What 544 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Nissan Altima

The airbag light will. Not go off

NHTSA ODI 11533815

The ASCD Switch failed while traveling > 60mph. The car lost all acceleration down to ~ 5 MPH. The car lost power to the steering.

NHTSA ODI 11533634

Transmission slippage or failure to engage when trying to accelerate onto highway. Transmission would slip during acceleration causing other motorists to have to immediately slow or stop to avoid collision. Identified by Nissan service that transmission needs replacement. Check engine light came on approximately 200 miles before diagnosis by Nissan service. At approximately 84K miles. No forewarning by the vehicle or communication from Nissan prior to this incident. Advised that Nissan is aware of the issue and have extended some warranties regarding the issue but not communicating to customers. Apparently issue is not isolated to just the Altima but several other Nissan models. Failures of this transmission type have been reported as early as 25K miles.

NHTSA ODI 11533219

When you press the accelerator it won’t do anything

NHTSA ODI 11530975

Hood flew open smashing windshield while driving on the highway. Windshield, hood & both front fenders damaged

NHTSA ODI 11528403

I have the 2016 Nissan Altima with only 128000 miles and the transmission went out on a exit highway and all of a sudden I no power. I could have gotten killed and not been able to write this. It scared me because I almost didn't have time for the cars that were headed towards me. No it didn't happen and its a big what if but Nissan knows the CVT transmission are going out and costing us Thousands ( $5000 ) to be accurate and who's got that kind of money to fix it. I'm devastated because its my only car and I just don't have that kind of money. When I bought this car $128000 in December 2021 I had no idea what I would have to face so if this helps anyone , like me , to check to see if it has the CVT transmission before they buy it because it could get someone killed. thank you , [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11527509

CVT issues. with shudder in speed control and lack of transmission staying engaged seems like it is popping in and out of gear at any speed. lack of power and changes in speed creates safety issues with other drivers on the road.

NHTSA ODI 11527163

Diagnosed CVT failure; Nissan refuses to replace the transmission at their cost. Took the vehicle to multiple mechanics before the issue was officially diagnosed, as the issue is difficult to diagnose. When operating the vehicle, at times the vehicle will stop accelerating; driver is pressing on the accelerator and the RPMs will increase but the vehicle will not be propelled forward and the power steering is disengaged. The issue is intermittent so the driver does not when this will occur, other drivers on the road also do not know our car is stalled, and this creates a huge safety risk. Also, when stopped at a stop sign or stoplight and attempting to turn onto another street, driver will attempt to accelerate and turn and the vehicle will not move or will barely move and the power steering is disengaged. If the cross-street has traffic, my vehicle is immovable in oncoming traffic -- a huge safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11525887

Car has 60,000 miles and the lower front bushings are cracked! They should not be cracked with such low miles for a 2016 car. Now Nissan is telling me to replace the bushing and the lower front control arms will be $2,100. Thats not right, when Nissan knows they have been having issues with the lower control arms and bushings.

NHTSA ODI 11525215

#1. Both headlights are very dim on low beam, even after bulb replacements. High beam seems more dim than other autos I have driven in the past. I usually have to drive with my high beams on if possible #2. When in reverse, my screen to view the rear view camera doesn't show a clear picture like my previous Nissan. Sometimes when first shifting into reverse the video loses its complete picture for about 2-3 seconds. I have cleaned lens and tried to adjust screen to no avail.

NHTSA ODI 11521903

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the hood unexpectedly opened. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V315000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 121,090.

NHTSA ODI 11520980

Mossy Nissan El Cajon, didn't report an accident that the car was involved in prior to the sale of the car to me. This car sustained front end damage. Resulting in a repair to the frame/sway bar. Thus effecting the steering and suspension of the car. This car was repaired and paid for by an insurance company. However, Nissan didn't disclose this information, so that the end result was the sale of the car.

NHTSA ODI 11521035

My wife's car started having problems with acceleration lately. At a stop the car would sometimes have problem accelerating and I would have to tap on the gas pedal a few times. If that doesn't work, I would have to keep on pressing the gas pedal without releasing it. The rpm will sometimes not go up then suddenly it revs to 4k even 5k. The car would go on limp mode or not even go forward when I'm revving the car. It happened both on highway and city streets. I was almost hit by a truck on the freeway. This is very dangerous. I did some research and found that many owners have the same problem. There is even a lawsuit I found on the internet pertaining to the same issue. No one wants to spend the time and money to fix a transmission problem especially if it's a problem from Nissan itself and not because of negligent owners not taking proper care of their cars. It costs about $3500 to $4000 to replace a transmission! Please investigate and put a recall for the transmission for the Nissan Altima. All owners who have spent money and time should be reimbursed!

