3 days before the incident the check engine light came on but went off the next day. I was driving home from an overnight shift on Sunday, July 5th when I heard a loud boom the car instantly began to sound like something was dragging on the ground, the car was shifting right no matter which way I turned the steering wheel. I pulled over checked underneath the vehicle noticed this piece dragging I immediately called a tow. A mechanic took a look and stated the control arm has snapped and deemed the car unsafe to operate. I am financing this vehicle and it has only been a year even with routine maintenance and the upkeep of the vehicle since about a month or 2 after purchasing the vehicle I’ve been having major issues
2016 Nissan Altima: ball joint or control arm failure
7 of the 555 complaints about the 2016 Nissan Altima describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 8 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was difficult to control at higher speeds. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the rear passenger’s side wheel was misaligned, and the rear control arm was fractured and had detached. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and it was determined that the rear control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 211,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the rear tire fell inside the wheel well. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over safely. Upon investigation, the contact was able to associate the failure with the federal safety agency Action Number: EA19002 (Suspension). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the lower control arm was rusted and had fractured. The contact called the local dealer, who mentioned the recall in Canada was due to the snowy weather. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000. The VIN was not available.
As I was driving my rear left control arm broke due to corrosion. At the time, my traction control light came on as the car was sliding. I assumed the car was sliding due to the rain storm that was taking place. Once I parked my car, and later used it again prior to noticing the broken pair, the Traction control light turned off. I later discovered the issue when my car continued to slide on the dry road. A tow was needed and then it was discovered the rear left control arm was broken.
Car has 60,000 miles and the lower front bushings are cracked! They should not be cracked with such low miles for a 2016 car. Now Nissan is telling me to replace the bushing and the lower front control arms will be $2,100. Thats not right, when Nissan knows they have been having issues with the lower control arms and bushings.
Cracked bushings had to replace lower control arms front right and left transmission had to be replaced
Purchased my nissan on february 23, 2017... Unfortunately I never test drove it and the next day took delivery... Two minutes on the road I heard an awful noise... Turned out it needed a new wheel bearing... Since then they also replaced ball joints on the drivers side.... Now when I turn the wheel I hear and feel a clunking noise with what seems like a lot of play... Clunking is very apparent when backing up and steering into a parking spot... Dealership has actually gone out of there way to assure me that it's normal for nissan's.. I honestly believe I purchased a car with left front wheel damage and never listed on a car fax... I enjoy driving the car and hope you can help getting this resolved/steering rack replaced.. If you do follow up with this complaint, I'm sure there are records of what they have replaced on the left front wheel.... This has been an ongoing issue, so there's no specific date I noticed this... If you can secure those records you will see my comments when going to the dealership. This dealership has given me great service and hope you can help
Service bulletins that may apply
- Strut and shock absorber replacement guidelines
- Rear Lower Suspension Link Warranty Extension Dealer Notification In October 2019, Nissan launched a...
- Rear suspension lower link if you confirm
- Clicking noise from front or rear axle during take-off/acceleration
- Revised wheel alignment specifications
- Pop/clunk noise from rear when driving over bumps
- Revised wheel alignment specifications service information
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2016 Nissan Altima ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 2016 Nissan Altima?
7 of 555 owner complaints about the 2016 Nissan Altima (1%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2016 Nissan Altima?
There are 0 recalls and 8 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2016 Nissan Altima
Check engine light 75CVT failure 67Jerking 52Stalling 52Transmission failure 49Headlights 39Airbag light 33Hesitation 31Shudder 22Loss of power 21Slipping 16Won't shift 14No deployment 11Door locks 10Sudden acceleration 8Fire or smoke 7Adaptive cruise 6Backup camera 6Won't start 5
VIN decoder
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