The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally strong gasoline odor inside the interior of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V112000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 146,000.
Nissan Altima fuel smell problems
58 of the 15,497 owner complaints about the Nissan Altima describe gas smell in the cabin, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 58
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 87,000
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Won't start 3Loss of power 3Fuel leak 3Fire or smoke 3Shudder 2Key fob 2Check engine light 2Grinding brakes 2
What owners say
The vehicle shakes, for a lack of better word it shudders during drives short or long, smells of gasoline constantly, randomly decides not to start, has fuel efficiency problems, is prone to overheating, the dealer confirmed there is an issue, but told me they can't do Anything about it because the "fix" used aftermarket parts and they refuse to do anything until the parts are changed back. The dealership even told me I might as well just run the vehicle to the ground due to that issue!
- Fuel system and Gauge - Smell of gas in the car, gas gurgles out of the filler tube. Concerned of driving the car with the smell of gas. - Dealer says repair it's not covered yet there's a recall bulletin on this problem (Nissan TSB NTB17-030). Say's diagnosing the problem isn't covered nor the repair. - NO - Fuel gauge reacts very slowly, won't go past halfway point. Can only fill $5 dollars of gas into the tank.
It smells like gas when I start the car. It's also wasting alot of gas. I have to put gas every couple of days. I spend more money putting gas. The steering and suspension and the tires keep giving me problems to where the brakes locked up on their own and now it drives really bad especially on the freeway. The steering wheel moves alot when I'm on the freeway sometimes feel like I'm loosing control of the car. The gas pedal gets stuck and the gear shift gets stuck in park. I have to use a nail filer the metal ones and push and hold the shift lock for it to move into gear. The car keeps saying Key not Detected even tho it's in the car with me. I just got the car from a small dealership in pomona in April of 2023
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being repaired at an independent mechanic, the mechanic informed the contact that there was rusting on the front driver’s side floor pan. The contact also noticed that the front driver’s side floorboard was soft to the touch and a fuel odor was detected while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan altima s/sl. The contact stated the floorboard in the vehicle was corroded which caused exhaust fumes to enter the vehicle and giving consumer a headache. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic vehicle was repaired at an auto body shop or a dealer. The dealer and the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000. *ln*jb *bf the consumer stated thta nissan informed that nothing could be done as their vehicle is no longer in warranty.
Strong exhaust odor inside car.cracked exhaust manifold was found,second one I will have to put on car,first was discovered at approximately 85/88000 miles.read forums and discovered earlier versions were recalled for same problem and seems to be a common problem among later models.got a headache from strong smell.very noticeable when car is stationary/idling.
My wife drives our 2009 nissan altima 2.5s to work on 3rd shift and on her lunch break goes to her car and takes a nap with the car running and was complaining to me for a month or more that she has this smell in her car like a "gas smell" and also was complaining of being tired and nauseous when I spoke with her about it. I noticed her car was abnormally louder when she started it at home and it had not been run that day. I have determined that this is from a cracked exhaust manifold and my wife and I are very lucky she was not killed from the carbon monoxide poisoning she was receiving while sitting in her car while it was idling on her break. The exhaust fumes were being brought into the cab of her car from the cracked exhaust manifold, thru the vents from the outside HVAC air ducts under the hood in the engine compartment. I never could smell a "gas smell" which I assumed she meant gasoline or possibly a coolant smell from a leaking heater core and so I blew it off until I myself had to use the car and I quickly realized it was an exhaust gas smell she was smelling and it nearly caused me to become unconscious while driving at which time I immediately pulled over and returned home with the car. I researched this same exhaust gas leak with this car and it is not uncommon but has yet to trigger a recall . Most likely due to no one being killed from the carbon monoxide poisoning and thank god my wife was not the first. I will be ordering a complete exhaust system new for repairs as to not miss any unseen issues with the car having 101,000 miles . I do expect complete reimbursement for the bill from nissan .
Underneath the floor boards on both sides are rusting out. The drivers side is especially bad. I have owned the car since it was new but just recently noticed this problem. Also the paint ont the hood, top and exterior review mirrors has faded. Otherwise the car seems to be in good shape. It has 119,560 miles on it and I planned on using it for a while longer. We have owned a total of 5 nissans beginning in in 1989 and all have been good vehicles. We are currently leasing a rogue. I am hoping that nissan will take care of this problem. Even though I have been a loyal nissan owner for many years I'm not past changing brands, and will when this lease is up if they can't do something about these floor boards at the very least. I feel that this could cause issues in a number of ways. One is exhaust fumes entering the car, another would be objects from the road flying up through the floor and injuring the driver or passenger.
Consistent with the federal safety agency 10109214,,when attempting to add gasoline to the vehicle, the gas station's gas pump's filling nozzle kicks off immediately and continuously.. In order to add fuel, I must place the nozzle no further inside than the edge of the fuel tank tube and then only slightly squeeze the gas pump's nozzle.handle so that only a light stream of fuel slowly runs through the gas pump's nozzle.. It takes me 12-15 minutes to fill my tank. This is unsafe because I cannot insert the gas pump's nozzle any further than the edge of the opening to the fuel tank tube and so it is common for gasoline to splash out on my hand, body, clothing, car and other surroundings. Because fueling requires that I maintain my hand on the pump's nozzle handle and the process takes so long, I am subject to gasoline splashes and inhaling gasoline fumes for a prolonged period of time. The splashing of gasoline on the surrounding surfaces at the gas station poses a fire risk at the gas station, its customersi and me. In the event of a fire or spark, I could catch on fire.due to the splashing on my skin, and clothing. Because the nozzle can only be placed to the edge of the opening to the fuel tank tube, a spark could be attracted to the excessive access to fuel.. As a rule, people waiting in line behind me to fuel up become inpattient and enraged due to the delay. In today's world, if the wrong person is waiting behind me, I almost jokingly add that this vehicle's defect could lead to a mass shooting at the gas station. You may disregard that last comment.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019 Altima vehicles equipped with front wheel drive (FWD) and 2.5 liter engines. The fuel pump lock ring may not be fully engaged, possibly causing fuel to leak. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel tank assembly. If the lock ring is disengaged, dealers will tighten the ring to specification. If the lock ring is detached, dealers will replace the fuel pump. Both remedies will be completed free of charge. The recall began May 15, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑867‑7669.
Recall number 19V316000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019 Altima vehicles. The retainer clip connecting the low pressure fuel tube to the high pressure fuel pump may not have been locked into position.
- Risk
- If the retainer clip is unlocked, the fuel tube may shift and cause a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire. If the fuel tube fully disconnects, the engine can stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan has notified owners, and dealers will route the fuel hose into the holding clip and lock the retainer clip into place, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2019. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑867‑7669.
Recall number 18V922000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.
- Risk
- If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 15V486000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of alaska, colorado, connecticut, iowa, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, north dakota, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. At extremely cold temperatures, moisture in the fuel tank could freeze and form ice crystals. These ice crystals may obstruct the suction opening of the fuel pump.
- Risk
- This can prevent the supply of fuel to the engine and cause the engine to stop, which could result in a crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a screen at the suction opening of the fuel pump to prevent ice crystals from blocking the opening. Owner notification began on august 18, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1‑800‑333‑0829.
Recall number 03V251000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Altima fuel smell
Which Nissan Altima years have gas smell in the cabin problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (13 complaints), 2003 (10 complaints) and 2002 (9 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix gas smell in the cabin on the Nissan Altima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Nissan Altima?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history