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2001 Nissan Altima

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2001 Nissan Altima do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 231.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

100 reports with mileage · 59 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 59 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

22 crash reports2 fire reports12 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

59 reports
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37,500 miles · Mar 9, 2009
Engine And Engine Cooling

RPMS JUMPING UP AND DOWN AT IDLE. MECHANIC TOLD ME IT WAS A MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 4 AND I NEEDED A INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. (HE KNEW THIS BECAUSE HE SPRAYED CARB CLEANER BY CYLINDER 4)A $500 JOB. CAR MAYBE 8 YEARS OLD BUT IT ONLY HAS 38,000 MILES ON IT. NO REASON GASKET SHOULD BURN OUT ON ONE SIDE LIKE THAT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10261362

110,000 miles · Dec 8, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

I OWN A 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA SE. IT IS A 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. MY CAR STARTED HAVING LOW IDLE PROBLEMS ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. I HAD A TUNE UP DONE WHICH INCLUDED NEW SPARK PLUGS, WIRES, DISTRIBUTOR ROTOR AND CAP. THE CAR STILL HAD LOW IDLE PROBLEMS. I THEN RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAM…

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I OWN A 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA SE. IT IS A 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. MY CAR STARTED HAVING LOW IDLE PROBLEMS ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. I HAD A TUNE UP DONE WHICH INCLUDED NEW SPARK PLUGS, WIRES, DISTRIBUTOR ROTOR AND CAP. THE CAR STILL HAD LOW IDLE PROBLEMS. I THEN RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2000-2001 NISSAN ALTIMA. I OWN A 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA SE. THE PROBLEM TURNS OUT TO BE A FAULTY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET THAT LEAKS AND IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX. ($600-$1000). I SEE WHERE NISSAN REFUSES TO ADMIT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND WILL NOT CONSIDER A RECALL. YOU CAN ALSO REFERENCE CASE #10167168, 10145161,10100639, AND 10163901. MY CAR HAS NOT BEEN FIXED YET AND THE IDLE IS GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE MY CAR IS ALMOST STALLING WHEN I COME TO A STOP. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10251072

89,000 miles · Nov 10, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

AT 89,000 MILES MY 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA GXE BEGAN EXPERIENCING EXTREMELY ROUGH IDLING. ENGINE WILL STALL. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO HUNDREDS OF OTHER ALTIMA OWNERS I AM ASKING FOR A RECALL TO CORRECT THIS MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10248241

55,000 miles · Nov 10, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

I HAVE A 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA. SIMILAR TO WHAT I HAVE READ ON DOZENS OF WEBSITE, IT STARTED IDLING HIGH (AT ONLY 55,000 MILES) AND ULTIMATELY HAD TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT A COST OF $852.05. I WAS TOLD NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR AFTER THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED. SADLY FOR ME, IT WAS THREE WEEKS AFTER THE EXTENDED WARR…

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I HAVE A 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA. SIMILAR TO WHAT I HAVE READ ON DOZENS OF WEBSITE, IT STARTED IDLING HIGH (AT ONLY 55,000 MILES) AND ULTIMATELY HAD TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT A COST OF $852.05. I WAS TOLD NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR AFTER THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED. SADLY FOR ME, IT WAS THREE WEEKS AFTER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND NISSAN REFUSED TO OFFER ANY PRICE BREAK ON THE SERVICE. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE EXCEEDINGLY COMMON - AND OFTEN ON VERY LOW MILEAGE VEHICLES SUCH AS MINE. NISSAN SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10248228

52,400 miles · Nov 9, 2008
Engine And Engine CoolingFuel System, Gasoline

I HAVE NISSAN ALTIMA GXE MODEL 2001. AFTER A THOROUGH RESEARCH ON THE WEB, I FIND THAT "INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK" IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN NISSAN ALTIMA. IT COST BETWEEN $700 - $1200 (THOUGH PART IS FOR $15-$30 ONLY). WITH THIS PROBLEM, CAR START SHAKING VIOLENTLY WHEN YOU STOP AT LIGHT. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT FEQUENTLY LIGHTS UP…

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I HAVE NISSAN ALTIMA GXE MODEL 2001. AFTER A THOROUGH RESEARCH ON THE WEB, I FIND THAT "INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK" IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN NISSAN ALTIMA. IT COST BETWEEN $700 - $1200 (THOUGH PART IS FOR $15-$30 ONLY). WITH THIS PROBLEM, CAR START SHAKING VIOLENTLY WHEN YOU STOP AT LIGHT. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT FEQUENTLY LIGHTS UP. CAR STALLS ABRUPTLY IN THE LIGHT. ON A HIGH WAY DRIVE, CAR CAN STALL ANYTIME WHICH IS A GREAT HAZARD, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU TRAVEL WITH A KID OR AN OLD AGE PEOPLE. NISSAN SHOULD HELP OWNERS FIX THIS AND SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RECALL THIS CARS WITH THIS KIND OF FAULTY PARTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10248052

