Problems with 2006 Nissan Altima ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 nissan altima. on one occasion, when the vehicle was placed in reverse, it rolled forward to the sidewalk. on two occasions, when the vehicle was placed in reverse, it rolled forward towards the sidewalk. the contact used both the foot brake and the emergency brake to finally stop the vehicle. the vehicle was never taken to the dealer. on twelve occasions, when the floor clutch was pressed, it became stuck. she had to manually work the clutch back to its normal position. on three occasions, when driving between 1-20 mph, the engine would shut off. on two occasions, while the vehicle was idling, the engine shut off. on four occasions, the vehicle restarted on its own. on one occasion, she had to call roadside assistance for a jump start. the vehicle sustained damage to the front bumper from rolling forward into the sidewalk. in january of 2008, the contact received a letter from nissan concerning her vehicle not having abs; however, the information she received when the vehicle was purchased stated that it did have abs. the powertrain was unknown. the current mileage was 28,650 and failure mileage was 9,286.

I was informed that i am currently driving on a recall engine and no one seems to know how the problem will be addressed. i just purchased this 2006 nissan altima not even 2 months ago and already there is a recall on the motor in regards to oil consumption. however nissan wants to ensure that the oil level is being maintained at a correct level in which i was informed that i needed to go to the dealer every 700 miles. why???? do you know how much of an inconvenience that is to individuals. give me a break. this problem has to do with the engine which is being explained that it has to be replaced. when??? how long do we have to put our lives on hold for nissan. this is a multi-million dollar company and they have sold 85,000 defective units. why should i pay a car note on a vehicle that is defective and no action is being taken to correct the problem. i feel more communication is needed asap. please advise. *nm

Tl* - the contact has a 2006 nissan altima, which he leased on may 29, 2006. the vehicle had excessive oil consumption since shortly after he leased the vehicle. the contact has been trying to learn when nissan knew that this was a safety hazard, and why he was not informed before leasing this vehicle. nissan has agreed to replace the engine free of charge, but will not tell the contact when they knew of recall 06v223000 prior to his leasing the vehicle. since september the contact has been to the dealer at least twice to have oil replaced. *ak

Nissan altima excessive oil consumption. oil level was at l at 700 miles. added oil again at 1,000 miles. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated a letter was received from the manufacturer was received concerning excessive oil consumption and risk of possible fire. there is currently no problem with the vehicle; however there is concern of the potential risk. the manufacturer has put a hold on the sale of new altima's with a 2.5 liter engine pending their investigation of the possible problem. updated 07/07/06. *jb

Purchased 2006 nissan altima last day of april. since then the following has occurred....1. five days after the purchased date fuel pump replaced. car was very difficult to start 2. since the dealership was unable to perform any detailing service on the date of purchase it was agreed i could bring it back at a later date. on 20 may during detailing service a 6" strip of paint peeled off the front bumper. bumper was sent to local paint shop in daphne al. for repair...ask the dealership for paperwork on the re-paint, to date have not received paperwork. 3. now the first of two real serious concerns. steering / handling at speeds over 60 mph is unsafe with any measurable wind. the car w/o considerable correction veers from lane to lane. this has been the case from day one....dealership stated tire air pressure was the likely cause....i've tried the recommend 29 psi down to 24 psi. up to 34 psi. did not help. my intent was to pass this car along to my 16 year old daughter but feel it's too unsafe during highway/freeway driving. three days ago i receive the oil consumption letter from nissan. i drive approx. 120 miles per day 5 days a week. to date my car has 2700 miles during the first oil check at approx. 1000 miles i noticed the oil level was approx. one quart low but was not concerned due to not knowing for sure how much oil was present during purchase....added 1 qrt and had not checked the level again until i received the letter...1700 miles total....during this second oil level check the oil level on the dip stick was found just below the add mark. no light indicator had come on the control panel...had i not received the letter it would have been t 2000 more miles before my first scheduled oil change was due and would not have checked it prior to that point....this is a huge safety concern to my family and i. i truly hope the nhtsa and nissan does the right thing before someone pays with their life. *nm

