1996 Nissan Altima Consumer Discussions

Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

• Re: '96 NISSAN ALTIMA STALLED WITH NO WARNING [smallcar1]

  Written by: danny44 on Mar 14, 2010 1:34:11 PM

  >>He recommends waiting until the problem gets worse to diagnose it as changing the distributor could be a waste of money if it is not the problem >> I agree, read http://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Altima/1997/engine/runs_rough_until_warmed_u- p.shtml Sounds very similar to your 1996 Altima, perhaps yours is 1997 model

Nissan Altima Audio Questions

• 2009 Altima and iPod

  Written by: maxima_tx on Mar 21, 2009 6:56:54 PM

  Just had to part with my 1996 Maxima after 412,000 miles and I'm considering a 2009 Altima. This question is for someone who has successfully gotten the Nissan iPod interface to work... Does it come up immediately and let you browse by album, artist, title or playlist using the radio controls, and show the song information on the display? I looked at a Ford Fusion first, because of the voice controlled ... Read More

Midsize Sedans 2.0

• Re: Best mid sized sedans -1.T.Camry 2.H.Sonata 3.N.Altima 4.F.Fusion [deltheking]

  Written by: thegraduate on Mar 7, 2009 7:08:22 PM

  You are contradicting yourself- calling the Camry/Sonata mushy ,dull.I have driven all makes and no,it is not dull or mushy.Their engines are as powerful as Honda/Nissan. What does mushy have to do with how the engine performs? I am referring to car handling, which in the Camry especially, is languid compared to the likes of Honda and Mazda. I said nothing of engine power, which is more than adequate in every ... Read More

Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

• Re: 1996 Nissan Altima P0420 (Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 1)

  Written by: Mr_Shiftright on Nov 6, 2008 4:27:00 PM

  No, it means you have to check the warm-up three way catalyst (California models) or Three way catalyst (Non-California models). Here's your HOMEWORK :P Checking Catalytic Converters

• 1996 Nissan Altima P0420 (Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 1)

  Written by: biggrobs15 on Nov 6, 2008 4:01:43 PM

  Hello I have Code P0420 Does this mean I have to change the Catalyc Converter????

• 1996 Nissan Altima Code P0507

  Written by: biggrobs15 on Nov 6, 2008 3:58:49 PM

  Hello my cars check engine light went on I got code P0507 (Idle control system malfunction) Any suggestions. I need to do Smog Test but with this code I dont think it will pass. I was thinking of getting a new Catalyc Converter but I dont know if this is the problem, I dont want to replace parts that I might not need. Than You

Honda Accord vs Toyota Camry vs Nissan Altima (V6 Models)

• 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models)

  Written by: norwestgal on Nov 14, 2007 2:30:33 PM

  I have been watching the introduction of newer styled models of the Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, and the Honda Accord for 2008. For those out there with indepth knowledge - Which of these cars are the best $$$ for reliability, cost of ownership, and overall value. I have been driving a 1996 Toyota Corolla that has been great for me over the years! I have racked up 320,000 miles on it ... Read More

Midsize Sedans 2.0

• Re: What so special about these "top rated" cars? [venus537]

  Written by: pmerk28 on Oct 28, 2007 3:49:24 PM

  Perhaps, but only because they (Nissan) had a lot of room for improvement. Nissans interiors were never pitiful. GM owned that category. They were average. Now IMO the Altima has surpassed the Camry inside. When it comes to interior fit and finish it still comes down to VW, then Honda and then the rest Yes, and both have gotten worse with the current generation of the CR-V/Accord/Passat/Jetta. I got to say ... Read More

Long Term Reliability of Nissan Altima

• Hey

  Written by: wildestkabs on Oct 15, 2007 1:36:52 PM

  I have had 2 Altimas in the past. The first one, a 1996 model was absolutely trouble free. It got involved in an accident this year but I loved it so much, that I ended up buying a 1995 Altima SE. This one however, had its share of issues. But the main (only) reason for those issues was the extremely poor way in which the owner had handled the vehicle. I ... Read More

Midsize Sedans 2.0

• I need midsize perspective

  Written by: bruuklin on Oct 14, 2007 8:53:37 AM

  I need to buy a new car. Right now we have a 2006 Accord (4cyl) and an old, dying 1997 Nissan Sentra. The Sentra must go. More than anything, as boring as it may sound, we need reliability and longevity in whatever we buy (which is why we replaced our old, dying 1996 Mazda Protege with the Accord). I have been very pleased with the Accord so far, and I am ... Read More

Nissan Altima vs Toyota Camry

• Re: A dire decision, Please help. Altima vs Camry [mikolas]

