2016 Nissan Altima: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
65%
293 of 451 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
65% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2016 Nissan Altima are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 86% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 102 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 53%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
AT RANDOM TIMES WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL SHUT OFF CAUSING SUDDEN DECREASE IN SPEED, THEN RESTART ON IT'S OWN WITHIN 10-15 SECONDS. WHEN CAR SHUTS OFF ALL DASH LIGHTS TURN OFF AND THERE'S NO THROTTLE RESPONSE. THE LAST TIME IT SHUT OFF I WAS GOING AROUND A BEND AND CAUSED CAR TO COLLIDE WITH GUARD RAIL.
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSIO07/21/20211 INJURED
Car loses power while driving on highways or roads and had nearly cost me my life on occasion where the vehicle cannot complete a turn from loss of power and I cannot proceed and obstruct oncoming vehicle paths. It has also revved up out of the blue to 6000-7000 RPMs despite a holding steady pace on the gas pedal. The…
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,ENGINE12/02/2020CRASH1 INJURED
I HAVE A 2016 NISSAN ALTIMA. FIRST: I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH A REGULAR TRUCK HAULING AN ENCLOSED TRAILER DROVE OVER A LARGE PIECE OF PLYWOOD ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70MPH IN FRONT OF ME (ALSO GOING ABOUT 70 MPH) CAUSING THE PIECE OF PLYWOOD TO RAISE OFF OF THE ROAD AFTER HE CLEARED IT AND IT FLEW INTO THE FR…
Three of 293 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (4)
STRUCTURE:EMERGENCY:ESCAPE/EGRESS/EXIT
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 ha…
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
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 …
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
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 Nissa…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2016 Nissan Altima
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
4 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
