108 complaints reported

2012 Nissan Altima Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
108
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
1

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jul 2017

DRIVING VEHICLE AT TIME OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE. HAVE A 2012 NISSAN 2.5L ALTIMA WITH RECENT EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT JUST EXPIRED. (OF COURSE). I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THE CAR AND ITS HESITATION AND CHUGGING ISSUES SINCE OCTOBER 2015. I BROUGHT CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS CONCERNED ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE VEHICLE. FIRST TIME IN SHOP I WAS TOLD THAT THE SCOPE SHOWED NO WARNING CODES AND RECOMMENDATION WAS TO COMPLETE THE 100,000 MILE MAINTENANCE OF FLUSHING TRANSMISSION AND SPARK PLUG REPLACEMENT, WHICH WAS DONE AND CAR SEEMS TO RUIN OK... FOR A FEW DAYS. THEN SAME ISSUES. WE TOOK A TRIP TO COLORADO FROM MINNESOTA AND THE PROBLEM WITH HESITATION AND CHUGGING WITH AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTING. I TOOK THE CAR BACK IN AND AGAIN IN DECEMBER WITH TECHNICIAN NOW DRIVING THE CAR WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS SHOWING UP. CAR CONTINUED TO GET WORSE WITH NOW NO ACCELERATION, SO I TOOK IT IN A WEEK AGO WHEN THE CAR WAS SHOWING ALOT MORE SIGNS OF SOMETHING WRONG, AND TECHNICIAN DROVE WITH ME IN THE CAR AND STATED TO SERVICE MANAGER THAT HE DIDN'T EXPERIENCE ANYTHING THAT INDICATED AN ISSUE. THE NEXT DAY, OF COURSE ON A SATURDAY, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 5 MILES AN HOUR AND CREATED ALMOST A MASSIVE ACCIDENT ON LOCAL CITY STREET. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS FINALLY GIVEN THE NEWS (WHICH I KNEW ALL THE TIME) THAT CODES WHERE INDICATING A TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND UNFORTUNATELY WAS IN NEED OF A NEW TRANSMISSION! COST $3,900 AND SOME CHANGE!!! THAT'S WHEN I STARTED RESEARCHING AND SAW THIS PROBLEM DATED BACK TO 2008 WITH NISSAN PRODUCTS. NISSAN DID SETTLE ON A CLASS ACTION SUIT BY PROVIDING CAR OWNERS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, YET KNOWINGLY, THEY CONTINUED TO MANUFACTURE CARS WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION! I AM OUTRAGED THAT DEALERS CONTINUE TO SELL THESE CARS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2017
Jun 2017

TRANSMISSION STOPPED WORKING. CAR STOPPED MOVING.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2017
Jun 2017

AFTER I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MY CAR FOR 45 MIN ON THE FREEWAY GOING AROUND 70-85 MPH THE CAR LOSES POWER AND ALMOST FEELS LIKE IT IS GOING TO STALL. ONCE I WAS OFF THE FREEWAY AT THE INTERSECTION WHEN I ACCELERATED MY CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE. THIS SEEMS LIKE A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE HEARD OF OTHERS ALMOST BEING REAR ENDED BECAUSE OF THIS SAME ISSUE. THEY SAY ITS DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING AND GOING INTO SAFE MODE IN HOT TEMPERATURES. MY VEHICLE WAS DOING THIS WHEN IT WAS 65 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I THINK SINCE THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND WITH THE SAFETY BEING A CONCERN NISSAN SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2017
Jun 2017

1ST INCIDENT: DRIVING ON HWY 5 IN CA ON A HOT DAY AT FREEWAY SPEED CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND DROPPED BELOW 30 MPH. PULLED OFF OF HWY AND SHUT VEHICLE OFF FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND NO LONGER EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE. 2ND INCIDENT: DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 80 IN CA IN 95-100 DEGREE WEATHER. GOT OFF FREEWAY AND CAR LOST POWER AGAIN THIS TIME NOT GOING OVER 5 MPH. TOOK VEHICLE TO NISSAN DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE PROBLEM WHEN DRIVING BUT "MILEAGE IN" WAS THE SAME AS "MILEAGE OUT" WHICH TELLS ME THEY DIDN'T DRIVE VERY FAR IF AT ALL. THEY PUT IT ON DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND GOT A CODE SAYING "CVT A AT 4" AND "CVT B AT 7" CVT HAS BEEN OVERHEATED. RECOMMEND REPLACE VALVE BODY AND INSTALL EXTERNAL COOLER FOR CONCERN. I'VE READ MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT SAME ISSUE WITH NISSAN CVT TRANSMISSION.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2017
Jun 2017

