CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005 Nissan Altima has two fairly significant problems with the floor pan rusting through & motor mounts breaking.
Altima owners report that up to a basketball-size hole develops under the floor mats where the floor pan metal rusts through. Average repair cost is over $1,000.
The broken motor mounts are less of a problem - they break at ~75,000 miles average & it's $400 to fix. Still, motor mounts should not break!
6.9
fairly significant
Typical Repair Cost:
$350
Average Mileage:
97,750 miles
Total Complaints:
30 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replace motor mounts (22 reports)
not sure (3 reports)
replace the right side motor mount (3 reports)
replace 1/2010 motor mt dealer, need to replace again (1 reports)
replace with solid rubber or neoprene mounts (1 reports)
I thought my front suspension was shot because every bump I hit was amplified throughout the passenger compartment. I read about people complaints regarding the right side mount failing prematurely and I inspected it and sure enough. Totally hosed as shown by the picture (should be one part, not two). I replaced it myself and at least it was an easy and cheap fix. But who knows what damage was done to the engine because of the bad mount. This along with other issues this car has really shows the poor engineering that was done for this car. I will never buy a Nissan ever again.
I've never heard of engine mounts going bad, but this has caused a lot of noise and vibration. The repair estimate is @ $750, and I'll have to get the problem fixed sooner rather than later.
Had to replace 3 out of 4 motor mounts. I did not take pictures at the time but now wish I had. The rubber on the mounts was completely destroyed and split all the way through.
My independent repair guy told me it was a relatively common problem on this car. This was in 2011. I am reporting it now because now (2015) I just replaced another engine mount and I just came across this site. I will report the new problem separately
This is the second engine mount replacement on this car (first one was at 92,000 miles). While the mileage is quite high (150,000), I have never before had to replace an engine mount and I had two Acuras that went up to 240,000 miles.
MY CAR MAKES A LOUD NOISE WHEN YOU CHANGE THE GEARS OR WHEN THE GEARS CHANGE OVER DURING DRIVING..IT IS VERY ANNOYING AND I THINK NISSAN SHOULD FIX MY MOTOR MOUNT, SINCE IT WAS A DEFECT WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR.
This is the second time I am going to be replacing my motor mounts on the right side. I took it to Nissan of Manhattan thinking the work would be done professionally yeah ok. Now they are out of business and Nissan corp doesn't want to hear none of my noise I have to say about this. They didn't use OEM parts and now I have to pay again to get it replaced. I got it replaced maybe 10k miles ago. Horrible.
The passenger side and front side motor mount have both been identified as needing to be fixed according to nissan when i took the car in for a check engine light that had nothing to do with it. It seems like this is a popular issue with the 2005 nissan altima.
The nissan corp should pay for this as it seems to be a known problem. Never replaced a motor mount on any car I've ever had in my life and that's a lot of years.
I must have the record for motor mount problems as I needed 2 fixed at 47,500 miles and a third is going to be replaced this week at 50,000 miles. Should I bother to mention that this lemon needed a NEW TRANSMISSION when it was picked up from the dealer and a new ECM at 4000 miles?
I WOULD HEAR A NOISE FROM THE PASS. FRONT, A POPPING CLUNK FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, AND WOULD MAKE THE SAME NOISE IF YOU HIT A BUMP AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 25 MPH.
in january 2010 had dealer replace right motor mount, now took my care to somewhere else to get it checked and was told right motor mount cracked same place as before, went to dealer was told that's common and they want me to pay for it because they said warranty was for 12,000 miles and i have gone 20,000 miles. I feel dealer should replace it at their cost, I was even told by the tech that he has seen that on a brand new nissan car. Dealer is in Decatur.
My frustration is not knowiing whether or not I am being ripped off by my mechanic. I searched the internet and see quotes for the parts I need (front and rear mounts) collectively coming to approx. $100. Every labor quote I saw was for up to apprx. $100 per hour and this job is estimated at taking no more than 2 hours! Are there any honest mechanics in NY? Please stand up!
Motor mounts are one of the most important, highly stressed parts on a car. Now who in their moronic mind thought of using liquid filled motor mounts. All I read about are failure, failure, failure. Yes, a liquid filled motor mount is doomed to premature failure. Oh, so you can have a smoother ride, but your engine falls out. Motor mounts are exposed to temperature extremes, as well as extreme stress. It is where the laws of physics allow the transfer of energy to the wheels, against the static resistance of the frame.
I know that Nissan is aware of the problem. I took my 05 Altima with just over 55,000 miles on it, and what is the first thing the mechanic does when he pulls it in. He opens the hood, takes a flashlight and inspects the motor mounts, then completes the safety inspection. I then get a call from the service advisor that it will cost almost $300 to replace the mount for it to pass inspection. Hmmm, sounds fishy. Oh, and Nissan OEM mount is $165 plus shipping and tax with only a one year warranty while after market is $99 with lifetime warranty. Hmmm.
The NHTSA seriously needs to look at the safety and problems generated by this substandard parts. Now I am starting to understand why all the newer cars are having so many problems and run aways. Using a solid mount will keep an engine from shaking itself to destruction or malfunction. Want to know why those Toyota's and other similar cars have run away problems. Its the motor mounts. The electronics are being shaken to malfunction by the engine vibrations. A good mount, if not totally solid rubber, should be made of a honeycomb neoprene construction, with a cable reinforcement. It might mean a little more vibration transfered to the frame, but at least the engine would be secure, wont be shaken to death, and the life of the mount will last considerably longer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I thought my front suspension was shot because every bump I hit was amplified throughout the passenger compartment. I read about people complaints regarding the right side mount failing prematurely and I inspected it and sure enough. Totally hosed as shown by the picture (should be one part, not two). I replaced it myself and at least it was an easy and cheap fix. But who knows what damage was done to the engine because of the bad mount. This along with other issues this car has really shows the poor engineering that was done for this car. I will never buy a Nissan ever again.
- Josh C., Lehi, UT, US