85,105 miles · Oct 28, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

I HAVE A 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA GXE WITH 89,207 MILES ON IT. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, I NOTICED A ROUGH IDLING AT STOPLIGHTS, SO BAD SOMETIMES I THOUGHT MY CAR WAS GOING TO DIE OUT ON ME. ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2008, I TOOK MY CAR INTO THE MCCARTHY BLUE SPRINGS NISSAN AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE MY INTAKE MANIFOLD. THEY HAD TO ORD…

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I HAVE A 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA GXE WITH 89,207 MILES ON IT. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, I NOTICED A ROUGH IDLING AT STOPLIGHTS, SO BAD SOMETIMES I THOUGHT MY CAR WAS GOING TO DIE OUT ON ME. ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2008, I TOOK MY CAR INTO THE MCCARTHY BLUE SPRINGS NISSAN AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE MY INTAKE MANIFOLD. THEY HAD TO ORDER THE PARTS, AND WAS ADVISED TO NOT DRIVE MY CAR AGAIN UNTIL IT GETS FIXED. SO, I HAD TO LEAVE MY CAR AT THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP OVER THE WEEKEND AND WAS NOT ABLE TO PICK IT UP UNTIL SEPTEMBER 22, 2008. IN OTHER WORDS, I WAS WITHOUT A CAR FOR 4 DAYS. IN RESEARCHING MY PROBLEM ONLINE TO SEE IF IT'S A NOTABLE PROBLEM WITH NISSAN ALTIMA'S I CAME ACROSS SEVERAL WEBSITES COMPLAINING OF THE SAME THING. MOST OF WHICH HAD TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AT MUCH LOWER MILEAGE THAN MINE. THE REPLACEMENT COSTS SEEMS TO BE ABOUT THE SAME ACROSS THE BOARD, TO BE BETWEEN $700 AND $800 PLUS. IN RESEARCHING MY PROBLEM I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HASN'T BEEN A RECALL FOR ALL NISSAN ALTIMA'S. THERE ARE MANY WEBSITES COMPLAINING OF THE VERY PROBLEM OF HAVING TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD ON NISSAN ALTIMA'S. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN PREVIOUSLY (JANUARY 5, 2008) FOR THE SAME PROBLEM I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A BROKEN MOTOR MOUNT. SO, I PAID TO HAVE THAT FIXED WHICH WAS OVER $450. MY CAR RAN FINE FOR ABOUT A MONTH, UNTIL I STARTED NOTICING THAT IT WAS IDLING HARD AT STOPLIGHTS, BUT I FIGURED IT WAS JUST DUE TO THE COLD. WHEN I CALLED NISSAN ABOUT IT, THEY ASKED ME IF MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON, AND IT WASN'T SO THEY JUST SAID IT WAS DUE TO IT BEING COLD. BUT IT NEVER STOPPED AND CONTINUED TO GET WORSE AND WORSE. UNTIL I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO TAKE IT BACK INTO NISSAN TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT AGAIN AND THAT'S WHEN THEY SAID IT WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED ON THIS VERY PROBLEM AND HOW MANY IT TAKES FOR YOU TO CONSIDER A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10246983

69,000 miles · Oct 16, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND UPON DIAGNOSTICS IT SAYS CATALYTIC CONVERTER IS DEFECTIVE HOWEVER AFTER REPLACING CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND SENSOR PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10245727

99,500 miles · Oct 3, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

2001 NISSAN ALTIMA GETTING P0304 CODE AT 99,500 MILES. SEARCHED ON A DISCUSSION BOARD AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER USERS WITH THIS SAME CODE. THE CODE IS FOR INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. IT SEEMS THAT NISSAN IS ALSO AWARE OF THIS DEFECT BUT IS REFUSING TO RECALL AND PAY FOR REPAIRS. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE THERE ARE MANY OTHERS …

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2001 NISSAN ALTIMA GETTING P0304 CODE AT 99,500 MILES. SEARCHED ON A DISCUSSION BOARD AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER USERS WITH THIS SAME CODE. THE CODE IS FOR INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. IT SEEMS THAT NISSAN IS ALSO AWARE OF THIS DEFECT BUT IS REFUSING TO RECALL AND PAY FOR REPAIRS. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10244349

