Nissan Altima hybrid testimonials
Altima hybrid driver?Do you own a Nissan Altima hybrid? How is it going? What kind of gas mileage are you achieving? Have you had any problems? Is there anything you wish Nissan had done differently with its first hybrid?
Let us know about your Altima hybrid experiences and give us your testimonial today.
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Labels: nissan altima hybrid
posted by Dahcredyns at
1:29 PM
66 Comments:
I've had mine for 4500 miles now with no problems. Love the car and the performance. The mileage is lower than that stated on the EPA window sticker. But I am getting around 33 MPG with mostly highway driving. Wish it was a bit better. One thing I've learned is that using the cruise control gives poorer mileage, so I have stopped using ti to squeeze more miles from a gallon. Not at all sorry for buying it.
After the first 1,000 miles I'm averaging 39.2 mpg - I haven't reset the calculator yet so that's since I drove it off the lot. I'm driving it faily easy for the 1,200 mile break-in period so I'm not doing full throttle accelerations yet.
I'm very happy with this car and would recommend it if you're in the market for a new mid size sedan.
i am driving conservatively but getting only about 33 mpg in the city, 37 on highway. far less than the happy talk from the salesman about mid-40's. ergonomics are not good -- knobs in wrong places, hard to find, see or use, knocking windshield wiper on constantly by accident, etc. this is a very average car at a very premium price with mediocre gas mileage. very sorry i entered a 39-month lease 3 months ago.
I love the car, it drives so smooth and is very comfortable. I was going to get a 6 cyl. but was very surprised at the power of the 4cyl. I do have 2 problems. With approx. 4500 miles I average just under 32 mpg. I calculate my own mileage-- the one in the car is nice but not exact. I get better on the freeway than the city. I know how to drive to maximize city mileage-- did very well with my Honda. The best I've ever done is 34.04 mpg and that was unique. My EV light rarely comes on though I'm always charged up. Somethings wrong. The other when I have almost used 15 gal. of gas I get the message that I have about 20 miles left to go. My tank size seems to be no larger than 16 gallons. (I've risked it when it has told me I have no more miles and driven further). This comes with a 20 gallon gas tank but my system does not believe that. Nissan is checking these two things out. Anyone else with these?
I just traded my 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid. The car is equipped with the TCS but the manufacture didn't install a switch to disingage it in case you get stuck in heavy snow. The owners manual refers to the switch but if you check you dont have one in your car. I got stranded on a hill and was forced to turn around and go back down because there is no way to turn the system off and it will stop your car dead. The dealer wasn't aware of the issue and Nissan dosen't seem to think its a
problem. I wrote up the problem on the National Highway Saftey admin site ( http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/).
We are very very disappointed in our Altima hybrid. With 9000 combined city and hiway miles, we average 30.5 mpg never more than 32 and usually right around 30. We drive the speed limit use cruise control for hiway driving and are getting the run around from Nissan Motors. WE WILL TELL ALL OUR FRIENDS NEIGHBORS ACQUAINTANCES AND ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN TO STAY AWAY FROM THE ALTIMA HYBRID!!! Buy a Prius
We are not happy at all with our Altima hybrid. We have 9000 miles of combined city and hiway and have never gotten more than 32 mpg. More usually slightly over 30 mpg. We go the speed limit, don't stomp on the pedal and do use cruise control for most hiway driving. The sticker says 36 hiway, 42 city. 31 is close to 20% less than the epa estimate. WE WILL NOT RECOMMEND ANY NISSAN CAR TO ANYBODY AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE!!!
jeep80I have 700 miles on my 2007 hybrid. It has been in the shop twice for a total of 6 days for the same problem. I come out to the car one morning turn it on, and there was no power steering and the gas engine would not turn on. All the warning light were on as well. Nissan has no idea whats wrong with it. Let me know if anyone has experienced the same problems.
Thomas...we're in the same boat. Same issues as well. Have you taken yours in for service? We're going to have to do that to get it tweak a bit, I believe.
someone please help me i'm at 6000 miles with my nissan hybrid and only get 18 miles to the gallon in the city, i have taken it in for service and they say "nothing is wrong"
I have had mine for 3000 miles and get around 33 to 36 mpg in stop start city driving (the lower average mpg is with trips of about 4 miles from cold and the higher is with trips of about 10 miles or so) and around 39 to 40 on highway trips over 50 miles while keeping the max speed to 60 mph. This is winter driving in the Pacific Northwest and have noticed that the mpg is improving a bit now the weather is getting warmer! This is better than I had hoped for, but have noticed that another driver that uses the car does not get as good milage. A lead foot causes heavy fuel consumption.
