2016 Nissan Altima Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 235 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2016 Nissan Altima, 42% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 64,700 miles. The words owners use most often: “cvt transmission” (9% of reports).
- 235power train complaints
- 64,700median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $5,250typical repair cost reported by owners
- 44%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 21 of 235 complaints (9%)
- Stop sign: mentioned in 14 of 235 complaints (6%)
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 2016 Nissan Altima at $5,250, and half of them between $4,250 and $5,850.
Based on 16 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2018–2025), 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 137 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 235 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 1 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 2016 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.
To recap: â¢Nissan manufactured defective transmissions. â¢Nissan granted me a warranty extension with a fleeting expiration date (2023) to shift the cost away from them. â¢In 2020, Nissan performed work on my car. The work they performed masked the problem, didnât fix it. And it deferred the…
My 2016 Nissan Altima has approximately 68,900 miles. When I am stopped and press the gas pedal, the vehicle sometimes hesitates before it begins moving. It does not accelerate normally, which is dangerous when I am pulling into traffic, crossing an intersection, or making a turn. At other times…
My daughter was driving down the road and came to a 2-wayy stop. Went to pull out and the car stalled and started shuddering. On down the road leaving a red light it did the same thing and not wanting to really go.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2016 Nissan Altimas have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 235 owner complaints about power train for the 2016 Nissan Altima (42% of the 554 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 2016 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 64,700 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2016 Nissan Altima?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,250 (half paid between $4,250 and $5,850), from 16 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2016 Nissan Altima?
The most frequent phrase is “cvt transmission”, in 21 of 235 complaints, followed by “stop sign” (14).
Other 2016 Nissan Altima problems
See all 2016 Nissan Altima problems or power train problems across all Altima years.