Rattle Noise in Nissan Altima 2007-08 Models
Wednesday, January 16, 2008 14:16 | This post has been viewed 14,126 timesI recently bought a brand new Nissan Altima 2007 2.5S. Soon after I bought it, I started to hear engine rattle at low speeds and during startup. I took the car in and I was told by the Nissan service department that it is a very common issue with Altima ‘07 and ‘08. They told me that they would fix it and allegedly did fix it but did they really???
Few days back, I started hearing the rattle again, the engine was too loud in the mornings during startup and I don’t think this is normal for a brand new car. I was thinking about taking the car back to the dealership but then thought I would wait until the oil change is due. But this morning, things changed, I received a mail from Nissan.
It talked about the same exact issue that I am having with my car. The stupid thing was, it said that we already did inform you about this before. No Sir! I was never informed, your service specialist said it was fixed the first time I took my car in and it wasn’t really fixed.
If you have a Nissan Altmia 2007-08 2.5SL, contact your dealer and find out when you can go to get the noise fixed. They obviously mention in the mail that only some drivers experienced it, yeah right. There won’t be this kind of an effort if only handful experienced this problem.
Nissan will install an exhaust stay bracket in your vehicle free of charge which would fix the rattle noise around the exhaust manifold heat shield. This noise supposedly doesn’t affect the engine….
PX says:
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I have a 2007 altima and when I took it to the dealership they said the rattling noise when starting the car, is from air being in the engine. They suggested that before stepping on the brake and starting the car on a cold day, to ACC start. So push the button, you’ll hear air come out and then step on the brake and start. It helped for me. as for the rattling I hear the same thing. And I have not been able to figure it out. Well good luck on finding a solution.
Zahid Lilani says:
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I tried what you suggested but it doesn’t seem to do anything… I will be taking my altima in for replacement of heat sink ver soon….
shannon says:
January 30th, 2008 at 8:44 am
this is an extremely common problem with 07 altimas, particularly those manufactured in the canton facility. you are definitely right that it’s not a matter of ’some owners’; it’s more like, all owners of canton-manufactured 07s.
i was aware of this issue when i purchased my car (i spent a lot of time on edmunds, in the nissan forums), so i’ve just been hanging around waiting for the recall letter, which did finally arrive.
Zahid Lilani says:
January 30th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Its interesting that you have pin point information that the rattle noise is only from altimas that were manufactured in canton, I guess I should visit edmunds often
I got my car fixed, things seem to be working fine now, rattle is definitely gone. I hope it doesn’t come back again. My car is only 4000 miles right now but I was wondering if this problem will come back again after few thousand miles… I hope not…
If I ever try to sell this car, I guess if someone looks up the carfax on it, this thing will be a highlight. I have taken my car in twice before it reached 4000 and I will have to explain…
mike says:
February 4th, 2008 at 8:42 am
i have a 2007 altima and this car suuuuuuuuks!
laura says:
February 10th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I have been dealing with this for a year! i have had four new heat sheilds put on and mine! is still knocking!!!! i filed a complaint with b.b.b. and we are going before the arbertration board this month! if this dont work we will be getting a att. fed up!!!!!!!
Troy says:
February 11th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
wow, my girlfriend brought this car and has the same issue. Keep us updated Laura.
Zahid Lilani says:
February 12th, 2008 at 10:50 am
sorry to hear your story Laura, I hope the issue gets solved and you can get over with this nightmare.
Are you going into arbitration because of the lemon law?
brooke says:
March 5th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I have an 07 altima and I have had a knocking noise since I bought it. I have taken to the dealership several times and they act like I’m crazy and say they don’t hear what I am hearing. I hear it daily, but I had given up on getting it fixed. I’m glad to know that I am not the only one hearing this noise. Is this coming from the heat shield? I don’t know what to do to get my dealership to something about it!
Jerry says:
March 6th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I have an 07 Altima and have been having “the rattle” ever since 4000 KM. The car has been back 3 times now and they say they cannot duplicate the noise. This rattle occurs when the engine is started at warmer tempuratures. It definately sounds like a noisy lifter but the dealer thinks I’m crazy. If anyone else thinks it sounds like a lifter let me know or if anyone has had this problem fixed.
Zahid Lilani says:
March 9th, 2008 at 11:11 am
brooke:
Rattle noise isn’t exactly a knocking noise, you only feel it at low speeds and when the car is not warmed up.
Jerry:
To duplicate this noise, the car has to be left at the dealership overnight. Try doing that!
