CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2015 Nissan Altima shows multiple problem trends, continuing the poor reputation of the 2013 & 2014 Altima, prompting us to give it our "Beware of the Clunker" badge.

Owners are complaining about transmission problems related to the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).

6.8

fairly significant
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
7,950 miles
Total Complaints:
13 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (7 reports)
  2. no solution - this is an engineering design flaw (5 reports)
  3. install bracket to hold tubing (1 reports)
2015 Nissan Altima steering problems

steering problem

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2015 Nissan Altima Owner Comments

problem #13

Nov 082017

Altima

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,440 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Have the power steering motor noise on my 2015 Altima. Went to the service and they said that noise is normal and they just install an insulator to the motor. It did not help anything. Still, have the same problem/noise and its becoming very annoying. They claim that noise is normal but I have never had the same problem with the any other cars including Altima. I do not want to drive that car anymore. I do not understand how NISSAN cannot offer any solution for it. It is a terrible experience. Never buy another Nissan again.

If anyone finds a solution for it, please share

Update from Dec 21, 2017: After the first attempt, I made my research and took it to the same dealership for the second time. Talked to the service advisor and made my point clear to them. He took the case to the managers and they said that "they test the car and noise is normal" because all altimas have the same noise. Since all of them (according to them) had same noise they think it is normal. Even though service advisor thinks that the sound is not normal, they did not do anything. Called the USA Nissan, but they did not offer any solution either. They said to go to another dealer and get a second opinion.

Every advisor/manager I talk to says they can't do anything because there is no bulleting about the case even though they think that sound is not normal. It a big shame for NISSAN USA to not to offer a solution for the problem and ignore it.

Never buy another NISSAN again.

- oguzhan6141, Houston, US

problem #12

Oct 052016

Altima S 2.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 8,000 miles

the noise is always there. nissan dealer offered no solution.

- Frank L., Novato, US

problem #11

Feb 012016

Altima SL 2.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,000 miles

Had this at the dealer three times. First time they put a gasket some where but it did nothing. Second time they said nothing was wrong. Third time 1/16/2017, again they cannot find anything wrong. That is the way it is supposed to sound. You hear this damn whining are a noise that sound like a dentist drill going down the road and this is normal. Checking on the internet this problem is with 2013, 2014, and 2015. Did not see any 2016 yet.

- klsparrow, Conway, AR, US

problem #10

Sep 242016

Altima SV 2.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Just like everyone else on here complaining about the noise from the power steering pump I am shall too. It sounds just like a dentists drill and it is LOUD! I am seriously regretting buying this car. The noise started about a month or so ago. One of other things I am trying to get Nissan to fix. This is only one out of six problems I have with this car. 2015 Nissan Altima SV 2.5L

- trekjunky, Richmond, VA, US

problem #9

May 222015

Altima S 2.5L 4-cyl

  • CVT transmission
  • 10,000 miles

Another gripe about the 2015 Nissan Altima. I noticed a shrilly high pitched whine coming from the engine bay while sitting idle in the garage and I asked my wife what's that sound. Well I found out when I turned turned the steering wheel slightly to adjust my path out of the garage and I'm like that's the steering!

Lo and behold, I come on this site and see others have this same whine. It sounds like a high speed drill, and it gets higher in frequency and pitch when the steering wheel is adjusted. When you finish your adjustment, the noise goes back down to the regular whine.

I could waste more of my time bringing it back to the Nissan 'stealer'ship (denial of) service department, but I value my time. I already know what will happen.

1. I pull up to the service bay tell the about the issue. 2. They 'look' at the car bring it back out and say nothing is wrong and the noise is normal and look at me as if I am whining and being a difficult customer getting on their nerves because you know they have real things to attend to like 531 failed tensioners timing chain replacements, hood latch recalls, OCS recalls, fuel tank recalls, and faulty CVT transmissions to replace. 3. 2 hours later/wasted I leave with nothing being resolved.

Please for the sake of everyone, update this car's status to AVOID LIKE THE PLAUGE!

Update from May 28, 2017: Here is a video of the whine after I just adjusted the wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAQMeHsB1yI

- Jason H., Kennesaw, GA, US

problem #8

Feb 012016

Altima Special Edition 2.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 1,345 miles

I hate my 2015 Nissan Altima! This is my 4th Nissan Altima and the only one that ever needed repairs!!! My steering wheel vibrates so much I can feel the vibration when I accelerate. I do not mind going to the dentist every 6 months, but cannot stand hearing a continuous dentist drill noise coming form under my hood every time I drive this car. It is extremely loud and embarrassing every time I turn my steering wheel.

The dealership has replaced my power steering pump and the car is only 2 months old with 1800 miles on it. It still continues to make the dentist drill noise and causing my entire car to vibrate! I have reported my issues to BBB, Nissan Corp. and DOT. I paid $21,400 and expect to have a car without any issues much less major issues!

