2011 Nissan Altima: complete transmission failure

Filed Nov 8, 2021 · Transmission · 140,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the transmission lost functionality with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact initially took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they referred her to a dealer since the vehicle was under warranty. The contact then drove to a dealer where they diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Nov 11, 2019 · Transmission · 95,000 miles · CA

I purchased this car just five years ago from a nissan dealership in ca. I don't drive it much because I use a work vehicle during the week. Over the last year, I've had problems with rattling, transmission delays and sudden surges in power. A few weeks ago, the car lost its ability to accelerate while heading over the grapevine to socal. The car suddenly slowed to 35 MPH on the highway! I had to quickly switch lanes in order to avoid a collision. Once in the slow lane, the car held up traffic and numerous angry drivers sped around me. This is a huge safety issue!!! The car only has 96,000 miles on it. This shouldn't happen! Today, I took the car to my local nissan dealership for a 90k service. An advisor called me several hours later to inform me I need to replace the transmission at the cost of more than $3,700. He also said the car has several hose leaks, etc. These are suspiciously similar problems other drivers reported having with their 2013-2016 altimas as well as 2006-2010 altimas. Why was the 2011 left out of the warranty extension and class action lawsuit? I could have been struck by another car when my altima suddenly lost power on the highway! It could have impacted the lives of other drivers around me! Nissan needs to fix its transmission issues. It's becoming a safety issue! The company also needs to take care of it's customers - if it doesn't want to lose them forever! I can not believe my car needs a new transmission when it has under 96,000 miles! I had a toyota camry last til 365,000 miles! I would definitely not recommend buying a nissan!!! You just may put lives at risk!

Filed Jun 10, 2019 · Engine · 96,000 miles · NC

Possible CVT transmission over-heating/fail-safe issue? I was on the highway after driving for 2 hours and my engine started making a 'whirring' noise and I had trouble accelerating. The speed limit was 70 but as much as I tried to accelerate, it would barely get passed 50mph. This almost caused an accident with a semi-truck as we approached a hill because I could barely get up it. I had to pull off the highway and let the car rest for a while. I had to drive another 2 hours to get home and after another hour, it did the same thing. Soon after, I took it to the dealer and they said the only thing they could suggest was to give me a new transmission! I got a second opinion from a transmission repair shop and they said that possibly adding a secondary cooling system would help but they couldn't guarantee that would fix the issue. From my research, it seems that a reason for this happening is that the CVT transmission produces too much heat for the cooling system to handle and eventually goes into a fail-safe mode that caps the acceleration power of the car, in order to protect the transmission from being damaged. I could understand the need for the fail-safe to kick in in extreme circumstances but not after driving for 2 hours at regular highway speeds. This is not normal and extremely aggravating. I have read that this is a common safety issue which affects both new and older cars and nissan chooses to do nothing about it. I have not been able to drive my car more than an hour on the highway because it starts to make that 'whirring' noise and I know it won't be long before the fail-safe kicks in. This has been beyond disappointing and even more so that nissan won't take responsibility to improve their CVT issues and provide the necessary repairs. I own my car outright but the warranty has expired. No option for that route. Very inconvenient.

Filed Jun 10, 2019 · Transmission · 15 miles · OK

Cat transmission failure at 129k miles. Winding noise and slipping. Car would not accelerate at any given time. This is a CVT transmission that nissan has an issue with and refuses to own up to it. Not a safe vehicle to be driving in city or open highways. Nissan want me to pay 3-4 grand to fix. Can someone please wake these people up

Filed Apr 25, 2019 · Transmission · 160,000 miles · LA

Cvt transmission failed. Doesn't go forward or reverse.

Filed Apr 1, 2019 · Transmission · 166,782 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan altima. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle would stall, decelerate, and power down without warning. In addition, the transmission warning indicator illuminated. The failures occurred often. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that a new transmission was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 166,782.

Filed Feb 9, 2019 · Transmission · 145,000 miles · TN

I have a 2011 nissan altima. Car was "acting up" and so I took it to a firestone service center. They said it was the transmission and I should take it to a nissan dealer. So, I took it to the nissan dealer that I purchased the car from and they told me I needed a software update. Which they did for $153. Two weeks later while driving from ohio to tennessee, the transmission went out and I had it towed. The cost for repair will be $4800.00

Filed Feb 7, 2018 · Transmission · VA

When pressing on the gas pedal, the vehicle does not move, it is not getting power; per the dealership the transmission needs to be replaced

Filed Dec 5, 2017 · Transmission · 136,000 miles · TX

Driving on the road at 55 MPH the nissan all of a sudden would not go over 20 MPH. After taking the car to the dealership, the stated we needed a new transmission. The vehicle is only 6 years old. We maintained the vehicle and followed all the guideline for maintenance. I was quiet shocked to learn that this is a common occurrence for nissan CVT transmissions. My concern is for the safety of my 21 year old son who was driving this vehicle when this happened. He was very fortunate that there was not a car behind him. The estimate to repair/replace was 5300 before tax. Yes, I was shocked. My son's previous vehicle was a 2002 acura that he was still driving up until we insisted he drive a new vehicle to college for his safety.

Filed Jul 19, 2017 · Transmission · 90,000 miles · CT

Nissan 2011 CVT transmission failure. Car would not accelerate in the middle of a busy highway, narrowly escaping a crash with another car. Cost to replace $+4000. 2003-2010 altima CVT owners complained about CVT transmissions and granted complete reimbursement coverage...5 years/60,000 miles changed to 10 years/120,000 miles. Nissan customer service denied $ support for my 2011 altima nor would they tell me whether I had the same CVT that the 2010 model had...if it was the same CVT should I not be granted the same coverage/? The CVT I had endangered my life without any warning! A review of other drivers and law suits suggests that CVT is a danger to more than myself. Nissan has not released information to me or other drivers (one internet article stated that a nissan ceo said there were no changes made??)

Filed Jul 10, 2017 · Transmission · 93,000 miles · FL

At 93,000 miles the transmission failed and had to be replaced at a cost of $3,700. The only replacement transmission cost more than $2,500 is sold by nissan and only comes with a 12 month warranty. This is outrageous. Why does the 120,000 mile warranty stop with the 2010 model when the problem still exists in the models after 2010?

Filed May 26, 2017 · Transmission · 142,179 miles · FL

Approximately 4-6 weeks ago the car started to jerk occasionally. Then it became more predominant. We just found out today that the transmission is no good and that there is a history of CVT transmission failure. The cost to repair is $3900. The trade-in value is $2000.