Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle had randomly experienced speed reduction, jerking, stalling, and excessive fuel consumption. The vehicle was examined by an independent mechanic who replaced the battery and alternator, but the failure continued to occur. A second independent mechanic examined the vehicle and diagnosed that the fuel system was faulty. No further information was available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 200,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally strong gasoline odor inside the interior of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V112000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 146,000.
The transmission failed in my 2015 Nissan Altima. The check engine light is currently on due to a defective transmission. While I understand that Nissan extended the transmission warranty by two years or 24,000 miles following a class action lawsuit, I find this coverage completely unreasonable, insufficient and irresponsible, and most importantly unsafe. My vehicle has only 83,800 miles and has been well-maintained, yet the transmission still failed. While driving in the freeway in San Diego, the vehicle suddenly lost complete transmission engagement and power. My vehicle was almost rear ended by multiple cars. The check engine light appeared after the transmission failure. A Nissan dealer later confirmed the vehicle needs a new transmission. Nissan and NHTSA should have done a complete recall after the class action lawsuit against Nissan for putting faulty transmission on Altimas 2015.
While driving down the interstate at 70 miles per hour, going up an incline, the car lost ALL power & then jerked kicking back into gear. Once off the interstate attempting to get to a safe place, it completely shut off without warning! No check engine lights or any warning lights. Just randomly shuts off. After replacing what was assumed as the mass flow air sensor ($186.00) & the crankshaft sensor ($80) it continues to have issues. The battery (new battery $220) was also replaced & the alternator checked due to randomly shutting off-which checked out to be fine. Come to find out it's the CVT judder. After reading all the complaints, I'm confused as to why there isn't a recall or extended warranty on the transmission. My car only has 119k miles! We should not be having issues with these transmission.
I was using cruise control on the highway. My RPMs started going up and down and my speed slowed. I took it off cruise control and the speed was irregular. The car responded slowly to my pressing the accelerator. My car started squealing and I pulled over on the turnpike. I tried to press the accelerator after I stopped but the car would not move. I was unsafe because my car was on the shoulder of a highway and it was 85 degrees. I was also unsafe because my speed was not consistent and there was traffic around me. Lastly, I had to wait an hour for a tow truck. Two mechanics confirmed that this is a CVT judder problem. There were no warning lamps and no signs of a problem before this occurred.
On my 3rd transmission since March 2021 1st one was April 2nd one was June Then car was in shop for over 2 months drive it for 1 week 3 transmission was put in November so yeah this car is bad also corp wont help not even anything after a manager called me a crazy [redacted]
I was in turning lane and when traffic cleared enough to turn I pushed gas, and nothing happened it was just idle, no rpm, no movement let go of gas pushed again barely moved and then didn't go anywhere. Oncoming traffic at that point was approaching then it engaged and was fine! It did it two more times as I was sitting at light and once while just driving
At less than 68,000 miles, the timing chain started to fail. There were oil leaks reported over 6,000 miles before but dealer said it was due to the oil change, but we now know it was the valve cover gasket. Losing power due to engine failure would be unsafe given power steering gone etc...
I was on the highway and my car would not accelerate at all, during up hill or flat portions of the highway . This was was super scary because I'm on the highway in Pennsylvania so there's semi's flying by. So I pulled off an exit turned the car off waited, unplugged the battery and after a few mins I plugged the battery in and started the car. This did not work at all, so I took a backroad home, later on the car started working correctly. I made an appointment to get the car looked at (thank goodness for extended warranties) but it happened again while I was getting on the highway, I almost got hit by a semi hauling a reefer, almost peeled myself swerved into the side of the highway. Cause a ton of traffic, cuz I could not get home any other way, so I took it in that same day freaking out cuz I almost died. The said it was a bad O2 sensor and that it was covered under the warranty. …
Manufacture date 10/14. Vehicle was serviced after an oil change with filter. Also the cabin air filter was replaced. The engine air filter was not replaced. 1. Owner left shop and called about 20 minutes later saying that smoke was coming from under the hood. Two technicians went to the scene and front of vehicle was on fire the engine compartment was a total loss and passenger area of the front windshield was also melted away. 2. After researching for this year/ make and model there has been several other cars with mysterious fires. 3. Discussed with technician and the only item that was
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Fuel System complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2015 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2015 Nissan Altima, 3% of the model year's 955 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2015 Nissan Altima fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-486 (fuel system, gasoline, Aug 4, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2015 Nissan Altima fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to fuel & propulsion system 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.