Mai says:
March 17th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Hi Brooke & Jerry,
I had the same rattle noise like you both having when i bought my 07 Altima. However, i did get a letter from the Nissan Corporate about the “rattle noise” problem in November 07. so i called my dealer and they replaced the heatshield something in the vehicle. So my car seems fine for now.Also, just an FYI. The Altima07 has a new recall going on right now. below is the link about the recall. I will bring my car in tomorrow and hopefully they replace the air filter for my car.
http://thecarblogger.blogspot.com/2007/07/recall-nissan-issues-recall-on-140852.html
chon says:
April 7th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I have a Altima 07. Rattle noise comes from the CVT transmission. You’ll be able to hear it when you are driving at very low speed. It is something similar to a manual shift car when you are driving in 4th position while driving at 30mph. Actually there is information on the web regarding to getting used to CVT transmission, definetly feels and creates rattle noise sometimes
matt kinarney says:
April 12th, 2008 at 7:59 am
had same rattling noise problem on 06 altima. finally got fixed when nissan installed a brand new engine in car. the problem was that the engine was not holding the oil.
Madeha F says:
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:03 am
We just purchased a 2008 Nissan Altima and i am wondering if you or anyone you know have experienced any issues with this car. A bit anxious to know….
Zahid Lilani says:
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Madeha, some Altima ‘07 and ‘08 models have a engine rattle noise at low speeds and when the car starts. This is due to the heat sink. After I bough my car, i noticed this noise within few hundred miles and got it fixed. The good news is, Nissan does acknowledge the problem and is willing to fix it.
Cedric says:
May 7th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
ok thank God, i found this blog! I thought i was crazy or just over reacting. The same damn annoying noise is happening with my new 08 altima. I noticed it early on. The car is only 7000 km.
It’s the loudest when the engine is still below warm temp. and while driving between 0 and 40 km/h
I am not sure if i should take it in or not… It’s a lease and covered by warranties and maintenance service.
Any advice?
I am also worried they might just say they don’t hear anything and send me off.. to avoid the work.
Karen Cissell says:
May 14th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
When did you receive this letter. I have the same problem with my 07 Altima and have been getting the runaround at the dealership and Nissan Customer Service. They both told me it was because I used and “aftermarket” oil filter at a speedy oil change, well I have changed my oil at the dealership since still have the problem with no resolution from Nissan. I have 45,000 miles and of course the service reps never hear it rattle – it seems to be getting worse and it rattled going down the road for about a mile in warm weather. Please send a copy of the letter stating this by e-mail so I can take it to the dealership and get this problem resolved with costing a fortune since I my warranty has expired. Thanks so much. Karen
Pulse Plugs says:
June 30th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Hopefully this issue has already been resolved. I have the same problem with my Dad’s Altima and visited forums and yahoo answers to find what’s the right thing to do about it and it seems that the rattling sound seems like a bug to all Altima’s.
Tracy says:
July 10th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I just bought an 08′ S. I’m hearing a rattling noise when I turn on the AC. Does this sound familiar to anyone.
Ayaan says:
August 11th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
i have nissan altima 08 2.5s got only 900km’s on it. i dont hear any rattling sound but i do hear one when i start a car after a long stop like 5hrs… after putting the car on ‘D’ and when i press on the gas i hear a thuggg sound from front and then i goes fine all the way. anybody familiar with this???
Cedric says:
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Tracy:
I have the exact same problem. The rattle is there without the AC but when i do turn on the AC the rattling goes up. I am scheduled for a service check… i am going to talk to them and update the post here. I have a good friend at their service garage.
Jeffrey Gagne says:
November 21st, 2008 at 8:45 am
Well, we found the problem to the rattle oncwe and for all with my 2007 Nissan Altima. It is a major bearing problem in the engine, not my heat shield. Sounds just like the heat shield rattle but they inspected mine, and was perfect. I brought it and left it with the dealership[ over night and they started and heard the noise, they advised me that it is a knocking coming from the beaing. Let me know if you want to know more
Jan F says:
November 25th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Yes Jeffrey please let me know what the results are. Mine is 07 2.5 and I have cold start rattle as well. Not when warm just cold. Thought it was like timing chain guide I have been starting to try different oils to stop it. warranty is done I think as 62000km on odometer now. janforster1@gmail.com
Jeffrey Gagne says:
November 27th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Sorry about my last post spelling errors. But in regards to the dealership, they are idiots. They blamed the rattle noise on myself not changing the oil. Never in my life have a I heard about an engine turning bad after a month without a oil change. Second, they told me they checked the heat shield and everything was fine and that it is my fault. I’ve been checking the internet for this problem and it is happening to many people everywhere who owns this car {Dealerships don’t know how to fix it, and they are extremely stupid}
I got fed up, as yesterday, when starting my car, the noise was unbelievably bad. I proped the car up on jacks and went to work. My heat shield near the cat was loose and I tightened them up myself. The problem that I notice is that when the car is cold, the heat shield shrinks causing the bolts to loosen, so, as to when the car is started, it rattles to a point of expanding from the heat, stopping the rattle noise. SO, if you want to resolve this problem once and for all, do it yourself. I hate to say it but the dealerships know nothing of what they are doing and I am logging a full complaint again the dealership and logging a complaint against Nissan as I finally resolved the problem myself. Any questions, let me know.
