2016 Nissan Altima
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 553 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 10th highest complaint count among 26 Altima model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 28 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 32 people were injured and 1 person died.
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 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
Representative owner complaints: power train
235 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Mar 4, 2023
Transmission problem.
Power train, Exterior lighting, Feb 15, 2023
No injuries or accident but this vehicle has two serious problems . 1. The head lights are almost non existent. you can not drive faster than 25 mph with out over driving you lighted area... I consider this a serious issue. .2. when car was new i almost always was getting in the low 30s and as high as 40 mpg now it is always getting in the low 20s consistently ... When i check this on you tube they say that is a warning that the CVT is not working properly . With only 48000 miles on the car , I ask if this is a problem that Nissan should correct ?
Power train, Dec 29, 2022
My car has several problems with accelerating either during highway speeds or from a dead stop. First , the car starts fine and engine runs fine, does not idle rough or stall out. The problems arise after driving for a few miles and I come to a complete stop, either at a stop light or sign. When the light turns green and I attempt to move the car, there is a severe lag in response to get the car moving. When it does start moving (after about 5-6 seconds), it barely rolls forward at less than 1 mile an hour. It does not matter how many times I depress the gas pedal, or if I have it to the floor, the car barely moves without any sound or rise in RPMs. The car may cover a distance from 15 feet to 150 feet at this snail pace until suddenly the RPMs shoot up to 4-5000 and the vehicle takes off like a rocket. The first time this happened I was making a lefthand turn and while sitting in the turn pocket I pressed the accelerator and the car started to creep along and put me right in the way of oncoming traffic which luckily slowed down for me to crawl across. The next time it happened was when I left a stoplight and the car started crawling then suddenly shot off and almost hit the car in front of me which had slowed down for a dip about 30 feet from the stop light. BOTH VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. The car also tends to lose acceleration while driving at highway speeds with the RPMs dropping approximately 1000 RPMs as when crossing intersections leaving me to crawl through a long intersection while now with cross traffic on the green light. This happens during freeway speeds as well. Also, at freeway speeds the car will top out at 40 MPH with the RPMs winding away at 4-5,000 RPMs while traffic is flying by me at 65-75 MPH. All these scenarios are prime conditions for an accident or collision. Symptoms first appeared about two months ago, now daily. The Nissan Dealer refuses to do transmission repair saying the computer throws no codes. Will not take my word on the problems.
Power train, Engine, Dec 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and the RPM’s revved up and the vehicle started shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed and went all the way to the floorboard; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle two more times. The failure persisted but the contact was able to continue driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mass airflow sensor and intake manifold were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact referenced Nissan Technical Service Bulletin Number: NTB16-121a. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Dec 8, 2022
Car was stopped at a stop sign. When it was clear I attempted to proceed and turn left. The car began to roll then wouldn't accelerate causing me to block both lanes with oncoming vehicles. The rpms revved and the car wouldn’t move. Finally, the car started to go forward and without me pressing the gas it accelerated. I reported the situation to the Nissan Dealer and the Nissan Consumer repair. The mechanic at Nissan said the code is the transmission "death code." The simply said the car has over 84,000 miles so they would not be responsible for the repair. When I told them the situation, they did not discuss safety issues. I asked the man at Nissan Consumer Affairs if the life expectancy of a 2016 Nissan transmission was 108,000 miles. He said Nissan was not responsible for vehicle safety after 84,000 miles. He gave me a case number and and hung up. I then received an email with the case number and a note that said to give the number to my attorney. I do not have an attorney.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Nov 25, 2022
I only had my vehicle(2016NissanAltima) for less than 2 weeks before the vehicles major problems started. The engine consistently Stalls, Surges and Shudders. As well as the Shifter locking itself to where it wont shift out of park. There are no and have never been any warning lights to alert me. The CVT and the Computer are very faulty. To the point the vehicle is now a Death Trap. When driving the car the RPM will randomly accelerate and I have no way to control the vehicle and then vehicle will go into "Limp Mode" consistently and won't go any faster or slower than the speed the car chooses to do. I don't trust anything of what it says on the dashboard as far as Gas amount, Odometer, MILWarnings, Speed or otherwise. If there are no warnings from the car to alert me with, then that is a major issue with the car and is not mechanically sound and very dangerous for me and other drivers on the road. I have had to make the car sit the majority of the short time I have had it. Because I simply won't drive very far because of the dangers it puts me in everytime I have drove it. I have had to spend my money on transportation to and from work instead of making my first car payment. At this point I want to just Opt-out with the vehicle entirely and give it back to the dealership. This car is just unsafe and should not have been sold in the condition it is in. I only got to drive the vehicle 10 days or so before major issues started with the vehicle. I have not a clue what the details of what is wrong with the car. The only warning signal I do see now, is the MIL and that is not even mentioned in the option menu of the car settings etc. This car needs to be re-manufactured so that it can become a safe running vehicle. I don't have the money that it will take to fix the car. It's far too expensive for me or any hard working citizen to ever afford. I don't advise anyone to own a vehicle of this kind.
