NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Nissan Altima. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
I was driving on the interstate highway when I realize that when I was trying to accelerate, the car was not starting to move forward anymore was not able to drive at proper speed on freeway . prior to that, I realize my RPMs was going up and down Had to pull over on freeway shut my car off and let car cool down waited about 10 minutes with off and then restarted it and continue to go seem to be fine at that point but has happened a couple times to me already, driving at normal speed and then it seems like when it’s getting hotter that I would gradually wouldn’t be able to move at normal speed as I needed to be on the freeway. RPMs would eventually start jumping up a down again I end up bringing my car to a Garage have transmission flushed and change screen filter, and oil cool filter still same result. It seems to feel very unsafe when driving on freeway!!!!
Going down the highway coming home my hood popped up and blocked my visibility I swerved off the road causing my back tire to blow out. Now my hood will not open back up, since I closed it on the highway. I got my car to my house with the spare but am not sure what to do now. I looked and apparently my car has a recall for a faulty hood and was never taken in for inspection. I believe this was the cause of my hood failure.
2016 Altima 66,700 miles At a light, when push the accelerator my car hesitates for about 4 seconds. Then it slowly gains power. This is an accident waiting to happen. 2016 Altima needs a recall. I see multiple complaints on the internet as well.
When I am stopped at a light or in stop and go traffic my car will not accelerate when I put my foot on the gas pedal. I can push it all the way to the floor and my car will not move. It takes about 10 seconds or so then my car will jolt quickly and finally go. I have also had issues with the RPM's shooting up while I am driving at a low rate of speed. This has happened maybe 3 times and I have to pull over and turn my vehicle off then turn it back on and then it seems to drive normally. This issue started several months ago and at first it was just occasionally. Now it is more frequent and happens anytime I am driving. If I turn my car off then turn it back on it seems to correct the issue briefly. I have found myself while stopped in traffic just turning my car off then back on because I am in fear of it happening. This is dangerous as I am at risk of getting hit when I am making a turn at an intersection if my car will not move. I have looked online and it seems other people with Altimas the same year have also experienced similar problems. I have not had the vehicle inspected. There are no warning lights that have come on in the vehicle indicating there is a problem.
The car stalls/shuts down while driving and while idle. I’ve had the alternative replaced 3 times within 2 years. After about 8-10 after having the alternative replaced it starts to stall/shut down again. There is definitely an error with the alternator system in these cars. Avd a recall needs to be assessed.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact was almost involved in a crash due to acceleration failure. The contact noticed that the vehicle shuddered before the failure in acceleration. Additionally, the contact noticed that the RPMs were high during the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate above 60 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed transmission. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Three months ago, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the passenger's side front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and kept for six months; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 76,454.
I purchased this vehicle from Drivetime in Las Vegas off Decatur Blvd in December of 2021. I was not advised these particular make and models could have CVT Transmission failure. It has the SR Sports Model transmission, so I always thought when I had it in sport mode that the RMP's stayed high and the car would jerk if I let off the gas not knowing the transmission was actually faulty. In March of 2024 the vehicle stalled multiple time while at the gas station after filling up my gas tank. There was a Meineke in the same parking lot, I got the car going and quickly parked. They ran the codes since the check engine light had came on and told me P0776 was a faulty transmission. That these cars have known problem with transmission failure. They cleared the code and said if it comes back on it's going to go out quickly. I was told to baby the car, I barely drive anywhere but for work purposes and to the grocery store until last week the car had some major issues and check engine light came on. Ran codes and it was P0776 again. This last year I have experienced loss of power while driving and making a left turn. I did get hit once but the person left the scene, and I did not know what to do. So, I kept driving as the vehicle was not to the point of not being driven and I don't exactly have a large bank account to fix things like this as they come up. I have been ill paying for medical out of pocket and my deductible is $1500. Plus my father passed and I had to help pay for funeral and other expenses. I was told to reach out to NHTSA about this issue to see what could be done to help me out.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V315000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and 18V915000 (Structure, Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact smelled an abnormal burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot, others also smelled the odor. The contact stated while driving approximately 65MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 45 MPH with other vehicles behind. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate, and the vehicle lunged forward causing the contact to quickly depress the brake pedal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.
