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 2001 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2001 Nissan Altima gxe 2.4 with 70,000 miles. On or about this day my wife and 8 month old daughter were driving on a expressway when a accident occurred in front of them. My wife was able to stop and avoid the accident. While waiting for the accident to clear the car stalled due to the #4 intake exhaust manifold gasket failure. While restarting the car to advance to a safer area. That is when a car hit them in the rear and pushed them into the car infront of them, causing almost $3000.00 damage to our car. My wife and I still have difficulty sleeping through the night, thinking of the harm that could have happened to our daughter. I still have been unable to afford to fix this defect on our car and continue to drive it most days while it tries to stall out on me. This defect is consistent with complaints #10167168,101451161,10100639 and#10163901.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. After waiting a few moments, the vehicle restarted and resumed normally. The failure recurred five times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to locate the failure. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, who informed that the failure was contributed to the crank shaft sensor. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that there was a loud noise underneath the vehicle and it swayed while being driven, especially around a curve. There was also a burning odor coming from the vents inside the vehicle. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 200,000.
While stopped at a traffic signal the engines RPM would fall below 500 and at times would stall the engine making me vulnerable to a collision. It got so bad my daughter would not drive the vehicle. I took the car to several mechanics over the course of a year and no one could fix the problem tune ups and such did not fix the problem, I spent hundreds of dollars trying to eliminate the problem to no avail. I finally took it to a mechanic with a smoke machine and he found the intake manifold had a leak and that was the problem cost $850.00 plus tax. I researched intake manifold vacuum leak on the 2001 Nissan Altima and found that there were hundreds of Nissan owners with the same vacuum leak! …
I have a 2001 Nissan Altima. I bought the car with 50,000 miles on it, and got an extended warranty. At 52,000 miles, I had major shaking at idle, took it in, and they replaced the intake manifold gasket under warranty. Now, at 74,000 miles, only 22,000 miles more, the same thing is happening, and the check engine light came on. I took the car to autozone, and they ran a diagnostic check, which indicated the probability of a vacuum leak, possibly due to a faulty gasket, etc. This problem is apparently very common with this year Altima, and Nissan has never issued a recall. From what I can gather, there is excessive heat in the area near the manifold gasket (which is a 15.00 part), leading to premature breakdown of the gasket. Simple heat shielding would take care of this problem, but Nissan has done nothing. …
In November 2006, my check engine light illuminated (Nissan Altima 2001) and I brought it to my mechanic for service. It was determined that there was a misfire condition in one of the engine cylinders. Consequently, the head gasket and various associated components were replaced. However, a day after getting this fixed the check engine light came back on. It appears that the real problem was with the intake manifold gasket, which is an expensive and labor intensive job. After searching the web, I have found that this appears to be a common problem associated with Nissan altimas made around 2001. …
I have two persistent problems with my 2001 Altima. Issue #1: the car randomly stalls at low speeds (0-10mph) with no check engine light. This problem began in October 2006. This problem results in a loss of power steering and power brakes which has caused many near accidents. There is no pattern or symptom to forecast when stalling will occur. The car has been in the shop (dealership and others) numerous times with mechanics never able to "duplicate" the problem. After spending hundreds of dollars on a new battery, lead wires, new spark plugs and spark plug wires, my Nissan mechanic said that he didn't know what else to do except "throw parts at it until something sticks." issue #2: the car idles roughly and shakes unless in neutral. The shop said the problem is the intake manifold gasket which is a $600 repair. …
Like many others, my 2001 Nissan Altima with only 57,000 miles on it displayed a check engine soon light. This occurred while my wife was idling at a traffic light. It is not a failure but if not corrected could crack the engine block. The error code crossed to a misfire in cylinder #4. I have found an inordinate number of folks with the same problem with their 2000 Nissan Altima. Our warranty has expired and I was quoted $920 to fix this problem which appears to be the result of poor engineering design or mediocre materials used for the gasket. I would like to reference four different complaints regarding this same issue: 10167168 10145161 10100639 10163901 this information was mined from www.carcomplaints.com. What exactly is the minimum criteria used to determine a recall or something to that effect? …
I was driving from work when I heard a cranking/squealing sound coming from the rear passenger side, I stopped and checked could not find anything, but noticed that anytime I stepped on the brakes/make a turn the sound will come on, took it to a mechanic who told me it was the motor mount and also that the brakes were been affected and I could not drive more than a certain mile on the highway. Also the engine light keeps coming on my dashboard, after several repairs to whatever the problem was, it;s still on, now no one can tell if it is related to the issue car had or not, the headlights on the car hardly come on properly, even if I put them on full light, it's still looks dim and I can see with them at night when am driving, the heat suddenly comes on even without turning it on, am really scared now cause I don't want to get in an accident. …
Car was idled roughly. Often dropping to below 500 RPM and shaking the entire car. Car had a lack of responsiveness and power. Nissan dealer correctly diagnosed the problem just by hearing me tell them what was happening with the car telling me that they had seen a lot of cars with my problem. Took the car to trusted mechanic and got same diagnosis. He said he had seen a lot of 2001 altimas with that problem (blown in exactly the same location of the gasket). Problem was a blown intake manifold gasket, repair cost approached $600. A quick search on google.com yields several forums talking about intake gasket problems with 2001 altimas. The problem is so widespread that it is mention in the autos section of the msn site. …
Engine complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2001 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 66 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2001 Nissan Altima, 42% of the model year's 159 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Nissan Altima engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2001 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 2001 Nissan Altima engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 74,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries 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.