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Nissan Altima Caught Fire

mariah777mariah777 Member Posts: 3
edited September 2018 in Nissan
My 2009 Nissan Altima caught fire while I was driving it. Luckily everyone got out safely. I do not have gap insurance either. Nissan is reviewing our case. I am having a hard time as to why a brand new car would catch fire while driving. I know there were recalls on 2007/2008 but I thought the problem would have been fixed. Anyone know of this happening to any other 2009's?
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  • jd10013jd10013 Member Posts: 779
    this is the first I've heard of it. heck, even the 2007 didn't really have an issue with fires. only one or two had actullay caught fire, and it was because of the air filter getting ignited by something hot (cig butt or something similar) that got sucked in.
  • mariah777mariah777 Member Posts: 3
    Yeah, we have been searching for issues and cant find any either. They also said there have been no recalls on 2009's for this issue. Any advice what we do? Who should cover this? Oh and we did not have GAP insurance.
  • jd10013jd10013 Member Posts: 779
    Unless the reason can be proven, it will probably be an insurance issue. Unless it can be proven that a part failed and caused the fire, they arn't going to assume fault. There's just so many things that could do it.

    But rest assured, your insurance company will do a very thourgh investigation before they cough up nearly 20 grand for the car. If there was a defect that caused it, they'll find it.

    as far as what to do about a new car, I'd suggest going back to the dealership you bought it from. Explain to them what happened. I'm sure they'll give you a tremendous deal on another one, considering how you will have bought 2 from them in a matter of months/weeks.
  • don1958don1958 Member Posts: 1
    edited February 2010
    I was driving my 2007 Nissan Altima and it catches fire in the engine compartment and burns up. The car was running perfect at 60mph when the engine sputtered, smoke started filling up the inside of the car, and 15 seconds after I coast to a stop the fire roars out of the engine compartment and engulfs the car. What could have happened? The recall for hot embers getting lodged in the air filter and causing a fire comes up as a possiblity. Allstate Insurance claim adjuster told me that this is her 3rd claim for 2007 Nissan Altima fires in the last 3 weeks.
  • gooddeal2gooddeal2 Member Posts: 750
    edited February 2010
    Allstate Insurance claim adjuster told me that this is her 3rd claim for 2007 Nissan Altima fires in the last 3 weeks.

    That's BS. 3 claims in 3 weeks w/ one adjuster = 365 Altimas in a year. The number should be even a lot higher b/c there're many claim adjusters w/ Allstate.

    365 x top 10 insurance companies = 3650 Altimas per year.
  • delthekingdeltheking Member Posts: 1,152
    Ya right.. I have a bicycle. I was riding it- it became a Ford Explorer and at 60mph rolled over and then became the Camry which had SUA and fell into the lake after which it became a boat etc etc ............ :shades: :P
  • mariah777mariah777 Member Posts: 3
    Just an update to my 2009 Nissan Catching Fire. We refused to go through insurance. Nissan ended up settling with us for what we put into the car and that was it. Nissan at first tried to put us back in the same car but we refused. We did contact a lawyer but said the process could take years so we just settled. At least we did not take a loss going through insurance. Nissan still to this date would never give us a reason as to why this happened! Buyer Beware!
  • england36england36 Member Posts: 1
    This is interesting. I had a 2008 Nissan Altima and on July 8th 2010 the car caught fire and blew when it hit my full tank of car blowing out the window in the van parked next to me. It was parked in my driveway. The fire department have determined it was an electrical problem behind the dash. I am going through my insurance as I had a lease plus I have also gone to Nissan Consumer Affairs. I would definitely not be interested in getting into another Nissan Altima. I hope Nissan will do the right thing because I still owe on the lease.
  • bkmobkmo Member Posts: 1
    Our son was driving a 2006 Nissan Frontier on the freeway at normal speed when it also burst into flames. He did not survive. I would like to know if anyone found out the reason why their vehicles burst into flames.
  • sambradysambrady Member Posts: 1
    This is apparently an ongoing issue with many models. My 2000 Altima caught fire with no warning while I was driving it last week. I started researching to see if there had been similar issues with that model or others and found news stories about the recall of the 2007 models. There were also issues that could lead to car fires with the '06 models. Now I see it happened with an '09.

