Owners' Stories

Very Hard to pump gas in tank, it will kick back on your shoes, arms, ground etc. You have to pump gas Real Slow..I hate it. Even had a Mechanic try once and he couldn't do it. He doesn't know what it could be. I found someone in the neighborhood with the same car and the same problem.

is there is any need to change the timing chain my car walk 60000 km

Driving home yesterday, as folks sometimes do, I had my hand resting on the spoke of the steering wheel as I turned it. Much to my surprise, and pain, I found the tip of my finger pinched in a screw hole recess in the steering wheel mount. This could have been avoided, of course, had I not done as I have done for over 40 years and rested my hand on the spoke of the steering wheel of the car I happen to be driving. It could also have been avoided by Nissan simply putting a plug in the screw hole recess. As it turned out, I was able to quick turn the wheel and release my finger before I lost the finger tip. Please do not misunderstand. In may ways, the 2010 Altima is a fine car. It offers adequate power for city driving, and excellent passing acceleration on the highway. Its interior is well appointed even at base level. And, the body fit and finish is good. However, it does have a problem with the starter button interlock sometimes malfunctioning without warning or explanation and preventing a start of the car. And, the brakes have begun to squeal at just over 26k miles. The A/C vents in the center dash cannot be closed. The windshield wipers insist on sweeping even when off after the driver applies washer fluid, which keeps the fluid from soaking into bug smears. But, almost losing my finger tip was a real surprise, and has really lessened my pleasure in owning this auto.

I am having issues with my car, I replaced distributor last year along with plugs and wires and fuel filter. Its been exactly one year and my car is having the same issues as last year except this year I checked all that has been replaced and none of it is bad. I am at a loss to whats wrong with my car, my husband seems to think its the transmission. I seem to think its the catalyst converter. It idles rough and acts like it wants to cut off as I am starting up to speed from stop lights or quick stops and start back to getting up to speed or going up hill. I need some advice or help. I haven't driven my car in a couple of days cause it just recently started smelling like it was running hot. ugh. ANy suggestions its a 94 with only 85,000 miles my parents gave it to me several christmas ago I really need to keep it going. Nissan ALtima gxe automatic. thanks for any help you can give.

Bought this 99 new ,now have 221,000 miles and very,very minor repair. 25-30 miles per gallion. Tough little car. Dealer said keep driving till the timing chain broke, said it had a truck engine in it from factory.

I bought my car at Nissan. Nissan altima 2002 located in newburgh ny 12550. The first day i took it home it smell like something burning. The check engine went on the second day. Nissan told me it was the gas tank being dirty thats why the light went on. They supposely fixed it. The next day the same thing engine light came on and Nissan said they will fix it. I picked up the vehicle no engine light for 2 weeks,then it happened again. I took my car back to Nissan and I told them to please take the car back and they said no. Ever since I have been just paying out of pocket thousands of dollars just to keep up with this vehicle. Someone from Nissan explain to me that the 2002 Nissan Altima engines from the year 2002 for these models were an experiment and that Nissan knows about it. Its a shame because I believe there are other people like myself out in the world with the 2002 Nissan Altima and have experience many problems with their car.

I got my 99 Altima from a auction 186,000 for 1400.00 runs excellent i had to replace the egr value $8.00 easy two screws only love this car

2003 Altima 3.5L SE V6 - catalytic converter went out at about 100K and got sucked up into engine resulting in later engine failure. Cost $7K to replace engine. This is common with the 2.5 4-banger so what happened to me? Also, before engine began to fail I had a rattling noise in the engine which turned out to be the timing belt tensioner. I wasted $2K getting this repaired on what later became a failed engine. Why didn't Nissan notice failed engine when working on tensioner?

Very reliable. A few minor things but engine and transmission have been very reliable. I am at 165K. One common problem on this car is intake manifold gasket. When it fails, car idle rough at stop sings. Part is cheap but labor is high like $400 or more but this was the only expensive repair so I think I can live with it. Very low cost to maintain. Also fairly easy to work on for DIY people. I bought it new and I really want to see how long it will last. I think it will be a good used car to buy if you can find one. A little smller than most other midsize but bigger than compact cars.

Best car every made, bought it new in 2003 with 80 miles now 8 years later has 340,000 miles and still going strong. I am a commuter and drive this car approx an 1hr 1/2 each way 5 days a week. Only problem is some transmission slipping, but as long she cranks we're rolling. :) Love, Love this car....

