2008 Nissan Altima Transmission Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO PROPERLY ACCELERATE AND WOULD RANDOMLY DECELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GERALD NISSAN NAPERVILLE (1575 WEST OGDEN AVE, NAPERVILLE, IL) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED IN 2014 PER AN UNKNOWN MANUFACTURER'S CAMPAIGN FOR THE EXACT SAME FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 212,000.

NHTSA ID

11101677

Incident

Apr 1, 2014

Mileage

212,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA FROM LOS ANGELES TO LAS VEGAS. WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO CROSS THE CALIFORNIA LINE INTO NEVADA, MY CAR STARTED SOUNDING LIKE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. WE LOST SPEED AND I TRIED SHIFTING MY CVT TRANSMISSION INTO MANUAL MODE. THE SPEEDS WOULD NOT CHANGE. AFTER MAKING AN EMERGENCY STOP. I PUT THE CAR ON REVERSE AND THEN SHIFTED TO DRIVE AGAIN. THE CAR WOULD MOVE, BUT THE SPEED WOULD NOT CHANGE. AS SOON AS I ARRIVE TO VEGAS, MY CAR LOST ALL SPEED AND IT WOULDN'T MOVE IN DIRECT OR REVERSE. SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE CAR. I PARKED THE CAR AND TURNED IT OFF. WHEN I CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY TO TOW THE CAR TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALER, THE CAR WOULD TURN ON, THE ENGINE WAS WORKING, BUT THE DASHBOARD WOULD NOT TURN ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE EITHER IN DIRECT OR REVERSE. I BOUGHT THE NISSAN ALTIMA BRAND NEW FROM THE BUENA PARK NISSAN DEALER IN CALIFORNIA. THE CAR HAS HAD ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND I EVEN TOOK THE CAR TO GET THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED AT 48,000 MILES. MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS 72,345 MILES IN IT. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER IN VEGAS, ANOTHER PERSON CAME IN WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES. HER VEHICLE HAD 75,000 MILES AND IT HAD BEEN SERVICED AT THE VEGAS DEALER DAY PRIOR TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10415187

Incident

Jul 22, 2011

Mileage

72,345 mi

I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP 5 TIMES DUE TO THE FACT THAT MY CLUTCH STICKS TO THE FLOOR AND I HAVE TO MANUALLY PULL IT UP. EACH TIME THAT I HAVE TAKEN IT THEY HAVE PROVIDED NO REMEDY. I EXPRESSED SEVERAL TIME OF HOW IT HAS PUT ME IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WHILE DRIVING AND GOT THE SORRY BOUT YOUR LUCK TUNE. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED IT RESULTED IN MY WIFE HAVING A WRECK IN THE CAR. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND HAVE FILED TWO COMPLAINTS WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND GET THE SAME TREATMENT. *KB

NHTSA ID

10413595

Incident

Jul 7, 2011

Mileage

32,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA COUPE. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS THE CLUTCH PEDAL BECAME STUCK WHEN IT WAS ENGAGED. THE GEAR SHIFT LOCKED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO THE PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER IN THE CONTACTS VEHICLE SUSTAINED BRUISES TO THE RIBS AND A CONTUSION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE MALFUNCTION WITH THE CLUTCH OCCURRED PREVIOUSLY ON EIGHT SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000.

NHTSA ID

10413584

Incident

Nov 11, 2010

Mileage

32,000 mi

FROM A COMPLETE STOP, PLACED FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL, PUT TRANSMISSION INTO FORWARD, RELEASED FOOT FROM BRAKE PEDAL, VEHICLE ACCELERATED INTO REVERSE WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAUSING AN ACCIDENT INTO A PARKED CAR. TEN DAYS LATER, FROM A COMPLETE STOP, PLACED FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL, PUT TRANSMISSION INTO REVERSE, RELEASED FOOT FROM BRAKE PEDAL, VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAUSING AN ACCIDENT INTO A TREE. EACH INCIDENT OCCURRED WITH DIFFERENT DRIVERS. TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY AT 42K MILES. CAR IS UNRELIABLE AND UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10409139