It appears Nissan is refusing to buy all these cars back, but expects us to keep their piece of junk! I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN AGAIN!!!!!!

- Candice B., Grants Pass, OR, US

problem #7

Aug 032015

Altima S 2.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased a New 2015 Nissan Altima S 2.5 end of Sept. 2015. Great car, love it. Except it started a whine when you are turning the steering wheel. I contacted my Service Dept. took it in.

The service manager said he would call Nissan and get back with me. He called and said Nissan says it is normal. He said they told him if my car is in the service lane and he is in his office about 40 feet away and if he can't hear it then the noise is not loud enough to be a problem. That my sound ok for them, but I'm in my car not his office when it is making the noise.

He told me it was the pump on the electric steering and they all did it. I went out before I spoke to him and checked out the first one I came to and got my salesperson to start it up and it did not do it. I told him what we did he said most do it. He said he would order another pump, but it may do the same, and if it did Nissan would not do anything else. I'm thinking I don't think so, but I said lets try the new pump. I did say we know the pump on the one outside works how about swapping out that one. He said he could not.

When I went back to get it, it did sound better, but the whine is still there. I'm getting ready to head back this week and see what can be done. It does look like if this problem has been going on since 2012 or 2013 Nissan would have got this issue fixed by now. With as many Dealers around the US, you would think on issues Nissan would have a Data Bank where their Dealer could go and input problems that come up and if one of their Dealers happen to find a fix that works for them they would enter the fix in the Data Bank and let their other Dealers know what worked.

I read where one other said their Dealer found a copper pipe was touching the engine and was somehow causing the issue and they made a mount to keep it off the engine. I'm going to print that off and take it with me to see if they think that may work for them. Nissan you have great cars, but you are a little week when it comes to something like a whine that you try to convince your customers to pay 25 to 30,000 dollars and live with a noise as bad as any wind noise, and try and tell your customer service agents to tell everybody they all do it, when clearly they don't.

- Danny O., White House, TN, US

problem #6

May 012015

Altima

  • CVT transmission
  • 100 miles

A high pitch noise can be heard specifically when the car is on idle, sometimes without turning the steering wheel and all the time when turning the steering wheel left or right. NISSAN official response: "it's normal". I've included a video of what it sounds like. If anyone has found a solution please let me know!!

- conora, Beverly Hills, CA, US

problem #5

Apr 072015

Altima SL 2.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,959 miles

I recognize when I turn the steering wheel the car "always" have the whining sound. I find this to be very annoying.

- Shirley R., Desoto, TX, US

problem #4

Mar 262015

Altima SL 2.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3 miles

Here is my story, long but worth reading.

I bought a new 2015 Altima 2.5 SL in March, 2015. I started making a list of issues that needed to be looked at by a dealer. I purchased the vehicle about 35 miles from where I live but I took it to a dealership close to my house for the fixes. They fixed everything except for the whining noise inside the car. I talked to the service manager and he said it was NORMAL. I responded “Nissan builds its cars with this annoying whine in it on purpose?” He just shrugged his shoulders.

I thought about this over the next week and got really upset. I went back to that same dealership close to my house and talked to the internet sales manager. He said he had not heard of this issue. I asked him if he would mind bringing out another 2015 Altima 2.5 SL so I could see if it had the same issue. He did and we drove it around the lot and it DID NOT have the issue. He asked the service manager to look at my car again.

I came back to pick up my car later that day and they said that it was better. I got in the car and could tell there no improvement. He said there was nothing else they could do. I asked him to bring out another new car for us to check out and he reluctantly did. He took quite a while to return. The car he brought out had a whine not quite as bad as mine but it was still there. I suppose he was looking and looking until he found one that had the whine to bring out to show me. Again, I got nowhere with him and I was really upset.

I called my sales person at the dealership I purchased the car at and he had not heard of the problem. He checked with his service department and they told him that had heard about it on just a couple of Altima’s. I asked him what my options would be to have them look at my car knowing that they might have to keep it for more than a day and I would need a loaner car to drive. He called me back and said his manager approved me getting a loaner car. I was very lucky because Nissan does not normally give you a loaner.

When I took my car in, we tested three other Altima’s and none of them had the whine. He then gave me a brand new Altima as a loaner car. Again, this one DID NOT have any whining noise inside the car.

They called me after a couple of days and told me that they thought they had it fixed. They installed a bracket to hold the copper tubing. I drove the 35 miles to the dealership and as I sat in the car and turned the steering wheel I could tell that I there was no change. Boy was I disappointed. They asked me to leave my car with them and they would continue looking at it.

