Today my Nissan Altima's Transmission Died! The kicker-- I just made my very last car payment this month!!!! I was driving on my way to work and had my baby in the car to drop off at Grandma's house and my car started grinding really bad and shifting horribly. Then all of a sudden it simply stops moving and won't shift into drive. I manage to steer it to the side of the road. I power the car off and then restart (that works for computers, right?!) put back into drive and it's making the most awful noise ever. Had it towed to a mechanic specializing in transmission work, he groaned when I told him over the phone it was an Altima CVT trans.

Got the call this morning that it is beyond repair. Needs to be replaced. What?! I thought Nissan's last for a long time. I've had the car for 5 years. He doesn't work on CVTs so it needs to go to a dealer. Called Nissan.. It's 10,000 miles over the extended warranty they wont fix it. So I'm on the hook for 4k?! I don't think so. I'll sell it for scrap metal and get a new car. Guarantee it won't be a Nissan I am buying. Shame on Nissan for putting such a crappy transmission in their cars then giving you no recourse. I was going to buy a Rogue but I hate Nissan and will never buy a car from them ever.

Update from Aug 18, 2016: CVT Transmission completely failed at 132000 miles. Nissan Consumer Affairs refuses to help because it is out of their "extended warranty of 120k" Car lost power wouldn't shift while driving in traffic, luckily we were not in an accident. How can Nissan put these junk transmissions in and refuse to stand by their product. Going to small claims court.

Transmission broke down yesterday am, on my way to work. I knew it was transmission so I had it towed to Aamco. They're putting in re-manufactured tranny, cost of $3,600 all in.

I just found out today that the warranty was extended, and so I called Nissan. He tells me, "yes your car is covered. Just bring it to a Nissan dealer." Uh oh, I just heard from Aamco that they put the new transmission in. So I ask whether they can reimburse me for a third party repair. They're not sure, and they're assigning a "Regional Specialist" to the case, who will call me back.

Does anyone on here have experience with this situation? Surely I'm not the first person to get an emergency repair at somewhere other than a Nissan dealership.

thanks,

Frank

On August 1, 2015 I purchased a 2008 Nissan Altima 2.5S with 130,812 miles for $7,500. On January 27, 2016 the transmission went out with 144,540 miles. The diagnosis for the Nissan Altima was a transmission failure requiring replacement with an estimated $4,135 cost. This is over ½ the amount I paid for the vehicle and 60% of the current market value.

I began doing research into transmission issues with the CVT transmissions in Nissan Altimas. I was completely amazed to discover numerous reports of similar failures. I learned from Nissan USA’s website that Nissan extended the warranty on the CVT transmission on 2007-2010 Altimas to 10 years and 120,000. This is a clear indication to me that Nissan recognizes a major quality issue with the CVT transmission,

I am a Quality Manager for a Fortune 500 manufacturing company, so began doing additional searching for data. I discovered that self reported transmission failures for 2008 Nissan Altimas are 3.6%. Comparing this to a similar class competitive model average for 2008 of 0.76%, the Altima is nearly 5-times the industry average failure rate. I am certain Nissan has much more detailed data on failure by mileage. However, using the same data source for comparison across 8-manufacturers and finding a 5-times greater incidence rate is an obvious indication of an inferior product.

This is most likely the last Nissan I will own.

My car has a lot of hwy miles because I use to travel a lot. I keep my oil changed, tires rotated, everything checked, and etc. My car has had things happen here and there you know, it's only 7 years old. I've had several cars from Nissan and this has all been so disappointing for me. This is my only transportation, I have to transport my child around you know. I took my car to several body shops because just anyone can't fix a Nissan.They put it on the computer at three different locations and it was all the same. They say because I was using wrong gas it went out..I HAVE NEVER HEARD THAT IN MY LIFE..I really can't afford to have my car fixed, I've already cleaned my savings and paid $1,200 and now they saying I need another $3,000 for a transmission not including there fee. Why?????

I was under the impression that Nissan made reliable cars. Up to this point I haven't had any problems with my car and do a good job with maintenance.

As I was pulling into a parking lot one day the car starts smoking and there is a trail of fluid that I can see was from my car. I had it towed to my mechanic who instantly told me I had to take it to the dealer because he had never seen something like this before. I then towed it to the dealer who said I needed a new transmission because there was a hole in the outer casing. He said it was not covered under the warranty and it would cost $4000 to get a new transmission.