Power train, Nov 14, 2022
The car has been experiencing transmission problems since about 95,000 miles. I contacted Nissan of North America about the issue and they told me they knew of the issue, extended warranty to 88,000 miles. I bought car used with 87,000 and no issue until 95,000. Issue is, the car stalls in stop and go traffic, it revs and jumps when starting, makes a humming noise while gas pedal is engaged. Took it in for recalls and Nissan of Lagrange even said the CVT transmissions are junk. Nissan needs to recall every car that has this transmission and fix the issue.
Power train, Oct 25, 2022
Transmission failing. Will not take off from stand still, then jerks and goes after revving. Jerks badly and shudders when accelerating, then refuses to accelerate to highway speeds over 55mph.
Power train, Sep 27, 2022
CVT failed while driving on a busy inclined highway (towards Denver Airport) without any prior warning or check engine alert. The car came to a complete stop before I can judge the problem and pull over. Got it towed to the nearest Nissan service center (Tynan's Nissan, Denver) where they identified code P0776 and P17F0 after inspection. The check engine light turned amber only after the car came to a complete stop.
Power train, Sep 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, on other occasions while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond as needed with the accelerator pedal depressed. The contact stated the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure or retrieve a fault code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 72,000.
Power train, Sep 11, 2022
My 2016 Altima began loosing power in spurts, wouldn't move after stopping until accelerator was pushed to the floor then it would lunge forward. Took the car to a dealership and found out the transmission needed replaced at 91,000 miles! Nissan did agree to pay half the cost but, here I am 4weeks later and I still don't have my vehicle...No loaner car was provided either, they wanted me to pay $44 a day with 100 free miles. By the time I drove from the dealership to my home I would use 65-70 of those miles alone. Very disappointed in both Nissan and Ricart Automotive!
Power train, Aug 14, 2022
On 8/11/22,I was driving my car and came to a stoplight. I went to accelerate and the car seemed slow to respond when I applied the accelerator. This happened several times during this one particular trip. When I made a lefthand turn and the car barely moved along. I got to my destination and let the car sit for about 20 minutes. I then proceded to drive home and the car worked fine. On 8/12/22, I took it a Nissan Dealership and was told the transmission may be failing. No warning lamps came on. I was told that I may have a hard time pleading my case because no warning lamps came on. This happened several times last year. I took it to the same Nissan Dealership and they reprogrammmed the computer. I plan on taking it to a Nissan Dealership and having it checked out again as I have 3000 miles left on the extended waranty.
Power train, Aug 13, 2022
CVT transmission failed. We are safe but the situation cause a lot of stress. The problem had been confirmed by Ancot transmission in South Carolina and the transmission had to be replace. After the Nissan dealership had to programmed the new one. The problem happened before the check engine light appear, when the light went on , we took the car at Ancot transmission. We are Canadian citizen, the problem happened during are vacations. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Power train, Aug 12, 2022
I have been having transmission issues, started in 2019 i have taken it to multiple dealership they can never find the issues, after my vehicle warranty expired they miraculously found the issue with my cvt transmission, when calling nissan customer care they would only cover 2500.. after i havr been taking it over 2 years to 4 different dealerships
Power train, Aug 8, 2022
Evidently there have been numerous issues with 2016 Nissan Altima transmissions that Nissan has neglected to issue a recall for. Mine started several months ago, sometimes I'll be driving, stop at a light and the car will just not move. Additionally it will sometimes just start revving over 6K rpm while driving on the highway. I have to use my car for personal use every day, I drive my 7 year old to school/summer camp and myself to work daily and this is a serious danger for us. I have had the vehicle inspected and it has been confirmed that this is a transmission issue and that they have numerous people bringing their Altimas in for the same reason. My engine light never came on until these issues started to occur.
Power train, Aug 1, 2022
When you are driving down the road and come to a stop the car will stall and not go like it is not shifting! The check engine light comes on sometimes sometimes it don’t. It may get up to 40 mph when this happens sometimes it might not go at all!
