Representative editorial illustration of the Nissan Altima; family image, not a trim- or year-specific photograph.
2007–2024
Updated Last reviewed September 15, 2026By CarFaultIQ Editorial Team
Verify with official recall databases, service records, a mechanic inspection, and local market data before relying on this summary.
Short answer
The most-reported Nissan Altima problems are cvt failure and shudder (2013–2016), early cvt whine (2007–2012), and secondary hood latch corrosion (2013–2018). Each is year-specific — check your exact year against the table below.
Key takeaways
CVT Failure and Shudder: most reported on 2013–2016 cars (critical severity).
Early CVT Whine: most reported on 2007–2012 cars (high severity).
Secondary Hood Latch Corrosion: most reported on 2013–2018 cars (high severity).
Problems are year-range specific — a clean year choice avoids most of them.
Run every candidate's VIN through the official recall database before purchase.
At a glance
Problem
Most-reported years
Severity
Buyer action
CVT Failure and Shudder
2013–2016
Critical
Verify history by VIN; walk away if unresolved
Early CVT Whine
2007–2012
High
Inspect specifically before purchase
Secondary Hood Latch Corrosion
2013–2018
High
Inspect specifically before purchase
Every used Nissan Altima carries the same question: which problems are actually common, and which years do they live in? This page answers it with the model’s documented repeat patterns — each linked to a full fault record with symptoms, causes and inspection notes.
The patterns below are drawn from widely documented owner reports and service literature. They are presented as patterns, not statistics: no complaint counts or failure rates are stated, because honest year-range guidance is more useful than fabricated precision.
Use the table for triage, then open each fault record before viewing a car. The Altima hub also links to best-and-worst-years guidance and the used-buyer warning page where available.
