2015 Nissan Altima: shudder or vibration when accelerating

Filed Jun 14, 2026 · Transmission · NY

Subject: Dangerous Transmission Failure in 2015 Nissan Altima While my 2015 Nissan Altima has always exhibited questionable performance—including abnormal acceleration, hesitation during throttle response, and mismatched RPMs relative to acceleration—the transmission has now begun to severely slip. I have also experienced sudden loss of power, pronounced shuddering, and complete power failure while driving. On multiple occasions, these issues have placed me in dangerous driving situations. It is important to note that I have regularly maintained the vehicle and kept it in mechanically decent shape throughout my ownership. I believe it is critical for other drivers to be aware of these ongoing problems, especially since Nissan appears to be avoiding responsibility for manufacturing such faulty powertrains. New car buyers and those purchasing used vehicles are becoming victims of this defective transmission, which poses a serious risk to passengers, drivers, and others on the road.

Filed Oct 10, 2025 · Transmission · OR

Car began shuddering when trying to accelerate. Car periodically will stop running or not start. No dash lights came on until recently when car would not start the battery nd engine light came on This all started end of September. Has been diagnosed by Nissan Dealership with 2nd diagnosis by an automotive shop close to my home. Informed this is a known issue with this make and model. Researched online and found this the be true. I received no notification. Both came up with transmission and CVT internal problem. Safety hazard for car to die in traffic. I have cancer and heart failure which makes general mobility an issue. I can’t quickly exit the car nd get out of the way of traffic. Informed only the dealership can address the issue. Quoted $6700 to repair/replace

Filed Feb 12, 2025 · Transmission · 33,737 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle failed to accelerate immediately. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with CVT judder, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,737.

Filed Sep 29, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · TN

While driving down the interstate at 70 miles per hour, going up an incline, the car lost ALL power & then jerked kicking back into gear. Once off the interstate attempting to get to a safe place, it completely shut off without warning! No check engine lights or any warning lights. Just randomly shuts off. After replacing what was assumed as the mass flow air sensor ($186.00) & the crankshaft sensor ($80) it continues to have issues. The battery (new battery $220) was also replaced & the alternator checked due to randomly shutting off-which checked out to be fine. Come to find out it’s the CVT judder. After reading all the complaints, I’m confused as to why there isn’t a recall or extended warranty on the transmission. My car only has 119k miles! We should not be having issues with these transmission.

Filed Aug 30, 2024 · Fuel system, Transmission · PA

I was using cruise control on the highway. My RPMs started going up and down and my speed slowed. I took it off cruise control and the speed was irregular. The car responded slowly to my pressing the accelerator. My car started squealing and I pulled over on the turnpike. I tried to press the accelerator after I stopped but the car would not move. I was unsafe because my car was on the shoulder of a highway and it was 85 degrees. I was also unsafe because my speed was not consistent and there was traffic around me. Lastly, I had to wait an hour for a tow truck. Two mechanics confirmed that this is a CVT judder problem. There were no warning lamps and no signs of a problem before this occurred.

Filed Jul 18, 2024 · Transmission · 67,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle failed to immediately start after being driven for more than one hour. Additionally, while driving at various speeds the vehicle would not properly accelerate and shuddered while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the CVT was faulty. No further information was available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 67,000.

Filed Apr 26, 2024 · Suspension · 60,500 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 42 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the rear passenger's side upper control arm was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Action Number: EA19002 (Suspension). The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,500.

Filed Oct 18, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · 94,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 25–35 mph. The contact stated that the engine and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed her that the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced and that there was no warranty coverage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

Filed Sep 30, 2023 · Suspension · NY

I was driving along on slightly rough pavement and the car sort of twitched in the rear end and then every few rotations of the rear wheel, the car shuddered-accompanied by a grinding noise. Then I noticed, that to continue in a straight line, the steering wheel was about 30 degrees, clockwise, to the right of center! I managed to limp on down the shoulder of the road at 10 mph and made it the mile and a half to my house. I thought a wheel bearing had failed, but when I took off the driver's side rear wheel, I discovered that the lower control arm was rotten with corrosion and rust and had collapsed. I searched online for the broken part but, fortunately, found out that Nissan had extended the manufacturer warranty due to pressure from the federal safety agency. I had the undriveable vehicle towed to the local Nissan dealer (Matthews) and they fixed the car- SAME DAY, NO APPOINTMENT, NO CHARGE. AND they took care of the hood latch recall at the same time. I still can't believe I have my car back, and functional, in what would be considered-in the car repair business- as the 'blink of an eye'. All's well in Vestal, NY. Thank you, the federal safety agency.

Filed Jun 1, 2022 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · CO

The problem with the C17F1 cvt judder when pressing the gas the car would not go. So you turn car off. Then restart car pressing gas all the way down, and the car jumps forward and luckily doesn’t hit car in front of you. Nissan is well aware of cvt transmission problems on 2011 and 2015 Altima’s in which now it costs me $5400.00 to replace this transmission. Nissan should of advertised this car as LEMON transmission CAR because you are almost guaranteed to have the transmission replaced. My car has 102 thousand miles and I’m forced to Pay $5400.00 for this defected transmission that Nissan was well aware of. I hate this car that I have paid so much money for. On top of list price plus this repair that I will never get my money back costs over 27000 dollars. I’m retired and Nissan sold me a 🍋 LEMON.

Filed Sep 20, 2021 · Transmission · TX

My teenage daughter drives this car daily and last week upon traveling to work on the highway the RPMs jumped and her car lost acceleration and she wasn’t able to pick the speed back up. She was losing power. The car was shuddering when she was accelerating and taking off and it was jerking with gear shifting. She was almost slammed into from behind when this happened. Dealership is telling us we need a new transmission. We purchased the car in 2016 and Jan 2017 we had the transmission computer module reprogrammed at the dealership, per Nissan recommendation.

Filed Dec 12, 2019 · Transmission · 111,000 miles · TX

P17f1 CVT judder code...there are recalls on v6 nissan altimas from 2015, but it does not apply to the 4 cylinder models, yet the cars are having the same issues. Most likely the transmission will need replaced. Very costly for a 4 year old vehicle ($3500 from non-dealer, $4000 - $5000 dealer estimate). Dealer charges $140 just to diagnose the issue. The vehicle hesitates when accelerating to get on the highway. Transmission company I spoke with said this was the 4th altima he had seen this week with the same issue....typically happens between 100,000 - 120,000 miles. My vehicle has 111,000 miles.