Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while at a stoplight, her vehicle would intermittently stall without warning. The contact had a friend inspect her vehicle, who immediately smelled an oil odor emitting from the vehicle. The contact's friend checked under her hood and discovered that oil had leaked out of her transmission and into her side spark plugs. The contact called the dealer where she had previously serviced her vehicle and was given an estimate for a diagnostic test. The contact declined the diagnostic test and called Darcars Nissan of College Park (9330 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740) and was given an appointment. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired or diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 176,000.
The contact's sister owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while her sister was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved loudly but the vehicle would not accelerate above 20 MPH. Additionally, the vehicle overheated, causing the antifreeze to leak. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the mechanic could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, and the dealer informed the contact's sister that there was a recall for the continuously variable transmission (CVT) that was unrepaired. The dealer referred the contact's sister to West Herr Nissan of Orchard Park (3580 Southwestern Blvd, Orchard Park, NY 14127). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
My transmission went out on me while I tried to accelerate at a busy intersection. There was no check the engine light or maintenance required light that popped up but just wouldn't go nowhere. I had to call 911 in order to direct traffic on top of calling a tow truck. I had to wait 45 on both and directed traffic myself from not getting hurt or prevent someone from hitting me and my car. The transmission was already replaced once in 2016 now its needing to be replaced again with a price tag of about $4000 which is wrong when I took car of the car very well by doing what was required of the maintenance and the part that they put on through the warrenty in 2016 only is good for 1 year which is not fair for the car owner knowing that this is an ongoing problem with nissan. …
Loss of power after 2-3 hours of driving, speed dropped down from 70mph to 45mph and then continue to drop to 20-25mph on the highway. Pull over on the should waited for about an hour and then it regained power for about an hour till once going uphill it loss power again. This is very dangerous to loose power like this on a high traffic interstate highway.
There is Transmission problems with the 2009 Nissan. The car shakes/ Vibrates when idle, when sitting to long at a light the idle engine delays the gas pedal from going forward, having to accelerate the gas pedal till it jumps to proceed to move forward, The liquid is up to date however the car can't move backwards in reverse but can move forward.
The CVT transmission CONTINUES to "FAIL"; the transmission goes into "fail-safe mode" when the driving long distances. The engine/transmission will decelerate right in the middle of the roadway while traveling at highway speeds. This is dangerous and WILL cost someone their life.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. While idling, the vehicle was shifted into park due to a crash and heavy traffic. As the traffic began to move, the contact attempted to shift the vehicle out of park, but the shifter jammed. As a result, the vehicle was involved in a rear end collision with another vehicle. The failure occurred without warning. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision shop; however, it had not been determined whether the vehicle was destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. There was one injury that required medical attention. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Takata recall service bulletins. I have a 2009 Nissan Altima that is very dangerous on the road with my children we have had it a year amd already spent alot. Call this dept and Nissan several times with no result I have 13 of the service bulletins wrong with this car amd many lives at stake I May have to get am attorney before we loose a life. I paid 9000.00 for this one year ago amd no one can help the strut, the CVT the engine cooler leaks, push start, cruise control vehicle speed sensor ABS ect please help is figure out what t9 do so I can sleep at night with all my babies safe
When driving up a grade the engine RPM goes up to almost 4500 and the car slows down. Car does not accelerate on interstate consistently when merging into traffic. This makes the car dangerous because when losing acceleration I was nearly struck from behind. I had just taken the car to the dealership for the problem and they changed the transmission fluid 10000 miles before it was due. I was told that the fluid would degrade from the car sitting and ageing. If that is the case the fluid in the new cars on the lot is degrading while waiting to be sold. I researching problems for the 2009 Nissan Altima CVT transmission problems I am not alone with similar complaints and lack of dealership remedy to the problem. I talked to a Nissan factory trained tech. And ask him if this problem is why Nissan tightened up the transmissions starting in 2013 and he acknowledged that was the reason. …
Driving home from work late at night, just got off the freeway and the car made a loud sound and then stopped moving. The check engine light then came on. The engine continued to run but the car would not move. There were no warning signs prior to this event that there was a problem. Fortunately, this incident did not occur 5 minutes earlier while I was still on the freeway. The car had been into the dealer for new brakes and change in transmission fluid 3 weeks prior to this event. After the event the dealer allegedly found metal belt pieces in the CVT oil pan. The cost of the repair would be $4600, in excess of the blue book value of the car. The car had been serviced at Nissan dealers since the time it was purchased. It was purchased with the expectation from the sales staff that the car would go at least 200,000 miles. Car had approximately 124000 miles. …
Transmission complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2009 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 95 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2009 Nissan Altima, 6% of the model year's 1,547 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Nissan Altima transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2009 Nissan Altima, though it has 4 recalls 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 2009 Nissan Altima transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 120,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.