CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2006 Nissan Altima has a trend of engine & transmission problems.
Excessive oil consumption is the main problem reported by owners. Nissan did a recall back in 2006 for oil consumption due to bad piston rings, but many owners report to us that the recall didn't fix the problem. The dealer only had to check the oil consumption rate. Typically 1 qt per 1,000 miles is "acceptable" per OEM standards ... that's a lot of oil!
The 2006 Altima also has a defect trend of CVT transmission failure showing up around the 100,000 mile mark.
It's an expensive repair at over $2,000 average repair cost. For more information see Nissan Altima CVT defect info on NissanProblems.com.
About a month after I had crankshaft position sensors and camshaft position sensors replaced, the Altima failed to start at my home. The engine spun freely, as if there was no compression or resistance. Sounded like the timing belt had slipped or broken. I had the car towed to my trusted mechanic who immediately said that's what it appeared to them. They confirmed it was an "interference engine", which meant that a broken/slipped timing chain likely would ruin the engine by bending valves, etc.
They removed the valve covers, manually turned the engine over, checked the valves, timing and chain, and did a compression test. There was no apparent problem or damage, so they reassembled engine and it started. Ran perfectly and has since! My question is what caused this, and when will it do this again?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
About a month after I had crankshaft position sensors and camshaft position sensors replaced, the Altima failed to start at my home. The engine spun freely, as if there was no compression or resistance. Sounded like the timing belt had slipped or broken. I had the car towed to my trusted mechanic who immediately said that's what it appeared to them. They confirmed it was an "interference engine", which meant that a broken/slipped timing chain likely would ruin the engine by bending valves, etc.
They removed the valve covers, manually turned the engine over, checked the valves, timing and chain, and did a compression test. There was no apparent problem or damage, so they reassembled engine and it started. Ran perfectly and has since! My question is what caused this, and when will it do this again?
- John C., St. Louis, MO, US