10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
88,649 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #35

Jan 142019

Altima

  • 100,000 miles
Was approaching highway speeds when car pulled hard into other lane. It felt almost like slipping on ice. Traction control system lit up so I figured it was something faulty electrically. Luckily didn't hit anything, so I kept driving. A few seconds later it did it again this time worse and with shaking. I pulled over on the highway to have a look and noticed one rear control arm was sheered completely in two pieces and the other was almost sheered off as well. Luckily no kids were in the car and no one got injured but could have been pretty ugly. The car is in great condition, no rust or any reason for this part to fail so catastrophically.

- Dartmouth, NY, USA

problem #34

Dec 272018

Altima

  • 88,015 miles
On 12/27/2018 the rear lower control arm assembly (right) fractured on my 2013 Nissan Altima. This is similar to the NHTSA action number PE18013. I was driving to a destination near my home. As I was nearing my destination I noticed the car handling unusually, with a slight sway. As I parked my car I thought I had pulled up too far and put it in reverse to back up. I heard a loud sound and walked around the car to notice the rear right wheel resting high in the wheel well. I elected to have the vehicle towed to the Nissan dealership for repairs. The tow operator showed me what had happed once it was on the flatbed and he stated that mine was probably the third one he had towed and maybe there was a recall. The next day the service center called and confirmed that the right rear lower control arm had broken. The vehicle was repaired that day and an inspection of the left rear lower control arm was performed and showed no compromised integrity. Upon taking delivery of the car I also took delivery of the broken parts and have included pictures of the compromised area, which are attached. It appears that the partial penetration weld was compromised and caused the thinner of the two joined material to fail.

- New Stanton, PA, USA

problem #33

Dec 222018

Altima

  • 170,000 miles
I was driving my vehicle in town (35 mph) and was going under a underpass. All of a sudden I noticed my anti slip light came on, steering wheel became hard to steer, and a loud banging coming from the back of the car. I pulled over and looked around the back of the car, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. I continued on, thinking it was possibly something wrong electrically, maybe with the anti slip system. Drove a few more miles, including on the highway (60 mph) and the car still was handling difficult. Arrived home, looked around the back end of car, noticed the rear passenger side wheel was tilted in and lower control arm (right) was snapped. Called tow truck driver to tow to repair shop. Over $1000 in repairs.

- Norwalk, OH, USA

problem #32

Dec 252018

Altima

  • 70,789 miles
Turning a corner in a housing development when heard a snap/bang and the rear left side of the car dropped. Steering became unsteady. Drove short distance to home and looked and found the left rear lower control arm had rusted thru and broke away from where it is bolted to the frame. The vehicle has 70,789 miles. Checked the right side control arm and it shows signs of rusting but is still reasonably solid looking.

- Erie, PA, USA

problem #31

Dec 132018

Altima

  • 80,000 miles
I was driving home from work and notice that my back right wheel was shaking. At first it was minor and then about 5 miles into my drive the shaking became severe. I pulled over to the side of the road and called for a tow. The experience was scary, the shaking became very scary like the wheel was going to fall off. I found out from a mechanic that my control arm right rear broke and it was good I got off the road when I did. My right wheel was turned on it's side. I just purchased this car in June 2018 and was told by Nissan marlborough that it was a safe car.

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

problem #30

Nov 132018

Altima

  • 66,000 miles
The left rear lower control arm rusted off at one of the welds near the bushing. The part broke while backing up in a parking lot. The car was the driven on the street not knowing what was wrong.

- St. Marys, PA, USA

problem #29

Dec 102018

Altima

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. While the contact's daughter was driving 55 mph, the vehicle pulled to the left. The vehicle was taken to Suburban Nissan (1800 maplelawn dr, troy, mi 48084, 248-649-2300) where it was diagnosed that the rear driver's side control arm was fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #28

Dec 102018

Altima

  • 130,000 miles
Rear lower control arm broke due to corrosion while the car was moving

- Poplar Grove, IL, USA

problem #27

Dec 052018

Altima

  • 105,000 miles
Driving on city street then highway at normal speed. Noticed traction control light on and felt swaying in rear of car. Heard loud noise and swaying worsened so I pulled over. After having car looked at was told could not be driven as lower right rear control arm had broken right off! car had to be towed on flat bed. Repairs are underway. Very scary situation with sudden loss of control.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #26

Nov 232018

Altima 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Altima. While driving 20 mph, the rear passenger side wheel detached from the lower control arm. Also, the rear driver side wheel was cracked. The dealer (fuccillo Nissan of latham, 976 new loudon rd, latham, NY 12110, (518) 250-4380) stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.

- Clifton Park, NY, USA

problem #25

Nov 192018

Altima

  • 107,194 miles
Left work going to the grocery store. Noticed the steering was sloppy with less control. I went through a patched area in the road and the whole car shook and there was a noise in the passenger rear. I called my husband and he met me in the grocery store parking lot so he could drive the car home. He drove about a quarter of a mile and called me to pull into a parking lot. He got under the car and saw that the lower control arm had rusted and broken away from the frame. He also noticed the passenger rear wheel at a strange angle with the top leaning into the wheel well. We took the car 2 blocks to the shop. The shop had to get the parts from Nissan and when they ordered them they were told the part had been redesigned so both sides had to be replaced. They replaced both rear lower control arms, both rear shocks and other suspension parts. I am just lucky the tire didn't fall off while I was driving.