I was driving today 3/2/24 and speed was about 40-50 and suddenly/randomly the vehicle would do a jerk once it got to about 50 and the rpm’s would jump up between 2-3 and quickly drop back down to normal. I was not pressing the gas hard or a lot just lightly and also the jerking would happen if I was going down in speed from like 60-50 it would randomly jerk again and rpm’s would increase and go back down. Would do this off and on. No check engine lights or any lights what so ever we’re out up on the dash either which made it odd that my car was acting up. My vehicle only has 59,300 miles and has been serviced strictly at dealer for oil and transmission and I have been told that Nissan and their CVT transmissions are no good and transmissions can suddenly “die” on you for no apparent reasoning. Online searches let me to forums that discuss this being a common issue although Nissan has never done any form of recalls. This poses a safety concern in that the car is jerking and rpm’s go crazy for a moment. My vehicle also after being stopped at a traffic light today did not want to accelerate and “go” when I pressed the gas. I creeped up to 20 mph while rpm’s increased and then all of a sudden the car jerked and I was back in motion. I have owned my car since brand new and never have I had any issues.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated independently. On several occasions, the vehicle stalled and failed to immediately restart. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 113,000.
Nissan has had quite a few recalls on their hood latch. The most recent one was in 2022. My car was checked in 2022, but now two years later I’m having another issue with the hood latch. While Nissan does not want to open a recall to not lose money, there is definitely another recall issue. At the moment there are 149 hood latches on back order and no one is able to get one. There was more than one customer in Nissan complaining of a hood latch issue. I went back-and-forth with Nissan for weeks , and they just kept telling me that they cannot help me. I would have to pay out-of-pocket. if there are absolutely no hood latches available to anyone anywhere is there not an issue on the hood latch?
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to jerk, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.
As I was driving my rear left control arm broke due to corrosion. At the time, my traction control light came on as the car was sliding. I assumed the car was sliding due to the rain storm that was taking place. Once I parked my car, and later used it again prior to noticing the broken pair, the Traction control light turned off. I later discovered the issue when my car continued to slide on the dry road. A tow was needed and then it was discovered the rear left control arm was broken.
I was involved in a collision where my 2016 nissan altima sustained rear end damage, began smoking and burst into flames.
Car just randomly “ gave “ out . I couldn’t accelerate in the middle of intestate traffic !! The engine and the transmission blew at the same time. No warning , no check engine light ! Up to date on oil changes and other maintenance. Car only has 150k miles on it , no way this both happens at the same time. Complete limp mode. Danger to myself and most importantly my kids. How the engine and transmission just fails. Now I’m liable to pay 9,000, no warning no nothing. Complete failure . This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this year make and model having transmission and engine issues. How terrible!
My 2016 Nissan Altima has roughly 80k miles, all the sudden my transmission began to fall a part, Nissan is fully aware of this issue, but they don't want to take responsibility. There are so many Nissan owners with the same issue
Car will either not start or heists to start code with check engine light is P0340 for camshaft position sensor I have already replaced this once before 2yrs ago it should not need to be replaced again so soon. I have read online where others with same make and model cars having similar issues and their cars stalled while driving mine hasn't as of yet, but could when I take to mechanic shop. This is a major safety problem. There has been a recall but not for my year model car and needs to be fixed for more cars are having similar issues and is a major concern. Please look more in to this thank you.
If I'm in city traffic with lots of traffic and a red light for a while or in a drive thru, my car takes longer to accelerate after coming to a complete stop. I'll push the gas pedal in to go and it takes a few seconds to get moving up to normal acceleration speed. The first few seconds of pushing the gas pedal my car barely moves, similar to idling forward without gas, even if I floor it, but once it gets going it drives normally. It works well driving long distance and only happens on stop and go trafffic and at a drive thru. I have a 2016 Nissan Altima SV 2.5.
