The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Engine Malfunction" was displayed. Additionally, the vehicle experienced excessive coolant consumption and the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the thermostat was replaced; however, the failure recurred and worsened. The vehicle was returned to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a cooling system and head gasket failure. The dealer was contacted and provided with the diagnostic trouble codes, and the dealer recommended an engine replacement. The vehicle was not repaired and remained parked at the residence for two months. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Nissan Altima overheating problems
175 of the 15,494 owner complaints about the Nissan Altima describe engine overheating, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 175
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,300
- typical mileage
- 90,000
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 30Stalling 27Engine failure 27CVT failure 22Oil consumption 16Loss of power 15Transmission failure 12Jerking 12
Trouble codes mentioned
P0731 1P0420 1
What owners say
I drive 30 miles one way for work, my car hit 85,000 and the transmission fluid is overheated and the car went in to limp mode on the freeway. I got stuck for 30 Mines waiting for it to cool. Now I have to go to mellow nissan to pay 150 for a transmission disinostic so corporate nissan can open a good will claim I called them my car is new the transmission been slipping. I heard its a common problem.
Coolant leak not visible egr cooler and egr valve malfunction catalytic converter malfunction. Diagnosted at nissan a known issue with nissan make and model.
While heading west on interstate after a Drs. Appointment my wife was driving our 2021 Nissan Altima when suddenly there was a loss of power to the engine as if the engine was overheating or had loss of fuel or only able to slowly exit the freeway to a safe place and call a tow truck, after 1 1/2 days of diagnosing and testing. I was able to drive the vehicle with no issues for approximately 4000 miles when the exact problem has occurred this past Friday 6-19-2026
Thermostat has been replaced twice. Car is still having issues with overheating. First replacement of thermoastat the car ran fine for about 2 months then the car started doing the same thing. It will overheat and then come right down again. Thermostat was replace again and was doing good then the same issue keeps occuring. My car currently has 175000 miles. No warning lights come on when the vehicle begins to overheat
I was driving to work on the freeway about 65 mph and after about 20 minutes the engine made a whirring noise, overheating and slight smell of burnt rubber and delayed to Accelerate luckily I was close to my exit I parked vehicle let it cool down. But still has this issue after about 20-30 minutes of driving more than 60mph
Delayed gear change from 1st to 2nd/delayed acceleration 1-5 seconds mid-traffic because the car overheats soon after driving which causes the car to not properly accelerate causing more RPMs than necessary during longer drives with frequent stops (within urban/suburban areas).
Unknown. The engine started have overheating issues but never was ran in the overheated zone. We took the car to the dealer and was told the head was cracked. We questioned how that was possible if we never ran it in the overheated zone. We were told they did not know but that several other Customers in the last few weeks have had the same issue. Then we heard about the recall but was told our car was not affected. It needs to be reevaluated. We never ran the car hot.
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.
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated and hot air came out of the vents, entering the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the coolant reservoir needed to be refilled. The dealer refilled the coolant reservoir. The failure persisted, and the vehicle was returned to the dealer, who then diagnosed that the radiator thermostat had failed. The thermostat was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred approximately 3 weeks after the repair. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine started to overheat, and the temperature gauge moved to "High". The vehicle stalled while on the side of the road and waited for approximately 30 minutes before being able to restart and drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the engine and failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact found information on the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 19V316000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 18V922000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50, and 2022 Infiniti QX55 vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L or 4-cylinder 2.0L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. The engine bearings may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine failure.
- Risk
- Engine failure increases the risk of a crash. A bearing failure may cause a breach in the engine block, allowing hot oil to be discharged, increasing the risk of an engine fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the engine control module (ECM) software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed April 8, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800‑647‑7261 or Infiniti's customer service at 1‑800‑662‑6200. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R25A8/A9 and R25B1/B2.
Recall number 25V437000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crankshaft position sensor can overheat causing a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
- Risk
- If the interruption in the signal from the crankshaft position sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ECM) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the ECM free of charge. Certain my 2006 altimas which have been previously remedied under recall campaign 06v223 (nissan r0606) are not included in this recall since the reprogramming for 06v223 also included this reprogramming. The recall began on december 31, 2007. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 07V527000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain vehicles, if a sufficiently hot object enters the air filter housing through the engine fresh air intake system and contacts the engine air filter, the flammability characteristics of the air filter material are such that the filter may ignite.
- Risk
- If the air filter material ignites, a fire may occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the air filter with a new one that has improved anti-flammability material characteristics. The recall began on july 3, 2007, and will continue through october 1, 2007. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 07V267000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crank angle sensor is affected by temperature variations. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
- Risk
- If the interruption in the signal from the sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ECM) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the ECM free of charge. The recall began on august 21, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 06V242000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles equipped with 2.5l engines may experience excessive engine oil consumption as a result of improper performance of the piston rings.
- Risk
- If the oil is not maintained at least at the minimum level, engine damage can occur and in extreme cases result in an engine fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the electronic control module (ECM or engine computer). Your vehicle will also be inspected to determine if it has been consuming engine oil at a higher than normal rate. In a small percentage of vehicles, engine replacement will be needed. On june 9, 2006, nissan notified owners of the possibility of excessive oil consumption and the importance of maintaining the oil at a proper level. Follow-up letter to owners advising them of the status of the recall was sent during august 2006. Followup letter to owners was sent on november 15, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 06V223000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the circuit board for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress accelerated by the existence of flux residue during the soldering process.
- Risk
- This could cause the "service engine soon" warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduced engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the crank position sensors. Camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s). Vehicles involved in a previous recall campaign, 01v357, are also included in this new campaign. The replacement sensors used in that campaign are also affected. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261 or infiniti at 1‑800‑662‑6200.
Recall number 03V455000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
- What is wrong
- On certain vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine, the exhaust pipe hanger pin may catch debris from the road that could be ignited by contact with the main catalyst. Also on 2002 altima and sentra vehicles, certain engine operating conditions may cause the pre-catalyst to overheat and damage the catalyst substrate.
- Risk
- Either of these two conditions could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove the protruding portion of the exhaust pipe hanger pin. In addition to the corrective action, in order to reduce the risk of fire in the event of poor or improper maintenance that could result in oil spillage, heat shield(s) will be installed on the pre-catalyst and exhaust tube. Owner notification began on july 28, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261. Nissan recall nos. R3007, r3014, r3015, r3016, r3017. Also on 2002 altima and sentra vehicles, certain engine operating conditions may cause the pre-catalyst to overheat and damage the catalyst substrate. If substrate particles enter the combustion chamber, they could score the cylinder walls, resulting in increased oil consumption. If the engine oil level is not checked on a periodic basis and drops below the low level, and the driver continues to operate the vehicle ignoring noticeable engine noise, engine damage may occur which could result in a fire. The pre-catalyst will be tested to ensure it is working properly and replaced if necessary. If damage is found inside the pre-catalyst, it will be necessary to replace the engine.
Recall number 03V084000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Altima overheating
Which Nissan Altima years have engine overheating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (50 complaints), 2005 (25 complaints) and 2003 (13 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix engine overheating on the Nissan Altima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,300 (median of 31 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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