They called me they following week and said that Operation Manager in the service department was now involved and they were pretty sure they would have the issue resolved that morning. Sure enough I got a call saying that the whining noise was gone and I could pick it up. I drove the 35 miles again, sat in the car and turned the steering wheel and I was pleasantly surprised, NO WHINING noise. They fixed it. They said it turned out that the tubing was touching something in the engine compartment and that was causing the whining. The rep that I was dealing with opened the hood and demonstrated the issue by pushing on the copper tubing and sure enough the whining would start again.

I am very thankful that I was working with a dealership that took responsibility and worked the issue to resolution.

Update from Aug 2, 2015:

Update from Feb 20, 2016: To All,

I am forwarding a previous email to several individuals that are having the same issue that I had on my Altima. I am one of the lucky ones that had a dealership that was willing to take ownership of the issue and resolve it. It took them two tries and about a week to completely fix it. They even gave me a loaner car which is rare for Nissan.

This was so annoying that if it had not been fixed I would have gotten rid of the car at a loss and then stayed as far away for Nissan as I could. But now I am extremely happy with my Altima 2.5SL.

There are pictures at the bottom of this email detailing the tubing running from the electric power steering pump towards the steering column.

_____________________________________________________

This email is being sent to all of the folks that have requested information about how the whining issue was resolved on my Altima.

Let me clarify one thing. The noise at the electric power steering pump from under the hood which you can hear only while standing outside the car is normal but the whining noise and vibration inside the car when you turn the steering wheel is not. My dealership found that it was being caused by the tubing from the electric power steering pump coming in contact with something in the engine compartment.

I purchased my Altima at Gillman Nissan in Rosenberg, Texas. This is just outside of Houston. Unlike other dealerships, this dealership told me that this noise was not normal and they proceeded to resolve the issue. They first replaced the electric power steering pump but that did not resolve the issue. (If you call this dealership beware that this is the first thing that they will see when they call up my repair history. They need to read further to tell your dealership what they did to resolve the issue.) They then traced the tubing that runs from the electric power steering pump to the steering column under the hood. This is where they found the problem. The tubing was touching another metal piece causing a vibration and the whining noise. Once they bracketed the tubing away from any parts under the hood the whining noise went away COMPLETELY.

It is a shame that Nissan is not taking responsibility for this issue. All of the other dealerships will tell you that the noise is normal. If I had noticed it before buying car I would not have bought it. But now that it is fixed I am extremely happy with the car.

I am attaching three PDF pictures of the tubing coming from the electric power steering pump. The tubing runs from the front of the car towards the firewall then down and across towards the steering column. The tubing that runs down and across is hard to follow so you will need a flash light to try to follow it.

The Service Consultant I worked was Steven Mathews. He is now the Service Manager. My replacement Service Consultant is Adam Gamble. They both have said to call them and they will try to help.

281-633-5548 800-825-7923

- car24winsagain, HOUSTON, TX, US

problem #3

Jun 022015

Altima S V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I hate my car now!! Bought a 2015 Nissan Altima exactly 4 months ago and now I have to hear the most annoying sound coming from under the hood. I am so disappointed with my purchase, especially now that they say," its a normal characteristic". like really?? Why didn't I hear the noise when I bought the car. I feel like its something that should be said to the buyer before investing so much money on car that will later sound like a "bucket". WORST PURCHASE EVER !!

- pattysotelo06ps, Oakland, US

problem #2

Nov 282014

Altima SL 2.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,919 miles

The power steering sounds like a dentist drill. I hate this car.

- nic701, Shelton, CT, US

problem #1

Dec 182014

Altima SL 2.5

  • Automatic transmission
  • 416 miles

Bought 2015 Altima Nov 30, 2014. Love the car! 3 weeks later, get in and start the car. I hear a whining noise I hadn't heard before. Thought it was the radio. Turned radio off. Whine still there. Long story short, took it to dealer and they said it is the electronic power steering pump. They also said NISSAN states it is normal and there is no fix. REALLY? I just paid $30,000 F'n dollars for a car, drive it for less than 500 miles and it makes a noise I have to live with that sounds like riding in a 1970 Dodge Dart with an alternator whine through the radio!!!!! Nice job, Nissan! Way to go back in time and replicate the sounds of the 70's!

Nissan should step up and fix this and take responsibility for their bad engineering! What a joke! Should've bought the Kia Optima. This is the 2nd brand new Nissan I've bought in the last 12 months. Bought a Murano last year. Love it and no problems. Now have a bad taste for Nissan. Apparently this problem started in 2013 with the new Altima design and is still a problem. 2 years later, Nissan still thinks it is "normal". I bet none of those Nissan engineers are driving Altimas. Nobody should have to listen to a whine in a brand new car. Thanks, Nissan for having NO BALLS to step up and fix the problem and satisfy your customers!!!!!! ENJOY the 30 grand I spent with you cuz it will be the last time!!!!

- whiskeytodd, Renton, WA, US

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