I have a 2016 Nissan Altima 2.5SR and have noticed every time I'm on the interstate and I have driven at least 70 miles of driving distance, the vehicle will all of sudden lose power and the accelerator will be all the way down and it won't go any faster. So, if the speed limit is 70mph and will automatically drop down to 60 and it has done this in front of an 18-wheeler one time scared me to death. Mind you no warning lights come on or anything it just loses power Nissan really needs to resolve this issue and fix it before someone gets seriously injured. Now Iam a disabled driver and I'm not trying hurt myself even further or loss of life.
Since June of 2022, my car has been in service repair a total of 10 times. Each time my check engine comes on, the diagnostic codes always involve the A/F sensor. This started at 35,000 miles and Nissan cannot figure out the issue. There are SEVERAL bulletins addressing the issue, with the most recent being 2022. The service dealership will no longer work on my car surrounding the issue. As a result of having a sensor issue that cannot be repaired, the car will periodically not respond with acceleration. I have had two VERY close calls of making a left hand turn in front of oncoming traffic with the gas pedal suddenly not responding no matter how hard it’s pressed. It’s almost as if it goes into neutral. The rpm’s increase and the engine revs, but it just won’t move. After several seconds of remaining motionless, the car then suddenly accelerates to the speed that it should. This issue is not an outlier. I contacted several people that listed their cars for sale, that stated their check engine light is on due to an 02 sensor. They all stated they have tried to get the car repaired with zero success. People then just sell the car and transfer the issue to another person. If it hasn’t already, this issue is going to kill someone. My car stalled in front of two cars coming towards me at 50 mph. Had they not stopped in time, I would have been T-boned on the drivers side. That wouldn’t have ended well. Nissan suggested I sell the car- that is their solution regarding a car that became unrepairable at 35,000 miles. Nissan did send an engineer to the dealership to inspect the car- multiple times. They do not know how to fix the issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond while the engine was running. The contact stated that the vehicle responded and returned to normal functionality after depressing the accelerator pedal several times. The contact stated that the failure was more evident while driving in cold weather. No warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the headlights failed to properly illuminate the roadway while driving. The contact stated that the headlights were very dim. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who replaced the headlights; however, the failure persisted. The contact learned of a Class Action Lawsuit regarding the poorly illuminating headlamps. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the lawsuit was no longer active, and the remedy would not be provided. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Failure in active grill shutter. National issue.
My airs bags lights on it won’t go off The contact is hoping for a recall relating to this issue or defect.
Vehicle will delay acceleration when I have stopped at a stop sign or stop light especially if I was stopped on a hill. When I press the gas pedal it will delay acceleration for a couple of seconds and then finally take off. It was happening every so often but now it is happening more often. If I turn the car off and start it again, it goes away for a little while but comes back. The check engine light doesn't come on when this happens.
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The headlights are extremely dim and unsafe to drive on the road at night. We first began noticing it a few months ago and it looks like there was a settlement online for this exact reason, but we didn't find out about it until the aforementioned few months ago, well past the settlement window. This is a safety issue and needs to be addressed with a proper recall as, looking around online I'm seeing reports of not just it being a safety issue, but I'm seeing people actually being cited for the lighting being insufficient for it passing inspection. This should be ranked right up there with the vehicle being undrivable during nightfall. It apparently is not fixed with a bulb replacement and it has to do with the makeup of the lighting housing materials melting or becoming deteriorated over time.
air bag light stays on error code B0020-13 they repaired occupancy sensor drivers side at a cost of $310.00 light went off came back on next day took it back to nissan they reset it again they said they would reach out to nissan so the light next day come back on
I was driving on the freeway with my 6yr & 11yr daughters when my car stop accelerating and started to slow down I’ll hit the gas pedal and the RPMS will go up but the car wouldn’t advance ! I had to get off the freeway before the car completely stopped in the middle of the freeway as the velocity of the vehicle was getting slower and slower ! Take in mind I try to do this as safe as possible but my car was in the far end of the emergency lane I almost got rear ended my kids were crying scare ! I turn off the car once to the side of the freeway check the hood and nothing out of the ordinary. Turn the car back on and it was driving normal ! On the next day that’s when the check engine light turn on ! Took it to the dealer and they told me I need a complete new transmission!
