2014 Nissan Altima

[ZeeOSix]

Still on the hunt for a used car. Might look at a 2014 Nissan Altima 2.5L on Saturday. The Altimas have had a CVT transmission for quite awhile, and this 2014 has one. I know CVTs seem to have a bad reputation, but are they really that unreliable if you keep up on the fluid changes? The Altimas with this setup seem to get pretty good fuel mileage (27 city/38 highway).

Anyone here have an Altima 2.5L (years 2010-2016) with the CVT? Good ... bad ??

I think the newer 2.5L 4-cylinder is pretty bullet proof from what I've read. Anything bad about the 2.5L engine in the newer Altimas (2010+ models)?

 

[TheOilWizard]

I had 2013 Nissan Rogue with the same engine/CVT as the Altima (at least to my knowledge). Loved it. Never an issue over the 6 years and 70k miles of mostly city driving. Even posted some of the UOAs here on BITOG. Sold it to someone I know and they have well over 150K miles on it with the original power train.

 

[joegreen]

We used to have them as rental cars. I really liked them. They were comfortable and could routinely get 40+ mpg per the dash display

 

[TheOilWizard]

I think the newer 2.5L 4-cylinder is pretty bullet proof from what I've read. Anything bad about the 2.5L engine in the newer Altimas (2010+ models)?

You're right. The Nissan QR25DE is a very reliable engine. Keep the oil changed and to the proper level and it should outlast the rest of the vehicle. The only issue I ever had was carbon building on the throttle body near the butterfly valve. It would cause pretty significant RPM fluctuations during idle but was fixed by cleaning the throttle body every 25K miles or so.

 

[eagle14]

Still on the hunt for a used car. Might look at a 2014 Nissan Altima 2.5L on Saturday. The Altimas have had a CVT transmission for quite awhile, and this 2014 has one. I know CVTs seem to have a bad reputation, but are they really that unreliable if you keep up on the fluid changes? The Altimas with this setup seem to get pretty good fuel mileage (27 city/38 highway).

Anyone here have an Altima 2.5L (years 2010-2016) with the CVT? Good ... bad ??

I think the newer 2.5L 4-cylinder is pretty bullet proof from what I've read. Anything bad about the 2.5L engine in the newer Altimas (2010+ models)?

View attachment 154285

My SIL had a 2011 he bought used with maybe 20k on it around 2012 and it ran well.

He got rear-ended a couple months ago and the car was totaled. Had ~180k on it. There were some AC problems early on but that was it. As others have said, that engine is fine, and imo, the CVT issues have been resolved.

The only CVT-related issue was it wouldn't "shift" correctly at ~45k (acted like it was stuck in a "lower" gear). He had the fluid changed and it ran fine after. I'm not sure he ever had the fluid changed again.

It was pretty quiet, and spacious inside for a guy ~6'2". He has a company car now but is considering his next options like a midsize SUV (again, maybe a Nissan?). My daughter has a 2020 CRV which they both like but the extra space for two growing granddaughters is a major consideration.

HTH.

 

[CharBaby]

As you can see from my signature, I have a 2015 Altima 2.5 SV.

I absolutely love mine at almost 88K miles. I have maintained her(including the CVT) since day one and she has treated me just fine. Just had the rear lower suspension links(control arms) replaced under a special warranty by Nissan and all is well.

We are buying a new vehicle as soon as that car comes in with our name on it. We have a deposit on a vehicle and I will be selling/trading in our Altima at that time. I may pop in some brakes.

I do not have issues with our Altima that can't be fixed and the CVT has worked as designed...which I like very much.
We're selling/trading while there is still some money to get for the Altima and she is running fine.

The CVT has never let me down and as stated, I like CVTs very much. However, their reputation does make me think sometimes about their reliability. Other than that, our car has been fabulous, comfortable, efficient, quiet and just a nice car to drive in the everyday-ness of life.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Just had the rear lower suspension links(control arms) replaced under a special warranty by Nissan and all is well.

Do you have any more information on that? Would the special warranty by Nissan also apply to a 2014 model year Altima?

 

[CharBaby]

YES!
2013-18 Nissan Altima & 2016-18 Maxima.
120 months(10 yrs w/NO MILEAGE LIMIT) from the original date of purchase from when the vehicle was new.
You can call Nissan Consumer Affairs with the VIN and they'll tell you if your vehicles qualifies. There are some good YouTube videos on this. However if the links are solid(and it is only these links) you won't qualify. They metal has to be compromised/cracking/rusting.