IN WARM WEATHER, CAR CONSISTENTLY GOES INTO LIMP MODE. IT WILL ONLY ACHIEVE SPEEDS OF AROUND 30MPH EVEN THOUGH RPMS ARE ACCELERATING. I HAVE TO STOP THE CAR AND WAIT FOR 20 MINUTES IN ORDER TO DRIVE IT AGAIN. DOESN'T SEEM TO HAPPEN WHEN OUTDOOR TEMPERATURES ARE COOLER. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND IS APPARENTLY A WELL-DOCUMENTED ISSUE WITH OTHER NISSAN ALTIMA OWNERS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2017
Jun 2017

I HAVE 78K MILES AND MY CAR IS LOOSING POWER WHEN I AM DRIVING. LOOSES POWER AFTER SITTING AT A LIGHT, WHILE DRIVING THE CAR BUCKS AS IF ITS GETTING STUCK IN IT'S GEARS AND WHEN I GET UP TO A CERTAIN SPEED THE CAR MAKES A SQUEALING NOISE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2017
Apr 2017

DRIVING DOWN FL. I75 DID NOT HAVE POWER TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE. PUSH THE GAS PEDAL SEVERAL TINES NO POWER. NO WARNING LIGHTS ON DASH. AFTER SEVER MILES SAFELY GOT OFF I75. FOUND OUT CVT OVER HEATED AND SHUT ENGINE DOWN. NISSAN WAITING FOR SOME ONE TO GET KILLED. IS THAT WHAT NISSAN IS WAITING FOR? THERE IS A FIX FOR OVER HEATING CVTS. IS NHTSA GOING TO SIT ON THERE BUTT OR DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THIS IS AN ON GOING THING WITH NISSAN.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2017
Apr 2017

VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH DOWN HIGHWAY. ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED BY SEMI AS I COULD NOT KEEP ENOUGH SPEED TO STAY AHEAD AND GET TO SIDE OF ROAD. WHEN I SEARCHED WEB, FOUND THIS TO BE A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE ON THE 2012 CVT TRANSMISSION.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2017
Feb 2017

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAR ENGINE SUDDENLY REVVED TO APPROX. 5000 RPM. PULLED OVER AND UPON ACCELERATING AGAIN THE CAR WOULD DRIVE BUT THE ENGINE REVVED VERY HIGH AND THE CVT WOULDN'T CHANGE GEAR RATIOS ("SHIFT") AS IT NORMALLY DOES. REALIZED CAR WOULD ACCELERATE AND NOT REV AS HIGH IF I ACCELERATED EXTREMELY SLOWLY. CAR HOWEVER IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AT THIS POINT. ALSO COULDN'T DRIVE ABOVE 55 MPH WITHOUT THE ENGINE REVVING VERY HIGH APPROACHING REDLINE. AFTER APPROX 5 MORE MILES OF DRIVING THE "SERVICE ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON AND I SCANNED THE CODE. SHOWING CODE P1778 WHICH APPEARS TO BE A STEPPER MOTOR PROBLEM WITH THE CVT. CALLED DEALER AND SOUNDS LIKE THEY DON'T FIX CVT, JUST REPLACE FOR BETWEEN $4000-$5000. VERY DISAPPOINTED NISSAN HASN'T RESOLVED THESE PROBLEMS YET AND THAT THEY TREAT A $5000 PART AS A REPLACEMENT ITEM AND NOT ONE THAT CAN BE FIXED.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2017
Jan 2017

THE 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA COUPE 3.5 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET WHEN SUDDEN LOSS OF CLUTCH PRESSURE OCCURRED. THIS RESULTED IN THE INABILITY TO CHANGE GEARS AND THEREFORE EFFECTIVELY CONTROL THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE OUTSIDE MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM SPEED SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE GIVEN GEAR. THIS WAS THE RESULT OF A FAULTY CONCENTRIC CLUTCH SLAVE CYLINDER.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2017
Jan 2017

WHEN THE CAR IS AT 75MPH, IT LOSES SPEEN AND THE RPM GOES UP AND IT SLOWS DOWN WHEN YOU STOP THE CAR AND WAIT FOR AN HOUR OR MORE, IT WILL GO BACK TO NORMAL FOR A WHILE IT HAPPENS AFTER AND HOUR OR LONG TRIPS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2017
Nov 2016