Also, when needed this car easily beats my old 2000 maxima in acceleration.
The only gripe so far is the sometimes rough engine start when in traffic.
I am so dissappointed with the mileage I'm getting on my altima hybrid. 31-33 mpg. They lied, and the mpg indicator is lying also. I wish I would have bought a prius. I got the same mileage with my honda. I love the way the car drives, and the look of the car, but the extra expense for the hybird was unwarranted.
My Altima hybrid is at 3000 miles. I get about 35 to 37 mpg's. The car runs well and has plenty of pep when needed. Nissan claims the tank is 20 gal but it is probably closer to 16 to17 gallons. No regrets. I love the car and the fewer trips to the pump.
I've driven about 9000 miles on my '07 so far and absolutely love this car. I dumped my BMW 325i for my first hybrid and admittedly had my doubts, but after a couple of weeks, I knew I made the right choice for many reasons. Overall, I still think the German cars are better built, but the Japanese cars are "just good enough." I laugh at the thought the comparable Infinity (gas powered) model is at least $10K more for the same basic car!
Anyhow, I have been getting a consistent 35MPG all around - depending how I drive and going 600mi+ per tank. If you want a hybrid, don't like the look of the Prius and want the pep and power of a "regular" car, the Altima is a great choice.
I have 9,500 miles on my 08 Altima Hybrid in the first three months. I love the car so far. I am getting 33 MPG with mostly highway miles. I get 35 on the weekends around town, just like the EPA sticker estimates. The two best things about the car are the keyless ignition and the CVT transmission. I paid 30K in NJ for every option available.
The navigation has 100 stored addresses and great menus, but I don’t like that you can’t enter new addresses when the car is moving. The bluetooth phone and aux audio input are also great.
I have four wishes for my 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid:
1). Daytime running lights (like my wife’s 07 XC90) or headlights that go on with the wipers. This would prevent me from having to turn off the auto-lights to full on when it is raining.
2). Memory Seat presets (like my wife’s 07 XC90). The power seats are great otherwise.
3). Doors that auto lock when the car moves (like my wife’s 07 XC90).
4). Adjust the gas gauge so it doesn’t say the car is empty when there is really four gallons left.
I purchased my 07 nissan altima hybrid in february 2008. this is my second altima. i liked my 05 altima but was never impressed with the 23mpg i was getting pretty much no matter what kind of driving i was doing.. i am very pleased with my hybrid..my mileage is getting better and better as it is getting warmer out. per the onboard calculations my mpg has ingreased steadily from 34 and is currently at over 41!. i must admit the onboard computer is incorrect, actual milage is aprox 10 percent below that. i may need to bring that to the attention of nissan. i also have noticed that my car does say gas tank is empty when i have over 4 gallons left which is a fine buffer if i was gettting 10-15 mpg in a SUV but i usually drive another 150 miles and fill up with 19 gallons or so. but here is the truth, if you want to see the best gas mileage you need to know how to drive the car, if your not accelerating slowly and feather the gas, your not going to see good results. i have not driven any other hybrids but i assume this is simular with all. overall extremely happy with my altima hybrid.
Big problems here. All was good for the first 2,000 miles and then I realized my mpg dropping to as low as 26 with the same type of driving as I have been doing.
Two bits of unusual behavior (aside from poor MPG) 1. when cruising at hwy speed, when I let off the accelerator, the car thinks I need to charge the batteries and the Kw gauge drops into the blue area, slowing down the car (it used to 'coast'). 2. When driving in mixed traffic at low speeds, the engine sometimes revs very high repeatedly (if I had a Tach, I could verify the level, but from my experience, it's upwards of 5,000 rpm). This happens 3-4 times before a large THUNK can be felt and it drops out of ICE mode and on battery. The Battery has been near fully charged most of the time and as mentioned MPG is very very poor now.
Nissan is clueless, has held onto the car for 4 days now keep 'calling California', says they checked everything and A-OK.
that sucks, hopefully, nissan figures this out for you. please keep us informed as to how this works out, and let us know if we can help in any way.
