2015 Nissan Altima
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Exterior lighting is the leading concern among 953 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 26 Altima model years with reports.
Of the 2015 reports, 46 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 27 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchMay 28, 2020
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.
Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If the primary latch is inadvertently released again and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owners Manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: Recall 16V-029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 Altimas and this recall applies to all vehicles covered by 16V-029 even if those repairs have already been performed.
Campaign 20V315000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, emergency, escape/egress/exitDec 19, 2018
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles, previously remedied under recall number 17V-040. The door latch-lock cable may not have been routed properly in the rear door when the remedy was applied. As a result, the cable may interfere with the window regulator causing the rear passenger door to unlatch and inadvertently open without warning when the window is lowered.
If the rear passenger door opens while the vehicle is moving, the rear passengers have an increased risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will secure the latch-lock cables in the correct position using the new remedy procedure, free of charge. The recall began February 5, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7669.
Campaign 18V915000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, doors, latchJan 18, 2017
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles. The rear door latch/lock cable on the vehicles may have been improperly routed. As a result, lowering a rear window may inadvertently cause that door to unlatch and open.
If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will correct the rear door latch/lock cable routing, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 17V040000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationDec 19, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.
If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 16V911000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationApr 26, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Campaign 16V244000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchJan 22, 2016
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, Nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V-565 and 15V-116.
Campaign 16V029000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, disc, caliperNov 5, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Altima and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured October 6, 2015, to October 7, 2015. The affected vehicles have front brake calipers whose mounting bolts may not be properly tightened.
If the bolts were not properly tightened, the caliper may detach and reduce braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will check the brake caliper mounting bolts, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V733000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontalOct 20, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima and Pathfinder vehicles, 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra vehicles, 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles, 2014-2015 Infiniti QX60 vehicles and 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid vehicles. The affected vehicles received an incorrect occupant classification system (OCS) control unit during a repair. These OCS control units may incorrectly classify the front passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V681000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasolineAug 4, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.
If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 15V486000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, hood, latchFeb 27, 2015
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V-565.
Campaign 15V116000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
161 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Electrical system, Mar 14, 2023
In 3 different occasions in this same particular order my car would start to slowly loose acceleration of only letting me drive to 10mph before lights on dash would come on such as ps,abs,traction control ect. Then my radio would shut off followed by my whole dashboard before completely the whole vehicle would completely shutdown on me and I could not start up again. I replaced the battery and put in a new alternator, but continued doing the exact same issue. I took it to a mechanic and he determined that for whatever reason the new alternator was not sending out the power and replaced it again and have to reprogram the entire computer because it was sending all kinds of codes that had nothing to do with my vehicles issue. He also noticed the continues whining sort of whistling noise coming from the powersterring as I have read in the past that people have that same problem on this particular model. As of this moment its been about 1 month and has not yet stalled on me for now, but it is very dangerous when this happens in the middle of the street or highway when your running at a certain speed and cannot control your steering since its powersterring.
Power train, Feb 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that there was an abnormal winding sound detected coming from the vehicle. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
Power train, Feb 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road and discovered that the transmission had completely failed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Power train, Oct 1, 2022
CVT failure and headlights failure
Power train, Aug 27, 2022
Original transmissional failed at 67,000 miles. Replaced under a Fidelity warranty. 54,000 miles later, the transmission failed again. My safety and the safety of others was at risk due to the car not accelerating properly. Car was revving to 4rpm and only going 20mph. No warning lights appeared, I drove straight to the dealer to have it diagnosed. 2 "red codes" came back indicating needs to be replaced again, at my own expense.
Power train, Aug 10, 2022
The contact's wife owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed that the transmission was slipping. The contact's wife drove to their residence and informed him. The contact test drove the vehicle at 40 MPH and noticed that the transmission was slipping into a lower gear. The contact drove to his residence and used an OBD reader to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the continuously variable transmission (CVT) needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the warranty would cover half of the repair fee and he would be responsible for the other half. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, May 19, 2022
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.
Power train, May 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle was jerking. The contact was unaware if there were any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power train, May 16, 2022
CVT transmission is shot. Nissan says they have "fulfilled their obligation" due to the warranty being out of date. Had a lifetime powertrain warranty with the dealership which was shut down by SOS police. Now no one is responsible for this transmission which Nissan knows is a terrible product. Lasted 6 years. There should be a recall on all of these transmissions which seem to affect the Altimas the most.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, May 10, 2022
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.
