8.7

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,076 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.

2018 Nissan Altima drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2018 Nissan Altima Owner Comments

problem #16

May 032024

Altima

  • miles

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

Car started acting strangely on the way to work one morning, rpms would jump all over, it started to jerk, judder, slow to accelerate. That evening it did the same a few minutes after driving it. Got it to a local trusted mechanic who test drive and ran an OBD2 diagnostic check, which returned a P17F0 code. He told me it's serious CVT issues and referred me to the local Nissan dealership. The next day they called with the same diagnosis, CVT failure. Car was around 99,500 miles. The horrible extended warranty company I chose wouldn't honor it, said the car was fine. Nissan dealer argued that it WAS CVT failure and could cause a hazard. Nevertheless, I picked it up on 05/02. The next evening on the way home from work, in heavy traffic at 50 mph, it started lurching, crazy rpms, shuddering, going into neutral then back to D. As I was turning into a packing lot to stop, the CVT completely failed. The car wouldn't accelerate and left me at an almost stand-still in the middle of the left turn, as incoming traffic nearly crashed into me. A motorist helped push it into the parking lot, where it was towed back to Nissan... where it still sits today with a shot CVT. Nissan refused to help or offer any goodwill assistance even though it nearly caused multiple collisions. The car has been maintained perfectly, with CVT service performed at 65k miles and another at 95k miles. NHTSA should mark this issue as a safety hazard as a car that suddenly loses power puts families in danger. A modern car that can't even reach 100k miles before a major failure is pathetic. And Nissan having known about this issue for 10+ years (as made evident by the multiple lawsuits) should be held accountable. One day this massive CVT issue is going to seriously injure someone, or worse.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #15

Sep 262022

Altima

  • miles
The transmission would shift into neutral while driving down the road, loosing power to the drive train. This happened multiple times on the interstate at higher speeds in the left lane. Cars following came close to hitting me because of the sudden loss of power and speed. Talking with multiple transmission shops and a dealership they stated it was a common problem in the Nissan Altimas. Brought it into a independent transmission repair. First try was a flush and fluid replacement, after a day the issue returned. Next they replaced the transmission with only about 75,000 miles. No warning lights or messages about the failure.

- Savage, MN, USA

problem #14

Mar 142021

Altima

  • miles
I bought my car in February 2021 and me not knowing anything about vehicles I first heard the popping noise when I backed my car out of the driveway.I thought it was something to do with the steering wheel. I recently had someone to look at the car and they said it was my front axles going bad, this could be a safety issue. I have to work with mentally challenged people and I have to transport them back-and-forth to doctors appointments. Is there anyway that there could be a recall on those axles because I know someone else who has an Altima just like mine and hers does the same thing. It-??s very embarrassing to hear that popping noise and I-??m afraid that my car will break down because of it and my front crash light stays on constantly. Please help me resolve this issue. I-??ve been dealing with it since I bought the car..

- Clarksville , TN, USA

problem #13

Jul 252022

Altima

  • miles

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

The CVT transmission failed at the light in mid drive. The car started to roll backwards down a highway exit in traffic. I had to blow the horn and scream out the window to keep from hitting other cars. As the car ascended down the hill, it completely stopped midway and I was unable to remove it from the street. I had to place my hazardous lights on, and push the car off the ramp. I had a Nissan dealership review the vehicle and in return they stated that the actual belt in the CVT was worn down or completely gone and that the entire CVT transmission would have to be fixed. There was no warnings that happened to notify me that there was an actual issue with the vehicle. In addition, I do have a 2015 Nissan Altima who is now showing possible issues with the CVT transmission and it has less than 90,000 miles

- Garner, NC, USA

problem #12

Dec 142022

Altima

  • miles
With a little under 68,000 miles on my 2018 Nissan Altima the transmission started shuttering and slipping. No lights came on the dash but the car was difficult to control. After going to get some dry gas and see if it was motor related the car made a loud squealing noise, the check engine light came on and then the car shuttered the rest of the way home. The car goes in to the Nissan dealership in two days. They told me that I hadn't brought it in to have the transmission for it's 60,000 mile flush but I never recieved a notification. in addition, the car went in for a hood latch replacement at that time but nothing was said then. The car could easily be dangerous if this happened while driving in traffic or trying to pull into traffic.

- Gaylord, MI, USA

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problem #11

Jul 152022

Altima

  • miles
My 2018 Nissan Altima just now reached 100,000 miles on it. I was heading home from work on the interstate when my RPMs started revving up and down and it felt I lost power when I was hitting the gas. My transmission started sputtering, vibrating, slipping. When I place it in drive or reverse now it takes time to go in gear. I took my car to get regular maintenance such as oil change and fluids to see if it was the transmission fluid. The dealership maintenance department did the maintenance and fluids and my car is still doing the same. I asked of the transmission fluid was low I was told it wasn't and I stated about the transmission acting up and was told by the worker yeah I could tell when I took it back and brought it up. The worker stated it was probably the CVT in my car and it costs $5500 to fix and stated this was an issue on models before mine that got extended warranties and the issues was taking place in the model of my vehicle but no extended warranty. This CVT is something that continues to mess up in Nissan and in the 2018 and current models. Either there needs to be a recall or extended warranties or both.