Bought my 93 Altima 8/2001 had 89,000 miles at the time. Now 10 years later 303,000 miles and running strong. Dig this 5 speed with original clutch. Great car

inherited my 2003 2.5 altima with 30k on it. one of my sensors went bad at about 57k. other than that there were no other problems. this car has good power, even off the line, for a four cylindar. it handles extremely well,feels solid, and has very a good braking distance. the interior is roomy and comfortable.the exterior is pleasing to the eyes,looking more german than japanese in its styling. So, far I love this car.

Great mid-sized car giving exceptional fuel mileage. Great styling with plenty of creature comforts. Excellent 360 degree visability through windows. Seats are very comfortable for large passengers (I am 6'0" and 285 lbs). Comfortable ride, but a ride comfort is highly dependent on tires (I replaced OEM Goodyear tires with new Firestones). Vehicle does not handle well in high crosswinds at highway speeds. Needs sturdier suspension.

Good overall running car with normal issues if you buy quality oils and Brake parts it lasts. Dealers are dealers, by now we know how to deal with them too. Tested Mobil 1 5w30 syn and oil filter after every 10K. It was still all good for another 2k or more. Drain Transmission fluid one gal and replace, Transmission will run like butter forever. Buy or have installed quality Brake rotors and pads will go 35 to 45K vs the cheeper quality. Cold air intake got 1 mpg extra and only have to clean every 15K. Quality tires at 42 lbs gives me 31 to 33 mpg Hyw. only repalced 1 O2 sensor so far. Belts and anti-freez change keep water pump lubed and no noise from alternator at 50K. Must change plugs at 60K waited until 75K and it ran poorly for months, now it is smooth as when new. use NKG platnium

This car has worked amazingly well with minimal maintenance and I just love my car. The only thing is that the car gets between 20-24 miles to the gallon.

Bought new in Dec 1998. Have 153K miles on it. The only problem I had was alternator and brakes.

I love my Nissan Altima! Due to extreme wear and tear caused by myself through its "so far" ten year life span, I've had a few usual 120k mile issues but nothing that's caused me to want another car. Built to last, this Altima will stay with me till the day it dies and I have a feeling it'll be my 15-month-old daughter's first car! Its been through hell and back, literally, but I am very happy with my 2000 Nissan Altima!

Really loving this car! A wonderful, comfortable ride, and absolutely amazing mpg!

great car well worth the price. Enjoying it. Giving to gtrandson as his first car. Will last years. The paint on spoiler is chipping. The rest of the car looks greate

Drove it off the lot with 85 miles on it. Now looking forward to turning a very confident 300,000 miles by the end of the year. Minor brake issues that I have worked with over the years (burned through two sets of pads for the rear in a year, while only three sets for the front in 13 years of ownership). The best was replacing the clutch at approx. 175,000 miles, not heard of in many cars. Been through four exhaust systems (fore/aft of catalytic converter) and only on second cat. converter at this time. Now it's down to one windshield wiper (transmission broke to driver's side), one fixed setting for intermittent wipers, no radio antenna (my fault), and a rust hole on front passenger fender from aftermarket replacement. Still driven every day either 120 miles to NJ or 80 miles across state for work related travel. First turn of the key and it's ready to keep going.

1994 Nissan Altima GLE - Love my car. Only major thing I've had to deal with, was replacing the alternator 2 years ago. had problems with power windows getting stuck and those were easily fixed. now am needing to get transmission flushed and refilled. Starting to experience sluggishness when shifting gears (automatic) and they jump when shifting to proper gear. Mostly when shifting into Drive. Feels like you're in 2nd gear and then shifts into Drive. Otherwise, keep oil changes on schedule and no probloems. Car has 70,000 miles on it Best car I've ever owned and would buy another.. .

I would like to know why my 2008 Altima , gayge might read range 200 miles and I drive 5 miles and it then reads 185 does that make sense?

Generally an ok car. Problems I've had are that 3 out of 4 power windows failed. Needed to have the air intake manifold gasket replaced at 65K ($700.00)

Nissan is a lousy company when it comes to treatment of its customers and build of their product.

I enjoy my nissan, the only problem sometime won't start the first time i started, the brakes making noise when i brake or back up.