TRANSMISSON WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2016
Oct 2016

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS DRIVING ONE THE INTERSTATE OR HIGHWAY AT 55-70 MPH. THE CAR WILL DECELERATE AND SLOWLY LOSE SPEED. I CAN SLAM THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS IN VERY HOT WEATHER. IT ALWAYS HAPPENS IN MOTION, AND SOMETIMES ON A HILL. IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO BE REAR-ENDED WHILE HAULING CHILDREN IN MY VEHICLE. IF I STOP THE CAR AND WAIT ABOUT 10 MINUTES, I CAN START IT UP AND CONTINUE ON GOING 300 OR MORE MILES BEFORE IT MAY HAPPEN AGAIN. THIS HAD HAPPENED ABOUT 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 4-5 MONTHS, BUT NOW IT IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY. THERE WAS NO ENGINE LIGHT AND IT WAS NOT GIVING A CODE. I TOOK IT TO EAST TENNESSEE NISSAN IN MORRISTOWN, TN, WHO COULD NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM BUT SAID SIMILAR CARS ARE EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION ISSUES. I TOOK IT TO A LICENSED TRANSMISSION SHOP WHO COULD NOT GET A CODE. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP SAID IT COULD BE A PROBLEM STARTING WITH THE VALVE BODY OF THE TRANSMISSION AS HE HAS SEEN AS MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE 2011-2012 MODELS AS THE EARLIER MODELS THAT GOT EXTENDED WARRANTIES. BOTH PLACES SAID THEY COULD NOT GIVE A GUARANTEED FIX BECAUSE IT IS NOT SHOWING THEM A PROBLEM. YESTERDAY, THE PROBLEM OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES ON OUR WAY HOME FROM VACATION, ALMOST GETTING US HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK. FINALLY, AFTER 6 RESTARTS YESTERDAY, THE CAR IS SHOWING CODE P0744, WHICH IS TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH INTERMITTENT WHICH WE HAVE BEEN TOLD IS THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE DANGER THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2016
Sep 2016

I WAS TRAVELING FROM ALABAMA TO ATLANTA GEORGIA ON INTERSTATE I-20. AS I TRAVEL ABOUT A HOUR AND A HALF INTO THE TRIP THE CAR BEGIN TO DECLINE IN SPEED. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 80-85 MPH AND HAD TO MOVE OVER FROM THE LEFT LANE TO GET IN THE RIGHT LANE IN ORDER TO EXIT OFF, IT DECLINE DOWN TO ABOUT 40 MPH. AS I PUSHED ON THE ACCELERATOR, IT DID NOTHING. IT WOULDN'T GO PAST 40MPH. IT CONTINUED SO I PULLED THE CAR OFF ON THE NEXT EXIT. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF LETTING THE CAR SET AND I BEGIN TO START THE TRIP BACK THE CAR WAS FINE. SO ON MY WAY BACK TO ALABAMA IT DID IT AGAIN. WHEN I RETURNED BACK FROM THE TRIP THAT SUNDAY I WENT TO MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALER THAT MONDAY MORNING AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. IT WOULD COST ME $5000 FOR A NEW ONE OR $3500 FOR A USED ONE. AS I LOOK AT THESE COMPLAINTS, THIS IS A NISSAN PROBLEM. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO COME OUT OF POCKET FOR SOMETHING THAT IS GOING ON WITH MY CAR AND AS I SEE OTHERS. NISSAN NEEDS TO PUT A RECALL ON THIS FOR IT IS A PROBLEM!!!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2016
Aug 2016