Bought one 1500 miles ago - great car with a lot of get up and go! Killer BOSE stereo, Nice styling inside and out -roomy. Now the negative, small trunk (although I fit two suitcases this weekend (avg size) and sometimes when the gas engine kicks in at idle it is a little rough - otherwise the transition between gas and electric is seamless when the car is moving. Wife is averaging 33mpg in city only driving (around 5 miles a day, 1 to 2 mile jaunts) and I get 35 is mixed driving 45-50 miles a day which is respectable. The Prius and Civic do better with MPG but both are small and goofy looking - the Altima is more of a "real" car
Bought my '08 Altima Hybrid in April. My first tank of gas was averaging 32 mpg. Each tank after that has dropped the mpg. I am now getting 26 mpg in the city which really defeats the purpose of buying a hybrid vehicle. The Nissan dealership states that there are no error codes and that it "appears" to be operating normally. One thing I have noticed is that the "EV MODE" indicator only comes on when the car is stopped. When I first purchased the vehicle, this was displayed at low speeds (20-30mph). I have filed a case with Nissan, but they don't have any clues as to what is happening. Can I take my case to the EPA or some governing board for the car manufacturers?
purchased my altima hybrid last month. it completely died a week later while i was on a major freeway in NJ. the power just shut off and the screens went black as i was traveling 70 mph. Luckily I was able to make it to the shoulder without incident. The Nissan dealer where i took my car was completely non-responsive and unprofessional and i got my car back 19 days later (conveniently 1 day before the 20 day lemon law kicked in). They told me that the electrical system shorted out and parts had to be installed that were on backorder - hence the delay. I have now tested the mpg on a full tank of of gas. The computer said 36.3 mpg average. I computed 31.25 mpg using my more accurate hand calculation. I am completely disappointed with the first month of hybrid ownership. anyone have a similar experience?
We bought our 08 Altima Hybrid 3 months ago and have 6,000 miles on it, but we are only getting 29 mpg, could be because we are constantly using the AC, but everything else about the car is great. We do hear a few rattles every now and then, but not too bad. Hopefully by October our mpg's will go back up because initially we were getting 33 mpg, but like I said before, now we are only getting 29mpg.
AM Radio Issue. We like our Altima Hybrid and have none of the serious problems others have listed. However, we get an annoying "whine" over the two strongest local AM radio stations. The volume of the whine varies with the location. Our dealer said a few other Altima Hybrid owners have also experienced it, but they couldn't find a fix. They replaced the entire radio (we have the XM radio package) and they looked for cable routing issues. We don't get the whine on all stations. Any others report this problem? Any others who get AM radio reception just fine? A Nissan regional specialist is working on it and I'd like to report the results to him. Thanks all, go forth well with good mileage!
Bought 08, Altima Hybrid July 5, 08.
I really like this car!
I found more than one dealer here in PA that trades them for other cars with NY state dealers. I even had a choice of color, and equipment, although most were fully loaded MSRP $33500.
41+ MPG on the 25 miles to work, but less the other way, 37 mpg or so average.
This car is a well kept secret it seems with long waiting lists for Toyota hybrids, and it has a $2350 tax benefit to boot!
I'm at 3,000 miles on my 2008 Hybrid Altima. Just yesterday, the EV/Gas switching started misbehaving.. When I slow down, somewhere between 40 and 60, the car starts to rev itself for no apparent reason. The car sometimes continues to rev itself even after I've come to a complete stop. Switching between gas and electric has also become joltier over time. My first maintenance appointment is coming up soon, so watch out for an update.
eric-
we'd love an update.
[UPDATE]
So here's what's happened in the last three weeks:
Two Weeks Ago: I took the Altima Hybrid 2008 to the dealer mechanic (Woodland Hills Nissan) to get the reving problem checked out. They told me that they were unable to reproduce the problem. Funny, thing, I hadn't even left the lot before the engine started reving again. Again, the reving continued after I had stopped. At this point, I had strong doubts that they had even driven the car- I suspect that they only plugged it into a computer to see what error codes it had and didn't bother driving it.
Last Week: I took it back to the dealer and had the service manager drive with me, until he said "oh, no, that's not normal." Since it was labor day weekend, they asked me to bring the car in on Tuesday morning.
This Week: On Tuesday morning, they put me in a rental while they checked the car. In the afternoon, they called me to tell me that they could not figure out why the car was reving itself and that I should stay in the rental for another day.
Yesterday: The service department called me and said that the manufacturer said that it is a normal behavior. After I expressed my frustration (by asking for my money back for selling me a lemon), the service rep told me to file a claim with Nissan Customer Service. I filed my claim immediately.
Today: I picked up my car and drove it to work, and out to lunch. As far as I can tell, the reving has stopped and the car is back to normal. How the problem has magically disappeared is beyond me.
Final thoughts (yes , sorry for the extremely long post) - I'm very dissatisfied at Nissan when they tell me that this behavior is normal. The car was driving fine for 3000 miles, and it was not what i test-drove. My plans are to keep my claim open, in case the problem comes back.