I purchased a new nissan altima apr 16 2006. on june 15 i received a letter from nissan nth america saying there was a problem with altimas - they were losing oil too fast. i checked my oil and with 2950 miles it was empty. i towed the car to the dealer, who said the oil was black, the engine was no good, and it needs a new motor. i don't want a new motor, i don't want them to fix the car. i want my money back. the letter stated the problem could cause a fire if unchecked. the dealer has since reported that there was a 3 month period of production of these cars that are affected. now they want me to have them fill up the oil, drive for another 700 miles and retest the car. this is unacceptable. *jb

This is in regards to the letter that we received from nissan north america inc. after the purchase of our new 2006 nissan altima. my wife and i feel that nissan defrauded us when we made our purchase over memorial day weekend. we feel very strong that fraud occurred being that this information was not disclosed to us upon purchase but was disclosed to us within two weeks after purchasing a nissan product. today we made contact with our sales representative wendy hooten at power nissan tempe and both my wife and i were treated very poorly. all that we are asking for is for a full purchase price refund to put towards another one of nissan's products and we were told very harshly that they would not do that. what was told to us by wendy was that they could only offer us a trade in price on a brand new vehicle with only 755 miles which to date has used 1 quart of oil. further talking with wendy this morning, she divulged that power nissan tempe has pulled all of the nissan altima cars with the 4 cylinder engine. therefore, this action warrants that this is a very serious problem with this make and model of the nissan altima!!! since shopping for a car, we looked at the nissan and toyota products being that our family has been in the automotive repair industry for over 30 years; we felt that we would be getting the best car for our money being that we usually keep our cars for several years but this is not the case!!!!!! at this point we are not comfortable keeping this car and again we are only asking for the full purchase price on a trade in for another nissan product. i doing so we want the refund to be kept separate from the purchase price of a new vehicle. in other words, we do not want power nissan tempe trying to make up the money they feel they have lost with this transaction on the new vehicle that we want to purchase. our hopes are to resolve this issue as soon as possible before we have to consult with a legal representation, our lawyer. *jb

I purchased a 2006 nissan altima in june of 2006 and i have been complaining about my engine making loud noises as well as the condition of the car when i received it. since i have the car i have been having to repair a lot of things that shouldn't have to be done yet. please help me in getting my car fixed. *nm

I bought my first 2006 nissan altima 2.5 s in may of 2006. just after a 2 weeks of having this car, i received a letter from nissan motors that your car can use excessive amount of oil and as a result can blow up. and they are telling me to check the oil every 700 miles to make sure it doesn't blow up. after all i didn't spent $20,000 to check oil every 700 miles and hoping it doesn't blow up while i am driving. i have also researched and found that lots of owners have complaint like this. i contacted nissan motors on the 800 number that was on the letter and they notified me that they will notify me with the outcome of this problem within 60 days. i received this letter on june 9, 2006 and today is august 15, 2006. it has been more then 60 days and i still don't have any reply back from nissan motors. i strongly think that as a result of this problem nissan should not only replace the engine or fix whatever the problem is. but, they should give 100% refund including the fees like destination charge of $605. this is not a small problem, no one should spend $20,000 and still have to hope if they won't blow up with car while driving. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated a noise was heard coming from the engine; there was excessive oil consumption and the transmission slips at various speeds. the noise from the engine was observed before the engine excessive oil consumption was discovered. the dealership was alerted and directed the contact to add oil every 700 miles. the dealer explained something is wrong with the pistons therefore; the engine needs to be replaced. it will take up to two months for the replacement engine to be available. the manufacturer was alerted and explained oil should continue to be added.