57,240 miles · Aug 21, 2008
Engine And Engine CoolingFuel System, Gasoline

LIKE MANY OTHERS, MY 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA WITH ONLY 57,000 MILES ON IT DISPLAYED A CHECK ENGINE SOON LIGHT. THIS OCCURRED WHILE MY WIFE WAS IDLING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. IT IS NOT A FAILURE BUT IF NOT CORRECTED COULD CRACK THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE ERROR CODE CROSSED TO A MISFIRE IN CYLINDER #4. I HAVE FOUND AN INORDINATE NUMBER OF FO…

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LIKE MANY OTHERS, MY 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA WITH ONLY 57,000 MILES ON IT DISPLAYED A CHECK ENGINE SOON LIGHT. THIS OCCURRED WHILE MY WIFE WAS IDLING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. IT IS NOT A FAILURE BUT IF NOT CORRECTED COULD CRACK THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE ERROR CODE CROSSED TO A MISFIRE IN CYLINDER #4. I HAVE FOUND AN INORDINATE NUMBER OF FOLKS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR 2000 NISSAN ALTIMA. OUR WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND I WAS QUOTED $920 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM WHICH APPEARS TO BE THE RESULT OF POOR ENGINEERING DESIGN OR MEDIOCRE MATERIALS USED FOR THE GASKET. I WOULD LIKE TO REFERENCE FOUR DIFFERENT COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS SAME ISSUE: 10167168 10145161 10100639 10163901 THIS INFORMATION WAS MINED FROM WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM. WHAT EXACTLY IS THE MINIMUM CRITERIA USED TO DETERMINE A RECALL OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT? IS THERE ANY AGENCY THAT CAN COMPEL NISSAN TO MAKE SOMETHING SO OBVIOUS AND PREVALENT AMONG THEIR CUSTOMERS RIGHT AGAIN? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10239120

60,000 miles · Apr 26, 2008
Engine And Engine Cooling

THE CAR - 2001 ALTIMA - HAD A ROUGH IDLE AT ALL STOPS. IT FELT AS IF THE CAR WAS GOING TO STALL. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FELT A 60,000 MILE TUNE-UP AT A COST OF $600.00 WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. HE EVEN CHECKED NISSAN RECALLS TO AID WITH THE DIAGNOSIS. NONE WERE FOUND THAT APPLIED. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED AFTER THE TUNE-UP. TH…

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THE CAR - 2001 ALTIMA - HAD A ROUGH IDLE AT ALL STOPS. IT FELT AS IF THE CAR WAS GOING TO STALL. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FELT A 60,000 MILE TUNE-UP AT A COST OF $600.00 WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. HE EVEN CHECKED NISSAN RECALLS TO AID WITH THE DIAGNOSIS. NONE WERE FOUND THAT APPLIED. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED AFTER THE TUNE-UP. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO NISSAN WHERE IT TOOK THE MECHANIC LESS THAN ONE MINUTE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. HE REPORTED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MODEL AND YEAR OF THE CAR. THEY WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AT A TOTAL COST OF $825.32. A SUBSEQUENT SEARCH OF THE INTERNET FOUND THAT THIS WAS INDEED A COMMON PROBLEM WITH NISSAN NOT TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10225771

Official recalls

1

01V065000 · Tires:tread/belt

Feb 23, 2001

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FIRESTONE FIREHAWK GTA-02 , SIZE P205/55R16 89H TIRES. THE RECALLED TIRES ARE IDENTIFIED BY DOT SERIAL #W2 T2 VF3 XXX OR W2 T2 VF3 XXXX; WHERE XXX MAY BE 289, 299, 309, 319, 329, 339, 349, 359, 369, 379, 389, 399, 409, 419, 429, 439, 449, 459, 469, 479, 489, 499, 509, 519, 529, 010, 020, 030, 040, 050, 060, 070, 080, 090, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 170, AND WHERE XXXX MAY BE 1800, 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2400, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2800, 2900, 3000, 3100, 3200, 3300, 3400, 3500, 3600, 3700, 3800, 3900, 4000, 4100, 4200, 4300, 4400, AND 4500. WITH INCREASING MILEAGE, THE TIRES MAY DEVELOP SHOULDER AREA CRACKING. CONTINUED USE OF A TIRE WITH THIS CONDITION MAY LEAD TO EXPOSURE OF THE BELT EDGE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, A BELT EDGE SEPARATION IS POSIBLE, WHICH COULD RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE.

Remedy: BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE WILL REPLACE THE TIRES WHICH WERE INSTALLED AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON THESE ALTIMA VEHICLES. FIRESTONE IS CONDUCTING THE OWNER NOTIFICATION AND REMEDY FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED FIRESTONE DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FIRESTONE AT 1-800-465-1904.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

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