NHTSA ODI 11520858

2016 Nissan Altima SR has a delayed acceleration issue that nearly caused me to be broadsided while making a left turn. The issue has been ongoing for years and when taken into the dealership they claimed to not be able to reproduce the failure. This is because the issue is sporadic and unpredictable when it may occur. There are many forums I have found identifying a great deal of others experiencing the same failure. This needs to be corrected by Nissan.

NHTSA ODI 11520634

I was making a right turn into a McDonald's and heard engine rev and car accelerarated involuntarily and brakes not engaging to stop the car. Eventally the car hit curb and went down onto grassy slope area next to road with traffic all the time brakes not engaging to stop the car. Finally able to turn car away from roadf back onto the grassy slope and it finally stopped.

NHTSA ODI 11520087

I’m starting to experience issues with the CTV transmission. I’m experiencing jerking and stalling while driving on a busy highway with cars traveling 55mph or more. It is extremely dangerous driving when these things occur when cars are traveling at those speeds and the vehicle hesitate without warning.

NHTSA ODI 11519367

Low beam light is dim.

NHTSA ODI 11518337

Car will not accelerate or moved after stopping at red light..even after pressing the pedal all the way to the floor..very dangerous situation..some one is going to get hurt or kill...Nissan needs to recall because almost every nissan altima experience the same problem..very scary and dangerous situation it happens every day now..car will not move at all or sometimes very slow..please help..Dealers are no help at all

NHTSA ODI 11515366

My air bag light is on and will not go out. I have not been in a accident and I am aware of the previous recall on the air bags back in 2016. I tried to have the Nissan dealership in Lithia Springs, GA check on the issue, but they stated they would have to keep the car for at least 3 days to be able to review the problem. I am unable to be without my vehicle for 3+ days for a known issue with the air bags on these cars. My current mileage is around 86,000. I estimate the airbag warning light came on around 75,000. I can't afford to correct this manufacturer defect that could possibly cost my life in an accident if Nissan doesn't fix this soon. I see so many reports of this problem on the nhtsa website, but still no recall has been issued since the original one in 2016. I guess I or my family will just have to sue Nissan if I end up in a accident and the airbags don't deploy. This is really scary how many people are having the same issue with these cars that were under the original recall. It is clear that this is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed ASAP.

NHTSA ODI 11515305

I believe The failure that i'm experiencing is with the vehicle's transmission. The car stalls or refuses to shift gears, has trouble accelerating, and when the car is trying to accelerating the car makes an unfamiliar noise which is quiet loud and noticeable and sometimes shake or full on just pushes forward randomly. I believe the safety for mine and others can be at risk at times because they would be times where the car will not accelerate, even when your foot is pushed all the way on the pedal and as a result the car begins to slow down. This is can be risk depending on where you're driving for an example if you're on the highway or a congested area going at a specified speed. From my understanding after doing research I have found out that several others have been experiencing this same problem, so to my understanding this is a common issue and I'm not sure why it was never addressed. I have taken the car to a mechanic where they said the problem is the CVT Transmission. The Check Engine Light is on. This vehicle has not been in an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11514976

Transmission went out at 59000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11514739

Vehicle will delay acceleration when I have stopped at a stop sign or stop light. When I press the gas pedal it will delay acceleration for a couple of seconds and then final take off. It doesn't happen often and I find that if I turn the engine off and wait a few minutes and start it again, it goes away for several days but does return.

NHTSA ODI 11513861

The low beam headlights is very dim. It is almost impossible to see using that and driving at night. Whatever reflecting coating nissan put inside of the low beam headlight has faded away causing the light to not reflect properly and thus providing little to no light when you try to use the low beam headlights. This is extremely dangerous because this significantly reduces the visibility when you are driving at night. The car does not give you any warning about how dim the light. I have not gotten into an accident yet mostly because I avoid driving at night because of these dim headlights. I replaced the headlights on my car and that seems to have done almost nothing to help with visibility.

NHTSA ODI 11512916

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V315000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and a secondary hood latch was installed; however, the failure recurred, causing the windshield to crack with a malfunctioning unknown interior light. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11512362

UNKNOWN

NHTSA ODI 11510239