We purchased a new nissan 2006 altima 2.5 on 05/31/06. two days later, june 2nd, it was on the news that nissan told their dealers to stop selling this car due to engine fires and excessive oil consumption. within a week we received an un-dated letter from nissan telling owners about this problem and to monitor oil level. further word would come in 60 days - two months! i was told that on june 1 they stopped selling the affected vehicles. one day after my purchase! we then contacted nissan with the phone number that was on the letter. we told them we would like to return this car and get something else or our money back. they laughed! the dealer did the same, and gave me a very low trade in price. we feel that we should not have to monitor the oil on a brand new car. we bought this car for its reliability after we had lemon law problems with another vehicle. it looks like we got another lemon! we had this car for less than 2 weeks and under 600 miles and do-not feel safe. they have already made an admission of this problem in their letter about monitoring the oil which could result in engine fires if not properly maintained. as a consumer buying a new car i should not be burdened by this problem between recommended oil changes and be exposed to possible injury or death. this was our first nissan purchase and nissan customer service and the dealership made us feel very poorly about them. i am very dissatisfied with my purchase of this vehicle and have no confidence in it. i do not want my family or myself in an unsafe vehicle and we do not feel safe at all! and i have to wait 60 days for some sort of action! why should we wait for something to happen, an engine fire or anything else before something can be done? to make me a satisfied customer take the vehicle back and replace it or refund me! *jb

Nissan has admitted via a letter that certain vehicles (mine is one) are subject to high oil consumption and the result could be a fire in the vehicle. nissan has attempted to correct this by: changing the oil and filter, promising to monitor the level - subject to another trip to the dealer- at 700 subsequent miles, they will then provide an unknown 'fix' to the issue if the oil level has decreased to their satisfaction, if no noticeable decrease in their perception, then monitor another 700 miles - return to dealer again and have them review, possible fix is to replace the engine at that time. the concern is that when one purchases a new vehicle, if the manufacture knew of the defect and potential hazard, then the sale should not have been allowed. further, a new vehicle now needs to be monitored and returned to the dealer every 700 miles - i can not think of an example of more inconvenience. the safety hazard of a fire or breaking down - all in a vehicle with 1500 miles on it is incredulous. i can not let my family drive in the car and am concerned with my own safety. a 22000 vehicle that is brand new should not be allowed to be sold and have consumers asked to continue to operate the vehicle. i do hope this is investigated. i understand that a total of 80000 altimas were affected. i would like to know when the manufacturer was aware of this problem, why it did not stop sales immediately and why the manufacturer will not just fix the issue. i also understand that the vehicles within the vin range that are on nissan dealer lots are being sent back to have the engines replaced. next, a problem at 1500 miles with the transmission occurred. the vehicle experienced problems in shifting and maintain gear. this resulted in the service engine light illuminating and the dealer 'getting a part' to fix it. i would like to know what the issue is with the transmission that had only 1500 miles on it to malfunction. *nm

My 2006 nissan altima is one of the bad oil users. i bought the car on june 13, well after nissan instructed dealers not to sell the bad ones. i asked several times if this car was one of the bad ones and was told several times it was not. several other dealers and nissan themselves have now verified it is one of the bad ones. i was lied to by kline nissan in minnesota. *nm

I bought a 2006 nissan altima on may 22, 2006. yesterday, i received a notice from nissan stating that there is an engine problem relating to oil consumption and engine fires.(i also saw an article in the paper about this problem) i have only 700 miles on the car, i checked the oil as soon as i received the notice and the oil was down by 1/2 quart, which is unheard of for a car with only 700 miles. i called the dealership and was told that nissan is increasing their warranty and to keep my oil levels up. for the amount of money i paid for this car (cash), i should not have to be concerned with an engine catching on fire. i think nissan should buy my car back and sell me a model that is not defective(only had the car 3 weeks). i am still waiting to hear from the dealership on how they will handle this problem. *nm

I purchased a 2006 2.5 s nissan in good faith. i am now being told that as long as the oil changes are always current i will not have a problem with the car blowing up. i am a 25 years old young woman with a child, and i am not willing to take that risk. of course i will change my oil, but that is not the point. the point is that there is a defect in this car causing it to explode. i tried talking to some one at your car safety commission and was told that until the car blows up, there is nothing that can be done. well i can't come back from the grave and have it fixed. i can't believe that you all are willing to let someone die before reacting on such a serious problem. *jb