    We called Nissan to complain. They wasted a good deal of our time acting as if they might do something. They asked us for some paperwork yesterday, then without waiting for it, called today to say they are going to do nothing for us. The woman was dismissive and a little rude, showing very little concern for customer service.

    We knew it was a long shot, but the way they handled the issue and the ongoing issues with fires in these cars make us think it is time to wash our hands of Nissan forever.

    I'll have see if I can post a picture so y'all can see the third and final Altima my family will ever own. ">
  • holliwhitholliwhit Member Posts: 2
    I see that this is a real issue with Nissan Altimas. My car has 43,000. I was driving down 95 with my family and without any warning, my car started to stall and the check engine light came on. After being towed to a mechanic, I was told that it was the electronic throttle and that my airbox and filter caught on fire. I then got the car towed to a Nissan dealer. I was told that Nissan would not cover this and they charges me ove 1900 to fix the car. My insurance covered the expenses but I think that Nissan should cover my expenses. I am looking into taking this further.
  • unknownrickyunknownricky Member Posts: 1
    Hey,please let me know how it goes..I had the same problem with my 2008 altima,and I was not able to get a refund or anything..
  • caddyman32caddyman32 Member Posts: 2
    im new to this edmunds site and i need to sell my cars. where is the link to go to. :cry: :confuse:
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    Our site doesn't have an area to list vehicles for sale. We're here for information only. If you go to the main Edmunds.com page, you'll see a link on there to autotrader. You can list your vehicle with them.

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  • holliwhitholliwhit Member Posts: 2
    Nissan consumer affairs have already denied me, so now I am getting my lawyer to address them. Nissan needs to look into these issues. I will never buy another Nissan again and I will be spreading the word every chance I get to everyone that I know. A class action law suite needs to take place. When is Nissan going to take responsibility, when someone is killed or injured in one of their vechiles? This saddens me.
  • ankirby1214ankirby1214 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 2009 nissan altima also. And on may 10th 2011 the car just caught on fire right as i parked in a parking spot. Its so random and its been a great car, no issues. I paid cash for the car but now that its totalled im left with no vehicle and i did have full coverage but my insurance company is screwing around and dont act like its a priority to them at the moment. I dont know if i should get an attorney and go forth with Nissan as Im seeing all these altimas that randomly catch on fire. I just dont have years to fight with them. Any advice on what to do or how to pursue this? :sick:
  • janette3janette3 Member Posts: 1
    I was driving a 2010 Nissan Altima rented from Hertz. It sounded as if a belt snapped under the hood as I was driving on the freeway. I pulled over to the shoulder to discover that their were no brakes. After costing to a stop and turning the ignition off, smoke came from the engine and then it caught fire and burned totally up. Nissan should come out of denial and Hertz should remove the car from it's fleet. After googling Altima fires, the question remains, "How much more denial will there be?" Nissan...YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!
  • ellisgellisg Member Posts: 4
    My 2008 Nissan Altima caught fire while driving down the Merritt Parkway in Conneticut on Friday night. The check engine light came on as the car was lossing power. I pulled over to the side of the road and smoke started coming out of the engine compartment. I shut off the engine, grabbed by bags and the car burst into flames. How many others have had this problem?
  • ellisgellisg Member Posts: 4
    As a follow up to my original reponse to Holliwhit, I contacted Nissan USA, and after getting a form letter reply without any regard to the severity of the issue, I emailed again and they said they would look into it. They got back to me and said it was my responsiblity and to call my insurance company. I can't understand why a car fire is not worth investigating. Lucky I got out before it burst into flames. What if I had kids and had to try and unbuckle car seats. The car was only 3 1/2 years old. The dealer offered me any car of my choice at dealer cost (not sure what that really means) and a years free maintenance. What really ticks me off is Nissan's customer service dismissing this so easily.
  • rickylateshowrickylateshow Member Posts: 3
    I 've had the same problem but with a 2008 Nissan..so what are u gonna do??
  • rickylateshowrickylateshow Member Posts: 3
    I see class action lawsuitin the air...
  • ellisgellisg Member Posts: 4
    Spoke to a lawyer and he said, we would have to hire an investigator to see what caused the fire. No guaranties. Complained a few times to Nissan but they said to go to my insurance company. Bought a Mazda instead.
  • ca_nissanfanca_nissanfan Member Posts: 1
    Did the engine on your Altima ever shut down at highway speeds? Lauri Ontso
  • ellisgellisg Member Posts: 4
    No. My engine never shut down while driving. The car lost speed but continued to move until I pulled off the road.
  • scubaboyscubaboy Member Posts: 2
    I am currently investigating a 2007 Altima fire where driver reportedly thought he ran over an object or may have simply heard a noise, ran a stop sign then came to rest in some brush. Insurance company denied the claim and said the car was intentionaly set (total BS, BTW. The ignition of the vegitation under the car was witnessed). As I read these boards, there appears to be a common thread with the Altima.

