What 544 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Nissan Altima

The headlights are very dim. It is available for inspection upon request. It is a safety hazard at night time due to low visibility. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacurer, police, insurance or others. There were no warnings, it seemed to happen gradually. I discovered there was a class action settlement, but I was not receive notification and had already missed the deadline.

NHTSA ODI 11480803

car was in a accedent the air bags did not deploy

NHTSA ODI 11479975

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.

NHTSA ODI 11479212

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).

NHTSA ODI 11479104

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

NHTSA ODI 11479075

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.

NHTSA ODI 11478150

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!

NHTSA ODI 11477033

Car will not accelerate when depressing gas pedal. Will hesitate from 1 to 5 seconds. Example, driving on the freeway doing 60 mph changing lanes and lose acceleration. This happens at dead stop to 60 mph. MAJOR safety concerns. Brought my vehicle to Nissan dealership and the issue came back the next day. My vehicle is 2016 Nissan Altima

NHTSA ODI 11476024

Delayed acceleration when placing foot on gas pedal , eventually acceleration completely went out, took car to dealership to get fixed was told cvt transmission needed replacement in order to fix problem, got replaced lasted about 3 weeks and vehicle again is delaying in acceleration when gas pressed down

NHTSA ODI 11474355

My vehicle stalls whenever I am stopped, and will not move , then it accelerate really fast, sometimes it loses speeds in which I can not accelerate the vehicle. I have taken this vehicle to 3 mechanical shops and no can tell me what the problem is. I have had this problem since I purchased the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11474165

Head lights have become dim to the point of even with bright lights on it’s difficult to see. I read of a head lamp recall and contacted the dealer. I was informed there is a recall on the Altima head lights which did not include my vin number.

NHTSA ODI 11473751

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.

NHTSA ODI 11472521

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.

NHTSA ODI 11472534

Vehicle jerks as RPM needle rapidly bounces between 10rpm and 40rpm when accelerating, sometimes subtle jerk when decelerating.

NHTSA ODI 11472237

The car hesitates accelerating. After coming to a complete stop, when the gas pedal is pressed, the car will not go. This happens after in town driving for about 20 min or so when it stops and goes, stops and goes. The gas pedal will be pressed and the rpms will be going up but the car just sits there until all of a sudden taking off. No warnings appear. I explained issues to service techs at Nissan and they were able to replicate it and attempted to repair but it is doing it again less than a month later. It has been very dangerous especially when trying to merge into oncoming traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11472238

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.

NHTSA ODI 11471868

After some driving specially in hot temperature or after long distances, the engine becomes nonresponsive. Particularly when it comes to a complete stop, there is a delay between pushing the gas pedal and when the car starts to move. The delay can be as long as few seconds. This problem does not happen all the time but happens quite often in hot weather and long driving. It is very dangerous. In one occasion I was trying to make a left turn against the coming traffic, I had to make a short break for a pedestrian and then my car did not move and a fast coming traffic almost hit my car as I could not move fast enough due to the transmission delay. I took it to Nissan dealership last year. They did some minor work and it was fixed for a while but the issue is back again. I took it to Nissan dealership for repair last month but they could not reproduce the error code by just driving around for few minutes. They refused to fix it. I complained to Nissan and have talked to few representative about the safety issue I have with this car. They refused to take it seriously and they tell me that unless the dealership can produce the error code they can not fix it. This car is putting the safety of my family and myself in risk and Nissan does not care. Please let me know what I should do. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11471578

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the headlight bulbs; however, the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11471380

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.

NHTSA ODI 11471040

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470599

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while sitting in the driver's side front seat, the air bag light failed to detect occupancy and was not illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a faulty air bag sensor. The contact was informed that the air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

NHTSA ODI 11470617

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470632

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470719

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470273

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to several dealers and independent mechanics; however, no codes were retrieved while performing the diagnostic tests. The contact then took the vehicle to another independent mechanic where she was informed that there was a power train recall for similar vehicles. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where she was informed that the vehicle was under warranty however, the vehicle no longer qualified for the warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11467187