Problems · by component

2009 Nissan Altima engine problems

107 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2009 Nissan Altima cite engine, 7% of all 1,547 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
107
7% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
4
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the engine

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The cylinders are constantly misfiring. 2 )How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Yes. 3) Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. 4) Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, by a private auto service center. 5) Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. 6) Problem description: The service technician from the repair shop tried replacing the plug, coil, injector but it still misfires. Later the technician reported that this is a problem listed as recall (Recall Reference number : NTB13-056a, Campaign ID: PC131) for 2007-2008 Nissan Altima, but the same problem exists in 2009 Nissan Altima and is not listed as recall. Links for references are given below. The technician is sure that it is the same problem and NISSAN should fix it by recalling instead of asking the Owners to pay for this known recall issue. Repairing this issue by…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 10, 2025EngineODI 11666131
“The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal clanking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was driving rough. The contact stated that the ABS, brake, check engine, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there were no recalls for the failure on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the strut housings had failed. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 184,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 7, 2024Suspension, Service brakes, air, EngineODI 11618392
“Purchased the vehicle from Quality Auto sales llc.had tge vehicle less than 48 hours in traffic stopped. Had it towed to find they just put it together to rode off the lot but transmission is gone. Brought as is could have lost my life. Paid 6990.25.i feel misled and cheated tried to see if they would exchange the vehicle even pay half the cost of repairs. The answer no. I really believe this place us misleading the community and doing so by hiding behind as is. The know these vehicles need extensive work but misguided the public. This could have cost me my life and I pray someone inspects this dealership hold them liable for these vehicles they are selling which could cause a very fatal accident because their more money hungry than ones personal safety. Please please help. Thus happen on my birthday same day I git news my mom has cancer and she lives 4hours away no vehicle to get her to moffitt. So unfair. They are very unprofessional as well talking over you etc. Major complaints with the attorney general's office within the last 2 months. This one is big please stop them”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 17, 2023Unknown or other, EngineODI 11527499
“I went to Autoworx on February 9, 2023 to purchase a 2009 Nissan Altima. The vehicle was very nice, looked good, no warning lights or anything. Drove great for about a week or 2. Then the car started breaking without me pressing the breaks. So I returned the car to Autoworx to have them check it out. The mechanic was assuring that the problem had been taking care of. After making another large payment that day, I left drove the car about a week. That's when the car started shaking. I mean shaking hard too and the SERVICE ENGINE SOON light comes on the dash board. So I take the car back to them on Monday March 13, 2023. The mechanic says "oh, make an appointment for Friday and I'll take the car to the shop so I can see what is going on". I made the appointment & continued to drive the car. In the days between Monday to Friday, the car began shaking harder. Suddenly, on Thursday March 16, 2023,while driving home the car stops accelerating. I had to keep turning the car off and on to get it going. On Friday, March 17, 2023 I arrived at the Autoworx location at 10:30am (the appointment time). When I arrived no one was there. We sat and waited for nearly an hr and a…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 20, 2023Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, EngineODI 11512721
“The vehicle was working just fine when I went to the grocery store and came out. I unlocked the car using the key fob, sat inside and the car stopped detected my key. The steering was locked, I tried to place it near the start push button, tried putting it in the slot but nothing happened. And I tried unlock button couple of times on the key fob and the mirrors went down. And there was no way to pull them up and I was stranded in the parking lot for no reason. I got it towed to the dealership and they told me Steering Lock Module went bad which is a common issue in 2009 Nissan Altima. Its a safety issue as I can get stranded anywhere anytime! And they are fixing it for 1300$ bucks! Please recall all 2009 Nissan Altima and change this part in them!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 29, 2022Steering, Unknown or other, EngineODI 11471617
“The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that upon pressing the start button to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. The contact stated that he was able to open the trunk and activate the alarm using the key fob, but the vehicle would not start. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA ID Number: 10119195 (Wheels, Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 3, 2022Electrical system, EngineODI 11450152

Showing 6 of 107 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.