2016 Nissan Altima — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $8,000–$12,000. There is 1 high-severity known issue you need to know before handing over a check.
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Kestrel Take
The refreshed Altima with the same Jatco CVT, and this year the transmission is 42% of everything filed — the headlight complaints fade, the transmission ones do not. Nissan settled a class action covering 2013–2016 Altima CVTs and extended the warranty to 84 months or 84,000 miles; a 2016 is past both now. A well-kept one is a comfortable, efficient, cheap sedan. The transmission decides whether it is well-kept.
What we checked
Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25
NHTSA holds 553 owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan Altima, and 4 recall campaigns.
A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 42% of them are about one thing — the transmission and drivetrain. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.
4 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2016 Nissan Altima
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.
235 complaints under power train plus most of the 86 under engine: delayed acceleration from a stop, especially uphill; RPM climbing without speed; a fluid pressure sensor code; the transmission going into fail-safe when it overheats on long drives. Nissan's class-action settlement extended the warranty on 2013–2016 Altima CVTs to 84 months/84,000 miles — now expired for any 2016. A replacement is a used car's worth of money. Drive it 20 minutes including a hill.
Repair cost (estimate): $3,500–$5,000 — around 50% of what this car is typically worth
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (235), the engine (86).
Recall 16V244 replaced the occupant classification system on 2013–2016 Altimas. Owners still report the light on cars 'not in the VIN range' and dealers quoting four figures. If the light is on with an adult in the seat, the airbag is off. Confirm the recall and confirm the light.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $600–$2,000 outside it
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (70); 4 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Recall 17V040 rerouted a rear door latch cable that could be pinched by the window mechanism and lock the door; recall 18V915 redid cars where the first repair was done wrong. Free. Open both rear doors from inside with the windows down.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Source: 4 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Recall 20V315: the secondary hood latch can corrode and fail to catch. Free replacement, all 2013–2018 Altimas.
Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Source: 4 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗A pause between pressing the pedal and the car moving
- ✗RPM that flares on a hill
- ✗CVT fluid dark or burnt-smelling
- ✗Passenger airbag OFF with an adult in the seat
Good Signs
- ✓Replacement CVT with a warranty
- ✓Fluid changed every 30k with NS-3
- ✓All four recalls closed
- ✓A car that has lived in a flat, cool climate — this CVT hates heat and hills
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Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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