My experience so far has been almost identical to Eric's. I bought my '08 Altima in June and now have approxiamtely 3500 miles on it. Two weeks ago while driving home on a Friday, my Altima started revving for no apparent reason. We called the dealer and made an apointment for Monday.
After running some "tests" the dealer informed us late Monday that the behavior was "typical." I picked up my car, but wasn't confident in driving it knowing the revving i felt. I expressed my concern and a helpful manager took my for a ride in is to make sure I understood the difference between how the hybrid normally runs and any "abnormal" behavior. I think I convinced the manager I knew the difference then the two of us went for a ride in my car.
Unfortunately during this drive I couldn't recreate the issue, despite being able to do so before (get the car to 40 and keep a steady pace). After driving around for ten minutes I dropped the guy off and went home.
Well today, a week later, the car started revving again. I noticed that it revved when the battery got really low which was odd on its own. Prior to this issue I never noticed the battery getting just below have charge. Now it is getting near the bottom of the gauge. When this happens, the car appears to rev itself to get the charge back. I plan on calling the dealership to see what they say, but don't have much confidence. Like others here, I get the feeling they'll just hook the car up to the computer and won't be able to track things down.
Based on the comments here, I am starting to think this may be a problem with the battery in some way (how it charges, retains charge, etc).
I am curious to see how others with this issue get it resolved and how the dealership talks to me.
I purchased my 2008 Altima Hybrid in February and already have 20.5 K miles. No problems to date. I love the car and consistently get 32-34 MPG even with a lot of NJ TPK commuting. I have noticed many blog complaints of engine racing/revving and have to respond.
I have also noticed a slight increase in RPM (revving/racing) from time to time as stated in a few of the blogs. I get a sense of pride when this happens as I think of how I am helping the environment and evolving the technology. This RPM increase is normal and is not dangerous. Hybrid cars are not for everyone. No one should blame those who are uncomfortable with the technology. I suggest those that are uncomfortable with the RPM increase sell the car the next time gas prices increase and let someone else give it a try.
No machine (human being or man made machine) is perfect. People get sick and machines have failures/imperfections. Hybrid cars are still really in the first generation. The technologies that permit that fuel economy and performance are still evolving. Think of how much more reliable the average car is today compared to twenty years ago.
Bought a 2007 NAH new. Mileage never better than 32, and I follow every possible gas-saving procedure. Still, I've liked the ride and the big gas tank. But after a short while, the "service engine soon" light started illuminating. I'd bring it to the dealer, who had no clue. Once they kept it for a week, called in the Nissan technicians, and had a fancy explanation about faulty pins in a strap, which they supposedly fixed. A few weeks later, the service light is back on, the error code is identical, and they have no clue. I called Nissan to file a claim, and they were incredibly rude and obnoxious to me -- basically screaming at me on the phone. I'd be satisfied if they just took that error code out of the system, since it obviously doesn't mean anything other than "bring in your car for frustration".
Hello to all... I purchased two NAH's March 2008. A "loaded" one for me and one for wife with just room & convenience package. I now have almost 21,000 miles on mine, and I love the vehicle. Presently average actual mpg between 34 and 36 for mostly highway driving, which is higher than the 33 mpg it is rated for. My wife's car only has about 3000 miles and for the few times I have filled it up, getting around 36 mpg.
I love the large 20 gallon tank, as I can go almost 700 miles between fill ups.
My biggest complaint is the blue tooth hands free. It is very poor, everyone has a difficult time understanding me unless the car is perfectly still. Otherwise, if I use if while moving along too much road noise (that is my other complaint about the car -- it is not exactly the quietest car I have ever owned).
Otherwise very comfortable. Can go very slowly on ev mode up to about 1 3/4 miles with very gentle acceleration up to 40 mph. You learn to drive differently with a hybrid -- always aware whether or not you are in "ev" mode or not.
Sure, there is a little "trembling" when the gas engine kicks in, but nothing you can't get used to.
When we bought ours last March they were still discounting & you could buy for invoice price (or even less) quite easily. Now, they are pretty scarce and some dealers have the gall to mark them up.
Got to run, but other comments would be appreciated.
I bought the 2008 Hybrid over 4th of July. At about 4500 miles it started with the revving behavior described. In addition, the car would lurch as it revved. Definitely not a safe feeling. I'd pull up in front of school to drop my kids off and the car would rev lik 6000rpm then klunk then rev.
Took it to the dealership. The service manager said he'd never heard of such a thing. I just made sure he wrote down my litany of symptoms.