I HAVE HAD THE ISSUES OF LOSING POWER WHILE DRIVING MY ALTIMA AT A SPEED OF 60 MPH FOR LONGER THAN AN HOUR I WOULD LOSE ALL POWER . I WOULD BE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY MOVING WITH TRAFFIC AT A SPEED OF 75 -80 MPH AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS MY CAR WILL START TO LOSE POWER AND DROP ALL THE WAY TO 40 MPH . NOW I AM TRYING TO GO FROM THE FAST LANE OVER TWO OTHER LANES WHILE LOSING POWER . I AM LUCKY THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN REAR ENDED AT THIS POINT . I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ISSUE TO NISSAN SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 2012 I HAVE BROUGHT IT INTO NISSAN ON OCT 2013 , MAY 2015 AND JUNE 2016 THAT I HAVE RECEIPTS FOR . IN 2013 AND 2015 I WAS TOLD BY NISSAN THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR THEN IN JUNE 2016 I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION . I RECEIVED A QUOTE OF $2304.72 AND 10 HOURS OF LABOR IN JUNE 2016 NOW AUG 29 2016 I AM BEING TOLD THAT IT WILL BE OVER $3500 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION . THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN OUT DATED NOV 25 2015 FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE I AM HAVING MY TRANSMISSION HAS FINALLY GONE AND I THINK IT IS JUST WRONG THAT I HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT NISSAN KNOWS IS BUILT POORLY .THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NISSAN NEEDS TO FIX IT BEFORE SOMEONE DOES GET SERIOUSLY HURT

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2016
Aug 2016

MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO FORWARD WHEN PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL. IT WOULD NOT GO PAST 40 MPH ON THE EXPRESSWAY. AFTER 20 MINUTES IN TRAFFIC IS WHEN THE CHECK SERVICE ENGINE CAME ON. I HAD IT DIAGNOSED AT A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THE CODE REFLECTED THE CVT TRANSMISSION. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO CHECK OUT THE DIAGNOSIS...WILL UPDATE DOCUMENTS LATER.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2016
Aug 2016

8/12/16 I WAS DRIVING FROM SCHAUMBURG IL. TO LA CROSSE WI WITH MY DAUGHTER IN MY CAR AND MY SON FOLLOWING BEHIND. DRIVE IS APPROX 3 HRS & 50 MINS. THE WEATHER OUTSIDE HIGH 80'S & HUMID. AN HOUR INTO MY TRIP ON 90WEST IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC ON THE EXPRESSWAY DUE TO CONSTRUCTION. WENT TO ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP THE CAR WOULD ONLY GO TO 20 MPH WITH MY FOOT TO THE FLOOR & IT TOOK SOME TIME. THE RPMS DIDNT MOVE, THE CAR DIDNT REV, THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO LIGHTS DIMMING ON THE INTERIOR & THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS JUST WHERE IT SHOULD BE. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A FLUKE. WHEN APPROACHING THE WI DELLS 2 HOURS INTO MY TRIP & AN HOUR & A HALF REMAINING, I WAS IN THE "FAST LANE" OF TRAFFIC DOING ABOUT 80 MPH, I WENT TO ACCELERATE MORE I NOTICED THE SAME THING WAS HAPPENING. ONLY NOW MY SPEED WAS RAPIDLY DECREASING. I MOVED OVER & GOT OFF ON THE NEAREST EXIT STILL ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION. HESITANT ON SHUTTING THE CAR OFF NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS HAPPENING. CALLED MY BROTHER & DESCRIBED THE EVENT I HAD EXPERIENCED. ADVISED TO SHUT IT DOWN THINKING MAYBE THE SYSTEM JUST NEEDED A RESET. WAITED 20 MINS & ADVISED MY SON THAT WE WOULD STAY IN THE "SLOW" LANE. CAR STARTED RIGHT UP & WENT THE HOUR & 30 MINS WITH NO PROBLEM. CAR SAT AT THE HOTEL WE WERE STAYING AT ALL NIGHT. MORNING OF THE 13TH DID SHORT TRIPS, GOT LUNCH & ATTEND A MEETING NEAR CAMPUS. CAR WAS JUST AS IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN. 4 PM CST I GOT ON 90E TO HEAD HOME. THE SAME 3HR 50 MIN 248 MILE TRIP. OUTSIDE MID 80'S NOT AS HUMID AS THE DAY BEFORE. 1 HR & 30 MIN FROM MY HOME DOING 80/85 MPH, NOW IN VARIOUS CONSTRUCTION AREAS THAT DO NOT PROVIDE A SHOULDER, MY CAR STARTS TO LOSE ACCELERATION WHILE I AM TRYING TO ACCELERATE. I'M IN THE "FAST" LANE & NOONE WOULD MOVE OVER.LET IT SIT 10 MINUTES DROVE THE LAST HOUR & A HALF, NO PROBLEMS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2016
Jul 2016

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH WHEN CAR SLOWED DOWN TO 55 MPH WITH NO WARNING. PRESSING ACCELERATOR WOULD NOT MAKE CARE GO ANY FASTER. PULLED OVER AND WAITED 10 MINUTES THEN CONTINUED DRIVE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2016
Jun 2016