{Dealerships are f&*ing idiots}
eddie says:
November 28th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Hi all. My car is also having a “knocking” sound but its after the car is warmed up i also hear it a bit after i shut off the car too. Im goin to take my car to the dealership and hope for the best. My car is an 08 2.5s with 6km…. Ill keep you posted with their resolts and i hope all your postings will help me to help them figure it out =)
jade says:
January 24th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I have just had 2 transmissions installed in my 2007 Altima SL. 3 heatshields, exhaust, manifold, catalytic converter and radiator.. livid.. the car is less than 2 years old..27,000 miles. The first transmission was installed in may 2008, the second recently jan 15 2009 .
prospective altima buyer says:
February 12th, 2009 at 9:34 am
To Jeffrey Gagne–
As per your last post saying…
“I got fed up, as yesterday, when starting my car, the noise was unbelievably bad. I propped the car up on jacks and went to work. My heat shield near the cat was loose and I tightened them up myself. The problem that I notice is that when the car is cold, the heat shield shrinks causing the bolts to loosen, so, as to when the car is started, it rattles to a point of expanding from the heat, stopping the rattle noise. SO, if you want to resolve this problem once and for all, do it yourself. I hate to say it but the dealerships know nothing of what they are doing and I am logging a full complaint again the dealership and logging a complaint against Nissan as I finally resolved the problem myself. Any questions, let me know.”
Jeffery–is this tightening of the heat shield something that you have to do over and over because of the expansion and contraction of the heat shield, or does tightening it up once solve the problem? Have you had any other problems? I am thinking about getting an ‘09 Altima, but this blog is kind of a deterrent…thoughts after your experience?
Anonymous says:
February 20th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I owned an altima for under 5months before i trade it in for a mazda. I really like the altima but it was always making noises from the engine, being a girl that knows nothing about cars i felt the dealership was trying to tell me it was ok, when clearly it wasnt.
cedric allen says:
March 6th, 2009 at 8:31 am
I have a 08 altima just purchased last week it is making the noise that everyinelse is having .should I take it back and show the dealership this web-site and how to fix my heat shild.or should I fix it myself.
Ruben H says:
April 4th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I have an 08 Altima 2.5 SL. At first I loved the car and now I hate it. The noises are enough for me to consider another vehicle. I hear noises fromt the engine. A knocking noise when idle. The rattling noise from the rear. I’ve had enough. I think I’m just going to get something worth the money. Sometimes more expensive it the way to go. But with the enonomy the way it is I don’t know if that will be a smart idea !
Joey says:
May 5th, 2009 at 11:46 am
I have an altima 08 for about a year and a haft now and started to hear rattling noise. I’m not actually sure whether it’s coming from the engine or from the transmission but I can hear it at low speed i.e. below 40 (windows closed). The rattling noise is probably still there at higher speed but couldn’t hear it because of the louder engine sound. I’ve tried shifting the transmission manually to neutral during deceleration at low speed and still hear the same rattling noise. The rattling noise can only be heard while the car is in motion, when the car stops, the rattling noise also stops, when the car moves, the noise can be heard and as the car runs faster, the rattling noise sounds faster as well. Initially, the dealer thought that the noise is coming from the heat shield but after working on the heat shiled, the noise is still there. The dealer now says the noises coming from the CVT transmission which they are going to replace next week. Hopefully this would finally resolve the rattling noise problem.