    I have not reached any conclusions as to the cause
  • scubaboyscubaboy Member Posts: 2
    I am currently investigating a 2007 Altima fire where driver reportedly thought he ran over an object or may have simply heard a noise, ran a stop sign then came to rest in some brush. Insurance company denied the claim and said the car was intentionaly set (total BS, BTW. The ignition of the vegitation under the car was witnessed). As I read these boards, there appears to be a common thread with the Altima.
  • pvmompvmom Member Posts: 1
    My nephew recently died in a fire in his 2008 Nissan Altima after his car went into a ditch. Investigation is pending, but it seems as if others have had a similar problem with unexplained fires in the Altima. Any referrals to research, data, lawsuits, etc., would be appreciated.
  • techy10techy10 Member Posts: 1
    my 2010 nissan altima caught fire in my driveway last night. Fire investigator said it was an electrical short. anyone have any similar experiences/ advice. I saw in a post mention of a class action suit, any information will be appreciated.
  • relliott1981relliott1981 Member Posts: 1
    My 2006 Altima caught fire driving down earlier today (8pm) in Victorville. I'm just now making it back home (2 am). All that was heard was a pop and an orange flash caused me to decelerate and pull over. A witness who was behind my car said it looked like a big fire underneath the car. Very freakish. I've yet to have a major problem with this car...until now. I will have alot of calls to make tomorrow. As I'm relating to the other Altima stories of catching fire, I'm curious as to what course of insightful action would you recommend based on your past experience.
  • busirisbusiris Member Posts: 3,490
    I would suggest the first course of action to be determining exactly what caused the fire, along with what actually caught on fire.

