2002 NISSAN ALTIMA Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A SERVICE CENTER, THE TECHNICIAN OBSERVED THAT THE ENGINE OIL RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. AN OIL CHANGE WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. ONE WEEK LATER, THE RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V084000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE) IN 2004, BUT THE RECALL HAS NOT CORRECTED THE ISSUE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000.

ONE MONTH AGO OIL LIGHT WENT ON, CHECKED OIL AND LOW. MECHANIC SAID THE OIL WAS NOT LEAKING, YET WE WERE LOSING OIL EVERY 100 MILES. WENT TO NISSAN FOR DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND THEY SAID THE 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S, 80,000 MILES NEEDS CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND ENGINE .RESEARCHED ON WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM AND MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCH THIS DEFECT CAN CAUSE A ENGINE FIRE. *TR

AT APPROX 100K MILES, MY ALTIMA WAS CONSUMING ALOT OF OIL, RUNNING POOR, EVENTUALLY THE ENGINE FAILED, HAD ENGINE REPAIRED, BEGAN SAME OIL BURNING PROBLEM AGAIN, HAD CAT CONVERTER HALLOWED OUT, ENGINE FAILED AGAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT CHECKED THE OIL AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS LOW. HE PLACED 11/2 QUARTS OF OIL INTO THE VEHICLE AND HAD A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP CHANGE THE FILTER AT THE COST OF $42.68. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS LOSING A QUART OF OIL PER WEEK. EACH WEEK, HE WOULD ADD A QUART TO REFILL THE OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED AT THE COST OF $28.96; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO LOSE OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND ERROR CODE PO420 WAS PRODUCED, WHICH DETERMINED THAT THE PRE-CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND CRANK CASE PRESSURE WERE FAILING. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $4,500. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V084000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE) BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT IF HE COULD NOT PRODUCE MAINTENANCE RECORDS STATING THAT THE VEHICLE UNDERWENT REGULAR MAINTENANCE, THEY WOULD BE UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A LACK OF MAINTENANCE. THE CONTACT WOULD NOT RECEIVE ANY COMPENSATION. THE DEALER STATED THAT EVEN WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE, THE PRE-CATALYTIC CONVERTER WOULD STILL FAIL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,158 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 103,400.

MY 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S VEHICLE "SHUTS OFF" SUDDENLY WHEN I AM DRIVING, LEAVING ME IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 7 TIMES IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS. NISSAN SENT OUT A SAFETY RECALL IN EARLY 2008 REGARDING THIS ISSUE, BUT THE RECALL ONLY "REPROGRAMMED THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE". I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALERSHIP/SERVICE CENTER, AND THEY REFUSED TO REPROGRAM THE ECM MODULE UNTIL I PAY FOR REPLACING THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND CAMSHAFT SENSOR WHICH WOULD COST ME $324. THE CURRENT RECALL FROM NISSAN DOES NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. A QUICK SEARCH ONLINE FOR THE SAME SYMPTOM REVEALS THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND REPROGRAMMING THE ECM MODULE HASN'T CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. THE REAL PROBLEM IS WITH THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED, BUT THE COST FOR FIXING IT IS BEING BORNE BY THE CONSUMER, AND NOT BY NISSAN. *TR

THE CAR, NISSAN 2002 ALTIMA 2.5S, WOULD STALL WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING. THIS WAS STARTING TO HAPPEN ON A REGULAR BASIS DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH 2009. NISSAN REPLACED THE CRANK & CAM SENSORS. THEY STATED THEY WEREN'T COVERED UNDER ANY NISSAN SAFETY RECALL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE PERFORMING A DIAGNOSTIC, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE MAIN CATALYST FAILED DUE TO INCREASED OIL CONSUMPTION IN THE ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V084000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000.

THE CAM CHAIN TENSIONER IN THE NISSAN MOTORS VQ35DE AND VQ40DE ARE PRONE TO FAILURE AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRES RESULTING IN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS. NISSAN HAS REVISED THE PARTS TO PREVENT THE FAILURE FROM HAPPENING BUT THOSE PARTS ARE ONLY INSTALLED AFTERTHE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED. THE COST TO HAVE THIS DONE PRIOR TO FAILURE IS VERY HIGH. SURELY NISSAN SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING BEFORE PUTTING THESE MOTORS INTO PRODUCTION...*TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V084000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE). THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED IN JULY OF 2004; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE IS RECURRING DUE TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE FAILURE COULD CAUSE AN ENGINE FIRE. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE, HEAD GASKET FAILURE; ENGINE AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER MUST BE REPLACED. *TR