They believe they have it fixed. The fix involved a new "ratio sensor" (like an O2 sensor in other cars) and a new catalytic converter. What that has to do with the engine revving like a drag racer is beyond me.
Today they asked me to allow them to keep my car because engineers from Nissan are coming to check it out.
Evidently, they are now acknowledging that this is a problem with some of the hybrids and are working on sorting it out.
I've been prepared to be extremely unhappy with Nissan service but the opposite is true. They have addressed the problem and been very courteous and helpful in the process.
Unfortunately, I'm very disappointed in my purchase at this point and kind of wish I'd waited for the Prius.
Also, I had an Avalon and the Altima is no Avalon. However, if the Altima works right and reliably and continues getting the 34mpg that it was getting (it has dropped into the low twenties with this revving problem) then I'll be ok with it.
I purchased an 08 Altima hybrid last year. I am very dissapointed by the MPG I am getting. The best I every got was 33 MPG and that was once on a long hwy trip to Boston. Normally, I get no better than 30 MPG. Now, With my son borrowing the vehicle and the weather being below freezing, I am getting about 25 MPG. Thank god the price of gas is down but this is not what I expected from a hybrid.
I bought a 2007 NAH in summer of 08. Since almost the first day, I have had a service engine light problem. I got nowhere with the NISSAN USA claims and had to sue. After settling with Nissan and having their top technician "fix" the car, the service engine light is on again! Guess I'll start with Nissan service again...
I have a 2008 Altima Hybrid, now with about 18,000 miles (18 months old.) I have had zero problems. I get anywhere between 33 and 38 mpg. The best mileage is when it is about 70 degrees outside and I don't use A/C or heat. The Altima is sportier than the Camry Hybrid and a better deal for a family than the Prius or Civic Hybrid. I have had no issues with revving. My only complaint is the trunk, but that's a hybrid for ya.
I have a 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid. I live in El Paso, Tx so we bought it in CA and had it shipped to us. We loved the car until we had a fenderbender and no one can fix the car. All damaged parts have been replaced by hightly recommened auto shop but it will not start. They feel the battery is dead but do not know how to recharge them. They send the car to the local Nissan to have it checked on their computers. The local Nissan says it is the national Nissan and our problem because they will not touch a hybrid. The national Nissan says they will fly someone in on Monday to look at it. We were told by the CA Nissan to just call the 800 number and the local Nissan would have to work on it.What a mess, how do we get our car fixed if something happens to it now or if we are traveling? Has anyone else had this problem? If we had known that there is no one to work on our car except in those few states we would not have bought it.
I bought my NAH in June 08, was getting less than 32 MPG's. Tank is actually around 19 1/2 gallons, so it does have good cruising distance for a medium size car. Now the bad stuff, bought the car from CA and driving it in TX, had a fender bender in Oct. and no one wants to work on (or even attempt to) a hybrid vehicle. The lythium batteries have now dis-charged from not driving it, and no one here in Texas will touch it without a RUBBER FLOOR (the truth). Any other problems like this, Thanks. Stuck and now driving my Jeep with 100,000 miles and still going.
We loved our Nissan Altima Hybrid the we bought in CA in June. We had a simple fender bender in Oct. My Nissan Altima Hybrid had to be totaled because no Nissan Dealership in the state of Texas or New Mexico can work on it.Also it appeared that the lith. battery was dead and no one can charge in this state.Be very careful about buying this car if you might drive out of the state where you bought it. This has been a nightmare with no help from Nissian USA.
Hi Everyone,
I found this forum after doing a google search on "2008 Nissan Altima Engine Revving". I bought my car in Maryland on January 16th. Maryland is not a Hybrid Altima State but some dealorships have 1-2 vehicles that they purchase in NJ. Anyway I traded in my 2008 Camry Hybrid (which I was leasing) for the Altima. All was smooth (other than the worse gas surprisingly lower mileage on the Altima compared to the Camry Hybrid). Now as of this evening, after driving 2600 miles with no problem, I am having this revving problem mentioned by Eric Angel and kman. I was already worried about driving an Altima Hybrid in Maryland (where they are not sold .....and presumably not serviced well). Now I see Nissan's response to this revving problem and I am even more worried.
