2017 Nissan Altima: sudden loss of power

Filed Nov 2, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · CA

I was driving on the freeway at 65mph and I felt the car jump and it felt like it was losing power and kicking me at the same time. It wanted to stall out. So I had to pull over to the far right lane and it continued to make a screaming noise when I would push on the had and not want to accelerate.

Filed Nov 6, 2025 · Engine · LA

Check engine light came on will not go off transmission fluid burnt replaced transmission fluid because transmission was slipping out of gear not finding the correct gear I do believe it was starting off in second gear instead of first. Drive slightly better in manual after fluid gets warm but not overheating the car will start jerking and threatening to kill losing power in the accelerator and going uphill also having trouble with the car going into reverse and drive. I had no choice but to replace the transmission fluid myself due to lack of funds and now dealership refuses to touch my vehicle for repairs. I called Nissan to make a complaint and they hung up on me. Car was just paid off October of 2024. This situation with my transmission began November of 2025.

Filed Sep 16, 2025 · Acceleration, Transmission · GA

My CVT transmission has been replaced three times by Nissan. I am currently on the third CVT transmission and it has failed requiring a fourth CVT transmission replacement. I was in a few different situations each time the trasmission failed that were unsafe. I've been at intersections, trying to accelerate forward when the stop light turns green causing me to stop in the middle of intersections or accelerate slowly through the intersection which is very dangerous. I've been on the highway going normal highway speeds over 60mph when I would lose power and try to keep my speed and my car would stay in the 15mph - 40mph, having to turn my hazard lights on so other drivers know I'm having issues accelerating. The first time I took my car to the dealership, they could not recreate the issue after having my vehicle for 30 days. I received my car back and the engine light finally came on after some time and I immediately took my car to the dealership where they confirmed the CVT transmission was the issue.

Filed Jul 12, 2025 · MN

A few months ago, while at a stop light my car would not acceleration, I depressed the pedal all the way to the floor and there was no movement but rpm’s went up to 4000. I was almost rear ended as I was attempting to go. The car suddenly accelerated at a high rate of speed and drove normal. This occurrence happened intermittently a couple times, and is really dangerous while making left hand turns and almost being hit in the intersection. I took it to a shop to get a diagnostic but the mechanic said that since there was no check engine light or codes he’d “just be guessing.” I have been driving the car for sometime now without any issues. Last week I went an hour out of town and my car suddenly loss power on the highway while going 70 mph. It decelerated to 40 mph and would not go faster. I had to pull off the highway crossing 3 lanes of traffic barely going 40 mph. When I got to the shoulder, I turned my car off and waited a few minutes before turning it back on and the car drove fine for maybe 10 miles before it lost power again. I noticed a loud whining noise while accelerating and a smell of transmission fluid. It took me 2 hours to get home being I had to continue to pull over every 5-10 miles which seemed to reset the transmission. I had it towed to a different repair shop the next day and once again no check engine light, no codes and the car had not shown any reported symptoms, so the mechanics hands where tied but he did say that the CVT transmission in Nissan Altimas have been a major issue and of it is indeed the transmission it would cost 3k-6k for repairs. If this is truly an issue with Nissan’s CTV transmissions then there needs to be a recall and the repair should be covered. The sudden failure of engine mechanics is a safety risk for all drivers and needs to be investigated before Nissan is hit with a wrongful death suit.

Filed Jul 8, 2024 · Transmission · IN

Loss power on the interstate would not excell at all no warning lights on very dangerous with getting hit by several cars

Filed May 20, 2024 · Acceleration · AZ

Transmission: this is the 2nd transmission in about 22,000 miles. Car will start to stall out and then high rev the rpm’s. This has caused significant power loss suddenly in traffic. Issue has been recreated by mechanic and has been inspected thoroughly. Previously transmission was rebuilt with the torque converter being replaced. No indicator lights have come on prior or during sudden loss, only check engine light once. Shutting off vehicle for approximately 5 or so minutes resolves the issue but only for a limited amount of time.