I have a 2016 Nissan Altima S. The airbag light is on without accident. I went four times to the Nissan dealer to fix the problem. They just told me it was a past code (B0020-13), cleared it the first three times, and told me the problem was on the driver-side airbag. But after a few months, the airbag light was still on again. I was told the problem was on the passenger side the last time. Ask me to replace the airbag module and seat back; the parts cost $3110, and the labor is $2600. It is ridiculous... The airbag is the car safety system; the parts have never been used before, so it should be okay if there is no accident.
Air bag light is on. Was told at Nissan dealing I need to have a module replaced in the driver seat for $2,300.
From the Last 1 months, I can see sometimes when I accelerate my car it's not accelerating properly but the RPM is increasing, and sometimes after I stop in traffic when I accelerate my car it's not accelerating immediately and when I press the gas paddle hard suddenly it accelerates. It's a safety concern for me.
The airbag light will. Not go off
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.
Air bag sensor light comes on; took to Nissan Glen Burnie MD dealership and believed they rectified the issue (removing debris) and did a reset. Light came back on and took it to Nissan Bowie MD and they could not determine the cause and did a reset. Light came back on and took it to Nissan Bowie MD and B0020-13 code was returned resulting in having to replace seat and sensor (no issue with wiring found). Contacted Nissan after seeing many other complaints for same issue with Altima sensor. No help from Nissan since they don't have it listed for a recall. This represents a major safety issue as my understanding is the air bag is not active when the light is on.
When you press the accelerator it won’t do anything
The ASCD Switch failed while traveling > 60mph. The car lost all acceleration down to ~ 5 MPH. The car lost power to the steering.
At 107,000 miles my 2016 Nissan Altima would experience an issue when coming to a stop after about 30 minutes worth of driving. After stopping at a light or stop sign, when I pushed on the gas pedal, nothing happened. I could press the pedal all the way to the floor, and the only change was that the tachometer would go up. I would have to restart the car in order for the gas pedal to work. After taking the car in to the Nissan dealership, I as told that I would need a new transmission and the cost would be $5100+ after taxes. I shopped around, but most all other transmission shops said that they would have to get the CVT transmission from Nissan. So the only thing different from these other transmission shops and the Nissan dealership was the labor cost. I was told by the Service Department at Nissan, that the older CVT transmissions wear out a lot sooner than the newer ones. With Nissan only giving a 12month/12,000mile warranty, your gambling if this newer transmission will at least run for as long as the original one. There has to be a recall on these Nissan CVT transmissions
Hood flew open smashing windshield while driving on the highway. Windshield, hood & both front fenders damaged
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.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that after stopping at a traffic light, the light turned green, and the contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle jerked and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 74,300.
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.
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.
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!
During driving on interstate highway transmission suddenly failed to shift during acceleration or deceleration. This caused an inability to properly move with flow of traffic to move to emergency lane nearly causing a major Mother Vehicle Accident involving multiple vehicles.
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.
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.
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.
It is a known issue that the Stepper Motor on Nissan CVT transmissions are faulty. It causes the vehicle to not accelerate from stopped, which creates a dangerous situation if you are expecting your vehicle to respond when you press the accelerator to make a turn in traffic. When the Stepper Motor is not functioning properly, the driver will depress the accelerator, and the vehicle will not respond for up to 3 seconds. Once the vehicle responds to the depressed accelerator, it jolts the vehicle forward rapidly. Research in Nissan forums and conversations with auto technicians confirm this is an issue, however Nissan has not issued a recall. My research indicates this faulty part effects Nissan Alitmas as far back as 2008, and other Nissan vehicles such as the Nissan Murano.
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