I have a 2006 nissan altima that was manufactured on 2/06. there have been reported fire issues due to the oil consumption. i am not comfortable diving the car. i called the service department at hilltop nissan on rt 10 in e hanover and was told they weren't doing anything for another 60 days. i want to get out of the car before there is an issue to report. i will add the date i contacted the dealership. *nm

I bought a 2006 nissan altima on february 25, 2006. the first oil change i was almost a quart low, the second oil change about the same thing. i received a notice from nissan stating that there is an engine problem relating to oil consumption and engine fires. i also saw an article in autoweek about this problem. they are extending the warranty to 100,000 miles and want me to check my oil every 700 miles. are they kidding, a car that burst into flames if you don??t check the oil almost every time you fill with gas and all they are willing to do is extend the warranty. i have only 8,000 miles on the car, and feel completely unsafe driving it now. niacin need to correct this problem now if that required changing the engine so be it. this will be the last nissan i purchase ever and i have owned 4 before. *nm

We purchased a new nissan 2006 altima 2.5 on 05/31/06. two days later, june 2nd, it was on the news that nissan told their dealers to stop selling this car due to engine fires and excessive oil consumption. within a week we received a letter from nissan telling owners about this problem and to monitor oil level. we then contacted nissan with the phone number that was on this letter. we told them we would like to return this car and pay the difference for the v-6 model. they laughed! we feel that we should not have to monitor the oil on a brand new car. we bought this car for my wife to commute to school we have had this car for 22 days and do-not feel safe. they have already made an acknowledgement of this problem in their letter about monitoring the oil which could be the result of engine fires if not properly maintained. as a consumer buying a new car you should not be burdened by this problem between recommended oil changes, this was our first nissan purchase and nissan headquarters made us feel very poorly about them. i am very dissatisfied with my purchase of this vehicle and not safe at all, why should something happen, an engine fire or anything else like this before something can be done to make me a satisfied customer. *nm

2006 2.5 altima special edition has squeaking brakes 2 months after purchased. car had 4,000 miles and brakes are squeaking. nissan has not repaired or replaced the high oil consumption engine recall since receiving recall notification in june 2006. nissan has even taken the recall off the website however has acknowledged it because there are cars on the lot with replaced engines. there is a problem with the oil consumption and it needs to be repaired immediately. engine oil is very essential to the car and should not be viewed as a minor recall. i was told the piston rings are defected and should have the engine replaced. have yet to have nissan honor this request. *nm

Risk of engine fire in nissan altimas and the automakers response to possible fires and injuries has been "check oil every 700 miles". this is not acceptable. i have a family and will not risk potential injuries to my kids by exposing them to my new 2006 altima. i have owned it for only two months and the reason i purchased it was as a family car. there should be some action on part of nissan usa. will a death or serious injury be the motivator? *jb

I picked up my new nissan altima on the evening of may 31. i was going to buy a used car but the dealer convinced me that i would never have any problems if i leased it new instead of buying a used vehicle. the next day i find that there is a problem with engine oil consumption and possibly engine fires. the problem is so bad that nissan has stopped selling this vehicle 24 hours after i picked up my vehicle. i questioned the dealer who swears he had no knowledge of any problems. this must be a lie. i was not permitted to return the vehicle. i checked my oil after 580 miles driven and it is already down two quarts. the dealer must have known of reported problems. *nm

