2017 Nissan Altima
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 391 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 13th highest complaint count among 26 Altima model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 24 involved a crash and 7 involved a fire. 23 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
Representative owner complaints: power train
133 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Air bags, Feb 14, 2024, crash
The contact's mom owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while his mom was at a stop light, a one-ton truck crashed into the vehicle. The driver attempted to reverse from the intersection. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had previously reported an incident for acceleration and throttle issues. While his sister was driving and reversing, the vehicle was slow to accelerate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The driver sustained facial injuries, and her forehead and eye were bruised. The patient was taken to the hospital for an MRI and ocular examination. The contact called the same local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop. The insurance company informed him the vehicle would be towed to a salvage yard. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 73,501.
Power train, Feb 14, 2024
The car had been acting odd and the dealership would not listen. I then noticed an engine light come on after my incidents. My transmission was failing in traffic!!!! I need a new transmission, I have had the diagnosis at Nissan.It needs a total replacement , $6000. This was right in the extended warranty period and Nissan refused to fix this at 100 % like they are supposed to My safety was at risk because I was on the freeway and my car was slowing down and joking around.
Power train, Jan 22, 2024
CVT transmission has gone out and it is a road Hazzard. The vehicle doesn't accelerate, jolts, and sputters. There was no warning or reason for a well maintained car under 97k mileage to be having this issue. Upon further investigation it is a common problem with Nissan but nothing is being done to get these cars fixed and off the road before there are bigger problems.
Power train, Oct 7, 2023
When operating my Nissan Altima 2017 I was alerted with warning lamp annd it notified me to check engine and then it went away. The car started to jerk, also the car rpm’s went up and took it awhile to reset while at a stop light…I then parked the car and when I tried to start it, the shift would shift to drive and reverse but the car wouldn’t move…so I towed the car home and after almost 3 weeks I was able to save money to tow it to a Nissan dealership and they confirmed I needed a new cvt transmission…quoted me 7,800 for replacing and labor fees. I have read about the 2017 Nissan settlement after doing a lot of research on the vehicle, I need help with the next steps. Cause that price to fix it isn’t affordable for me while making car payments still. Car is still in my possession currently, just have to pay it to be towed back to my residence
Power train, Sep 18, 2023
The transmission failed as I was entering a highway and accelerating. The speed went from 45 mph to 0 in a matter of seconds. Once the car died, I could not put it in any gear, drive or reverse, and get the car to move.
Power train, Sep 7, 2023
Called Nissan to advise them of how dangerous it was to drive my car because the transmission was not responding. All they read to me was it is your problem Nissan cannot repair your vehicle. I advice them of this problem way before my vehicle had 100k miles.
Power train, Aug 24, 2023
My car only has about 113,000 miles and the CVT transmission is completely ruined. It’ll cost me over $3,200 to repair, and this is a very common and known issue to Nissan. See other Class Action Lawsuits.
Power train, Aug 11, 2023
I changed the transmission fluid at 60K on my 2017 Nissan Altima SV. At 70,500 miles while driving on the highway my car started slipping, jerking off wears. I had no warning lights or signs that it was overheating. We pulled over for 30 minutes and continued. We were 45 minutes from home. It didn’t take long before it started again. The car would come out of wear and it would only run at 40mph going up hills. Once we got off the highway, the car wouldn’t go into gear. We didn’t make it home. I called my local Nissan dealership and they informed me I had no warranty at all. We had the car towed to a local transmission repair shop. My transmission was done. I put in a used transmission in for $3,300. 2 months later I get a notification from Nissan that the cvt transmission warranty has been extended to 84000 miles or 84 months, whichever came first. I called Nissan consumer affairs and they basically said, you repaired your car on your own there’s nothing we can do. Nissan has class action lawsuit which the time limit that has already expired. I still filled my paperwork proof with no answer what so ever. I can assure you I will not buy another Nissan vehicle again!
