2003 NISSAN ALTIMA Complaints

ON JUNE 1, 2007 PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES AND VALVES FROM BOB'S TIRE SERVICE IN MARTINSBURG WV. ON AUGUST 1, 2008 I HAD A FLAT TIRE ON THE HIGHWAY. AFTER RETURNING HOME ON THE SPAR I REINFLATED THE FLAT AND FOUND THE VALVE LEAKING. THE TIRE SIDEWALL WAS DAMAGED AND THE TIRE HAD TO BE REPLACED. ON AUG 10, 2008 ANOTHER TIRE FROM THE SAME SET WENT FLAT. THIS TIME IT WAS AT LOW SPEED, THE VALVE HAD FAILED AGAIN. ON AUG, 18 2008 A THIRD TIRE FROM THE SET WENT FLAT ON I95 IN VIRGINIA. ONCE AGAIN IT WAS A BAD VALVE, CRACKED AND LEAKING THAT CAUSED THE TIRE TO FAIL. THE ONE REMAINING VALVE WAS REPLACED BEFORE IT FAILED, IT WAS A DILL TR414 VALVE ACCORDING TO BOB'S TIRE THEY WOULD HAVE ALL BEEN DILL VALVES.

THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS, BUT IT STARTED HAPPENING ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. IT WOULD DO IT ONCE OR TWICE AND THEN NOT DO IT FOR QUITE A WHILE. OVER THE PAST 2-3 MONTHS IT HAS BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND DANGEROUS. MY '03 NISSAN ALTIMA 3.5SE CLUTCH PEDAL WILL SINK TO THE FLOOR AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SHIFT IN OR OUT OF GEAR. IT HAPPENED RECENTLY WHILE EXITING THE INTERSTATE. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET IT OUT OF GEAR BEFORE THE CAR STALLED. IF THE CAR HAD STALLED, I WOULD HAVE LOST POWER AND POSSIBLY CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE COMING TO A STOP. *TR

2003 NISSAN ALTIMA STALLED AND WOULD NOT START IN TRAFFIC AT 40MPH. WOULD NOT START FOR APPROXIMATELY 15-20 MINUTES. SITUATION WAS DANGEROUS BUT NO ONE HIT US. COMPUTER CODES SAY CRANK POSITION SENSOR AND CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. IF CODES ARE CLEARED (AND AFTER VEHICLE COOLS) THEY REAPPEAR IMMEDIATELY AT THE STALL POINT. TIME TO STALL VARIES APPARENTLY WITH HEAT. 2003 NISSANS ARE UNDER VOLUNTARY RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. NISSAN SAYS THIS VEHICLE IS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT SHOULD BE. THIS IS IDENTICAL TO THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL. *TR

2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5. PURCHASED USED ON 12/31/06 FROM NISSAN DEALER. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THE CAR HAS STALLED EITHER WHILLE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS OR WHILE IN GEAR WHILE IDLING IN TRAFFIC. ON 8/14/08 ABOUT A MILE INTO A TRIP, I TURNED A CORNER AFTER STOPPING AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SPUTTER & BUCK. I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AND THE CAR DIED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND GET INTO A PARKING LOT. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR STARTED AGAIN BUT IT WOULD DIE IF I GOT UNDER 1500 RPM AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 2000 RPM. I FOUND OUT THAT DAY THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON 2003 2.5 ALTIMA'S FOR THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR, BUT NISSAN SAYS MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. I THINK IT'S VERY ODD THAT I'VE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL OF OTHER 2003 ALTIMA'S BUT NISSAN DECLINES TO ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR A KNOWN DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR

MY NISSAN 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 3.5V6 HAS SHUT DOWN AND LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. THE LAST TIME IT OCCURRED WAS APPROXIMATELY JULY 20, 2008. BOTH TIMES IT HAS OCCURRED, I PRESSED THE BRAKE PRIOR TO IT SHUTTING DOWN. THE STEERING AND ENGINE SHUT OFF IN EACH INSTANCE AND I COULD'VE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. AFTERWARDS I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK, RESTART THE ENGINE AND CONTINUE TO DRIVE. I HAVE READ OTHER POSTS THAT CLAIM THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