Purchased a 2006 nissan altima on 04/04/06 with 267 miles on the car. we noticed a rattling noise from the engine, we took the car in to dealer at 2700 miles (05/22/06) & told them of the problem, while we were there we had them go ahead & change the oil. they changed the oil first, then they could not hear the noise (duh !) the service tech told me they could not find anything wrong, that only the hood bracket was slightly loose. i explained that the bracket was loose because i had looked under the hood trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. i insisted that there was some sort of problem. they said if you hear it again bring it back and we can drive the vehicle together. 3-4 weeks later we started hearing the noise again, & received the letter in the mail from nissan. we took the car back in at 5993 & we were told we were indeed part of the recall and to bring the car back every 700 miles (are they serious ?) i placed several phone calls to consumer affairs & spoke to leslie the gatekeeper. she would not provide any answers either. as of late, we are in the same boat everyone else is in. can not get any clear answers. there are options people.....do not let this multi-billion dollar company fool you... there are lemon laws to protect your interests. ******************************************************** do not settle for an engine replacement below are some options for getting nissan to replace your car entirely or re-purchase the vehicle ********************* contact all of the following agencies and file complaints, we have. better business bureau @ 800-955-5100 (they have a website too) texas dept of transportation (contact your specific state) consumer affairs (national), states attorney general, all of these services provide arbitration for you either at no charges are for a nominal fee. they will negotiate a re-purchase or replacement for you. *jb

On 5/20/2006, i purchased a 2006 nissan altima. while waiting for the paperwork to be completed, my husband noticed a board on the wall for a contest. our salesperson told us then that nissan was having a dealer contest for altima's. at the same time, nissan was very heavily advertising on tv a "special" lease price for the atlima's. 2 weeks later, before receiving any letter from nissan, a colleague sent me the link for the detroit free press, so that i could read the article about nissan altima's being pulled from the market because of oil problems, which were potentially hazardous. i feel very strongly that i was defrauded by nissan (and perhaps the dealer) by this sale. no one can make me believe that nissan didn't do this contest on purpose in order to move as many cars as possible off the dealer lots. the 200+ incidences of oil problems and the lesser incidences of fires did not all occur within the two weeks between the time i bought my car and sales were halted. i have already had one occurrence where i had to add oil. i then had to wait 4 days for the dealer to be able to look at the car. ironically, when the car was returned the paperwork did not show any record of my adding oil (even though i told 3 separate people at the dealership). it did say that the dealer did not have to add oil. i drive this car every day back and forth to work. to matters worse, i also transport my husband, who is recovering from a 5-organ transplant, to his doctors appointments twice a week, which are over an hour away. should we have a fire, and need to get out of the car quickly, my husband would not be able to do so. this was my first nissan. it is my last. *nm

Tl* - the contact stated that the 2006 nissan altima was excessively consuming oil, she has taken it at least fifteen times to the dealer. the dealer advised her to bring the vehicle in when it had no oil. the first time she took it to the dealer for repair she had received a recall letter from nissan regarding the oil leak, but to her knowledge it was not repaired and the problem recurred. when the contact took the vehicle to the dealer they stated that there was no problem. she called north american nissan ,and they told her to send in her invoices so that they might help her, but the vehicle was still excessively consuming oil. *ak

i purchased a 2006 altima nissan 2.5 special edition in feb 2006. within a 6 months time frame i have had 2 engine replacements. this still hasn't corrected the oil consumption problem nor the clicking sound. i have also been informed that the clicking and grinding sound may be attributed to bad tires. so i took it to another company that deals in tires and was informed my tires were in great condition. then on jan 22 i was told i needed a new steering wheel to help with the sound and vibrations. my nissan sounds and rides like a truck. nissan needs to just live up to the fact that some of the 2006 models were just not built correctly and compensate the consumers that are feeling the affects of buying a lemon.. why would they put their reputation in jeopardy. do they not realize this could turn into a class action law suit. several of my friends have had their cars bought back under the lemon law but i'm getting the run around from one of the nissan reps. it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that after replacing 2 engines in a 6 month period to know my car is a lemon.. nissan has lost my respect due to the non caring nature they have represented. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 nissan altima. the engine failed at 6,000 miles and had to be replaced. there is a safety recall for the engine (recall#06v046000). the contact stated that a new engine was installed into the vehicle. the failure mileage was 6,000 and the current mileage was 14,000.