How does a Nissan with 80,000mi need a new transmission? He said it was from revving the engine but in no way do I buy that. First off I am a mother of two, what do I look like revving my engine? If in a case where I may have been stuck in snow in December how is it that the cracked transmission didn't show until August of the following year. I am disgusted at the thought that they will not put in a new transmission and think I should pay $4000 for it. I hope I can come back on here and give a positive outcome from this story but right now I am angry and not hopeful. Please let me know if anyone else has experienced anything similar and what the results were.

I was traveling across the U.S., on my way to Utah, when my transmission went out in Kansas on the interstate. Luckily, my son and I were able to get off on the shoulder, and I called AAA. My car was towed to Firestone in Wichita, KS. The next morning I was told that the car's transmission needed to be replaced. WHAT??? I bought that car brand new in 2008 and had just paid it off in July 2014! I was also able to drive "slowly" the car to the Nissan dealership there in Wichita, and they told me the same thing - it needed a new transmission. Both places told me that they know that Nissan installed defective transmissions in their 2008 Nissan Altimas and had extended their warranties. BUT, I had driven my car over the 120,000 miles warranty. I was so LIVID with Nissan. When I returned home from my trip (after having to get a rental car to make it to Utah), I called Nissan and spoke eventually with a Regional Specialist. She kept telling me "We cannot assist you." I will NEVER purchase another Nissan. They are not honorable and do not stand by their products! By the way, I never received anything about the car's defective transmission (CVT). I am just so grateful that my son and I were not killed on the interstate when the transmission went out. Unfortunately, Nissan could care less.

At 135k miles the transmission failed and needed to be replaced, of course it was just passed the extended warranty. I purchased a brand new CVT transmission directly from Nissan. Less than a year later at 156k miles the transmission has failed again and I am being told it needs to be replaced. Nissan will not cover the cost of the transmission or the labor, claiming the brand new transmission is only good for 12k miles. Not only are they refusing to cover the cost, they are not returning my phone calls and have treated me horribly.

20,000 MILES AGO TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED...CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BACK ON AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS YET AGAIN. BUT NOW I AM HAVING TO PAY BECAUSE I AM OUT OF MILES...SO I GUESS THE EXPECTANCY TIME OF THEIR TRANSMISSION IS NOT LONG AT ALL. REALLY 20,000 MILES LATER AND I NEW TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AGAIN. NOTIFIED NISSAN NORTH AMERICA DIRECTLY... NOTHING BUT RUDE CUSTUMER CARE AND NO HELP. NOT ASKING THEM TO PAY FOR IT TOTALLY BUT MAKE IT RIGHT. I WILL PAY THE DX FEE AND IF IT WAS A PART THAT WAS REPALCED 20,000 MILES AGO IT TO BE REPLACED AGAIN MUST HAVE BEEN A BAD PART

This is my 5th Nissan . . . I have been a loyal owner for the last 15+ years . . . but it may definitely be my last!!! I have driven them up to 12 years and over 250K miles in the past with no more than normal maintenance. All of them were purchased used at 1-2 years old. This time I bought my Altima brand spanking new with 5 miles on it from a dealer and after only 3 years my transmission is GONE!!!! You have to be kidding me . . . and, of course, it is way out of warranty on mileage . . . this is definitely a defective transmission design, in my opinion, and obviously Nissan knows it based upon all of the information I see on the web. Haven't taken it to a dealer yet - have put in a call to Nissan to see what, if anything, they are willing to do. If they don't make this right, as in replacing this transmission at their expense, it will not only be the LAST NISSAN I ever purchase, but I will be happy to share this information as often and loudly as possible to everyone and anyone. It may not do me any good, but it'll certainly give me some satisfaction . . possibly the only satisfaction I will receive.

Update from Nov 15, 2011: Nissan would not cover ANY of the cost of the repair due to the mileage on the car . . . the CVT transmission cannot be rebuilt as traditional transmissions are and the only option is a replacement. A new transmission was $3200 and a used transmission was $1900 - either way they would only offer a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty so I opted for the used one . . . couldn't really justify the additional $1,300 expense for no additional warranty. As much as I have loved my Nissan's over the years and have recommended them often, this will be my very last and I'll never again recommend one

Update from Mar 29, 2012: And now it get's even better, since I replaced the transmission a few months ago, my AC has stopped working. I took it in today and the compressor has gone out to the tune of a $1200-$1300 repair. Soooo, I am out about $3300 in the last 4 months on a car that is barely 4 years old and not yet paid for. I'm thinking about letting them have the damn thing back and cutting my losses and moving to a used Toyota Camry. I'm so very disappointed in the quality Nissan is making these days and they've seen the last of me.

Oh, and by the way, Nissan would not pay one dime to help with either of these repairs because it is out of warranty on mileage.