  Written by: kvwater on Aug 28, 2007 8:41:38 PM

  I've owned 2 Nissans. A 1991 300 ZX and a 1996 Maxima. They were both extremely reliable. Just the normal wear and tear stuff like breaks and tires. I recently test drove the Camry and the Altima. The Camry was nice, but boring. My father has a Camry. The Altima was fun and had features that the Camry didn't. Like keyless entry and CVT. I'm currently driving a 2004 Jeep Grand ... Read More

Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

• 95 nissan altima diagnostics

  Written by: bill135 on Jul 18, 2007 5:59:02 PM

  Hi Is the 95 nissan altima an OBDII or OBDI? Mine has 2 O2 sensors I have read that OBDI uses 1 sensor and OBDII uses 2,But when you look the scan tool in the store or on line it says for 1996 and up. My car was made 11/94. Thank you Bill

Nissan Altima Accessories and Modifications

• Re: MY 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA (AIR FLOW CONTROL) [binolennon]

  Written by: penizzle on Jul 15, 2006 8:34:35 AM

  the iac is usually in the air intake hose or underneath the throttle body or around it. On most cars, all you have to do is undo the bolts and take it of. On others, you have to remove the throttle body. Buy a Haynes repair manual from your local auto parts store for your car. Those have procedures for almost every make and model. THe IAC will be under the ... Read More

• Re: MY 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA (AIR FLOW CONTROL) [penizzle]

  Written by: binolennon on Jul 15, 2006 4:33:43 AM

  do you know how to fix that thing?im not comfortable when i drive my car...when i turn on my engine rhe idle is about 1300 rpm when i turn on the aircon the rpm will gow down to about 700 rpm...pls help me...tnx

• Re: MY 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA (AIR FLOW CONTROL) [binolennon]

  Written by: penizzle on Jul 10, 2006 8:57:08 AM

  You are probably looking at an IAC (idle air control motor)which is about 50 to 115, it depends. This motor control the engine idle spedd for when the a/c is turned on and for when the steering wheel is turned.

• MY 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA (AIR FLOW CONTROL)

  Written by: binolennon on Jul 7, 2006 8:30:56 PM

  my altima has a problem if i turn on my aircon my engine will become eratic and suddenly the power decrease and feel so heavy the mechanics says thatit has something to do about my air flow control and censor...anyone knows how much is air flow control?????

Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

• Flashing Air-Bag light

  Written by: sarang on May 10, 2006 1:09:31 PM

  I have Nissan Altima GLE 1996 (108K driven). I recently took it to dealer in order to get this air-bag flashing thing checked. He told me that he couldn't figure out the problem and told that computer controller needs to be replaced which will cost $900. I decided to delay this expensive repair. While driving back from dealership I observed there was no flashing any more! the light went off after ... Read More

• Light engine shaking

  Written by: civegra on Jul 2, 2005 7:17:09 PM

  Ok I have a 1997 altima and a problem I have with it is that it shakes lightly vibrating the car. You can see the rpms moving up and down a little repeatively. The only thing that stops this is when I turn my ac on then the rpm steadies and the engines stops shaking. What the exactly is causing this, it's rather annoying. Re: Air conditioning not effective [meegs24] "I ... Read More

• NISSAN ALTIMA GXE ??? KNOCK SENSOR

  Written by: randito23 on Jun 21, 2005 8:07:12 PM

  I have 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA GXE i never have a trouble I was using mobil super and then i change to normal gasoline, then after few months get the Engine light On. get the check Engine ligth two code came out;po138 rear heated oxygen sensor and po325 the knock sensor. my quetions is from change super gasoline to normal gasoline is that why maybe damage the function of the Engine, and ... Read More

• Steering

  Written by: domv on Jan 8, 2005 10:11:06 AM

  My 2005 ALtima 2.5s feels like its pulling to the left when I am driving. Its only 2 months old. Does anyone have the same problem or a solution. I have a 1996 Sentra with 255,000 miles on it and never had a problem with it. Has the quality at Nissan decreased over the past couple of years?