Power train, Aug 4, 2023
I was driving on the freeway 8/1/23. There was a bit of traffic so my speed varied. I was attempting to accelerate at one point and the car wouldn't go any faster than about 60 mph. I started hearing a sqealing / screeching noise too. I was scared my car was about to stop. I didn't know if I should pull to the shoulder or just continue to my offramp. I managed to get off the fwy and make it home a few miles away with some lurching / jerking. On 8/3/23, the next time I drove the car, I was trying to pull my car out of my garage for a mobile mechanic to look at. It wouldn't reverse, and was just still when I pressed the gas. It wouldn't do anything in drive but rev. The mobile mechanic got there and managed to drive it a bit and I heard it making a super load noise and saw the car lurching and jerking He told me the transmission was bad. The car is not safe to drive. It has 52,000 miles on it and I have barely drove in the 4 years I've had it. I spoke to Nissan Consumer affairs and they told me to take it to the dealer for a diagnosis. The car got towed to the dealer to see if it qualifies for the Nissan extended warranty for CVT transmissions. I am afraid to drive the car now. I thought I was buying a solid car. I didn't think I could go wrong with Nissan mechanically at such an early stage in the car's life.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Jul 29, 2023
Was driving and came to a stop. Went to accelerate and car stuttered and acted like it didn’t want to accelerate. This is not the first time, but it was about a month ago when it last did it and almost caused me to wreck. Car is only at 99k miles.
Power train, Jul 12, 2023
Driving down the highway at 12AM the vehicle lost power and slowed immediately to 20MPH. I pulled over, shut off the engine and waited 5 minutes. Restarted the engine and the vehicle ran fine. Recently while driving the vehicle I have noticed delays of 2-3 seconds in throttle engagement before acceleration. My son, Preston Hodnett was on the freeway and the vehicle slowed down to 10MPH. He pulled over, turned the vehicle off and restarted the vehicle and was able to return to normal freeway speeds. This occurred with no check engine light at the time. The vehicle is a 2017 with 65.4K miles. The manufacture is saying it is a transmission issue and will take $6.2K to repair. I cannot afford the replacement cost and this is a continued known issue with Nissan vehicles and the Nissan representative advised a transmission shop separate from Nissan that they cannot replace my transmission due to a current lawsuit with consumers in the state of California. In my opinion, this vehicle is endangering me and my family and this appears to be a class issue. The first issue occurred over two years ago and then went away entirely. Recent issues have arisen that resemble or exceed the first incident which are causing severe safety concerns. No warning lights were present during these issues.
Power train, Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 27, 2023
April-May, Key fob not being recognized so changed the battery in key fob 4 times. May, Driving at 55MPH on I495 beltway, pushed on gas and did not get gas. Immediately put on flasher and drifted to right curb. Dashboard was still lit. Turned the car off. Within minutes restarted the car and went where I was going. I had AutoZone run a diagnostic and they said the car was fine. Drove another couple of weeks before it happened again. This time the car would not restart and I was stopped in a very dangerous location so I had AAA tow it to my residence. The next day the car started. I drove another two weeks before reoccurring. I was able to drive it home and it has been parked. There are never any warning, check engine light, etc. A Nissan mechanic told me the symptoms I told him sounds like an issue with the sensor mobilizer. I Google searched and found a recall for the Nissan Rogue but not the Nissan Altima. I did a VIN report and it showed 0 recalls. I definitely have a serious safety issue. Without warning the car gets no response from the gas pedal.
Power train, May 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact smelled an abnormal odor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the transmission had a defective solenoid. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.
Power train, Apr 24, 2023
CVT Transmission issues The car looses power starts high RPM and will not shift then accelerator fails to respond altogether causing car to suddenly slowdown in traffic. This is second time this has happened; first occurrence was on 3/27/22. the dealership reprogramed the cars computer that time. 4/23/23 This time I had to have the car towed back to the dealership.
Power train, Apr 11, 2023
Transmission jerk and stalling
Power train, Mar 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while making a left turn and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Power train, Feb 8, 2023
From a stop the car is delayed when trying to drive for 5 secs then takes off like a slingshot. I see a lot people have been complaining about this issue with no resolve. Last Nissan I will ever purchase.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Jan 23, 2023
After stopping at red light, Vehicle could not go more than 10mph. Stop the vehicle, turn off and restarted, now Vehicle could not go further or reverse. Luckly, at the intersection, i did not get into accident. My Altima is at 65000 miles. Nissan Altima CVT had an issue and need to recall for this fix. I saw Nissan did recall up to 2016 Altima, some reason, they did not include 2017 Altima. Please take a look into 2017 Altima data from Repair and Dealers shop to find out how much consumers are paying out and got into safety issue.
