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:
21 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
15 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,236 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 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2015 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 8 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #23

Mar 192016

Altima

  • 15,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, there was a fracture between the firewall and the interior of the vehicle, which allowed water to enter the vehicle when it rained. The carpet was replaced, but an abnormal odor was still present in the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V244000 (air bags). The failure mileage was 15,000.

- Alba, TX, USA

problem #22

Jan 032016

Altima

  • 620 miles
My Altima is only 2 months old and did not start 4X already. It seems to do this first thing in the morning when the car is cold. My steering wheel is vibrating constantly and I can feel a vibration with my foot on the accelerator. There is a loud noise like a constant dentist drill under my hood that is louder every time I turn. The dealership just replaced my power steering pump and there is no change! my passenger airbag light is on when there is a passenger in the car. It will go off during drive time. It does not matter if I have my purse, a bag, heavy books or a person-it sporadically goes off and on while I am driving. I do not feel safe knowing the airbag will not deploy in a crash! lithia Nissan has checked the sensor, but it is still doing it. I owned a 2008 Altima and 2011 Altima that never required service other than oil changes and air in my tires. I am very disappointed with this 2015 piece of junk! I can hear wind noise no matter what speed I am driving. I feel like I am in a crash test every time I slow down. Nissan tech said it is the new cvt transmission. Honda, Lexus, Toyota, Mercedes and Audi have cvt and it is a smooth ride! why does Nissan cvt jerk you around? the car is so cheaply made the speakers are popped up and paint is chipping. I have reported my issues to Nissan Corp. And BBB. The newest issue is the RPM rev up as I sit at red lights. I want Nissan to rebuy this car back!

- Grants Pass, OR, USA

problem #21

Jul 182015

Altima

  • miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that when the passenger side seat was occupied, the air bag sensor failed to recognize that the passenger was in the seat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger side air bag sensor needed to be recalibrated. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.

- North Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #20

Feb 172016

Altima

  • 10,000 miles

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

Pass air bag off with 115 pound passenger in seat. Fifth time. Must stop car pass gets out then back in and light goes out. Dealer finds no error message and can not find problem. Car demonstrates this problem when first entering car. Because the light goes through a test mode you may not notice problem until underway. Dealer unable to duplicate problem. I am very concerned for passenger safty we live in ct, usa problem started at <5,000 miles. Now over 10,000 miles with same proble. Not temperature related.

- Shelton, CT, USA

problem #19

Dec 192015

Altima

  • 16,665 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. While driving 65 mph, the passenger side air bag warning light illuminated when a passenger was present. The failure occurred constantly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,665.

- Oakland, CA, USA

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problem #18

Feb 052016

Altima

  • 25,000 miles
Passenger front airbag intermittently deactivates even with a 120 pound adult sitting in the seat. Warning light that the air bag is deactivated comes on. On other random trips the air bag appears to be armed, with no warning light. Car is a rental vehicle.

- Glen Ellyn, IL, USA

problem #17

Jan 212016

Altima

  • 19,000 miles

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

When stationary and driving, the front passenger side airbag says off when my wife is sitting in the front passenger seat. She weighs 106 lbs. The light will go off eventually but comes on all the time she is sitting in the seat. It goes on whether on a city street or highway at any speed.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

problem #16

May 282015

Altima

  • 19,875 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag indicated that the passenger side seat was occupied when there was no occupant. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag senor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 19,875.

- Oakland, CA, USA

problem #15

Dec 212015

Altima

  • miles
The passenger side front seat sometimes will not detect an adult occupying the seat and disables the air bag for that passenger. Adults ranging in weights from 115 pounds to 120 pounds. It appears like a manufacturing defect.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #14

Dec 022014

Altima

  • 100 miles
After starting the vehicle while still stationary, the front passenger airbag is disarmed despite there being a passenger in the seat. The vehicle must be restarted frequently until the light indicates the airbag is armed. I have taken it to the dealer on two separate occasions but both times they found nothing wrong and could only re-calibrate the sensor. If someone were to not notice the light it could potentially be a dangerous situation for the passenger.

- Bowie, MD, USA

problem #13

Oct 052015

Altima

  • 4,500 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. While driving 55 mph, the vehicle changed gears without notice. The vehicle shifted into neutral without warning. The vehicle was placed into gear and resumed normal operation. The contact stated that the keyless entry failed and the air bag warning light illuminated. The failures recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 4,500. The VIN was not available.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #12

Sep 012015

Altima

  • miles
The front passenger airbag light comes on while the vehicle is moving and while there is an adult in the seat. The dealership checked the system and stated there were no problems detected. The system has continued to malfunction. The concern is the bags won't deploy when needed.