Bought my 1999 Altima in 2005 with 79,000 miles on it. The RH CV axle needed to be replaced when I bought it. Then the Mass Airflow Sensor ($350) went out at 95,000 miles. The Left Hand CV Joint went out at 100,000, and now the engine has developed a vacuum leak ($400 to repair)--even though it has the aluminum and not the flimsy plastic intake manifold. Plus, I only get 27-28 mpg on the freeway with moderate driving... Nissans HAD a good reputation. I've owned a couple Datsun/Nissans in the past and they were decent, but this vehicle has really soured me on them.

I just had a baby and I needed a new car. Something in a 4 door and fast!!! After doing extensive research and adding a few mods I had the ultimate sleeper. It was December 2003 and I went and bought my first new car, a 2004 Altima 3.5 SE. On the ride home I was very dissapointed with the handling so the very first thing I did was install heavy duty front & rear sway bars and that did the trick. And now it handles like it's on rails. Then came the mods. A cold air intake, an underdrive pulley and a down pipe. In total roughly $800 spent and installed everything myself. Whenever my child wasn't in the car I was racing everyone and wound up beating the snot out of the car for 2 years finally blowing the transmission at 22K. Switched the intake back to the stock one and ran it through warranty no problem. After all the abuse the car is still all original otherwise with 155K. I do all tghe work myself in my driveway and here's a list of what I did and what went wrong with the car. The drivers side window regulator went bad, got one at the boneyard for $100 and put that in. Did the brakes roughly every 40K costing $150 rotors and all. Oil is changed every 3K of course. Had the winshield replaced 3 times costing $175. And just recently replaced the mesh pipe in the exaust costing $50. I haven't done any other maintainence other than an air filter twice. The car still runs strong but a major problem is starting to develop. When I bought the car a was happy to learn that it had a steel timing chain instead of a belt that had to be changed every 60K. The rails that guide the chain are worn down to metal and the timing chain is jingilling away making a ton of rattalling noise. The replacement parts alone total around $650 and the labor is intensive and I'm probably looking at $400-$500 in labor using a friend. I won't let myself put this kind of money into a motor that has 155K on it so I planned the next big thing. I called my junkyard friend who had a motor with 94K and he wanted $400 for it. Sold!!! They're storing it for me till I need it. So now it's 200K or bust jingilling all the way! Let's just hope I'm not to far away from home if the chain lets loose. However to this point I'm still very very happy with my Altima.

This car has such potential. I do a lot of highway driving with this car in all weather conditions since I live in the North East, New York City, and went to school in south western ohio. A 670 mile trip each way. While the car is a dream on the highway averaging over 30 MPG at an average of 75-85 MPH and is extremely smooth, there are some problems with the design of the car. At some point during the winter, a rock flew through my unprotected AC condensor at the front of the car. This is not under warranty for some reason, even though almost all other vehicles have their intercooler/AC condensers protected by a metal mesh. Since my AC has broken, I have driven from Cincinatti to Tennessee, Chicago, Cleveland, New Jersey and so on in the 90+ degree heat. I did some research and the part is only $135, but 2 Nissan dealerships want to charge me upwards of $500. While I understand that the part is not under warranty, atleast cut me a break. Even $100 dollars would help and instead of telling everyone not to buy or lease any Nissan, I would still reccommend the car to others. Now, I refuse to EVER own another Nissan. All one dealer had to do was help me out a bit and that 370z, the z being the car I have wanted for 7 years already (I wanted a 350z until the 370 came out.) would be purchased through them. Now that 370 will be a Mustang GT. Poor customer service and a design flaw which dealers refuse to acknowledge makes an otherwise great car an easy pass. There is to much competition in the $20k 4 door sedans to have even a minor flaw. Get a Ford tarus.

I have 2003 Altima with 90,000 miles.All the sensors are going bad or something the dealer told me. Replace the vec. sensor and the speed sensor and it is dtill messed up.I ws told now do the ECM and TCM whatever that is now. Will not buy another one!

My 1999 Altima "Kharisma" is the best, wouldnt trade her in for the world. I have 155k miles and she still going strong.No major work except changing the alternator and the starter, but with good maintenence and TLC and she will be around for a long time!!!