Steering, Power train, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 28, 2022
I was driving on the highway and lost all my speed it dropped from 70 to 30 on the highway had to pull over and shut my car down. I restarted it, and my RPMs went up but were not moving. After this happen I have been in almost 15 accidents. The stops and then happens again. I hear like a winding noise when I try to keep a safe distance from people on the highway. Now all of a sudden my car is shaking and feels like my tires are going to fall off they are not through. No lights came on before this happend.
Power train, Nov 25, 2022
After coming to a complete stop at a red light or stop sign, there is a delay of acceleration. It takes 3-4 seconds to even respond to me depressing the gas pedal, with no change in RPMs or response in the first 3-4 seconds. Then, the car accelerates very quickly like a sling-shot. This is dangerous particularly in stop-and-go traffic. I have videos of the issue. The dealership stated that they cannot replicate the problem in their shop so it can’t be fixed. This might cause an accident and this seems to be happening to multiple other Altima drivers but there is no recall. This has been occurring for over six months and three trips to the mechanic/dealership with no resolve.
Power train, Oct 20, 2022
The transmission. The scar started to slow down in the middle of the Highway. No warning lights ever appeared. Car was always serviced and well cared for. Car was checked by dealers to see what was going on and the transmission went bad. My life and children’s was put at risk! This was such a scary moment
Power train, Sep 12, 2022
The transmission failed at around 44,000 miles. It started losing power on the Highway causing it to lunge forward at times and die out while pulling out and slowing down. Eventually the reverse gear stopped working . It would stall above1,000 RPMs and only operate at low speeds. Nissan knows good and well about this issue and does nothing to offer monitory assistance of replacing the transmission and not much of A guarantee on A replacement only A year warranty . They should be pulling these hazardous cvt transmissions out and pull these cars off the market before someone gets killed. The cost of replacing this transmission is over 5,000 and that’s only A limited 1 year warranty.
Power train, Aug 28, 2022
While driving down the highway at 70 mph approximately 23 miles from my house, my car began to jolt and the RPM on the instrument began to fluctuate up and down. I heard the sound of the car braking, but I was not on the brakes. There was no warning light (engine light was not lit at that time). I was able to drive the car 23 miles back to my house with it jolting and with the sounds of sudden braking. I was fearful that the car would stop on the road. I took the car in to a local repair shop on 07/29/22 because our local Nissan dealership was backup for two weeks and could not check it out. While driving I experienced the same problems then the engine light came on. My car began to rumble and shake. I was able to drive it to have it to have it checked out, not without some hesitation when putting the car in drive. The technician checked the OBD and it gave him a transmission code. I drove my car to the local Nissan dealership and they informed me several days later that the transmission has gone out and cost $6500 to repair. Of course the extended warranty is out. There should be no way the transmission should have gone out at 78,000 miles. I have a 2010 Nissan and have never experienced transmission issues and it has well over 120,000 miles.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Aug 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving on the highway, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated and then independently decelerated. The contact stated that he was able to drive the vehicle back to the residence. The contact then stated that after he turned off and restarted the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the gear shifter failed to engage. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. A case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
Power train, Aug 21, 2022, crash
Follow-up to issue #11479380 Just 6 days ago, I filed a complaint regarding acceleration issues with my 2017 Nissan Altima. Unfortunately, yesterday (8/20/2022), I was involved in an accident with the car as a direct result of these ongoing acceleration issues. I was the driver in the driveway of a friend’s house and as I tried to pull closer to the house (to perform a K-turn in a tight spot), with my foot (lightly) on the gas pedal, the car suddenly surged forward and hit the house. A passenger and I both experienced minor injuries (no medical attention required), and both the car and the house now require repairs. I’m in touch with both my insurance and Nissan about this accident, but no longer feel safe driving this vehicle (which is now pending repairs due to this accident). I wanted to post a follow-up since there was an accident directly related to this issue.