• 1996 Nissan Altima Stalls..HELP

  Written by: abenissan on Jun 4, 2004 1:05:21 PM

  My Altima stalls once or twice a week after being driven for a while in an intersections or at red light, BUT also after being driven then parked for 15-20 minutes...after that it wouldn't start. it does crank but wouldn't start. I leave it for 30 minutes or more then it will work fine. I took it to a mechanic and he kept it for a week but he couldn't duplicate ... Read More

• re nissan

  Written by: aldan93 on May 14, 2003 9:24:48 PM

  Having owned 3 nissans, along with suv's truck from the big three, I would recommend the the new Altima with the 4 banger. Plenty of power, good mileage, death and taxes reliable. Having owned 1 Altima, and 2 sentra's , the Altima has never even had a light bulb break since buying new in 1996, 97 model. 95k, only an o2 sensor, but they are only suppose to last 50-70k anyway. ... Read More

• engine stalling

  Written by: andy2470 on Sep 25, 2002 7:53:10 PM

  Been there, done that. I am the owner of a 1996 Altima that currently has 181,000 miles on the odometer. The high mileage is mostly highway. The stalling problem is fairly common on this car and it is the distributor. This is really expensive. Expect to pay $500 to $900 for labor and the cost of the part. Nissan distributors are made by Hitachi and they have a high rate of ... Read More

Nissan Altima

• Debating...Nissan Vs. Mitsubishi..Help?

  Written by: collegepro04 on Jul 24, 2002 4:42:00 PM

  Hey all- I'm new to this board and thought I'd pose a question. My girlfriend's younger sister is looking for a new car to replace her battered 1994 Grand Prix. I'm a stedfast fan of Japanese cars (I own a Mitsubishi Mirage LS Coupe, my mom has a Galant ES V6 at my urging, and if I can help it, the GF will be driving Mitsu soon enough). However, I've found ... Read More

• C&D ... so?

  Written by: lsc on Nov 8, 2001 1:09:31 AM

  So what that C&D ranked the Accord first and the Altima third? Drive the cars yourself. I used to take C&D's reviews like it was the bible, but back in 1996, one drive of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Maxima made me realize that the Maxima was the best car out of the three. My bro was shopping at the time and he bought the Max. C&D in 1995 ... Read More

• Altima vs. Maxima

  Written by: lsc on Oct 2, 2001 3:55:15 PM

  I just got back from the Nissan dealer and test drove the Altima SL - automatic and the SE - 5 speed. The people that have been claiming that the interior quality is better on the newer Altimas might be on to something. While still not great, the interior did seem a little better built. The 5 speed SE is just a blast to drive. Although you have to get used ... Read More

• checked out one

  Written by: oac3 on Sep 23, 2001 12:27:39 AM

  I just cruised around and found this topic. Nice topic, indeed. I have not been able to read through the 1,000+ posts, but I'd like to contribute a bit to it. Apologies if my findings have been reported here before. I went to a local Nissan dealer to check out the new Altimas. I was told there are 4 trim levels - 2.5 (base), 2.5S, 2.5SL and 3.5SE. I saw the ... Read More

• camry

  Written by: tim_hooligan on Aug 14, 2001 6:36:16 PM

  the 2002's just came out today at selected dealers near you. what it looks like is each car going to have its niche...and each may really help all of us save money. "fine, i'm going to buy an altima! (to the saleman)". the altima looks much more edgy and more of a bargain (we hope). but the articles also mention how loud the engine gets at high revs. sounds like a ... Read More

• cncman

  Written by: wenyue on Aug 6, 2001 11:22:39 AM

  Excuse me, but they listed the Accord LX and Camry CE as the Maxima GXE's competitor. Follow the link, and look at the page for yourself. The V6 is optional for the Accord LX, but Camry CE is entirely 4 cylinder, V6 isn't an option. It's not a classification list. Edmund's calls the ones they pick out and put up as competing models "recommended Alternatives". I don't see them recommending other ... Read More

• 26k???

  Written by: tim_hooligan on Aug 1, 2001 7:57:42 AM

  i can go buy an audi A4 right now with quattro and lots of goodies for 25,500. buy a CL for a couple hundred more. accord EX-L V6 for 23k. I know the sticker may be 25k, but if you pay that much, you're not very good at negotiating. not to mention the fact that the styling is going to take a while to grow on people... and the fact that ... Read More

Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

• Tire and Battery recommendations for 96 Altima

  Written by: ctparker on Feb 13, 2001 5:17:44 PM

  I have a 1996 Nissan Altima with about 47,000 miles. I'm needing to do some normal maintenance--new tires and battery. Does anyone have any good suggestions on brands and models of tires that have worked for you? I am wanting a tire that performs well in snow and rain and wears well. Also does anyone know if a Penske battery is good?

• Altima

  Written by: hcm32 on Dec 24, 2000 7:23:39 AM

  I own a 1996 Altima with appox. 120k miles. I purchased the car in 1997 as a commuter vehicle. The majority of the miles are highway miles at a near constant speed. I have changed the oil on a regular basis and received excellent service from the vehicle. Around June 1, I took the car to a local repair shop due to noise (sounded like a misaligned pulley) in the engine ... Read More