Nissan Altima Won’t Start? (13 Reasons Why)

Nissan Altimas are reliable cars that offer smooth drives when taken care of properly. However, the Nissan Altima can run into problems, such as not starting when you try to turn the car on.

If your Nissan Altima does not want to start, you may be wondering what caused it. I did some research, and here is what I learned!

Nissan Altima Won’t Start?

A Nissan Altima may not start because of an electrical issue, which can include a bad alternator, bad battery connection, etc. Moreover, problems with the starter, such as a faulty starter or blown starter fuse, could be the cause. Plus, having clogged fuel filters and no gas will not give your car fuel to start.

Are you curious to learn about more reasons why your Nissan Altima will not start? I compiled a list of reasons below, so read on!

1. Faulty Battery Connection

Occasionally, a Nissan Altima will not start because there is a bad battery connection, which means the battery connectors are loose or bad.

Typically, you will know if your battery connectors are loose by turning the battery connectors, and if the Nissan Altima starts, your problem was a loose connector.

On the other hand, if you have bad battery connectors, your car will not start at all until you replace the connectors.

2. Dead Battery

If your connectors are fine, there is a good chance that your Nissan Altima won’t start due to a dead battery.

Generally, a dead battery is the cause if you do not hear the engine turn or see your dashboard lights turn on when you try to switch on your car.

Moreover, your headlights may not turn on or flicker and a battery symbol may appear on your dashboard while trying to start your Nissan Altima.

3. Faulty Alternator

If you got a new battery or a fully recharged battery and your battery connection is fine, your problem may be with your alternator.

Despite popular belief, your alternator generates most of the energy for your car because it converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.

Usually, you may smell something burning or see the battery symbol on your dashboard when your alternator is faulty.

4. Ignition Switch Issue

Generally, the ignition switch brings power from your battery to other parts of the car, so a faulty ignition switch will not let your car start because there is no energy.

Usually, you can tell that your ignition switch has gone bad if your car will not start but your lights work.

5. Wrong Gear

Normally, most cars will not start when you are in the wrong gear as most cars will need to be in park to start.

You can check your gear shift to see what gear you are in, and if you are in neutral, you will need to switch to park before you start your car again.

6. Dead Key Fob Battery

If you happen to use a key fob to turn on your car, there is a good chance that your Nissan Altima will not switch on because your key fob battery is dead.

Usually, you can get around this by simply replacing the key fob’s battery, or use a manual key if your car came with one.

7. Old Timing Belt

A timing belt is a rubber strip that rotates the the crankshaft and cam of the engine at the right time, but an old timing belt can keep your car from starting.

When the timing belt gets brittle or loose, you will hear a ticking noise near the starter motoro or under the car hood.

8. Broken Starter

As you can guess from the name, a starter is in charge of starting the car’s engine when you use a key fob or insert and turn the key.

However, trying to turn on the car could signal that the starter is broken. Usually, you would hear a clicking noise when you try to start the car, but a dead starter may not make noise.

9. Clogged Fuel Filter

Fuel filters are responsible for cleaning fuel before the fuel reaches the fuel injectors to keep dirt out of the engine.

However, these fuel filers do not last forever since the fuel filters can get clogged the longer they are used to filter fuel.

As such, a clogged fuel filter will not deliver any fuel to the fuel injectors, so your Nissan Altima will not start because there is not enough fuel.

10. Locked Steering Wheel

If your steering wheel happens to get stuck in a locked position, your car may not start until your steering wheel gets unlocked.

Usually, you can unlock a steering wheel by moving the steering wheel side to side while your car’s key is in the ignition switch.

11. Broken Distributor Cap And Rotor

Your car has a distributor that is in charge of moving electricity to the spark plugs to ignite the fuel.

However, a faulty rotor or a loose cap on our distributor will not allow a spark to travel and ignite fuel, keeping your car from starting.

12. Blown Fuse

Generally, there are multiple fuses in your car that protect the electrical wiring and main components of your cars.

To protect your car and electrical wiring, a fuse will “blow” when a surge of electricity occurs, but there will be no electricity flowing to the electrical wiring.

Therefore, when the fuse to your starter relay blows, your Nissan Altima will not start because there is not enough energy.

13. No Gas

Finally, the most simple reason why your Nissan Altima will not start is that you do not have gas in your fuel tank, so you just need to refuel your car.

To know more, you can also read our posts on why your car is leaking water but not overheating, why range rovers are so popular, and why does your MPG keep going up and down.

Conclusion

Nissan Altimas are usually considered reliable cars, but there are times where it will not start due to an underlying issue.

Occasionally, electrical problems like a bad alternator or fuse can keep the Nissan Altima from starting, but other problems like being in the wrong gear, having no gas, etc. could be the cause.