Jim says:
May 30th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I have the exact same problem with my 08 Altima and they said they fixed it but its still there and never went away.
john says:
May 31st, 2009 at 9:24 am
I have same prob with my 07 29000 mi.dealer says this is normal, oil drains down.motor sounds like diesel on startup.i think this will damage the engine we all must contact nissan corp and complain.strengh in numbers!!
john says:
May 31st, 2009 at 9:39 am
its is not the heatshields!!! 07 08 09 2.5 engines suck
stephen says:
May 31st, 2009 at 11:59 pm
i'm about to buy a 07 altima but with this information i have my doubts. i'm buying a second hands and have no warranties plesse give me some advice
john says:
June 1st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
do not !! i repeat do not buy that car you will be sorry. learn from our mistakes
john says:
June 1st, 2009 at 4:31 pm
go to edmunds car space forum type in nissan altima engine rattle
mazin aljarah says:
June 25th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
recently ihave a2007 altima after one day ihear some thing like clikc in front left near the assembly specialy in statin to move on r gear pls advice thanks
paul nj says:
June 27th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
i bought a 2007 altima and it has this rattling noise any advice on how to fix it
john says:
June 28th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
take it to the dealer and tell them about service bulletin # NTB07-021b. it could be your IVT sprocket or your heat sheilds, it should be covered without a warranty it is a nissan defect
paul nj says:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:41 am
thanks john , will be going to the dealers today .
paul nj says:
June 30th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
john , i did take the car to the dealers and yes i told them about the bulletin and they said it was the heat sheilds and they fixed it, it is a nissan defect.
to everybody else who has the same problem , take your car to the dealers.
john says:
June 30th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
paul i am happy to have helped you! how many miles do you have on it and can you let me know what kind of mileage your getting. both city and highway thanks
EnTyeCing says:
August 11th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I have a 2008 Altima 2.5 Sedan SL. I have had nothing but problems with it from the first day I drove it home. Has anyone else experienced their car jerking upon acceleration and up to 45 – 50 MPH, lurching forward when barely pressing the gas pedal, vibrating at higher speeds or jumping forward when coming to a stop from higher speeds? I have experienced all of this plus more. I took the car in 3 times before the dealership acknowledged the popping noise in my heat shield, they finally replaced it. I've taken my car to 2 different dealerships several times complaining of how it drives but was told there was nothing wrong. Each time I got the car back however, it ran smoother, less jerking and better transition between the gears. I have even dealt with one of their regional technicians from Nissan who said they had a lot of complains about the CVT transmission and were working on a fix but didn't know when it would be available. So there contention is that there is nothing wrong with the car. I have contacted the BBB and hope to get some resolution that way. But from what I've been reading here, I know that I'm not alone.
crisn says:
August 19th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
What came as a result to this, Eddie! Mine does the SAME thing!
Vincent says:
November 10th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Wow!! I have also a 2008 Altima but mine is the 3.5 SE and I do not get any rattling sound. Would it be specific to the 2.5 trim?
John Smith says:
November 19th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I own a 08 altima and have experianced jerking a hesitation for almost a year. I complained and the problem was looked at and acknoledged by the dealer. They even replace my transmission and it still did it. They sent a nissan tech out and he even admitted he felt the problem. He as well as nissan said there was nothing they could do. Then i contacted the bbb and filed a complaint. This did the trick. I had 3 engineers fly in from various states to look at my car. They worked on it for 3 days without success. Nissan contacted me 3 weeks later and is offering me a settlement of a new 2010 altima they would swap with me with no cost to me at all or they are going to buy back the car . In not sure what im going to do but this is what you have to do, put pressure on them and dont give up. Contact the bbb and fight until they make it right.
Kimberly Cooley says:
December 12th, 2009 at 9:41 am
07 Altima here! All thanks for this great info. After 70k+ miles and 2 years, Nissan Corp finally acknowledged and fixed my ongoing break issues that started around the first 15k-20k miles. The other issue that still remains unresolved is indeed the horrible rattle (sounds like a huge diesel truck/tractor) when starting up particularly in cold temps. I’m a higher ed employee so I’ll have the next few weeks off for Christmas break. I’m going to take it back to the dealer and ask them to keep it for a few days. Since it seems to be related to low temps, it’s always bee hard to diagnose. Any ideas, suggestions, before I make dealer contact again?
john says:
December 20th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Kim. nissan just doubled the warranty on our cvt transmissions. hopefully they will do it for our engines! this diesel rattle is becoming more common in the nissan 2.5 engine so we have to make some noise. file with the BBB it easy. kim you might find out the truth since you will be paying out of pocket, please keep us posted
Vince says:
December 28th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I have a CVT tranmission in my 2007 altima. I just had the entire tranmission replaced at no cost to me. I had all the rattling noises…then it started jumping a little around 60 miles an hour…and when I pressed the gas. Finally last week my transmission completely failed. Nissan took care of everything including the rental car. I do like my altima…and now it drives better than it ever has. They verified the warranty on those has been extented to 120,000 miles or 10 years.