- Johnsonville, NY, USA

problem #24

Dec 122017

Altima

  • 35,000 miles
The front suspension is very poor. My car fall in a little hole and one of the front wheel was broke, because the suspension was bad job. When I turning star the engine sounds sometimes very rare.

- Mayaguez, PR, USA

problem #23

Oct 162018

Altima 6-cyl

  • 132,500 miles
While backing my car out of a parking space, I heard a pop and rear of the car dropped. I got out and saw the left rear of the car was lower, top of tire not visible. The dealership where I purchased my car new (Sept. 12, 2012) was only 3 miles away on secondary roads, so I took my car there to be looked at. The dealer called me back the next day and told me the left rear lower control arm had broken and right rear lower control arm was cracking in the same place and needed to be replaced. The service advisor and service manager both said they have never seen anything like this happen before on a six year old car. Consumer stated failure of suspension on both rear passenger side. Updated 12/12/18

- Aliquippa, PA, USA

problem #22

Oct 052018

Altima

  • 46,000 miles
While driving down the road the rear control arm broke off. The car only has 46,000 miles and is 5 year old yet rusted so badly from the inside out that the arm completely broke off..

- Seneca Falls, NY, USA

problem #21

Sep 152012

Altima 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 87,802 miles
The contact leased a 2013 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that rust and corrosion caused the rear driver's side wheel to fracture from the frame. The dealer (Nissan of staten island, 222 parkinson ave, staten island, NY 10305, 1-(718) 447-3878) diagnosed that the metal link to the rear wheels and chassis failed. In addition, the rear control arms and the control link fractured. The dealer further inspected the undercarriage, frame, and front and rear suspension. The vehicle had an extended warranty, but the contact did not know if it would cover the repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was not available. Incident date is before purchase date.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #20

Aug 252018

Altima

  • 75,000 miles
After taking my vehicle to the dealership for a oil change they informed me that my lower control arms needed to be replaced and that it was a common problem amongst 2013 and newer Nissan Altima. There are millions of 2013 and newer Nissan Altima on the road and a common problem amongst these vehicles is the lower control arms. These parts are very important to the steering and suspension on front wheel drive vehicles and these parts should not fail on five year or younger road vehicles. The failure of these parts on surface streets can be potentially deadly and on highways more likely to cause horrific casualties due to the vehicles being uncontrollable during a failure. I would like to bring this issue to the attention of NHTSA and hopefully you can contact the appropriate sources to be proactive and prevent any future accidents that the Nissan Altima might create.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #19

Jul 202018

Altima

  • 72,720 miles
The control arm on my 2013 Nissan Altima broke while entering the freeway on (7/20) during rush hour, causing me to lose steering in the rear of my vehicle. The equipment failure caused me to be stranded on the highway, forcing me to have my car towed to the nearest auto repair shop, costing me $2,220 in repairs. My vehicle only had 72,720 miles when the malfunction occurred. In reaching out to I-90 Nissan in sheffield Ohio, which is where I purchased my vehicle, the staff was friendly but deferred me to Nissan corporate to file a claim with Consumer Affairs. Consumer Affairs denied my claim because I did not take my vehicle to an 'authorized dealer'. while stranded on the highway, the last place I was thinking about taking me vehicle was to the dealer (15+ miles away) that sold me a car that had a major equipment failure in less than 5 years of owning it. I needed to have my broken control arm replaced, the driver side control arm replaced because it was about to break due to rust and stress fractures. In addition, I needed my stabilizer arms replaced. Attached is a photo of the broken control arm. You can see on the broken control arm there is a hole at the top, which was not welded closed, allowing water and salt to enter, rusting the control arm from both the inside and outside. This excessive rust is what led to the control arm to fail and break.

- Rocky River, OH, USA

problem #18

Mar 162014

Altima

  • 30,000 miles
Having a shaking wobble at low speed in the front suspension like the front suspensions going to fall off. Was there ever since I bought the car new. I think it must be the mounts or loose support rods, but I feel you need to recall my car to fix it. This seems to be a accident waiting to happen. It gets worst when turning right at very low speeds.

- Columbia, MO, USA

problem #17

Jul 212017

Altima

  • 46,000 miles
The strut mount problem. I had changed this a year ago. I fixed this problem by warrenty. But, 2 weeks later, it was broken again.

- Pullman, WA, USA

problem #16

Aug 222016

Altima

  • 73,000 miles
Hi I took my vehicle for regular inspection and have reported a problem with the passenger side wheels making noise. Also reporting car drift side ways while at high speeds. With initial analysis from Nissan service center have mentioned that there is some issue with shifting of a spring on the on the track rods. I raised this to my extended warranty service provider. And they have mentioned that it has to be done under tsb and will not undertake the repair. Hence I am submitting this incident report you you so investigate if it actually falls under tsb or not. And if it is then how I can get it fixed under tsb norms.

- Novi, MI, USA

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