Incident

Jun 18, 2011

Mileage

42,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS STUCK IN THE UP POSITION WHILE DEPRESSING THE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THEY ALSO REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000. THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE LEVER ASSEMBLY. UPDATED 11/05/10 THE CONSUMER STATED AS HE BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, HE THEN PUT THE GEAR IN DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE BEYOND 5 MPH. AFTER ABOUT 100 FEET OF A SLOW ROLL AND TRYING TO ENGAGE THE ACCELERATOR, IT CAUGHT WITH A LURCH. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, THE TRANSMISSION WAS OVERFILLED WITH FLUID, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN. UPDATED 12/22/10*JB

NHTSA ID

10352735

Incident

Aug 9, 2010

Mileage

10,000 mi

2008 ALTIMA 2.5S WAS ON 35-35 DEGREE INCLINE WITH FRONT FACING UPHILL. AS I WAS EXITING THE VEHICLE, IT POPPED OUT OF PARK AND INTO NEUTRAL. BEFORE I COULD STOP IT, THE DRIVER DOOR CAUGHT ON NEIGHBORING YARD/HILL AND BENT FORWARD. DAMAGE TO REAR BUMPER AS WELL. DAMAGE TOTALED APPROXIMATELY $3700. NISSAN SAID THEIR FILED TECH COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. I HAVE FOUND 7 OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING BUT THEY DID NOT SEEM TO CARE. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE OR PARK FOR THAT MATTER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10346345

Incident

Jul 4, 2010

Mileage

33,125 mi

2008 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 4 CYLINDER WITH CVT TRANSMISSION, WHEN PULLING OUT ON HIGHWAY THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY AT FIRST (0 TO 25 MPH) BUT THEN WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND COASTED INTO TRAFFIC NEARLY CAUSING ACCIDENT. THIS HAPPENED TWICE MORE ON THE WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE PROBLEM HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND HAS BEEN REPORTED TO A NISSAN DEALER TWICE FOR REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN LACK OF ACCELERATION HAPPENED 3 TIMES AND TWICE THE DEALER RESET THE CODE, CHANGE THE FLUID AND REPROGRAM THE COMPUTER AND SAID IT WAS JUST A FLUKE AND THAT IT FOUND NO HARDWARE PROBLEMS. THE NISSAN CVT TRANSMISSION CONTROL ELECTRONICS ARE UNRELIABLE, UNSAFE AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. THIS RECURRING PROBLEM VERY NEARLY RESULTED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT TODAY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10342457

Incident

Jul 10, 2008

Mileage

69,304 mi

CVT TRANSMISSION IS WARMED UP AFTER APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES OF DRIVING. ONCE WARM, FROM A COMPLETE STOP, I LIGHTLY ACCELERATE TO 20MPH. THE RPMS DROP SLIGHTLY AND MORE ACCELERATION IS NECESSARY TO DRIVE FASTER THAN 20MPH. I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN AND THE VEHICLE SHUDDERS/SURGES THREE TO FIVE TIMES THEN ACCELERATES RAPIDLY. THIS CAUSES YOUR NECK TO SNAP BACK AND THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE CONTROL. NO ACCIDENT YET BUT IT COULD EASILY HAPPEN. TAKEN TO NISSAN DEALER IN CALIFORNIA WHO CALLED IT A "NORMAL OPERATING CONDITION" AND SENT ME HOME. STILL FIGHTING WITH NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10328623

Incident

Apr 26, 2010

Mileage

29,708 mi

ON OCCASION/RANDOMLY THE CLUTCH ON THE 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA COUPE WILL SINK TO THE FLOOR WHICH DOES NOT ENABLE THE DRIVER TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER IN THE PAST TO REPAIR BUT THE SAME SITUATION HAS ARISEN. NOT HAVING ABILITY TO SHIFT CAN STALL THE VEHICLE AND REDER IT INOPERABLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY, ON AN OFF-RAMP, IN AN INTERSECTION, ETC. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10325826

Incident

Apr 13, 2010

Mileage

34,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA I CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP GOING UPHILL TO AVOID HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. AS I TRIED TO PROCEED THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT CRANK INTO GEAR EVEN THOUGH IT WAS IN DRIVE POSITION. AFTER SHUTTING THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTING IT I WAS ABLE TO PROCEED FORWARD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10289188

Incident

Oct 3, 2009

Mileage

8,900 mi