Have owned my Altima since it was new and it has proven to be a great car for the money. General repairs until this year when the car finally hit 100,000 miles and needed to change the struts and tie rod ends. Brakes have had problems periodically.

my altima has 228k on it and runs near perfect too. the o nly problem is the transmission has a tendancy to shift hard when cold into second but other than that it still drives like a dream.

Have been driving this beauty for five years and 100,000 miles. It has 133,000 miles now. Never gave me any major problems yet. I hope to drive this till it reaches 200,000. The only issue I have is the brakes wear of very easily (maybe because of my bad driving habits). I have been changing its oil on time and making sure all 30,000 services are done on time. Take care of this sucker and this sucker will take care of you!

love my Altima - very dependable

I purchased this car from someone that had not maintained it very well. I've spent well over $1000 already and have just started having serious issues with it idling and accelerating. Overall, I think it's a great, dependable car if you keep up with all the maintenance an older car requires.

Hi Guys. I bought 2008 Nissan Altima 2.5S with sunroof in 2007 October. The car is good but has given me alot of problems.. 50K the gearbox CVT gave up on me then the strut front kit. then the sunroof assembly was changed twice Speedometer has been changed once becus of faulty handbrake sing and its LED speedometer so u cant even change single bulb. The steering started making squeeking sound while turning, so the company changed steering rack. Basically if you ask me, the car when you hit gas, it sounds like a LOUD FOOD GRINDER because of the CVT transmission.. ONE SAME PITCH till car reaches 200km/hr. lol Also the interior they said it wood finished.. but when i recieved the car, i saw these little tiny places where wood finishing it, doors and little bit of dash.. and i was like "what the... thats all?!! " HONDA has better wood finishing from inside. Neways, i wouldnt buy Nissan Altima again... It has given be loads of problems...

I have the SE-R version and this car rocks. The on-limit governor is a bit annoying but the handling and steering is great and acceleration is awesome!

Bought the car new and still have it today. I bought the 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warrantee when I bought the car and never missed a service. The car now has 147,000 miles on it and, add a few road chips, looks like it did when I 1st bought it. I cannot reccomend the Bumper to bumper warrentee enough !! I'll never buy a car without it. I notice the slightest difference and ask the mechanic and it gets looked at. Most times it is not a problem, but at least I get peace of mind. If something is wrong the dealership fixes it right away. AWESOME !! At 94,000 miles they replaced the engine.. Something about a cracked cylinder wall. I read up on it and it is like super rare.. lucky me.. but at least I was covered.. not one dime from my pocket and I got a new engine.

With 56000 miles on the odometer only repairs and complaint is on excessive brake wear and brake pads that insist on squealing even when newly replaced. Dealer insists squealing is normal.

This car can go many miles with proper care.

I loved this car but I had several front disc brake jobs and they still made noise and I got fed up with it so I traded it for a new vehicle. It had great pep and handling.

Bought my 2006 Altima and suffered thru the initial scare that I had a BUM engine. However, it turned out my engine was not one of the bad ones built in Feb/Mar of 2006 in Tennessee. Have had no problems with this car after 41000 - Am averaging over 30 on hwy trips. My only knock on the Nissan is the configuration of the trunk. Can be awkward to pack with golf clubs.

this is the best altima 2.5sl i ever had faster than my 2004 altima 2.5sl more reliable too.no more engine problem i hope so.so far so good.

Indomitable! The Nissan Altima just would not die. The engine has been no problems, the interior and radio are still working just great. No problems. Really reliable and low maintenance prices.

The car has been good to me. I bought it Oct. 2001 as a brand new 2002. It has 195,000 miles and running well. Original exhaust. Just now having to put money into it other then maintenance. My last Altima (1996) had 240,000 miles on it before it died.

It a great family car. Also it make a great racing car if it manual transmission. Ha ha ha

My '98 Nissan has 160,000 miles. I get 28 - 33 MPG. The A/C blows hard and cold. This car just does not stop. I've only had one major repair in 7 years of owning it. I replaced the clutch. everything else has been minor. I love this car.

Nice car over all.

GOOD TRANSPORTACION

I have over 100,000 miles on my car and the only thing I have spent money on is every day wear and tear items example, brakes, tires, tune ups. Overall, I would rate this car a 5 STAR Rating. Definently would buy another Altima. I am very satisfied. Still runs very well, body is still in excellent shape.

solid cars exhaust aways a problem on nissan's they tend to rust out brakes wear quick too