# 2015 Altima



## tlrace33 (Nov 16, 2014)

Thinking about buying a 2015 Altima. Anyone have any complaints?


----------



## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I don't own one, but FYI, the Dec. 2014 edition of Consumer Reports just came out and has an article on most and least reliable cars you can buy. In the midsized car category, the Altima was at the bottom of the list. The 4-cyl. Altima ranked #14 out of 15 with 30% below average for reliability, and the V6 Altima ranked #15 with 60% below average reliability. The top four were the VW Passat 1.8T, the Mazda6, the Toyota Camry 4-cyl. and the Honda Accord 4-cyl. 

As a manufacturer, Nissan ranked #16 out of 28, with a note that "older Nissans are reliable; newer ones are troubleprone." The top four were Lexus, Toyota, Mazda and Honda. 

When I went to the auto show in Richmond in March, I really liked the Mazda6, but was just a little "tight" for me (I'm 270 lbs., so on the large size). The Camry was okay, a bit "vanilla," but I was really impressed with the Honda Accord. The seats were large and comfortable (I had plenty of room) and everything was laid out well. Keep in mind that I was a Nissan tech for 16 years, so I'm partial to Nissan and own a 2006 Pathfinder. However, if I was looking for a midsized car for myself, I would have to decide between the Honda Accord 4-cyl., the Toyota Camry and the Subaru Legacy. The Legacy would probably win out because of its all wheel drive and Subaru has a very good reliability history. Also, even with all wheel drive, it doesn't cost much more than the average front wheel drive midsize.


----------



## tlrace33 (Nov 16, 2014)

I bought a 2014 Camry 3 months ago and around 300 miles the transmission shuddered while shifting gears. They replaced the torque converter which fixed that problem but then it started shuddering at steady speeds between 40-55 mph. The dealership did two different diagnostic tests and sent results to Toyota Engineers. I was told this is how the transmission is supposed to operate due to fuel efficiency. I now have 4,500 miles and it still shudders. I also test drove a 2015 and it shuddered too. This is very annoying and I no longer want to drive it.


----------



## tlrace33 (Nov 16, 2014)

I thought about trading it in for an altima.


----------



## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

The Altima uses a CVT transmission. Reliability has been marginal and many people don't like the noise it makes. I would recommend you take one for a good test drive before you trade your Camry in.


----------



## Tennesseestorm (May 17, 2015)

I have read the same thing SMJ and it is a little disappointing. Nissan used to make such great cars. My dad had an '88 Nissan truck with over 350k on the original everything (except brakes/tires/oil of course) and a new timing belt. 

I was going to get an Altima until I read the reviews. According to CR, the Mazdas must have really improved on the other hand because I know the late 2000s Mazda 6's were junk. I had a friend with one that needed a new engine at 50k and a new tranny at 65k and I have heard others having to replace these as well, way before 80k miles. 

I noticed you mentioned new Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Subaru Legacy. Funny thing is I was considering all of these in addition to the Altima, but there was another on my list, the '15 Hyundai Sonata. The Accord was nice, but also has a CVT and lacks a lot of features unless you spring for a very high trim line. The Camry was boring to me and that grill in the '15 model is hard to me to get past. The Legacy is a fine car, but a costly one. It is hard to get the dealers to "deal" with you on one. I loved the Altima, it was a smooth car, but I noticed some interior issues where it looked a little cheap in many I had looked at like where the plastic chrome trim runs along the passenger side of the dash, on some models I looked in, it has gaps. I guess it was hit or miss. Then I tried the new Sonata. It is way toned down from the '14 model, but it has a lot of standard features and was $2000 less than the lowest price I could get on the Accord. It also had a smoother ride, higher quality looking interior (which is something you would have never dreamed of back in say, 1991 or so) and an easier to read cluster and didn't have the trunk/gas release buttons on the floor like the Accord/Camry does. With that said, I went with that car, but I do love the new Altimas. I just wish the reliability was higher. I have a friend at work that has a '14 Altima SL and they love it. I also have a friend with a '12 Altima S and she loves it. Also, another friend had a '11 Versa SV, she loved it, but wanted a slightly larger car, so bought a leftover '14 Sentra SR. So far, she loves it. 






smj999smj said:


> I don't own one, but FYI, the Dec. 2014 edition of Consumer Reports just came out and has an article on most and least reliable cars you can buy. In the midsized car category, the Altima was at the bottom of the list. The 4-cyl. Altima ranked #14 out of 15 with 30% below average for reliability, and the V6 Altima ranked #15 with 60% below average reliability. The top four were the VW Passat 1.8T, the Mazda6, the Toyota Camry 4-cyl. and the Honda Accord 4-cyl.
> 
> As a manufacturer, Nissan ranked #16 out of 28, with a note that "older Nissans are reliable; newer ones are troubleprone." The top four were Lexus, Toyota, Mazda and Honda.
> 
> When I went to the auto show in Richmond in March, I really liked the Mazda6, but was just a little "tight" for me (I'm 270 lbs., so on the large size). The Camry was okay, a bit "vanilla," but I was really impressed with the Honda Accord. The seats were large and comfortable (I had plenty of room) and everything was laid out well. Keep in mind that I was a Nissan tech for 16 years, so I'm partial to Nissan and own a 2006 Pathfinder. However, if I was looking for a midsized car for myself, I would have to decide between the Honda Accord 4-cyl., the Toyota Camry and the Subaru Legacy. The Legacy would probably win out because of its all wheel drive and Subaru has a very good reliability history. Also, even with all wheel drive, it doesn't cost much more than the average front wheel drive midsize.


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Can somebody with access to consumer reports spell out their concerns for the 2014 or 15 Altima. How did it go from top reliability in 2010 to poor choice? What exactly is being criticized? I suspect its the info/entertainment systems. I do not see a lot of negatives in reviews. I get a kick out of the turbo Passat getting top rating, its hard to believe it will be really more reliable and less expensive to service than the Altima. Is it purely hate for the cvt? Has cvt reliability not improved since 2004??? Accord is nice, but also has cvt. Is the Honda one really better than Nissan's? Having owned a 93 accord and a 98 Altima, its amazing how much bigger they have become...


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

The 2015 Nissan Altima continues to be a top choice among family sedans, delivering excellent fuel economy and a rare blend of comfort and agility." -- Edmunds
"With its Maxima-like good looks, and unique features such as its NASA-inspired zero-gravity seats, the Altima really does give shoppers a viable alternative to the Camry and Accord." -- AutoTrader
"The 2015 Nissan Altima offers all the ‘best-of’ benefits of a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, but without the midsize-sedan ‘me-too’ factor that inevitably comes with buying one of those cars. The fact that it delivers excellent fuel economy and subtly cool styling is icing on the cake." -- Kelley Blue Book
"The new Altima remains one of the most engaging family sedans, and now its fuel economy approaches 40 mpg on the highway. At that level, Nissan should have no problem attracting the most frugal family-sedan buyers. If you can get hybrid fuel economy without the cost of the battery packs and electric motors, why pay for them?" -- Popular Mechanics (2013)
a
US news places it number 6 with a rating of 8.6. First place hybrid accord gets a 8.9. Second place Camry gets an 8.8. Sonata and accord and hybrid camry get 8.7. Really a big difference here... reliability is basically the same for all. Reading Consumer Affairs complaints there are some legitimate complaints, but some are obviously from people with next to no automotive knowledge who are possibly less than religious when it comes to maintenance and washing the undercarriage. Or you can find articles reprinted on different sites such as Yahoo that make such statements while providing no evidence or information. I find it strange.


----------