Power train, Jul 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while making a left turn at a stop light, the vehicle began to hesitate without warning. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal to the floorboard as the hesitation continued before resuming normal operation. The contact also stated that the failure had continued while driving at various speeds without warning. The dealer was notified and offered no additional assistance with the failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Power train, Jul 6, 2022
Vehicle unexpectedly stalls WITHOUT illuminating brake lights! MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE with AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAULTY CVT. (Potential causes to unexpected Collisions) It unexpectedly Shakes, hesitates while shifting, struggles to change gear, wont change gear, stalls, and makes noise such as whining and/or grinding. These problems happen WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS. It also happens coming from a stop. Completely dangerous happen once to me crossing an intersection car dodged me preventing a MAJOR accident/collision. This is a KNOWN ISSUE FOR THIS MODEL AND MANY OTHER NISSANS. NEED TO BE A RECALL ON TRANSMISSION ASAP. MANUFACTURE SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE NOT CONSUMER!! NOT a the weak manufacturer extended warranty from class action lawsuit. Nissan requires this $5k repair on these defective transmissions over 84k miles to be at owner expense. That repair cost extends well above what the average owner can immediately cover. Putting that owner/family and millions of others on highway/roads at risk of major accidents/collisions due to the unexpected failure of the transmission stalling, hesitating, shuddering, & distracting noises without brakes illuminating making cars around aware of an immediate unexpected speed decrease.
Power train, Engine, Jul 3, 2022
Vehicle jerks as RPM needle rapidly bounces between 10rpm and 40rpm when accelerating, sometimes subtle jerk when decelerating.
Power train, Jun 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where the transmission was replaced. However, the failure reoccurred two years later. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the RPM revved up however, the vehicle lost motive power and started jerking while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle remained stuck in first gear. The contact was able to drive to her residence at a slower speed while still experiencing the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer who informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under warranty due to the mileage. The contact referenced Nissan Technical Service Number: 15-084A. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Power train, Jun 26, 2022
VEHICLE: 2016 Nissan Altima SL. I have a Nissan Altima, which is known to have CVT transmission issues. My issues started all of a sudden when my car immediately lost acceleration in the middle of moving traffic, resulting in my car almost being rear-ended on the highway. I had to quickly put the car in park, turn the car off and on and exit onto shoulder lane with a lot of shuddering and stalling coming from engine.I turned the car off again and waited for engine to cool down before attempting to drive again. I had to park my car somewhere overnight as the car was not making it home. The next day I took it to Nissan dealership (with much difficulty), almost resulting in another accident due to random and sporadic loss of acceleration. Nissan confirmed that it was transmission related (I have paperwork). Nissan has known CVT failures for 2013-2016 models and this should be covered under extended powertrain warranty. I am writing this because I have kept up with maintenance for my car and this issue had randomly appeared, often no tell signs until it happens, which Nissan then says is too late. The safety of myself and others is affected because this issue literally results in a loss of control over the car and in cities during traffic hours could be deadly. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
Power train, Jun 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Power train, Jun 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to shift into the intended gear and often failed to shift into any gear, which is an overt and considerable safety issue. The contact had to insert a pen into the gear shifter to correct the failure; however, this work-around was often not successful and the car was not able to be driven safely. The vehicle was repaired to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the gear shifter needed to be repaired by the independent mechanic at a cost totaling $1,158.75. The contact incurred the entire cost out-of-pocket, with zero reimbursement from insurance or the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable. The contact has stated that the work-around for the gear shifter often did not work resulting in the vehicle being undriveable. The vehicle was repaired by the independent mechanic at their own expense. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure with the vehicle but failed to respond. The failure mileage is 83,470 and the VIN has been provided.
Power train, Engine, Jun 23, 2022
I have intermittent acceleration issues and high RPM revving on my car, which causes safety issues especially when making left turns across traffic. This seems to be a common problem. I have not taken to a Nissan dealer yet, but have talked to one and they say I need a new transmission probably for $6,000. I also took it to my local mechanic a few months ago but he could not diagnose anything because it was intermittent. But anyway its frustrating to have a car with known issues and well documented. I don't mind spending the $6,000 if it actually fixes the problem but based upon my research it could be many different things.
Power train, Engine, Jun 21, 2022
My 2016 Altima is experiencing hesitation when accelerating, jerking and shuddering while driving. The RPMs go up but the car doesn't respond. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. The car doesn't respond as it should when entering traffic (feels like the transmission is slipping) which means I have to slow down while merging into traffic on the freeway rather than accelerate. It puts myself and passengers at risk as well as other drivers. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer or dealer for this issue. This vehicle only has 33,000 miles on the car but the symptom's were apparent obvious around 25,000 miles.