2009 Nissan Altima Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 95 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2009 Nissan Altima, 6% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 120,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “cvt transmission” (14% of reports).
- 95power train complaints
- 120,000median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $5,700typical repair cost reported by owners
- 69%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- CVT transmission: mentioned in 13 of 95 complaints (14%)
- Steering lock: mentioned in 6 of 95 complaints (6%)
- Loses power: mentioned in 6 of 95 complaints (6%)
- Push button start: mentioned in 5 of 95 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2009 Nissan Altima at $5,700, and half of them between $4,900 and $6,800.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2013–2021), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 75 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 95 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 3 an injury.
Nissan Altima power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Altima | 1 | 14% | — |
| 2024 Altima | 4 | 10% | — |
| 2023 Altima | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2022 Altima | 4 | 13% | — |
| 2021 Altima | 3 | 4% | — |
| 2020 Altima | 17 | 11% | 14,500 |
| 2019 Altima | 9 | 4% | 82,000 |
| 2018 Altima | 24 | 11% | 12,105 |
| 2017 Altima | 133 | 34% | 66,000 |
| 2016 Altima | 235 | 42% | 64,700 |
| 2015 Altima | 161 | 17% | 61,500 |
| 2014 Altima | 209 | 19% | 70,000 |
| 2013 Altima | 505 | 22% | 69,000 |
| 2012 Altima | 149 | 35% | 92,800 |
| 2011 Altima | 68 | 28% | 100,200 |
| 2010 Altima | 73 | 19% | 54,964 |
| 2009 Altima | 95 | 6% | 120,000 |
| 2008 Altima | 80 | 8% | 110,000 |
| 2007 Altima | 62 | 13% | 103,000 |
| 2006 Altima | 79 | 10% | 55,500 |
| 2005 Altima | 115 | 11% | 65,749 |
| 2004 Altima | 17 | 6% | 61,500 |
| 2003 Altima | 34 | 4% | 59,000 |
| 2002 Altima | 39 | 4% | 80,000 |
| 2001 Altima | 6 | 4% | 453,400 |
| 2000 Altima | 9 | 6% | 36,000 |
| 1999 Altima | 7 | 8% | — |
| 1998 Altima | 6 | 5% | 164,500 |
| 1997 Altima | 8 | 7% | 131,000 |
| 1996 Altima | 7 | 8% | — |
| 1995 Altima | 27 | 15% | 83,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2009 Nissan Altima. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
There is Transmission problems with the 2009 Nissan. The car shakes/ Vibrates when idle, when sitting to long at a light the idle engine delays the gas pedal from going forward, having to accelerate the gas pedal till it jumps to proceed to move forward, The liquid is up to date however the car…
Check engine light came on with sudden decrease in power. Code is P0840. Car is an 09, but has only 96k miles.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while at a stoplight, her vehicle would intermittently stall without warning. The contact had a friend inspect her vehicle, who immediately smelled an oil odor emitting from the vehicle. The contact's friend checked under her hood and…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Nissan Altimas have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 95 owner complaints about power train for the 2009 Nissan Altima (6% of the 1,547 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Nissan Altima power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 120,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2009 Nissan Altima?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,700 (half paid between $4,900 and $6,800), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2009 Nissan Altima?
The most frequent phrase is “cvt transmission”, in 13 of 95 complaints, followed by “steering lock” (6).
Other 2009 Nissan Altima problems
- Steering problems (859)
- Electrical System problems (466)
- Engine problems (107)
- Air Bags problems (91)
- Structure problems (90)
See all 2009 Nissan Altima problems or power train problems across all Altima years.