Nissan Altima Consumer Reviews

DARTMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS -- Back in September 2008, I purchased a new 2008 Nissan Altima. This purchase came after several weeks of pricing and comparisons. My final decision was between the Altima and Toyota Camry. Both vehicles had comparable options and pricing, along with very similar gas mileage (a primary reason for purchase). As it turned out, I decided on the Altima and after price shopping, found a dealer that provided great pricing along with a good sales experience. This dealer happened to be about 40 miles from my home, but I had a Nissan dealer right down the street from where I lived for service, so I figured no big deal.

The Altima purchased had an automatic car starter installed (a $500.00 option) in it - not by my request, but already in place when I looked at the car. A few months after the purchase, as the weather began to get cold, the car starter no longer would start the car in the mornings. Additionally, when an attempt was made to use the car starter, not only would the vehicle not start, but would continue to fail to start even by means of the push button ignition for about 20 minutes after attempting to start via the car starter.

A call for service was placed at my local dealership (Nissan of Dartmouth, in Dartmouth MA), and the service department informed me that the car starter needed to be service from the dealer who installed it. Keep in mind that as I shopped around for the Altima, every dealership I walked into had a display in the sales departments advertising the automatic car starter - this was not a dealer specific option, it was offered at all the dealerships.

With an 80 to 90 mile trip to get service, I found this rather odd, and submitted a complaint to Nissan through its website. I received a confirming email along with a case number (**), and phone to call Nissan. When I called Nissan, my experience was very much like many of the others I've heard when reviewing Nissan complaints. They never pick up the phone, hiding behind voice mail, and seem to intentionally call back when they know you're not home even after giving alternative cell phone number and times to call.

I finally called and managed to fight through the frustrating voice message system they have and got to speak with a real person. When giving the new customer service person the case number, he informed me that the case had been closed. I questioned why the case would be closed when they never contacted me in person - no response! He proceeded to re-open the case and assign it to a different regional specialist, who did call me back. Again not using the cell phone information, but my home phone. I spoke to her only by chance as I was working from home that day (something that is very rare).

After explaining the situation to her all over again, she said she needed to call both dealerships for additional information. She phone me back in a couple days informing me that the car starter is not factory equipment and it would need to be serviced at the dealership that installed it. My response to her was a car starter is not offered as a factory option, and that all the dealers advertise and sell the car starter and the dealer never told me I had to have the starter service at his dealership only.

I also presented a different scenario where a person buys a new Nissan with a car starter, and moves to another state. Does that mean the warranty on the car starter is not honored? She acknowledged that that would be the case. I let her know how disgusted I was with Nissan and ended the phone call. I'm sure she was delighted because she could now close the case. I'm convinced Nissan customer service is not interested one bit in resolving customer issues, only getting the cases closed as quickly as possible.

Bottom line advice from my experience. Ask the dealers when purchasing a new or used vehicle if any components on the vehicle have "special" warranty conditions. Also, when comparing vehicles from different manufacturers, be sure to carefully consider the potential for vehicle failure. An example in my case is the push button ignition (which was a contributing factor to my problem), and the Nissan's CVT transmission.

Both these "features" look nice on the lot, and the dealer will boast about those elements, but think of the service implications something like this could have. Both are incredibly expensive to fix, and in my opinion, carry a greater chance of failure due to its high tech, and newness. Had I considered these things more carefully, I'd have purchased the Camry, at almost the same price, but with a more traditional and reliable transmission and ignition system. TERRIBLE customer service.

DEL RIO, TEXAS -- I purchased my 2003 Altima good as new in 2003. I traveled back and forth from California to Texas about six times in the vehicle. While in California, I was in the military and rarely used the vehicle. I have about 65,500 miles on it. I got the recall for the computer sensor chip where your vehicle would shut off in 2008. They did shut off on me several times, good thing it was back home in a small town in Texas.

