Nissan Altima grinding brakes problems

Filed Jul 14, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 120,000 miles · WA

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the auto-braking system unexpectedly activated, and there was a grinding sound coming from the brakes; however, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The ABS warning light was illuminated. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the brakes suddenly activated, and the instrument panel illuminated with a vertical yellow light. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and waited for a while before restarting the vehicle to continue driving. The failure reoccurred the following morning while driving 35 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over, turned off, and restarted to continue driving. The failure had occurred approximately 5 times. The contact stated that with the cruise control set to co-pilot, the steering and lane assist features failed to operate as intended, advising the contact to manually steer the vehicle. The failure became more persistent. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Filed Jul 4, 2026 · Suspension · IL

The rear lower arm control snapped while driving on even surface road. I’m a female and when I heard the pop I got out and inspected the car. Could have caused injury to myself or other motorists. Confirmed with two mechanics that this in fact was the rear arm control and that they have had these issues with a lot of Nissan Altima and Sentra. Was advised to take to Nissan dealership to see if they will repair-which I did, but I’m currently awaiting a response by Nissan to see if they will cover it. The car has been making a squeaky sound but it comes and goes. The check engine light came on but displayed loose fuel cap and it goes out when I put gas in my car from time to time. I’ve also heard that is another issue with Nissan with the loose fuel cap. I just want my vehicle repaired. It is maintained although it is a 2017 and has 157,000 miles. No real issues until now.

Filed Apr 4, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · FL

The system malfunctioning is the front sensor braking. My safety and others were put at risk with this because multiple times my car has braked me and or completely stopped me because it’s malfunctioning , it happens while I am on a busy street and someone even almost rear ended me because my car braked out of nowhere. It’s called “Phantom Braking”. No, the problem has not been confirmed by dealer became they stopped answering. I took it to the manufacture but they want to charge me too much. Yes and it first appeared Feb 2nd , a day after I bought the car. So at first it will aggressively brake me and I can tell when it’s going to start braking me because this loud scratching/grinding noise appear .. the noise sounds like it’s coming from the bottom and I can feel it vibrating my car when I relax my feet on the brakes or the floor. But as soon as that noise comes on then the car starts braking me and sometimes it will cause the engine to stall and then the car will stop driving completely while im on the middle of traffic.

Filed Nov 4, 2025 · Brakes · 10,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that since owning the vehicle, the brakes, brake pads, or brake rotors were replaced every year to a year and a half. The contact became aware of the failure while depressing the brake pedal with an abnormal, grinding sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was initially serviced at a dealer; however, due to the recurring brake failure, the contact suspected that the dealer might have intentionally caused the frequent brake failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic once the failure returned; however, the vehicle experienced the same failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Filed Aug 24, 2025 · Driver assistance · KY

Emergency braking saves lives at speed. However this feature is absolutely outrageously unwarranted when I'm trying to back into a parking space at 0.05 MPH and the car slams on the emergency braking system because I'm 12 inches away from a stationary unoccupied abandoned shopping cart. The vehicle is further insulting by not allowing me to back up further after the emergency braking system disengages, I attempt to back up a few more inches and it activates again as though I was traveling at speed. My only remaining option is to change parking spaces to one I can pull into, or leave the front car bumper sticking out a good 12-14 into the lane of travel risking potential damage to the car. This has been occurring since the car was purchased and has been growing in annoyance over the years each time I try to back up to park. Let's find a way to permanently disable this feature when speeds are under half a mile per hour. I'm already using the backup camera and other visual aids to ensure I don't hit anything, the last thing I need is the sudden grinding jerk to a stop to break my focus and concentration on completing a task.

Filed Jul 22, 2025 · Transmission · FL

I drove out of town about 40 miles and everything was fine, next day went to leave to come home and immediately noticed high RPMs going about 20MPH. I pulled over, turned the car off and turned it back on, started driving and same thing. I had no choice but to drive it on the interstate. I could get up to 60 very carefully but I was still sitting around 4000rpms. It wouldn’t shift gears at all (I know it’s a CVT and doesn’t have gears). I then noticed a high squealing noise, thankfully made it home with a lot of honking and middle fingers even though I had my hazards on. Once I made it home, plugged in my OBD scanner and had a pending DTC of P1778 which I have found to be the stepper motor. Aka the death code. It’ll start, shift into all other gears, but is making a high squealing noise even when idle and in park and when revving in park the squeal gets louder. I even attempted the “semi manual’ to see if I could get it to catch, I couldn’t at all. No matter what “gear” I was in it wouldn’t bring the RPMs down.

Filed Jun 12, 2025 · Engine, Steering · 120,000 miles · DC

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal grinding and whining sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where an unknown diagnosis was made, and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred, and the vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds and while at a complete stop at the red traffic light. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the crankshaft position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 07V527000(Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Filed Feb 12, 2025 · Seat belts, Seats · AL

The backseat driver seatbelt does not click locked. The driver seat squeaks and moves. The driver door locks while trying to open.

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 · Airbags, Electrical · TX

Components that failed: -2019 & 2023 Entire headlight assembly 2x - with continuous wiring in headlight that must be adjusted before every drive. -2021 Internal lighting to illuminate the gear shift, which no longer works. -2021 Heater constantly squeals like a pig and blows every fuse, 😑 once the several fuse boxes were located. -2017 Engine revs up to 3k-4k rpm's while driving a steady 40 mph. Car went to shop after purchase for this, which is now starting again 6 yrs later. -2022 Window tint is impossible to see through and crispy to the touch. -2017 Engine sputters and car shakes signaling that the 3k miles are almost up and it's time for an oil change. -Years ago- There was a recall for passenger airbags, which hasn't been fixed, but also isn't showing up here. -Mechanics, State Inspections etc have been done as normal.