I BOUGHT THIS CAR WITH 39,578 MILES ON IT ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2006. AFTER OWNING THE CAR FOR 3 MONTHS, THE RADIATOR STARTED TO LEAK FROM THE TOP. I TOOK IT TO A RADIATOR SHOP AND THEY FIXED IT WHILE SAYING THAT NISSAN HAD USED CHEAP PARTS. A CAR THAT HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT SHOULD NOT HAVE THESE TYPES OF PROBLEMS. LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SO I TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE TO GET THE DIAGNOSIS OF THE PROBLEM. THE CRANK SHAFT SENSOR WAS BAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT CAUSED THE CAR TO STALL WHEN CRANKING/STARTING AND LEFT ME STRANDED AT SOME POINTS AND TIMES BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT START. AFTER REPLACING THIS SENSOR, LATER TO FIND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SENSOR AND WAS TOLD MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL EVENTHOUGH I ASSUME THE SAME PARTS ARE USED ON ALL MODELS OF THE SAME KIND, ANOTHER SENSOR IS NOW CAUSING MY CAR TO IDLE HIGH WHEN IN PARK OR NEUTRAL. THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR IN THE CAR CAUSES MORE GAS CONSUMING WHICH IN TODAY'S ECONOMIC BATTLE WITH FUEL PRICES, IS NOT FAVORABLE. NOW THAT I HAVE READ MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER PEOPLE, I HAVE NOTICED THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM ON 2002-2005 ALTIMA MODELS. IF THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED SOONER, THE CAR COULD HAVE STOPPED RUNNING IN TRAFFIC, WHICH IS WHY IT WAS RECALLED, AND CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT MAYBE EVEN DEATH. I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN CONFIDENCE THAT IT WOULD BE DEPENDABLE FOR MYSELF AND MY CHILD BUT SINCE I HAVE CALLED TO LOG A COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN NORTH AMERICA THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE CAR HAS THREE OTHER RECALLS THAT WERE STATED AS " SERIOUS TO MY SAFETY". *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V242000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). SIX MONTHS AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE RECURRED. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE WITHOUT STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. AFTER PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND THEY INFORMED HER THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER SO THEY COULD REPROGRAM THE ECM. THE MECHANIC ALSO PROVIDED HER WITH A RECALL LETTER IDENTIFYING THE DEFECT. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE REPAIRS UNDER THE RECALL HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN PERFORMED. THEY FURTHER STATED THAT THEY WOULD MAKE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DIM, BUT IF IT WAS THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR, THE REPAIRS WOULD REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE RECAL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

IN OCTOBER OF 2006, I HAD A PROBLEM THE CRAFT SHAFT POSITION SENSOR ON MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE SENSOR AT NO COST. IT IS AUGUST 2008, AND ONCE AGAIN THIS CODE IS COMING UP. I WAS JUST INFORMED THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS PART FOR ALL 2002 AND 2003 NISSAN ALTIMAS. *TR

THIS IS IN REGARDS TO RECALL # 06V242000. MY CAR IS DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS ON THIS RECALL. THEY ALREADY "FIXED" THE PROBLEM BUT THE SENSOR IS STILL THROWING FAULTS ONCE IN A WHILE. THIS LAST TIME MY CAR SHUTDOWN AT A SLOW SPEED AND I LOST CONTROL OF THE POWER STEERING AND HIT A CURB. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE FIXED. AUTO ZONE SAID THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR IS BAD AND WILL COST $60 FOR THE PART. BUT HOW MUCH TO PUT IT IN? $100 $200? THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING A LOT, AS I'VE SEARCHED ON THE FORUMS. *TR