Certain MY 2013-2018 Nissan Altima and certain MY 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima Rear Lower Suspension Links - Nissan Assist

www.nissanassist.com

Also, here is my thread on this:

Broken lower control arm/lower link

I was pulling into the grocery store last night and hit a pot hole as I entered the parking lot. The passenger rear took the brunt of the beating and it broke the passenger rear lower control arm on the 2015 Nissan Altima in my signature. I didn't see the pot hole and my front tire apparently...

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[CST Q]

The wife had a 2014 Altima S for about six years and 35-40k miles. I don't remember any big issues with it. The rear brakes squealed staring about 10k, but that was taken care of. The CVT had a reflash once or twice (Nissan recall or tsb, cant remember) which made it act like it had gears when accelerating quickly. Mileage was really good. I think we usually got around 25 or 26 in town and once saw 40 on a two hour trip on the interstate. Highway mileage was consistently 35+ even at higher speeds. With a few miles as she was putting on, she wouldn't have to refuel but once a month sometimes.

 

[atikovi]

The CVT is a mixed bag. Some people have no problems even at 200,000 miles. I had to replace one at 80K on a 13 Versa. I'd probably avoid one for a personal car unless I had a backup vehicle.

 

[jsean]

I’ve been a long time Nissan fan and owner. But their fwd lineup including that Gen of Altima is poor in terms of reliability. Can you make the CVT last past 120-130k miles babying it, changing the fluid at 30k intervals and not living in an area with steep hills? Possibly. Getting to know if the prior owner also did the same is unlikely at best.

You’re better off with finding a 2012-13 VW with the 2.slow motor in terms of longer term reliability. Or the 2012-13 Impala with the LFX. Or a crown Vic because this is BITOG

 

[ZeeOSix]

YES!
2013-18 Nissan Altima & 2016-18 Maxima.
120 months(10 yrs w/NO MILEAGE LIMIT) from the original date of purchase from when the vehicle was new.
You can call Nissan Consumer Affairs with the VIN and they'll tell you if your vehicles qualifies. There are some good YouTube videos on this. However if the links are solid(and it is only these links) you won't qualify. They metal has to be compromised/cracking/rusting.

Certain MY 2013-2018 Nissan Altima and certain MY 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima Rear Lower Suspension Links - Nissan Assist

www.nissanassist.com

Also, here is my thread on this:

Broken lower control arm/lower link

I was pulling into the grocery store last night and hit a pot hole as I entered the parking lot. The passenger rear took the brunt of the beating and it broke the passenger rear lower control arm on the 2015 Nissan Altima in my signature. I didn't see the pot hole and my front tire apparently...

bobistheoilguy.com

The video you linked said the campaign was just covering the 2013 for USA and 2019-2014 for Canada (the campaign bulletin was old, and out in Oct 2019), but the official link from Nissan looks like they broadened the model years covered.

The black 2014 I'm interested in always lived in the PNW where there is little or no salt used on the roads. It looks like this lower control arm issue is basically caused by road salt rusting. I'll take a look under there if I inspect the car and see if there are any signs of rust.

Thanks for the info !!

 

[SC Maintenance]

There was a class action on the CVT. http://www.altimacvtsettlement.com/#:~:text=A Settlement has been reached,in favor of either party.

I would wonder over to nicoclub and ask around there. It would be worth getting a log in. Used to be a great group of helpful people, albeit its mostly dead at this point, but I think many of the faithful still go there on occasion. https://forums.nicoclub.com/5th-generation-altima-sedan.html

 

[ZeeOSix]

There was a class action on the CVT. http://www.altimacvtsettlement.com/#:~:text=A Settlement has been reached,in favor of either party.

I would wonder over to nicoclub and ask around there. It would be worth getting a log in. Used to be a great group of helpful people, albeit its mostly dead at this point, but I think many of the faithful still go there on occasion. https://forums.nicoclub.com/5th-generation-altima-sedan.html

Thanks for the info. So if I'm reading the class action lawsuit settlement correctly, on cars that didn't have failures and were repaired by the owners (where the owner could be compensated for repair costs), Nissan just extended the power train warranty 24 months/24,000 miles. In that case, this 2014 is already outside of that extended warranty, since the factory power train warranty was 5 years/60K miles.