Power train, Mar 15, 2022
I was driving on the Chicago skyway toll bridge when my transmission went out in my 2015 nissan altima with 103k miles on it. I had it towed to the dealership where thru quoted me 5500 for a new transmission because of cvt failure. I take extra care of my vehicle and even pay for the premium oil change EVERY single time. Cvt transmission should be banned from US roads.
Power train, Feb 6, 2022
My engine service light is on and I have scanned with diagnostics. The code P0101, C119A, and C1155 with the most likely solution is to reprogram the power train control module(PCM).
Power train, Dec 30, 2021
Transmission went out with no warning. Ran fine the night before, the next morning I couldn't go anywhere. Shop has confirmed by code that is being thrown the transmission has went out, $2900 fix.
Power train, Dec 5, 2021
Nissan refused to pay for transmission of $5,221.38 replacement they should have replaced it due to their crappy cvt design and I have made multiple phone calls and they said we can’t help you.
Power train, Nov 24, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle felt as if the transmission was slipping due to the fact that the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated that she contacted the dealer and was awaiting an appointment. The contact stated she had not yet contacted the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 148,800.
Power train, Nov 12, 2021
This car only had 136,000 miles. The transmission failed. Research shows this version of Nissan has issues with its CVT transmission. The transmission has to be fully replaced by a new transmission costing upwards of $5,000. Based on my research multiple Nissan cars with CVT transmissions are having issues and costing owners money.
Power train, Nov 9, 2021
Transmission is out and the car only has 139,000 miles on it. I'm told the cost to replace the transmission is $4,000 on average. I'm told that mechanics are seeing major issues with the CVT transmission. What can be done to help consumers with this issue during these troubling economic times?
Power train, Oct 20, 2021
Moments car will not accelerate after stepping on gas pedal till one completely steps on it all the way down after coming to a stop. Car will roll first then jerk to accelerate after pressing gas pedal down fully. Notice the issue happens when car gets too hot from frequent stops. Had transmission flushed and it solved the issue for a bit but began again recently.
Power train, Oct 19, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 72 MPH, an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated she restarted the vehicle and switched gears to drive but the vehicle failed to respond and would not move. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic arrived at the residence and diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall for the transmission failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
Power train, Sep 20, 2021
My teenage daughter drives this car daily and last week upon traveling to work on the highway the RPMs jumped and her car lost acceleration and she wasn’t able to pick the speed back up. She was losing power. The car was shuddering when she was accelerating and taking off and it was jerking with gear shifting. She was almost slammed into from behind when this happened. Dealership is telling us we need a new transmission. We purchased the car in 2016 and Jan 2017 we had the transmission computer module reprogrammed at the dealership, per Nissan recommendation.
Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Sep 17, 2021
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.
Power train, Aug 12, 2021
While driving on the highway at a speed around 65 mph, the traffic suddely stopped ahead, so hard braking was performed and the car came to a complete stop, and afterwards the vehicle didn't respond to any gas pedal input for few seconds. I took the vehicle to my local Nissan dealership for check up, but they claim the vehicle drives normal. Knowing that this generation of Nissan Altimas has defective transmissions and a class action lawsuit was settled with an extension of transmission warranty for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Thank you
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 26, 2021
I was in turning lane and when traffic cleared enough to turn I pushed gas, and nothing happened it was just idle, no rpm, no movement let go of gas pushed again barely moved and then didn’t go anywhere. Oncoming traffic at that point was approaching then it engaged and was fine! It did it two more times as I was sitting at light and once while just driving
Power train, Jun 10, 2021, fire
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the transmission seemed as if it was experiencing a failure since the vehicle would jerk while driving with an abnormal odor of coolant burning. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,200.
Power train, May 20, 2021
MY 2015 NISSAN ALTIMA WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. WHILE I AM PRESSING ALL THE WAY DOWN ON THE GAS PEDAL ; THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE ; THEN A FEW SECOND LATER IT WILL JUMP OUT. I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AND A CAR WAS COMING; BUT LUCKLY HE NOTICE I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS. THIS HAS HAPPENED SERVERAL TIMES. DATE HAPPEND 5/7/21 - Millage - 54,700 DURING THAT TIME.