    Anything else is a version of "Ready.... Fire..... AIM!".
  • bcampbell27bcampbell27 Member Posts: 1
    Bought a 2011 Nissan Altima through Hertz rent to a buy program, exactly one week after I bought the car ,I was driving at 55 mph on a highway and I felt this huge drop in the transmission and the whole car shut off as I was still moving. I pulled to the side off the road and to my surprise the whole hood was melting and on fire. I couldn't get out of the car for about 45 seconds the door wouldn't open nor did the key work . I frantically kept trying the key while smoke was pouring into the car ,luckily the door opened and within two minutes the car was engulfed in flames. My insurance company and Nissan are investigating , any advice or similar experiences would be much appreciated.
    http://westhampton-hamptonbays.patch.com/articles/firefighters-battle-fully-engu- lfed-car-fire-on-sunrise-highway#photo-10798230
  • tattersbtattersb Member Posts: 1
    Earlier this week, I had the SAME exact experience. I rented a 2011 Nissan Altima from Hertz. The rental car, stalled and sputtered. I got out, hood melted, flamed up. Gratefully, I was able to get out no problem.
  • rickylateshowrickylateshow Member Posts: 3
    I m telling y'all..seems to be a trend with those altimas....if you have a picture of ur nissan after the accident,please send it to me...
  • gladtobealivegladtobealive Member Posts: 1
    my 2006 nissan altima caught on fire while I was driving on interstate 64 east the car jerked, then sputtered there was a loud boom and other vehicles flashed lights for me to pull over i then noticed heavy smoke from the hood barely made it out and the car was on fire and then explodedi could have lost my life this was a hazard to me which was a very dangerous situation how do you find out what caused the fire so i can file a lawsuit
  • jules824jules824 Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2013
    I was driving my 2011 Altima with 26,0000 miles on the interstate at about 65 miles per hour when it jerked 3 times and began to lose power. Every warning light in the car came on and then it died. Smoke began to come out from under the hood and in 1 minute flames were shooting out of the hood and I was dialing 911. The car was totally engulfed in flames in minutes. My son tagged Nissan Support in a twitter post and they contacted me, took a report and said they would turn it over to Consumer Affairs. Another Nissan rep called later in the day and said they were sending an inspector to view the car. I leased a 2008 Altima prior to this one and 2 weeks before my lease was up the entire electrical system on the car had failed and they wanted $1200 to fix it. Because I was already signing a lease on the 2011 they agreed to cover the repairs.
  • jules824jules824 Member Posts: 2
    I was just wondering what Nissan determined and what they did about it? This is almost identical to what happened to me last week. I'm waiting on the inspector from Nissan to look at the car.
  • bobby115bobby115 Member Posts: 1

    My mother in law was involved in a Altima fire on the highway. She did not survive. Does anyone know who to contact about this? We cannot figure out why this is not a bigger issue than it is. No one seems to care.

  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148

    I'm really sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. That's awful.
    If you haven't already, please make sure to report this incident to the NHTSA at www.safercar.gov. They're the only agency authorized to conduct an investigation and recommend recall if warranted.

    Since your situation is personal, you might get more immediate action by hiring an attorney, who can hire and investigator to help determine the cause of the fire.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
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  • dmah1dmah1 Member Posts: 1
    Sorry to read of some passing of Altima drivers due to fire. WOW-- so sad.. 2 weeks ago, my son was driving his 2006 Altima in Northern Virginia and HIS car also had 'pop' in the engine.. some smoke and then he was able to pull over immediately off the highway when his ENGINE also engulfed in flames. Luckily he was safely out of the car. The insurance company gave us $5.8k for the blue book.. He said his car was in need of a oil change and that the day before the 'light' illuminated telling him so. We bought is used in 2008 and had no clue about the 2006 recall and are clueless whether the original owner took car of this issue at the time...
  • kinneymkinneym Member Posts: 1
    I just had my 2010 Nissan altima catch on fire. I was driving down the highway and heard a noise under the hood, so I pulled over to the side. I saw smoke come up from under the hood so shut the engine off. Then a flame came up and I ran out of the car. Within a matter of minutes the whole car was engulfed in flames and is totally destroyed. My insurance is looking over it, I don't know if I should contact Nissan or not? This stuff should not be happening!!
  • aladafunaladafun Member Posts: 1
    FYI on Feb. 14th my Nissan Sentra caught on fire after I herd a loud pop, I almost didn't make it out. I also saw the news last night (03/21/16) where a 2015 Nissan Altama caught fire while traveling on I-75 in Gainesville, Fl near where I live. The girl said she herd a loud pop just before it burned.I replaced my 2014 Sentra with a 2015 Sentra and I'm smelling gas fumes just like before. I fave it at the dealership now for them to check it out.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Let us know what they find!
  • RachRach Member Posts: 1
    Hello everyone! I had a 2002 Nissan altima for three years and the thing was nothing but trouble.
    It caught fire a couple weeks ago after I got home right in my driveway.

    It had an oil leak, but the car did have oil in it. Buyer beware. 
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well that's those of us who drive old cars (like me--I have a 2003 Mini) have got to step up our maintenance as the car ages. After 15+ years, hoses, lines, gaskets--they all deteriorate. I used to change my own oil, but now I take it in so that the car can go on a lift and get a good look-over.