CAR LOSES ACCELERATION WHEN DRIVING. I NOTICED IT DOES THIS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE GETS HOT. I TOOK MY CAR INTO NISSAN LAST YEAR (WHEN IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY) AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT BESIDES IT NEEDING BRAKES. NOW THAT THE WEATHER IS GETTING HOTTER (PALM SPRINGS, CA 120 DEGREES) AND MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY (75,000 MILES) IT'S DOING IT AGAIN!! THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I'VE ALMOST GOT REAR ENDED TWICE BECAUSE OF THIS! SINCE I KNOW IT'S BEEN HAPPENING I'VE BEEN TRYING TO USE CRUISE CONTROL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON THE FREEWAY (GOING ABOUT 65-70) BECAUSE I'M AFRAID IT'S GOING TO DO IT AGAIN! LAST WEEKEND I HAD TO PULL OFF THE FREEWAY 3 TIMES BECAUSE MY CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 40 MPH!! I READ ONLINE THERE ARE A TON OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE AND NISSAN WON'T DO ANYTHING TO FIX THIS. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED WITH A RECALL! THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 20 TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2016
Jun 2016

I BOUGHT MY CAR PRETTY MUCH BRAND NEW (IT DIDN'T EVEN HAVE 20 MILES ON IT). MY FIRST TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING AROUND 30,000 MILES. EVEN THOUGH I ASKED MY SERVICE ADVISOR TO CHECK IT, HE ASSURED ME THE TECH'S CHECKED IT AND THE ONLY THING LEAKING WAS FROM THE AC. I LEFT, PUT THE CAR ON A LIFT, TOOK PICTURES, AND BOUGHT THEM TO THE DEALER. THEY THEN REPLACED IT UNDER WARRANTY. AROUND 90,000 MILES, I STARTED HAVING ISSUES GETTING THE CAR TO GO AFTER A COMPLETE STOP. ITS VERY RANDOM BUT IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY. I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN YIELDING TO TRAFFIC, I HAD PLENTY OF TIME. HOWEVER MY CAR WAS CRAWLING FOR 30 SECONDS OR SO. I AM GLAD I DIDN'T GET STUCK IN THE INTERSECTION. WHEN A LIGHT TURNS GREEN, PEOPLE WILL BEEP THEIR HORN AT ME, OR TRY TO CUT THE PEOPLE OFF IN THE OTHER LANES TO PASS ME. I FRANTICALLY SEARCHED THE WEB TO FIND THAT TONS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE WITH NISSAN ALTIMAS OF DIFFERENT YEARS NEAR MINE. I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THAT THEIR WERE SO MANY COMPLAINTS BETWEEN CHAT FORMS, COMPLAINT WEBSITES, AND EVEN SO MANY YOUTUBE VIDEOS. YOU CAN PUSH THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, BUT IT CRAWLS FOR A RANDOM AMOUNT OF TIME (MAYBE UP TO A MINUTE). HERE IS SOMEONE WHO CAPTURED IT ON VIDEO ON A CAR WITHOUT EVEN 30,000: HTTPS://M.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=ULIODPOI1_M I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY SAID MY CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION WARRANTY IS ONLY GOOD FOR 12,000 MILES OR 12 MONTHS. OTHER COMPANIES HAVE LONGER WARRANTY PERIODS FOR THEIR TRANSMISSIONS. FORD HAS 2 YEARS. DOES NISSAN KNOW HOW AWFUL THEIR TRANSMISSIONS ARE SO THEY WON'T COVER THEM FOR A LONGER PERIOD? I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR, AND I FEEL LIKE I COULD BREAK DOWN AT ANY TIME, BUT I CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER CAR PAYMENT RIGHT NOW. PLEASE DON'T LET NISSAN GET AWAY WITH THIS ANY LONGER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2016
Dec 2015