I took the vehicle in to get it serviced and then things from there just went haywire. They replaced the sensor, then two days later, my check engine light came on and I took it back and they told my that there was something else that needed to be changed and that I had to pay for it. I told them, "in the five to six years that I had the vehicle, the only thing that happened to it was that I had flat tire. Now that you replaced the sensor, you're telling me that I have to pay more for something else when nothing was wrong with it before."

I had to talk to Nissan Corporation directly to get it fixed and advising them that I have never had a problem with my vehicle. Now, my throttle was above 1,500 RPM in the park and neutral position. I paid over $300.00 for a new throttle body to get it fixed, and now the same problem is occurring again. I don't think I should have to pay for something like this because I have never heard in another vehicle that a throttle body needed to be replaced unless you drove it like you stole it. Now I have to take it back to the dealership to see what is wrong with it.

They advised me, "We will check it and if there is something else wrong with it besides the throttle body, you might have to pay for it." I don't think that is right. If there was something else wrong with it, I think they should have found that when I took it in the first time. Are the dealers really doing their job, or are they just going by the first thing they see and say, "We'll just see them when they have to come back to fix the real problem or extra problems." What is your opinion on this....

OZONE PARK, NEW YORK -- Beware of the ol' bait and switch. They lied to me several times. They made me an offer, I clarified the offer and that the offer was on the table for 24 hrs. I went in the next afternoon to purchase the car and I was told that offer was only good while I was there yesterday. When I came to the terms of my actual purchase price, I asked that my scratch "prize" now be deducted. He rudely snatched the game card out of my hand saying, "I can't give you this on the top of the lower purchased price." I was entitled to an extra $500 off the purchase price, but he tried to denied me of that. He then tried to get me to apply for their financing rather than waiting for my loan to go through.

When I called the deal off, I was given the discount. In an effort to please the customer, they "threw in a 3-year service plan" only for me to find out that they NEVER activated the service number I was given. There I was on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire and the cust. rep tells me I didn't have coverage. I called the salesperson that sold me the car and he told me that I should find a local tow truck company and bring in the receipt for reimbursement. He wouldn't even track down a company for me.

Basically he told me I was going to have to deal with this myself. He assured me that the plan would be activated. I called the company to see if in fact it was..... Five months after the purchase, I still was not covered. They are liars and thieves.

In addition, they never completed necessary paperwork needed to notify the Nissan Corp that the purchase was made. This prevented them from knowing to notify me of a recall. Air filters were catching on fire and the air deflector (which helps with the aerodynamics of the car which affects the MPG) was never installed. The price of gas is high enough and this cost me a lot more money these past six months. Beware.

I have an 08 Nissan Altima that has clear coat coming off on several spots. Nissan North America tried to tell me the car had been wrecked when in fact, I am the only person that has ever owned it. If it was wrecked, it would not be peeling in 4 different spots all over the vehicle. I began contacting Nissan in February and have continuously been told that they will only cover half the cost of the repair because I do not live in the city and was over my 36,000 miles that they would not cover it. My car was in fact still within the three-year warranty.

I WILL NEVER purchase another Nissan. I am in the process of getting rid of it and getting a Chevrolet or anything but Nissan. DO NOT buy Nissan because they DO NOT stand behind the quality of their vehicles.

I, too, am a victim of rusted floor boards that will not pass inspection. This was found during an oil change on 4/21/10. All my work is done through the dealership on a regular basis. Why wasn't this noticed 3/30/10 when I had a catalytic converter replaced (another story) or 10/23/09 at another oil change AND MULTI-POINT INSPECTION or at any of the other multitude garage appointments?

My auto-body person found manufacturer's tape over the drain holes. They sent pictures to the Nissan regional specialist. I was told by this person they handle things case by case, and they were not going to help me financially to get this repaired! The auto-body person needs a section of floor. The hole is so bad patching with a piece of metal won't do the job.

I have since been searching the web and found this is a common problem - NISSAN NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY for a flaw in their product. I have also found many people have had this problem and the catalytic converter problem. I'm ready to fill out all the consumer forms I need to and spread the word. As much as I love my Nissan, from what I've been reading, I need to get rid of it (if I can).

WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA -- My daughter owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. 2 days ago, her service engine light came on so she took the car in to the dealership to have it looked at. Last year on August 12th, they replaced the throttle chamber. At that time, it was covered under the car's warranty. Now they are telling her this same part needs to be replaced again and since it is 18 days past the 1-year warranty, they will not cover it.

I have driven and owned cars for the past 35 years and have never even heard of this part, let alone have two go bad in just about a year's time. Has anyone else had this problem with their car, particularly their Nissan Altima?

FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA -- I bought the Altima in March 04. We had some hiccups in the financing process and they took care of it. I noticed the FM radio portion of the stereo sounds horrible compared to the CD portion. I tried a number of different CDs, stations and sound settings (bass, treble, etc.), had the speed compensated, volume disabled. FM still sounded about 75% quieter and very mushy like a pillow is on the speakers.

When I bought the car, I knew it wasn't the Bose. I've taken it in a number of times and they replaced the stereo and it did the same. Both dealers I went to AND Nissan confirmed that this is the way the radio is and therefore it is not a defect and they will not do anything to satisfy me.

The dealer I bought it from offered to let me get an aftermarket stereo installed at a place called Dealer Works (company that exclusively works with dealers for stereos, sunroofs, spoilers, etc..) at their cost. I have not filled out the "SURVEY" that is like gold to them. I feel justified in filling it out completely honestly. What can someone in my position hope to do to get satisfaction for a $20k+ purchase?

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE -- I purchased a 2008 Nissan Altima in June 2008. In December of 2011, the power seat quit working. I took it to a Nissan dealer and they said that the seat motor could not be replaced and that a whole new seat would have to be installed. The cost of the seat is $860 and labor is $250. I contacted Nissan about this and they said too bad, the car is out of warranty by 6 months.

They would not share in any portion of this repair. The dealer said a seat failure is very rare. I believe this was a defective seat and that Nissan should have stood behind it. If it were a $200-$300 repair, this would not be an issue but $1,100 is a big issue.

Car was bought brand new in Aug/Sept of 2002. Car was loaded with all the options, factory moon roof, leather, automatic temperature control, etc. Car was brought into the dealership every three months for its oil change. I was unaware that the floorboards were rusting out. Brought the car to a local mechanic for the check engine light which turned out to be emissions. While the car was on the rack, the mechanic asked me to come out so he could show me something. The floors under the driver and passenger were completely rusted through. He mentioned that he never saw anything like that.

While I was at the dealer the next time, I mentioned that why did they not bring it to my attention. I mean, who looks under their car, especially a relatively new car? I wrote to Nissan, spoke to their customer care and got an estimate. Estimate turned out to be 2,600. They won't cover it. I WILL NOT BE BUYING another Nissan again. Another manufacturer will be my next choice. Also, info on the car: bought brand new, garage kept and NEVER been in an accident.

COPIAUGE, NEW YORK -- I contacted Nissan who too made me wait several weeks to determine if their product should have been a recall. My Nissan had 80,000 miles and well taken care of. The check engine light went on and brought right away to the mechanic. He thoroughly checked the car and said the engine is consuming oil, to bring into dealer ASAP. Brought in to Nissan only to find for them to say, "You need a new engine, $4,700, and catalytic converter."

My car is well serviced and mechanic said no way should this have happened. After reading reviews, I found that 388,000 people plus have had the same experience and Nissan denies they can do anything. Nissan made me get all my reports from my mechanic to see if it was serviced properly. After getting all the information to them, they turned around after several weeks to say, "Sorry we can't do anything because it's over the warranty."

Why did they let me go through getting all the information and receipts only to hear we can't help you? Guess tough luck. Well I will never, ever buy any Nissan product and will spread the word that Nissan does not stand by their product. Check out the recalls and see for yourself all the consumer complaints. What's a shame is the car runs great but now it's going to head for the junkyard because it won't pass inspection. Could you imagine a car excellent shape, new tires, rides great and oil light still on won't pass inspection? Out looking for a new car, and sure won't be a Nissan. Nissan ought to go out of business...