Wayne
I traded in my 2008 Camry Hybrid for my 2008 Nissan Altima. I did not like the Camry Hybrid's feel on the road....may have been just me. Frankly though, I find that my Camry Hybrid got better overall mileage than my Altima Hybrid but I will wait until warmer weather to make a final determination. Otherwise the first 2400 or so miles have been great until yesterday when I started getting this revving that has been referred to. It started a traffic light about a mile from home. This is not the usual momentary revving that happens early in acceleration from a stop or might kick in while at a long light. This new revving was lower in volume and only ocurred when the foot was not on the gas pedal (ie. when coasting or stationary like at a traffic light). I would also add that in addition to being low in volume, you could feel the vibration especially through the foot on the brake pedal (when stationary). I believe that there was also a slight burning smell as well. The revving persisted whether I was in Drive, Park, Reverse or Neutral. I was never so glad to get a vehicle home and parked. I was going to have it towed to the nearest Nissan repair center (which also worries me because I live in Maryland where they don't sell Altima Hybrids (other than the onesy twosys at a few dealorships imported from the nearest state selling them (New Jersey)). Now a google search on the issue has lead me to this site, I see that others have had this experience suddenly pop up. So I might dare to drive it to the dealorship where I bought it in Baltimore County. Of course when they wanted me to buy the car, they said "No problem about servicing a Hybrid Altima in a non-Hybrid Altima selling state. Now we will see what happens.
Wayne
Wayne -
Please let us know how it goes.
Well, I posted a long time ago, listing my experience with my 2007 NAH. The main problem was that the service engine light went on, and the dealer's service people had no clue why. The problem kept recurring, and after the 5th time, I contacted the Better Business Bureau, and Nissan sent me $600 for my troubles. Then the service light went back on, and after keeping it 22 days, the dealer finally said they'd just start swapping parts in and out and hope that the light would stay off. Well, that made me nervous, so I recontacted the BBB. Nissan responded within about 2 days and said they'd give me a replacement 2009 NAH. So, here's my take:
1. I love driving my NAH. My mileage was well below the advertised levels: about 31 mpg combined, but that's still a lot better than my old Volvo or Camry, so I'm not bitter about that. The car handled beautifully, had lots of zip, and other than the small trunk and the fact that the car alarm went off every time I sat on my key, I had no complaints... except for the service light.
2. The lower level Nissan customer service people were total jerks - incredibly rude, basically trying to scare me off the phone so they wouldn't have to deal with me - but once I contacted the BBB and the problem moved up the ladder, Nissan has been totally responsive and I think their settlement (as it reads on paper) is fair. Sure, it's a major hassle for me, but I'm willing to work with them, as long as they do as promised.
So, I'll see how the 2009 NAH drives. My one recommendation to bloggers here is that, if you have a recurrent service light problem, go straight to the BBB. They get Nissan's attention, and they're incredibly easy to work with. This is not the experience I was hoping for when I went in to buy a NAH, but life's not perfect. If my 2009 stays healthy and performs like my 2007, I'll be a NAH fan again.
My last blog seems to have vaporized... but I'm reporting back on a recurrent problem of my "service engine light" illuminating for no detectable reason on my 2007 NAH. Brief summary: after 5 trips to the dealer repairs for the same problem, I contacted the BBB, and Nissan sent me $600 for my troubles. On the 6th visit for the same problem, the repair people admitted they had no clue and just started swapping out parts. This made me nervous and I told the BBB that I wanted a replacement car and within 48 hours, Nissan said "OK". So, I'll get a 2009 NAH, basically at no cost. I just hope the "service engine" light stays off.
So, here's what I learned from my 2007 NAH experience:
1. If you have recurrent problems with your NAH, DO NOT contact the Nissan customer service people. They were total jerks to me, and basically did everything that they could to make me "go away".
2. DO contact the BBB. They were friendly, easy to work with, and very effective, and Nissan responded to them immediately and in a very fair way. Once I started dealing through the BBB, my opinion of Nissan increased dramatically.
3. My NAH never got better than 31 mpg, and I am a cautious driver. The trunk is too small. And every time I sit on my keys, the alarm goes off. Still, I love driving my NAH, it has zip and handles great and has a solid feel and classy looks. If only the "service engine" light would stay off...
Sorry about the duplicate messages... Got the 2009 NAH from Nissan to replace my 2007. Seems like an identical car. I just hope the "service" light stays out...
I saw the duplicates, but I liked both, so I didn't want to delete one of the other.
Sometimes when I'm mobile, its hard to moderate the comments, but thanks to some sploggers i have no choice.
Anyway, I hope your new Nissan hybrid works beautifully. If not, please lets us know.
What ever pressure Hybridcarblog can offer to protect hybrid consumers is always available to you and any other jilted hybrid buyer.
