What 544 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Nissan Altima

Transmission problem.

NHTSA ODI 11510152

Based on the air bag warning light showing on my 2016 Nissan Altima I had Lia Nissan of Glens Falls, NY conduct a diagnostic inspection to determine the cause the noted warning light problem on February 22,2023. The technician determined that the air bag system in the back of the passenger seat was not functioning properly with a related code B0020-13 side a/b ih (open). To correct this problem, module i/f seat back, part #87650-phs7a, needed to be replaced at a cost of $2128. The noted part is the entire back side of the passenger seat where the air bag is housed. They also informed me that unless the needed repair was done, the entire air bag system throughout the car would not function, thus creating a major safety hazard. Upon further investigation, I discovered there is a NHTSA recall, #16V244000 dated 2016-04-25, Air Bag: Sensor: Occupant Classification. This recall notice directly relates to problems with the functioning of the front passenger [OCS] air bag system. Noting the potential for non-deployment of the frontal air bag and risk of injury. Upon my contacting Nissan USA and the above noted dealer, they claim no recall exists. The above noted NHTSA recall noted does reflect a clear correlation between my existing air bag system malfunction and the recall mandate for Nissan to address. Instead, they simply claim there is no recall on this vehicle, of which, I strongly disagree. In the meantime, all passengers in my vehicle are at risk. Since there have been no accidents or issues that I have created, it appears very clear that this is a safety equipment problem which Nissan is responsible for and has already been directed to address based the NHSTA recall. It would be appreciated if this matter is addressed since no action by Nissan is forthcoming.

NHTSA ODI 11508532

The "Airbag off" light often illuminates when a 130lb adult is sitting in the passenger seat. I assume this means the airbag is disabled, a severe issue.

NHTSA ODI 11508378

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 ?

NHTSA ODI 11507396

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the cruise control activated, the radar obstruction message was displayed, causing the cruise control to deactivate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the radar was faulty and needed to be replaced, along with a radar alignment. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11504975

It's 1 of 3 sensors possible cam shaft position sensors is what the dealership is saying, the car is currently at the dealership being dignoised this is the 3 time its been in the shop. 1st time had fuel pump replaced, than 2nd time for The car would start than stall than start again and when driving it stalled again driving. No warning lights until after car had died. No check engine lights prior either. This is the 2nd time these sensors have gone out in less than 2yrs. I just had them replaced. And the car only has 66,689 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11500917

My airbag light is on. It just came on one day. (No accident or anything else to cause this to happen) I checked to see if a recall was on my vehicle but it was not. There are other Nissan Altima"s that have a recall for this reason.

NHTSA ODI 11499630

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.

NHTSA ODI 11499304

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.

NHTSA ODI 11499199

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.

NHTSA ODI 11496644

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.

NHTSA ODI 11494913

Yes. On 11/21/22 I took my client shopping it took 30 minutes to reach our destination. I unloaded her walker so she could enter the store while I parked my car. Upon parking the car I noticed two burn marks in the leather passenger seat that were not there previously and did not look any near what a cigarette burn would look like. Along with a bluish discoloration surrounding the burn marks including along seam closest to the burn marks. The heated seat function was being used at the time due to temps and clients age.10. Minutes prior to arriving at our destination the passenger asked me to turn off the seat heater on her side, which i did. As I stated it was after I helped her out of the passenger seat and parked the car that i noticed the large burn marks and discoloration. This could have caught fire and severely burned my client and/or caught my entire car on fire which I need for my job and only source of income A layman would be under the assumption that these seat heater would automatically shut off if they reached a certain temp. Now I have a 6 year old vehicle (which I kept clean and in good working order with a damaged leather front passenger seat due to some wiring defect that was not my fault

NHTSA ODI 11494814

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that after retrieving the vehicle following an engine repair, the fuel gauge was inoperable. The contact refueled the vehicle however, a week later the fuel gauge had not moved. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed that fuel sensing unit located in the gas tank had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,701.

NHTSA ODI 11494625

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.

NHTSA ODI 11493544

The vehicle will randomly stop accelerating while driving. Also will have a delayed acceleration randomly too.

NHTSA ODI 11491708

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.

NHTSA ODI 11490856

The fuel tank was supposedly punctured and had a fuel leak. This according to the mechanics, never happens and sounds oddly like the recall this vehicle had in 2015/2016. I’ve checked my vin and says no recalls, but my entire fuel tank needs replacing now.

NHTSA ODI 11489904

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and after turning on the air conditioner, the vehicle intermittently stalled with no warning lights illuminated. The contact then stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the check engine light was illuminated as the vehicle was stalling. The contact stated that despite depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate and then lost motive power. The contact managed to pull over and after successfully restarting the vehicle, the check engine light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer for diagnosis or repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11488844

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.

NHTSA ODI 11486714

The light for airbags stays on. It has been on for about two weeks. I see there is a recall call for this problem but it is not coming up with a recall for my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11484941

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.

NHTSA ODI 11484569

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!

NHTSA ODI 11483872

The safety of the vehicle and individuals are put into a potentially dangerous position due to the knowledge that Nissan has concerning the headlamps of Nissan Altima. This is a known issue that the headlamps are defective and are dimming due to deamination, they have already settled a class action case of Suarz v. Nissan North America, Inc. My car is affected by this issue but I never received notification of the settlement. If this is a know issue and has been settled once already and poses a danger to the general public why has there not been a recall on this issue? The lights on my car were inspected by a certified Nissan dealer and failed inspection, I had reached out to Nissan about having this issue resolved and they have denied any remedies to correct this and make it safe. What needs to happen for this to rise to the level of have Nissan recall and fix this know danger?

NHTSA ODI 11482328

My CVT transmission failed on my 2016 Nissan Altima. I almost had an accident on the expressway. These transactions fail often on these Nissans. My warranty has expired. Nissan refused to compensate me. There needs to be a recall on them.

NHTSA ODI 11481857

About a month ago my driver side airbag indicator light came on. I called the dealership and they said there were no recalls on my airbag nor had any airbag been repaired. I took my vehicle to an independent mechanic and he told me that the module was disconnected from the airbag and he reconnected it and reset the module and the light indicator went off. Yesterday, the airbag indicator light came on again. It came off and on several times yesterday and this morning. I was told by the private mechanic that when the airbag indicator light is on the airbag will not deploy. Is my vehicle under the Takata airbag recall even though my dealership says no?

NHTSA ODI 11481251