Filed Jul 12, 2023 · Transmission · UT

Driving down the highway at 12AM the vehicle lost power and slowed immediately to 20MPH. I pulled over, shut off the engine and waited 5 minutes. Restarted the engine and the vehicle ran fine. Recently while driving the vehicle I have noticed delays of 2-3 seconds in throttle engagement before acceleration. My son, Preston Hodnett was on the freeway and the vehicle slowed down to 10MPH. He pulled over, turned the vehicle off and restarted the vehicle and was able to return to normal freeway speeds. This occurred with no check engine light at the time. The vehicle is a 2017 with 65.4K miles. The manufacture is saying it is a transmission issue and will take $6.2K to repair. I cannot afford the replacement cost and this is a continued known issue with Nissan vehicles and the Nissan representative advised a transmission shop separate from Nissan that they cannot replace my transmission due to a current lawsuit with consumers in the state of California. In my opinion, this vehicle is endangering me and my family and this appears to be a class issue. The first issue occurred over two years ago and then went away entirely. Recent issues have arisen that resemble or exceed the first incident which are causing severe safety concerns. No warning lights were present during these issues.

Filed Sep 12, 2022 · Transmission · KY

The transmission failed at around 44,000 miles. It started losing power on the Highway causing it to lunge forward at times and die out while pulling out and slowing down. Eventually the reverse gear stopped working . It would stall above1,000 RPMs and only operate at low speeds. Nissan knows good and well about this issue and does nothing to offer monitory assistance of replacing the transmission and not much of A guarantee on A replacement only A year warranty . They should be pulling these hazardous cvt transmissions out and pull these cars off the market before someone gets killed. The cost of replacing this transmission is over 5,000 and that’s only A limited 1 year warranty.

Filed Aug 15, 2022 · Transmission · PA

I've been experiencing ongoing transmission problems with my car for over 2 years now. The most common problem is when I come to a complete stop, then step on the gas, the car hesitates for about 5 seconds and then takes off very quickly. This happens intermittently, usually after the car has been running for about 15 minutes (or more) although I have had it happen after running for shorter periods of time. If I turn the car off and back on, it does solve the problem temporarily. I can't even count how many times this has happened to me - probably more than 100. My biggest concern with this issue is when I'm at a multi-way stop sign with at least 1 other car at the intersection. It may be my turn to go and I'm trying to go, but other cars may perceive that I'm waiting to let them go. I've taken it to 2 different dealerships and they have not been able to replicate the problem, but most recently, I did send one of those dealerships a video showing the problem. My first report to a dealership was on 6/24/2020 and I've reported it several times since, but they have not done anything to fix it since they were not able to replicate the problem themselves. I sent a video on 7/17/2022 but have yet to hear a response from Nissan. Another issue I've had is general loss of power or inability to shift out of low gear (which has only happened a handful of times, i.e., less than 5 times). For example, merging on a busy highway with a short merge lane and my car had very little power to merge in a small window. And once merged, the car wouldn't shift past 2nd gear, limiting my speed. The second example, I was stopped going up a hill and when I stepped on the gas, I had no power, then it seemed to have a little power but would not shift out of first gear. In both instances, I pulled over and turned the car off and back on and it was ok again. I listed a date below but this is an ongoing issue.

Filed May 7, 2022 · Acceleration, Transmission · CT

This incident happened many times on the highway and normal streets, when I stepped on the pedal for gas not responding, and I needed to wait almost 40 seconds, and looked like I had lost power, like the transmission not working correctly

Filed Apr 25, 2021 · Transmission · 30 miles · IL

My vehicle produced a check engine light. I paid $1300 for a new mass flow sensor and modification to my air flow. Two days later, I drove out of town and the car lost power. Rpm was jumping and car started jerking and wouldn't accelerate. Towed it to nissan and they couldn't find a issue! Obviously there is a issue because everyone I've know have a nissan been having issues with their car and nissan hasn't done nothing about it! I paid $1300 for a check engine light, what makes u think I'm going to pay $4000 for a new transmission. This my second altima and same issue!

Filed Aug 27, 2020 · Transmission · 138,000 miles · LA

Car lost power while turning on to highway car lost power while driving fown interstate transmissionbis faulty nissan admits to knowing it and won't recall it. I have power train warrnenty and they won't acknowledge it. The bill is 3600. This is not safe the car loses power while driving you have no ability to press gas. No warning no lights no power some one could die