So what kind of issues or failures were happening with the CVTs? Wonder if it was from lack of maintenance, abuse ... or just the luck of the draw?

Any early signs that the CVT is weak or going out if I take one for a test drive?

 

[ZeeOSix]

The CVT is a mixed bag. Some people have no problems even at 200,000 miles. I had to replace one at 80K on a 13 Versa. I'd probably avoid one for a personal car unless I had a backup vehicle.

Wondring if it's the "luck of the draw" meaning some were manufactured incorrectly, while some were not? Or is it more related to the use and care of the vehicle - ie, lack of CVT oil and filter change (found out that CVT has a changeable filter). Sounds like there's no real root cause - ??

 

[JeffKeryk]

6 years ago I got a well used, high mileage (85K maybe) 2015 Altima strippie from Hertz for a friend. The 1st thing I did was a CVT spill and fill with Castrol CVT. I'm sure it was original and was well worn. I did another at next oil change, 4500 miles. I then serviced it every 20K using Castrol or Valvoline fluid. I bought an EBAY trans dipstick for a 2014 (I think) to make services a snap.

Dang thing has been bullet proof. 170K now. Tires, battery, plugs, filters, rear pads. Front brakes soon. That's it. Passenger side axle boot is starting to split so I wrapped it in duct tape.

 

[Rufus711]

Thanks for the info. So if I'm reading the class action lawsuit settlement correctly, on cars that didn't have failures and were repaired by the owners (where the owner could be compensated for repair costs), Nissan just extended the power train warranty 24 months/24,000 miles. In that case, this 2014 is already outside of that extended warranty, since the factory power train warranty was 5 years/60K miles.

So what kind of issues or failures were happening with the CVTs? Wonder if it was from lack of maintenance, abuse ... or just the luck of the draw?

Any early signs that the CVT is weak or going out if I take one for a test drive?

I had an 09 Versa with a CVT that went out. The first signs were a whining noise, like the vehicle was low on power steering fluid.

I bought the car at 45K, changed the CVT Fluid at 60K with Castrol CVT Fluid. When I heard the whine, I changed it again. Trans died at 110K.

 

[Bill7]

You may wish to check the safety of this vehicle.
Nissan's in general have about 4 times as many deaths as corresponding Acura/Honda's in accedents.
Whenever there is a fatal car crash, the police fill out a report, and it gets fed to this non profit: "Insurance Institute for Highway Safety".

Driver death rates by make and model

One way to compare the relative safety of vehicles is to look at driver death rates.

www.iihs.org

Scroll down to middle of the page, choose 2014 year, and then see how the Nissan Altima had 52 deaths per million registered vehicle years. The numbers next to it parentheses next to the overall death rate are 95% confidence bounds of lower and upper death limits.

In my case, I chose Honda Odyssey's, as they only have 17 deaths per million registered vehicle years for my year.
To me safety in real world accidents was the most important criteria in choosing a used vehicle.

 

[atikovi]

To me safety in real world accidents was the most important criteria in choosing a used vehicle.

There comes a point where you realize you won't live forever and choosing a car on that criteria doesn't mean that much. Nobody builds a death trap anymore, so even if an Odyssey is the car to least likely to die in, I would be bored to death having to drive one every day.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Thanks for the info. So if I'm reading the class action lawsuit settlement correctly, on cars that didn't have failures and were repaired by the owners (where the owner could be compensated for repair costs), Nissan just extended the power train warranty 24 months/24,000 miles. In that case, this 2014 is already outside of that extended warranty, since the factory power train warranty was 5 years/60K miles.

So what kind of issues or failures were happening with the CVTs? Wonder if it was from lack of maintenance, abuse ... or just the luck of the draw?

Any early signs that the CVT is weak or going out if I take one for a test drive?

What little I have read into it - some failed at 20K, some never. A coworker had a rogue of about that year, he drove it like 150K and gave it to his daughter who drove it for a while longer. He was a dealer service type so who knows what got changed and what didn't. So I would say that's luck of the draw maybe? I always wondered as well, since you don't feel any shifts I see a lot of people pulling off a green light like there a funny car / drive it like you stole it. Can't be good either.

Failure mode is the steel belt wears and takes the pulleys with it, so typical CVT shutter / jitter / whining slipping feeling, etc. My concern about finding it during a test drive is my guess is its worse after it gets good and hot, so take a long test drive preferably in stop and go.