- Bon Aqua, TN, USA

problem #10

Mar 232022

Altima

  • miles

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

2018 Nissan Altima and Sentra cars have faulty continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) that cause juddering, shuddering, clunking, jerking and acceleration problems. This happen while driving on the highway at a speed of 75 mph. This caused me swerve and almost rear ended by another car.

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

problem #9

Jan 302022

Altima

  • miles
On several occasions my vehicle fails to accelerate putting passengers and myself in grave danger. Nissan mechanics say they cannot replicate my incidents however they are aware that the problem exists with CVT engines made by Nissan. Nissan of America refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem although thousands of people have posted exact issue on owners forums for years.

- Ooltewah, TN, USA

problem #8

Dec 172021

Altima

  • miles
The car doesn't move and the car shakes above 55 miles and I can smell smoke under the hood.

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

problem #7

Aug 152021

Altima

  • miles
CVT transmission failure while in transport. It put my family at risk being stranded on busy highway. No warning lights or indication of issue except vehicle stopped performing effectively. The dealer acknowledged issues in this and other models and had transmission repaired at my cost. Vehicle was diagnosed by dealer which using OBD they found transmission failure codes..

- Whitebear Lake, MN, USA

problem #6

Jun 112021

Altima

  • miles

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

According to Nissan dealership My 2018 Nissan Altima CVT failed. They were able to determined the failed cvt with a diagnosis code P17F0. I have 73,694 miles on my car and my warranty ended at 60,000 miles. In previous years model of the Nissan Altima there were recalls on CVT transmissions for the Nissan Altimas. Nissan stated being that my car is out of warranty the only thing they can do is give me 50% good will because my VIN number is different from the other Nissan Altima that had a failed CVT. I don-??t feel that it was good will being that my car did not reach 100,000 miles and I-??m already having an issue that has been a problem In the past. I keep up with the maintenance of my vehicle very well and this problem occurred out of the blue. I also spoke with Nissan about the current recall on my car being that I have to drive a car around and my hood could possibly fly off at any giving time. Me being a Nissan customer with such a dangerous vehicle that Nissan continues to have issues with is more good will than they-??ve offered. I honestly would not recommend such an unsafe vehicle to anyone who is interested in purchasing a Nissan Altima. My car is fairly new and I-??m having CVT issues. My car literally stopped in the middle of the road and would not accelerate because of a mechanically failing CVT. I highly recommend that Nissan Recall any vehicles that have CVT issues especially since it-??s been a repeating cycle. I hope this doesn-??t go unnoticed. Thank you

- Midlothian, VA, USA

problem #5

May 012019

Altima

  • 5,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was at a stand still and the ignition failed to start. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer fiesta Nissan (5001 S 169C, edinburg, tx 78539, (956) 348-1408) where it was diagnosed with needing an unknown brake switch to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but experienced the failure three additional times. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

- Edinburg, TX, USA

problem #4

Mar 282020

Altima 4-cyl

  • 5 miles
Air cooling system does not work. It will not blow any cold air. Attempted to put freon only for it to burst out a pipe. I was told there is a leakage. When driving and trying to change gears to drive there is a very ugly grinding noise and gear switching is hard. Back up camera goes in and out. Sometimes it's just a black screen. This only happens when reversing.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #3

Jan 082020

Altima

  • 14,209 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started and shifted to drive, the vehicle hesitated and then lunged forward while the RPM's revved up. The contact also stated that the failure recurred approximately 10 times. The vehicle was taken to star Nissan located at 5757 West touhy avenue, niles, il 60714, (704) 867-8341 where the transmission control module software was updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,209.

- Evanston, IL, USA

problem #2

Nov 102019

Altima

  • 10,000 miles
While driving on the highway, during the morning, my car activated the brakes on its own, this is the second time this happens the first time I took it to the dealer and asked for the sensors to be removed, and kept it for a whole day and apparently nothing was done, secondly the (front radar obstruction) is becoming annoying. Another of the issues I encountered with this my Altima is the shifting, from 2nd to 3rd gear it feels as if the gears were stuck, also took it in the dealer and they said this could not be true because my Altima doesn't have a regular transmission it has a band, so I responded, you know more than me, just please make a note of my issue and I don't want to be stuck with a lemon, I am sure I'm not the only one that has encountered these issues

- Santa Paula, CA, USA

problem #1

May 012019

Altima

  • 20,000 miles
Driving along interstate slowed down for traffic light and when I stepped on the gas to accelerate, vehicle would not go even if the accelerator was on the floor could not get above 40mph and RPM were between 4&5 was almost rearended by other traffic. Happened two more times on the highway. Also when driving through slow traffic feels as if transmission is jerking and power is lost.

- Appalachia, VA, USA

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