    Glad to hear no one was hurt!
  • KfieldsKfields Member Posts: 1
    Class Action 2010 Altima fire. I have a 2010 Altima that caught on fire going down the interstate due to electrical short in the air filter. It burned up the entire air filter housing and transmission module.  My insurance paid for the air filter housing and transmission module but the transmission is bad also and they said they aren't paying for it. Nissans 2007 and 2008 are recalled due to catching fire but 2009 and 2010 are Also catching on fire. I contacted Nissan and they would not talk to me about any of the other fires and told me mine was out of warranty so they would not make things right.  So I have contacted a lawyer and am looking to start a Class A lawsuit. If anyone else has had issues with fires with the Altimas and want to be apart of the lawsuit please email me @ fieldskristi@yahoo.com
  • Nene0101Nene0101 Member Posts: 1
    I experienced MAJOR emotional trauma Easter Sunday, April 21st:
    On Saturday the 20th, I took my 2008 Nissan Altima into a mechanic because apparently there was no freon, so the AC was blowing hot air. He poured a can of freon in and said it leaked out because there was a hole in the compressor.

    Then, Easter Sunday, my car was TOTALLED in flames NOT EVEN 10 minutes after I left church. I was driving and smelled intense burning. Afterwards, I saw black smoke so, I frantically pulled on the side of an intersection and got out quickly not knowing what was going on. All of a sudden flames burst out under the hood! 😣😲😢
    My heart was beating so fast and I was crying on the phone with 911! I had on only flip flops, shades, and the phone in my hand when I saw all that black smoke... I lost everything in the fire, but the insurance ONLY reimbursed $200 for the value of my personal items. It was so SURREAL, but I'm EXTREMELY GRATEFUL to God!!! 😔
  • ConcernParentConcernParent Member Posts: 1
    We bought a preowned Nissan Altima 2015 with mileage of 97437 for my son. The car was bought on June 4th of 2021 from a Chevrolet dealer. We have been back n forth 2-3x to the same dealer. At first the button on the console for the radio including the navigation system not working, and the AC system is not cooling at all. The button on the console was fixed after the car was left at the dealership for some days. However, they forgot to fix the AC cooling system. We took it back again, and they diagnosed it and said they are going to replaced some parts. They advise that they will give my son a call when the part arrive.
    On July 2nd, my son and some of his friend went out for a dinner with one of his friend that just came back from military. They were driving down on 495 after the dinner heading home, he said he noticed the car (Nissan Altima) steering wheel was vibrating, and his friends in the car with him they something like smoke, the he realized a smoke was coming out behind the engine block in between the hood and the windshield. He pulled over on the side of the highway and opened the hood and saw a fire, they tried to put the fire off but before they realized it the fire kept growing and other drivers stopped to help them out but within a minute or two he said someone just said they should get away from the car and he just blew up and the whole got consumed with fire.
    We have put a claimed to our insurance company and I have notify the salesman from the dealership where we bought the car for him. From reading the post here that everyone was complaining about their experiences and those that lost someone in the Nissan Altima caught fire. I do sympathize with a parent that lost their son to the similar situation and another person that I read his comment that lost his mother in-law to this similar situation. I think Nissan need to do a soul searching of what is causing their vehicle to caught fire, or maybe govt should be involve in this type of situation since this involves human lives. We haven't heard back from our insurance, and I don't know what steps to take with the dealer since the car is less than 30days warranty that was given to us. PLEASE, advise!!!

    Thank you.
  • Nik2021Nik2021 Member Posts: 1

    I had a 2008 Nissan Altima that literally caught fire in my parking lot at 5:30 in the morning. The fire department stated that it looked to be electrical. The fire was back by my fuel tank. Insurance took care of me but if there is ever a class action suit I would love to be part of it. I did some research but I couldn't find anything on 2008 Nissan's catching fire at the time but now I can see there's plenty.

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