2000 Nissan Altima Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a failed intake manifold gasket that produces rough idle, shaking and misfire codes around cylinder 4, frequently quoted as a several-hundred-dollar labor-intensive repair that can recur. A second recurring theme is an instrument cluster that freezes or drops to zero while driving, sometimes taking cruise control with it, with dealers often unable to reproduce the fault. Complaints are spread across a wide mileage range, with the gasket reports starting as low as the 30,000s and cluster reports tending to appear later in the vehicle's life.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Intake manifold gasket failure (rough idle, misfire)

   • 27 complaints (17%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 8.5 yrs old (24 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $850 (median of 11 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2012

   Owners describe the car starting to shake and run rough at idle, with the RPM gauge moving up and down, occasional stalling at low speed, and a check engine light usually pointing to a misfire on cylinder 4. Several say a shop diagnosed the intake manifold gasket and that the repair was mostly labor, with estimates ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars. Some report the same symptoms returning within a year or roughly 25,000 miles after replacement, and several say the dealer first replaced spark plugs or a knock sensor before identifying the gasket. Reported from roughly the mid-30,000s to about 185,000 miles, with many clustered between 40,000 and 100,000 miles.

   What to check: At idle, watch for shaking or a wandering tachometer and listen for a stumbling exhaust note; ask for service records showing whether the intake manifold gasket was replaced and when. A scan tool check for stored misfire codes on cylinder 4 is worth doing before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Okay I don't know what the deal with Nissan and their recalls, but they definitely need to make a recall on the 2000 Altima intake manifold gasket. My car started idling at varying rpms under 1 grand and started vibrating in a strange way. When I give my Altima some gas to take off, it comes to the verge of stalling. I did some research on the problem and read a few hundred separate cases where this exact same problem occurred. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10236885, filed 2008-08, 185,000 miles

   “My 2000 Nissan Altima idles rough and sounds like the engine is coughing. My mechanic ran a diagnostic test and said cylinder 4 was misfiring and the only way to correct it was to change the intake manifold gasket. The price: $1200. This seems to be a common problem because I see the same complaints from 98-01 Altima owners. The mechanic, who works for Nissan, said this was common problem with these cars. He also said changing the gasket will fix the problem but the gasket will leak again after about a year or so. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10261680, filed 2009-03, 75,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Instrument cluster gauges freeze or drop to zero

   • 16 complaints (10%)
   • median 115,000 mi at 8.0 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2016

   Complaints describe the speedometer, tachometer, temperature gauge and odometer intermittently freezing at their last reading or falling to zero while the car keeps running normally. In several cases cruise control disengages or stops working at the same time, and some owners mention odd characters appearing on the odometer display. Owners say the fault can clear after the car sits for a while, and that dealers and shops were often unable to reproduce or diagnose it. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 190,000 miles, appearing at any speed and often intermittently over months.

   What to check: During a test drive, confirm all gauges sweep and read sensibly, and check that the odometer advances steadily; ask whether the cluster has ever been repaired or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The gauges all go dead in the dash on my 2000 Nissan Altima. This is really very scary as I have really no idea how fast I'm going and just try and go with the flow of traffic when this happens. Living in a very busy city and taking the expressway when necessary poses a threat to myself and other drivers. I have had to pull over and let the car cool and then complete my trip so as to have working gauges. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10273677, filed 2009-06, 85,412 miles

   “My vehicle is a 2000 Nissan Altima se. (also I have heard there are other nissans with this problem not just Altima) the problem is the guages on the instrument panel failing during operation, ie. Speedometer, tachometer, gas guage, and temp guage. The first time it happened and just like every other time it happens there is nothing different the guages will just shut off and normally fall to the zero postion. Sometimes the will freeze in place. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10120494, filed 2005-05, 63,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden engine racing or loss of throttle response

   • 19 complaints (12%)
   • median 73,964 mi at 7.4 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2012

   Several owners describe the engine revving on its own while stopped or stopping, requiring the car to be shifted to neutral or shut off, while others report the opposite: the throttle assembly coming apart so the car will not accelerate at all. Complaints also describe sputtering with the RPMs dropping and then jumping when the accelerator is released. Some say the dealer could not resolve or reproduce the problem, and one owner reported a throttle body assembly replacement. Reported from about 32,000 to roughly 118,000 miles, typically during stops, low-speed driving or cruise control use.

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body or throttle assembly has been serviced, and test the car at a standstill and at low speed for any idle surge or hesitation; a scan tool check of idle behavior and cruise control operation is useful.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My car stalls while driving. It sputters, meaning I will have my foot on the gas, the rpms will drop to 500, then with my foot off the gas the rpms jump all the way to 2500! This sudden acceleration can plow me right into a car, pole, busy intersection, etc. It happens often. It has happened to me while driving on the freeway at 60 MPH, and on local streets at 25 MPH. This is very dangerous! If the car suddenly loses acceleration and my foot is still on the gas, the guy behind me is going to hit me. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10235250, filed 2008-07, 96,000 miles

   “Sudden failure of throttle body assembly. Dealer says it broke and he has never heard of this happening. Although I consider this to be a fuel supply failure, the auto warranty did not cover repairs claiming it was an emissions part and not covered. Cost $530.92 to repair.”

   NHTSA complaint #10186832, filed 2007-04, 73,964 miles
4. 4
   Air bags

   Air bags not deploying in a collision

   • 11 complaints (7%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 5.9 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 11 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2016

   Complaints describe frontal air bags failing to deploy in moderate-speed collisions, including impacts reported at 40 to 55 mph, with owners noting they expected deployment at those speeds. One owner reported both front air bags deploying without an impact while driving, after the air bag indicator had been flickering. Several note the vehicle was towed or totaled and that they planned to notify the dealer. Reported between about 61,000 and 200,000 miles, in collisions and, in one case, during ordinary driving.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the air bag warning light comes on briefly at startup and then goes out, and ask whether the system has been scanned for stored codes; a service bulletin covers safe handling and diagnosis of the restraint system rather than a fix for non-deployment.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Detail: on febraury 2, 2007 vehicle was traveling at a high rate of 45-55 MPH when it hit another vehicle that pulled out in front of it head on. Neither the driver's side nor the passenger's side airbags deployed. Driver substained minor bruises and hip pain. Car was totalled out by insurance company.”

   NHTSA complaint #10187839, filed 2007-04, 163,000 miles

   “Dt: the consumer owns a Nissan Altima year 2000. On august 29 , 2005 the consumer was involved in an accident. A 1989 buick hit it the back bumper while waiting in traffic for the light to change. There were 3 to 4 cars in front of consumer's vehicle. Upon impact, the front air bags did not deploy. Was it possible for air bags not to deploy during a collision? The consumer was wearing his seat belt. The rear of car sustained minor damage. However, the front of the car sustained major damage. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10134804, filed 2005-08, 91,726 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection that includes an idle check, a scan for misfire codes and a gauges test covers most of what owners report here; ask specifically for records on the intake manifold gasket and the instrument cluster, and check tire DOT codes against the Firestone recall.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.