I WAS DRIVING MY 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA ON A BUSY 4 LANE ROAD. I WAS IN THE TURNING LANE WHEN MY CAR REFUSED TO ACCELERATE. I HAD POWER AND THE ENGINE REVVED WHEN I PUSHED ON THE PEDAL, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, SHUT IT OFF AND RESTARTED IT. THE CAR THEN JERKED ITS WAY THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. A FEW HUNDRED MORE YARDS AND IT STOPPED AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I RESTARTED MULTIPLE TIMES BUT IT WOULD NOT MOVE. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS A FAILED CVT TRANSMISSION. I CALLED NISSAN AMERICA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD HELP, AND THEY SAID TOW IT TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND THEY WOULD REVIEW IT AND SEE IF THEY WOULD HELP. I CONTACTED NISSAN AND THEY SAID MY CVT TRANSMISSION FAILED AND THAT IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. IT WILL COST OVER $4000 TO REPLACE IT. THIS IS A DANGEROUS EVENT. I DID NOT KNOW WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR ABOUT THE PROBLEMS NISSAN HAS HAD WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS. AFTER A WEEK OF WAITING, NISSAN AMERICA CAME BACK AND SAID THEY WOULD NOT HELP. THEY WOULD NOT OFFER A REASON WHY. I ASKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE CVT TRANSMISSIONS HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS THAT NISSAN RETROACTIVELY DOUBLED THE WARRANTY ON MODELS BEFORE 2010, WOULD THEY DO THAT FOR MY 2012. I WAS TOLD NO. I ASKED TO SPEAK WITH A MANAGER AND I WAS REFUSED, SAYING THE REVIEW PROCESS IS COMPLETE. I AM LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT CONSIDERING WHAT HAPPENED. I AM ANGRY THAT THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION OCCURRED. AND I AM FRUSTRATED THAT AFTER SUGGESTING THEY MIGHT HELP, NISSAN WASTED ANOTHER WEEK OF MY TIME, WHEN I COULD HAVE GOTTEN IT FIXED BY MY MECHANIC, INSTEAD OF BRINGING IT TO A DEALERSHIP.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2015
Aug 2015

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MILES PER HOUR ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, MY 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA LOST ACCELERATION AND WOULD NOT GO BACK INTO GEAR WHICH ALMOST CAUSED A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT WITH AN 18 WHEELER THE SECOND TIME THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED. MY CAR WAS ONLY AT 67,000 MILES AND THE DEALERSHIP IS STATING THAT IT NEEDS A NEW CVT TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND COULD HAVE CAUSED OUR BABY TO BE INVOLVED IN A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. SOMETHING DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE DONE REGARDING THIS SITUATION BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED BADLY!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2015
Aug 2015

CVT TRANSMISSION AND (UN)"SAFE MODE" THIS HAS OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE TRIPS ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS 60-80 MPH THAT ARE USUALLY IN EXCESS OF 70 MILES. THE VEHICLES TRANSMISSION WILL GO INTO "SAFE MODE". THE VEHICLES TRANSMISSION WILL NO LONGER REV ABOVE 2900 RPM WHICH INHIBITS THE VEHICLES ABILITY TO MAINTAIN SAFE HIGHWAY SPEEDS ESPECIALLY IF ANY SORT OF INCLINE IS INTRODUCED (IT IS HARD TO MAINTAIN A SPEED OF 45MPH AND THERE IS MINIMAL ABILITY TO ACCELERATE). THE ONLY REMEDY I HAVE DISCOVERED IS TO LET THE VEHICLE COOL DOWN. AFTER THE FIRST OCCURRENCE AT ~ 40,000 MILES THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO STATED THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE (CODES OR OBVIOUS DEFECTS). AFTER THE SECOND OCCURRENCE THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND AN ISSUE, HOWEVER NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY OUT TO 100,000 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION WILL STILL GO INTO SAFE MODE FROM TIME TO TIME AND HAS ADDITIONALLY BEGAN MAKING A QUITE OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD WHINING NOISE (AT ~ 60,000 MILES, SIMILAR TO WHEN A POWER STEERING PUMP IS A ABOUT TO FAIL).

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2013
Jul 2015

WHILE TRAVELING FROM SANDIEGO TO LAS VEGAS, CVT FAIL SAFE KICKED IN WHILE I WAS IN THE CENTER LANE. LOST POWER AND HAD TO MAKE A DANGEROUS LANE CHANGE, THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE BUYING THE CAR IN 2012

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2014
Jun 2015

PURCHASED CAR NEW SEP 2012. ALL MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED SERVICES COMPLETED BY NISSAN DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTERS. CVT TRANSMISSION FAILED JUN 10, 2015. FAILURE CONFIRMED BY TWO DIFFERENT NISSAN SERVICE CENTERS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA, Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2015

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2012 Nissan Altima has 108 Power Train complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.