedal. It then starts to accelerate with a delay. When in stop and go traffic it is extremely scary.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #20

Sep 072019

Altima

  • 140,000 miles
Purchased the car in 2016 with 22,000 miles. At the 2nd oil change, Nissan dealership said it needed the cvt reprogrammed. From that point until now, I have complained about juddering, shuddering, delayed acceleration, and just not going when the gas pedal was pressed. The last time it happened before being completely disabled, it left me stranded on an interstate ramp merging into highway traffic, the car just would no go. It acted like it was starting off in 3rd gear, which is very dangerous! when I took it to the local dealership, I was told that if something was wrong with the transmission, the check engine light would come on, but it would cost me $200 for a diagnosis since it was out of warranty. Now, my car has 140K miles and is out of warranty, the transmission needs to be replaced and they still won't do anything about it. I have asked several times about the multiple tsb's associated with the 2015 Nissan Altima 4-cylinder cvt, which my car is, and they've told me that none of them apply to my car. Something needs to be done about this issue affecting millions of customers!

- Asheboro, NC, USA

problem #19

Apr 082019

Altima

  • 78,000 miles
When driving in hot weather or a long distance (60+miles) on streets and/or highway, the vehicle will not accelerate after coming to a complete stop. Stopping in bumper to bumper traffic, stop sign, stop light or even after having to do an emergency brake. The vehicle will not accelerate until 5-10 seconds have passed with the acceleration pedal pressed. This issue has caused numerous close rear end accidents just to myself. A normal day of driving turns into a guessing game if I will be rear ended due to this transmission issue. Many 2013+ Nissan owners have this issue and Nissan of America refuses to recall their transmissions. After the vehicle finally starts accelerating, rather hard due to having to hold the acceleration pedal to max for it to move, it loses power when it shifts to the next gear. RPM falls under the optimal RPM for the given speed and feels like you go from 1st gear to 4th gear.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #18

Sep 282019

Altima

  • 40,000 miles
The car fails to accelerate when I step on the gas pedal. Sometimes it will have delayed acceleration or none at all. The engine will rev but no motion. I also took the car for a smog check in attempt to change ownership and it didn't pass smog a code P0776 came up. Took it to an auto repair shop and they stated it was a transmission problem. Now I'm stuck with this dangerous death trap. This is very dangerous while turning and while on the freeway. It happens periodically with no warning.

- Carson, CA, USA

problem #17

Aug 142019

Altima

  • 25,000 miles
Intermittent problem the dealer could not duplicate since 25K miles. The car revs and loses speed. Sometimes I press the gas pedal and it will not go for 2-5 secomds. Recently going up a hill the car rolled backwards while I was pressing the gas pedal. Turning the car off can "cure" the symptom until it randomly has the same problem. It is difficult driving in traffic, or deciding to make left turns because I can not depend on acceleration

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

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