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 2007 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the ABS and TPMS warning lights illuminated and the vehicle started to stall. The contact saw smoke coming out from underneath the hood. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. An independent mechanic towed the vehicle to the contact's residence. The independent mechanic then diagnosed that the transmission fluid and engine coolant were leaking over the engine compartment. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 07V267000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that upon attempting to start the vehicle, the brakes seized. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. …
The contact owns a 2007 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, causing another vehicle to swipe the driver's side and the driver's side mirror off the vehicle. The contact was injured but did not receive medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Nissan Altima. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal noise and noticed smoke coming from the hood on the passenger side of the engine. The vehicle then caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and a police report was filed. The cause of the fire was unknown. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. There were no injuries. It was not confirmed whether the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 153,405.
Driving home from a physical therapy appointment, I entered my street apps 1/4 mile from my house. I depressed the gas pedal to go up a slight incline. At this point the engine accelerated as the gas pedel was totally depressed. The car continued accelerating. Out of fear for other drivers, I tried to turn to a side street on the right, an 1/8 of mile from my house with foot on the brake and nothing on the gas. The car fishtailed causing the car to severe a telephone pole and a stop sign on the end of that street. The car was totalled. I was not cited by the police.
We purchased the car new and never experienced any problems with it, at 7K to 8K miles my wife was driving down the highway with our 6mth old baby, she was going to make an attempt to switch lanes and pass a car when the car hesitated and jerked, she thought she was hit from the back but there were no cars behind her, she tried accelerating again and it jerked and wouldn't go at that point the car just died. She managed to pull it over on the shoulder and called me to tell me what was going on. I advise my wife I would be on my way, a minute later I get another call back from her and she tells me that the car is smoking from the front, I tell her it probably is overheating and to stay in the car (we hang up). …
While driving our 2007 Nissan Altima the engine stalled. Upon exiting the car we saw smoke coming out from the hood. After opening it, we saw the air filter housing glowing and the smoke coming from it. The police pulled the air filter out which stopped the smoking. The car was towed to a Nissan dealer who wound up replacing the air filter assembly, cover, air flow sensor, etc for $888.19. The only explanation they could give me for the cause was a cigarette butt or something similar got sucked unto the air intake. There were no other components involved that could have caused this. I had done some research and found a recall for this exact problem - pe07026. I was told my vehicle was not part of this recall and nothing could be done to help us. The dealer brought in a Nissan representative who would not honor our request. …
Tl contact owns a 2007 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle began to accelerate on its own. The contact stated the vehicle also lost traction as if the transmission was slipping. The contact stopped the vehicle on the shoulder of the highway and attempted to shut the vehicle off by removing the key from the ignition. The engine remained on after the key was removed from the ignition. The vehicle eventually shut off. The contact restarted the vehicle and noticed smoke escaping from the engine compartment. When the contact looked under the hood it was on fire. The fire and police department reported to the scene and report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired and was declared destroyed. The contact was not made aware of what caused the fire to occur. …
We were driving to tampa and car suddenly stopped and had to go on the side of the road and will not start. Had to be towed to the closer transmission repair shop. They checked the engine and had a hole in it and could not figure what the cause of the hole, it took two weeks to get the diagnosis and told us we need to get a new transmission, we paid $5000 for it and had no choice as that was the only car between me and my husband to go to work. I contacted Nissan and they said it was not under warranty and could not help me even if I told them there were other complaints about the car. Even the repair guy told us that Nissan had so many problems. After 2 months there were more problems, seems every few months something is wrong and now my car is sitting again in the repair shop just after 2 yrs and they said I need another transmission!!!!! …
My complaint is for oil leak and electrical system problem. 1 year after purchasing my 2007 Nissan Altima, I took it for oil change were they stated we think there might be a leak somewhere. 3 months later I took the car for another oil change and all of a sudden it was a major oil leak. This just one incident and I have read several complaint forum where people are having the same problem and some resulted in there cars catching on fire. Then on approximately April 22, 2015 I was driving my vehicle and it randomly shut off, none the car would start, the key entry wouldn't work, the radio would come on and the heating/air unit would work nor would the truck open and actually the truck stopped opening a month before the car shut off while I was driving. …
While driving north on i15 at the el cajon pass in calif., my 2007 Nissan Altima stalled. I pulled to the side of the road and tried to restart it. It would not start so I was going to get out of the car when black smoke came out of the air conditioning vents. The passenger and I got out of the car and, at that moment, flames came out from under the hood. We got away from the car and called 911. With in a minute the car was fully engulfed in flames. As we continued to walk away from the car, the hillside next to the car caught on fire. We moved to the median, but the fire jumped to the median which surrounded us in fire and smoke. A truck stopped and drove us out of the situation. After getting home, I found on the internet that there was a recall (June 2007) of my model of car because it might catch on fire. …
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
On certain vehicles, if a sufficiently hot object enters the air filter housing through the engine fresh air intake system and contacts the engine air filter, the flammability characteristics of the air filter material are such that the filter May ignite.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the air filter with a new one that has improved anti-flammability material characteristics. The recall began on July 3, 2007, and will continue through October 1, 2007.
NHTSA investigations
Engine compartment fire
Nissan notified the agency on June 18, 2007 that it will recall (recall # 07V267) all my 2007 altima vehicles with 2.5 liter engine built at the smyrna, tennessee plant from September 25, 2006 to May 11, 2007 and at the canton, mississippi plant from October 30, 2006 to May 11, 2007.Nissan determined that if a sufficiently hot object (for example, a cigarette ash or other ignition source) enters the air filter…
Engine complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2007 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 75 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2007 Nissan Altima, 16% of the model year's 471 complaints. The component named most often is engine (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Nissan Altima engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-267 (engine and engine cooling, Jun 21, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2007 Nissan Altima engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles, and 29% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 16 fires and 3 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.