- Imperial, CA, USA

problem #11

Nov 012015

Altima

  • 8,000 miles
The passenger airbag sensor occasionally malfunctions and the "air bag off" light will illuminate when the passenger seat is indeed occupied by an adult. This happens approximately 10% of the time the seat is occupied. This is a commonly recurring complaint on the NHTSA site. Nissan has recalled approximately 140 Altima, but mine was not in this group after running my VIN.

- Bloomington, IN, USA

problem #10

Nov 092015

Altima

  • 18,000 miles
My air bag says it is off when someone is sitting in the seat. It doesn't do it ever time but it has done it quite a bit. When I took it to my dealership I bought it from they told me there isn't anything they could do because the light was working properly when I took it to them.

- Lawrenceburg, KY, USA

problem #9

Sep 232015

Altima

  • 6 miles
From time to time the warning light that states that the front passenger air bag is not working comes on. When this occured the passengere was an adult at a weight greater than 150 pounds. The only way to get the light to go off and have the air bag work was to turn the car off and then start it again. This has been back to the dealer and they can find nothing wrong and Nissan will not do anything. This happened too on an a 2013 model of the Altima as well. No one was hurt - the air bag did not open, just this supplemental system stated that it was not working..

- Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA

problem #8

Dec 132014

Altima

  • 750 miles
The passenger air bag sensor intermittently does not sense a passenger therefore the passenger air bag warning system stays off. My worry is, if in an accident will my wife of 54 years be saved by the air bag deploying or not. The vehicle was taken in to future Nissan of roseville, on 03/24/15, inspected, stated could not duplicate problem. We were told no recall or reports from other owners are known. The problem is still happening. We have heard of the same issue occurring with others. My wife and I are very concerned with our safety.

- Auburn, CA, USA

problem #7

Oct 152014

Altima

  • miles
Since the purchase of the vehicle in Sept 2014, I have had recurring issues with the passenger side air bag. When my daughter, who is 5'9" and weighs 150 lbs is in the seat the "air bag off" light will randomly illuminate. She is not fidgeting in her seat. She is sitting evenly in the seat and not moving. I have taken it to the Nissan dealer 4 times. The first two times they claimed to have read the error messages and reprogrammed it. The issue continued, the third time it was in, they replaced the sensor in the seat. The problem persisted after the sensor was replaced. I was then directed by the dealer to file a claim with Nissan. I did so and they dispatched a dealer service technician to evaluate the car. He claimed that he could not recreate the issue and that there was nothing that Nissan could do. His report indicated that the "system is working as designed". I received a copy of a technical service bulletin dated August 29, 2014 which states that occupant classification system (OCS) responds to different seating posture and may be operating normally. I was also told by the technician that if it happens to have the passenger get out and get back in to reset the system. I have never had a car where the passenger had to sit a certain way or get out of the car to make the air bags work properly!! I requested to have my case escalated to the next level and was told there was not a next level. The safety of my children is of extreme importance to me and I have no assurance that the system will work if tested. Unfortunately, the only way to test it would be to get in an accident. I do not want to take that chance!! I have requested a buy back from Nissan and am awaiting their response.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #6

Aug 022015

Altima

  • 12,162 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. While parked, the vehicle inadvertently went into reverse, rolled backwards down the driveway, and crashed into a ditch. The contact attempted to stop the vehicle by turning the steering wheel, but the vehicle crashed into a rock garden on top of a sewer line. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact sustained injuries to the right foot, left knee, left arm, and left elbow that did not require medical attention. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,162. The VIN was not available.

- Winston Salem, NC, USA

problem #5

Apr 082015

Altima

  • 2,700 miles
The contact owned a 2015 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 55 mph, the driver lost control of the vehicle. It traveled down a hill before crashing into a tree. The driver's seat air bag did not deploy. The driver suffered contusions, abrasions, and lacerations to the left hip and pelvis area and an injured left leg that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,700.

- Sharpsburg, GA, USA

problem #4

Apr 102015

Altima

  • 800 miles
The passenger air bag sometime will turn off, while people still sitting in the front seat. The sensor of the passenger air bag is just not sensitive enough with light weight adult weight less 120lbs.

- Monterey Park, CA, USA

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