Nissan altima equipped with the 2.5s engine. purchase date: feb 28, 2006. soon after purchase i made a trip to beaufort, sc. on return home i checked the oil level and found it ((oil) to be black, smelling burnt, and considerably below the add level. at this point, 1676 miles, i changed the oil. checked oil level once more at 3165 miles and found the oil down 1/2 quart. drove the vehicle to the dealer who verified the oil level. i added the oil of my choice. rechecked the oil level again at 3927 and found it to be dirty and down 1/2 quart. changed oil once more. in fairness to the owners, i strongly recommend they be reimbursed the full purchase price plus incidental expenses. *jb

I bought a new nissan altima when i took it in for a repair they told me that my engine was damaged and the car is being recalled meanwhile nissan does not know what they are going to do my oil goes to quickly and my gas is being eaten up i just bought the car know i don't know what to do i want a new car can you help. *nm

My 2006 nissan altima has been burning/consuming oil since the day i bought it brand new. the dealership has not been willing to help me and has directed me to nissan corporation. i have tried to call them various times but have not received any information. they have also failed to contact me. i found out that my car has a recall and that it may catch on fire. i would think that nissan would be concern enough for my safety to at least send me a letter. *nm

Purchased a 2006 nissan altima in january of 2006. when car had about 2800 miles on it, we were eating dinner at a restaurant across from our local nissan dealership. when we started the engine to leave, it made a horrible clattering noise. my husband checked the oil and it did not register on the dip stick. we immediately drove it across the street and showed it to the sales manager since service dept was closed. we had to leave car there over the weekend. when service dept checked oil, they said it was low and changed the oil, but did not measure how low just said about 1 and 1/2 quarts low. i went to pick the car up and they tried not to provide me with a service ticket saying it was no charge. i told them i was not leaving with out a service ticket saying that my brand new car was so low on oil that it was not even registering on the dip stick!! their answer was we aren't even charging nissan for it - like i care!! anyway i got my ticket. went back a few weeks later and was low again - then they decided to really take this seriously and changed the oil again and said to come back in 500 miles. we did and service manager said it was definitely using oil and he would have to replace the engine. that was about the time the recall came out in the newspaper. we are still waiting on our engine. have been fighting this since about march. my husband was told by service dept that nissan had changed ring manufacturers and had received a faulty batch. i am tired of going to nissan every 700 miles to have my oil checked. that is why i bought a new car!!! we requested a new car, but like all the other people with complaints, they just laughed. i guess it is going to take someone getting killed in a fire for them to get off of the rears and actually do something!! i am tired of hearing we don't know what we are going to do yet!! *jb

Tl* - the contact stated that every time the brakes were applied they made a loud squealing noise. the contact took the vehicle to two dealerships in virginia. and both stated that there wasn't anything wrong with the brakes. the contact was concerned for her safety because the brakes continued to make a loud squealing noise. *ak updated 4/8/08 *cn the consumer stated there was a recall for the engine for this vehicle and consumer stated a fuel smell in the was present in the vehicle. updated 04/08/08 *tr

Tl* the contact owns 2006 nissan altima. the contact stated that after having the vehicle examined by an authorized dealer, the dealer stated that the vehicle was consuming oil quickly due to the piston rings on cylinders one and four. the dealer also stated that the pressure on those rings was too low, making the vehicle consume oil much faster. the dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 06v223000 (engine and engine cooling). the failure mileage was approximately 25.

Tl* - the contact owns a 2006 nissan altima, he received recall notice 06v223000 to replace the engine. the contact refuse to authorize the dealer to replace the engine. the contact is requesting a refund and has filed a complaint with consumer affairs. consumer affairs stated they would call him in 24 hours and he hasn't received a call. the dealer is requesting the contact to schedule appointment to have the engine replaced; however, the contact refused. the current mileage on the vehicle is 19,000. the vehicle was purchased on december 28, 2005. there have been no failures to date. *nm