Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving home from work. Got. Rearended I hit the car in front of me. I was stopped at a light. The airbag did not deploy. I suffered a head injury. Broken spine. Car was destroyed only thing left was were I was sitting. And the passenger seat. Now Nissan murano 2005 has faulty airbag too. Light on and flashing. Vehicle. Rendered unsafe to operate vehicle. Nissan has ongoing problems with their airbags and wont help consumers fix the problems.
The gauges all go dead in the dash on my 2000 Nissan Altima. This is really very scary as I have really no idea how fast I'm going and just try and go with the flow of traffic when this happens. Living in a very busy city and taking the expressway when necessary poses a threat to myself and other drivers. I have had to pull over and let the car cool and then complete my trip so as to have working gauges. No Nissan dealer or mechanic has been able to offer a solution to the problem and based on my research this seems to be a widespread issue with Nissan. Also, the o2 sensors and the gaskets are bad on this car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while traveling 40 MPH the contact noticed that the temperature was almost at max. The vehicle began to run rough and smoke started to emit into the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who stated that the engine was not the original equipment and there was no coolant. As a result, the engine over heated causing the engine block to crack. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 200,000.
Our Nissan Altima gle 2000 caught on fire - engine exploded and the full front of the car is melted. Fire department managed to put out the huge fire before it reached the gas tank otherwise our house would not exist anymore. And we would all be dead. At the time of the explosion we had not entered the car that was warming up in front of our house. Insurance company is investigating. I can send you pictures.
This morning the car was warming up in front of our house ; it exploded and burned down; the front is completely melted; we were lucky not to have entered the car yet - fire department was called and managed to extinguish the fire before it reached the tank - other wise we would all be dead and our house gone.
A long time ago I started hearing some rattling sort of noise in the front. Took it to carmax, as I have the extended warranty. They said it was a loose belt and charged me $80 since belts aren't covered by warranty. The problem didn't really go away and only got worse. Around 89,000 miles it began to shake when idling and the noise was worse. The check engine light would come on intermittently. My husband found the info on this site, I printed it out and took it to carmax and told them to fix my manifold intake gasket! They wouldn't refund my $80 from the first visit, nor would the pay me $80 for diagnosing it myself. Ha. Oh well. They did $600 worth of repairs, which was mostly covered by my extended warranty (which expires at 92,500 miles). They discovered that the problem had also caused premature wear of my spark plugs, however, and the warranty would not cover that. …
The intake manifold gasket around cylinder #4 failed 2-3 years ago (~65,000 miles), causing rough idle/stalling as well as poor gas mileage and triggering fault code p0304. The dealer replaced the gasket for ~$650. Within the past couple of weeks (~85,000 miles), the symptoms have returned, accompanied by the same fault code. Spraying carb cleaner around the gasket area cause a smoothing out of the idle when applied near cylinder #4, indicating a recurring failure of the gasket. Searching the internet indicates that this is a very common issue particular to this engine model, leading to recurring expense to owners due to poor engineering. The most likely cause of this failure seems to be the routing of the EGR gas lines too close to the intake manifold, causing premature degradation of the seal. …
At 46,000 miles the car began shaking and stalling at low speeds, then the check engine light came on. We took it to the Nissan dealership and we were told it was the intake manifold gasket & it was repaired. Now 25,000 miles later the same problem is occurring and again it is due to the intake manifold gasket failing. We have estimates to repair it ranging from $600-$1,000.00. The Nissan dealership who recently repaired it will not stand behind their product. This is a defective part, there is no way that gasket should fail in 25,000 miles. I have talked to a service manager at a local Nissan dealership(not the one who repaired it the first time) and he said there is no way that part should fail in 25,000 miles and stated it should last at least 60,000 miles. This will be the third intake manifold gasket that has been put on this vehicle. …
Okay I don't know what the deal with Nissan and their recalls, but they definitely need to make a recall on the 2000 Altima intake manifold gasket. My car started idling at varying rpms under 1 grand and started vibrating in a strange way. When I give my Altima some gas to take off, it comes to the verge of stalling. I did some research on the problem and read a few hundred separate cases where this exact same problem occurred. This is obviously a manufacturing error where Nissan has placed the EGR pipe too close to the intake manifold gasket, causing it to heat up and eventually leak. Numerous consumers are paying nearly $1000 to correct this mistake that Nissan engineers have created on countless cars. This is a serious engineering problem on Nissan's part and needs to be addressed and corrected.
Went out for dinner and noticed nothing unusual. On the way home, "check engine" light came on and engine began to run rough. Then, 200 yards from home, "check engine" light began flashing and engine roughness increased to shaking. Codes read: "knock" and "cylinder 4 misfire". If this had happened in heavy traffic or on one of the bridges that we frequently use, my wife and I both would probably be severely injured, if not dead! The onset was rapid! Guess I was not lucky enough to escape this much-stonewalled Nissan manufacturing defect that I have learned about only from the multitude of online information. Until it happened to me, it would not have occurred to check into it, with no communication from Nissan. Maintenance and all fluids are up-to-snuff.
Engine complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2000 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2000 Nissan Altima, 33% of the model year's 160 complaints. The component named most often is engine (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Nissan Altima engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2000 Nissan Altima, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Nissan Altima engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 3 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.