I am very disappointed with my 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid from the stand point of gas mileage. I got the Hybrid new in January 2009 traded in a Camry Hybrid for it. What a huge mistake! The Camry could easily beat the 34 City 35 mpg highway estimates. The Altima rarely hits 30 mpg except on downhill trips (but that is offset by horrific mileage to get back). I think I average overall 27 to 27.5 mpg. A far cry from the 35 city 33 highway claims. It seems that even mild inclines sends the mpg reading below 20 mpg. Maybe I'll try to use the cruise control less. But then it seems even worse when feeling for the right amount of pressure to go a decent speed and lower the instantaneous mpg gauge (the horizontal display). I do like the drive and the pep of the vehicle and the rear camera but all in all, I should have kept the Camry. Also don't like the cheap sounding vibrations (in the cabin) that I hear when I go over rough patches common in many poorly maintained city streets.
Wayne8888
Wayne-
It seems Nissan just didn't put the effort into producing this vehicle that was required. A good number of people absolutely love the Nissan hybrid, but far too many don't like it. The performance and quality just doesn't seem consistent.
Hopefully the next gas spike isn't too far out and then you'll be able to get a nice trade in.
I had exactly same problem with my 2008 altima hybrid with revving when i come to a stop or when the engine transfers from gas to electric. It seems to rev when i hit the gas hard to go from 0 to approximately 5 mph from complete stop position and apply the brakes abruptly.
When i took my car to west covina nissan, they told me that hybrids behave differently than regular car until I showed him the "0 to 5 mph/ apply brake" test. They admitted that there was something wrong and replaced the battery(the big one not the small one inside the hood), that seem to fix the problem. My car is now good as new. Good luck trying to convince the mechanics. If they still don't believe you, tell them to call West Covina Nissan Dealer in California.
I forgot to mentioned that when I was having revving problem, I was getting no more than 28mpg. After fixing the problem (replace battery from West Covina Nissan), I am now getting 35mpg.
thanks for the info luke. hopefully that will be useful information for those out there with the same problem.
I've had an '07 for 30K miles - no problems. Today it did not switch to EV mode as it normally does. The engine or transmission vibrated at around 20 mph. Anyone have a similar problem, or know what it may be.
Jay,
Does it sound similar to the revving problem referenced in the few testimonials just above yours?
My NAH is an 07 that was a fleet car in New Jersey. At 9950 miles, I have inoperative air conditioning and I was wondering if anyone else had experienced it.
I had one as a rental for a week when I was in New Mexico and I am completely hooked. It's quiet, smooth-driving and has plenty of power, but the most amazing thing to me was that after horsewhipping it around town for a week, I still had a quarter tank of gas. My car at home is a BMW M5 and obviously there's little similarity, but when you beat the Bimmer, it sucks the gas. Not so the hybrid.
For that ac problem - check the ac metal pipe at the strange single sided bolt connection - located on the top rear left corner of the engine compartment ( by the strut tower). If you see grease around that pipe, you've blown the seal. An easy fix, but requires the dealer to refill the system. Been there - done that.
And 26mpg actual - as high as 31mpg in winter. This model does have issues.
I am seriously contemplating the purchase of a new 2009 NAH. I am conserned about all the complaints about revving and dealer response to same though they all pertain to 2007 & 2008 models. Can anyone say that Nissan has reseolved the revving problem?
I purchased a 2008 Altima Hybrid with the Tech package on Sunday. Now, just 5 short days later the service engine soon light came on. I'm told by the local dealer (I bought it about a hundred miles from here) I'll have to make an appointment next week (during the week) and they will check it out but it could take a day or two so I may want to rent a car. Looks like I might be going down a similar road as others who have posted here. Not good after 5 short days of ownership. This is disheartening for having owned it such a short time.
I have had my Altima Hybrid for only a few weeks (1300 miles), but have been impressed. Mileage has been between 32 and 35 MPG. Last week I took it to the mountains in New Hampshire and got 35 MPG, which I hear is good for mountain driving. Only problem I've had was an out of balance front tire. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but so far so good! My son got the gas Altima.
I drive for a green car service using a 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid. The car has run great and currently at 134,000 miles. Replaced front wheel bearings at 133,000 miles and still on original brakes. I get 35mpg highway and stop and go. Luggage space is ok, passengers like the ride. My question concerns battery life. We hope to get 200,000 miles. Has anyone stetched these cars out?
yes, but not the altima hybrid. still there have been toyota hybrids - with a similar hybrid powertrain to the altima hybrid - that have reached 200,000 miles.
