On a used Nissan Altima, the CVT automatic is the part to worry about. Nissan stretched CVT coverage to 84 months or 84,000 miles on 2013-2018 Altimas after class actions, but by mid October 2026 nearly every one of those cars has aged past that time limit, so a failing transmission is now your bill. Test the CVT hard, ask for its records, find out whether the car was a rental, and run the VIN for open recalls like the 2013-2018 hood latch campaign before you buy.
The Altima itself is roomy, comfortable, and easy to live with, which is why so many people shortlist one. The problem is that one transmission repair can wipe out whatever you saved on a cheap one, and the warranty programs a seller might mention have mostly run out. This guide sticks to what Nissan and NHTSA documents say, plus the paper checks we would run on any used sedan.
Altima generations, briefly
The 2013-2018 car is the one Nissan's bulletins call the L33, and it is the generation tied to both CVT warranty extensions and the hood latch recall. The 2019 Altima was a full redesign. Car and Driver's 2019 Altima review notes it added all-wheel drive and Nissan's VC-Turbo variable compression engine, but you cannot get the turbo with all-wheel drive. Car and Driver also ran a 2019 Altima as a long-term test car for 32,860 miles with no unscheduled repair visits and $462 in routine maintenance, though they damaged two tires on the Platinum's low-profile 19-inch wheels and called the AWD 2.5 slow. That is one car and proves little about the model as a whole, but it is a fair counterweight to the horror stories.
The CVT warranty extensions, and why they rarely help now
In a May 2020 dealer bulletin, Nissan extended CVT coverage on 2013-2016 Altimas, along with certain Versa, Sentra, and Juke models, from 60 months or 60,000 miles to 84 months or 84,000 miles, whichever came first. Covered parts included the CVT assembly and internals, the valve body, the torque converter, the cooler kit where fitted, and transmission control module reprogramming. Nissan said it was responding in part to the class actions. A later bulletin did the same for 2017-2018 Altimas, effective May 23, 2023.
Run the math on the car in front of you. Seven years from the in-service date means a 2018 Altima sold new in 2018 ran out of extended time in 2025. The detail I would underline after reading both bulletins is the opt-out note. Some owners excluded themselves from the settlements, so Nissan tells dealers to check coverage by VIN. If a seller says the transmission is "still under Nissan warranty," ask a Nissan dealer to look up that VIN and show you the result. Most of the time, we would expect the answer to be no.
How to test the CVT on a drive
Drive it cold if you can, since some problems show up before the fluid warms. Accelerate gently from a stop, then firmly, and watch the tachometer. You are looking for shudder or judder on light throttle, a whine that rises with speed, revs that flare without the car pulling, or a hesitation pulling into traffic. Ask when the CVT fluid was last changed and whether there is an invoice. A car with documented valve body or CVT replacement under the extension can be a decent buy, since that work was done by a dealer. A car with no records, a shudder, and 110,000 miles should be priced like it needs a transmission. Our post on whether CARFAX shows a transmission replacement covers what a report can and cannot tell you about that.
Recalls to check by VIN
The big one for the older car is the hood latch. Nissan's recall report 20V-315 covers 2013-2018 Altimas, 1,831,818 of them, and it includes every car from the earlier recall 16V-029 whether or not that first repair was done. Nissan says corrosive build-up can bind the secondary hood latch, so if the primary latch is released, say at the gas pump since the two releases sit close together, the hood could fly open while driving. A hood that flutters at speed is the warning sign. On the newer car, recall 23V-628 covers certain 2019-2021 Altima Platinum cars whose rear camera wiring can wear and blur or blank the backup image. Check the exact VIN on Nissan's recall lookup, and see our guide to open recalls on CARFAX for how unfinished campaigns show up on a report.
Rental history, odometer, title
Altimas turn up as former rentals often enough that you should check how the car was used before you fall for the color. Rental use can be fine on a well-serviced car, though a stack of short-term drivers should pull the price down. Our post on CARFAX rental history explains how that use is reported. Then read the odometer readings in order with our odometer rollback guide, and check the title brand. At a dealer, the FTC Buyers Guide required by the Used Car Rule tells you if the car is sold as-is.
Do not accept a seller's printout as your report, because fake and edited PDFs are easy to make. In mid October 2026 we charge about $5.50 per CARFAX report for guests, about $4.50 for members, and about $6.75 for a CARFAX plus AutoCheck bundle, where retail sits around $39.99 to $44.99. Check the final price at checkout since it can shift. We resell CARFAX and AutoCheck under license and are not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, or Experian.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
Log in to leave a comment.