I have an 09 w/3000 miles. I get 39to 41 MPG. No problems yet. 20 gal gas tank gets me 700+ miles. Lead footing gets 32 MPG. Car has 220 HP and can go FAST, but costs GAS. Have to use design features to get MPG. Start out gently, use elect motor to get slowly up to 40 MPH, gas engine then starts and you accelerate gently up to highway speed. At 80 MPH it gets about 36 MPG steady state. For some reason it gets less mileage at 65. BUT, you have to accelerate slowly up to speed to get mileage. The eCVT trans stays locked in high gear at higher speeds, but revs more at lower speeds, especially going up highway hills, unless you let up a bit. It has to do with the available power the engine makes at higher speeds, which keeps it in a higher "gear" going up hills. The computer won't let you lug the engine, and tells the tranny to gear down if you do, hence the revving people talk about. Just let up on the gas a bit and it will lock into high again. The car is very aerodynamically slippery at speed too. I love it, and wouldn't trade it for any other hybrid. You have to get a feel for how it works and take advantage of its strengths. I learned how to drive it by watching the handy mileage meter, and did what got the best mileage. Fast starts from a stop using the gas engine kills mileage badly. It has electric steering which works great, and electric AC which will freeze you out if you want. The heater will roast you if you want. It has climate control, but you can over ride it and set it manually to be more efficient in both heating and cooling. The car handles like my old 86 300ZX, but if you push it hard it loses the rear end first, or oversteers. The brakes are fantastic. They generate electricity while you stop during the first inch of brake pedal travel, about 50 HP worth, and after that they stop with great power. It needs the antilock brakes in the hands of an inexperienced driver. The tires are kept at 35 PSI and the ride is a bit rougher because of this but not objectionable. Alas, the trunk is small. I can fit one big bag and a few small ones and thats all. The interior is ten times better than any other hybrid. There is EXCELLENT front AND rear legroom, even with the front seat all the way back. Side elbow and hip room is the widest in its class. The seats are WIDE AND comfortable. The complete side air bag package is comforting. Entry/exit ease is GREAT. The center armrest storage has two levels that operate with two different paddles. The armrest top slides forward so it supports your wrist better. Nice touch. It has excellent cup holders that hide away. The drivers window has power down lock and power up lock as well, and stops if you are foolish enough to get your hand caught in it and goes back down. Again, nice. I am not particularly enamored with the windshield wiper blade size and design, but it works, and the controls are well thought out. The car uses an inverter to manage the battery power, and it has its own liquid cooling radiator to dissapate heat. Well thought out. There are excellent design features everywhere in the mechanical systems. The lighting in the ceiling above the driver could be better, because it shines too much in your eyes if you use it at night, so don't turn it on while driving. Thats about it. I have the base model Hybrid, and I love it! The dealer, BERTERA NISSAN in Worcester, MA was EXCELLENT to deal with.
michael-
certainly nice to hear positive comments about a dealership!
This is actually an update to a previous post. I had the service engine soon light come on shortly after purchasing my 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid. Well it went off shortly after I contacted the dealer. I believe it was bad gas or something as it went off 3 days after I filled it up. Since then I have had absolutely no problems with the car.
The only downside to this car is the gas mileage is not as good as it should be. As I have re-learned how to drive mine has improved somewhat. My first tank was about 28 miles to the gallon. My most recent tank was 31 MPG. Not horrible and I knew this car was more performance oriented than the Prius. Still I think there is room for improvement here.
Otherwise I absolutely love my car. It is beautiful, drives very well, is quiet, and I believe was well thought out. I've received many comments that it is like a high-end luxury car. Everyone I talk to seems to love it. Overall a great car!
CntryGyNSD-
Glad to hear that your problem didn't turn out to be much of a problem.
I have 2007 NAH with 30K miles. Today it accelerated uncontrollably by itself while I was waiting for my garage door to open. It went through the garage door and hit the wall with lots of damage. When I put the car to parking to stop it, it locked in reverse and accelerated uncontrllably again until it hit the retaining wall. The car is totalled and it caused major damage to my house. Thank god, I was not hurt and survived the accident.
Did anyone have a similar incident?
Be careful while driving this car !
I would not buy a highly computerized car ever again.
I rented an Altima Hybrid for a vacation trip, from Avis at Orange County's John Wayne Airport. Friday afternoon freeways meant traffic. I set the trip odometer about 10 miles from the airport, and quickly hit stop and go for about an hour. Then I hit 75 MPH on my way to Palm Springs. The next morning the Odometer said 105 miles as I put in 2.07 gallons. 50MPG was pretty eye opening for me, as I did not expect it.
Nice job Nissan!
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