2002 NISSAN ALTIMA Complaints

I HAVE A NISSAN ALTIMA (2002) WITH UNDER 75,000 MILES. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLANT SYSTEM FOR ROUGHLY 10,000 MILES. THE COOLANT TANK DRAINS EVERY 2-3 DAYS. I REFILL IT, AND IT IS EMPTY 2 -3 DAYS LATER. I HAVE HAD 3 OR 4 SEPARATE TESTS DONE ON THE COOLANT SYSTEM, AND NO PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. YET, THE PROBLEMS CONTINUE. RECENTLY, GRAY SMOKE FLOWS OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE UPON STARTING THE CAR. ALSO, WHEN STARTING THE CAR, THE WHOLE VEHICLE SHUTTERS, AND SOMETIMES DOES NOT TURN RIGHT OVER (REQUIRING 2 OR 3 TURNS OF THE IGNITION KEY). I WAS TOLD THAT PERHAPS IT IS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET, WARPED HEAD, OR SOMETHING OF THE SORT. EITHER WAY, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE COOLANT IS SOMEHOW LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE (BECAUSE NO SIGNS OF LEAKS ANYWHERE ELSE HAVE BEEN DETECTED). WITH ONLY 75,000 MILES ON THE CAR, THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A MANUFACTURERS PROBLEM. THE COOLANT TANK IS EMPTIED EVERY 2-3 DAYS, THE GRAY SMOKE BLOWING OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE HAPPENS AT LEAST 3 TIMES A WEEK, AND THE SHUTTERING (AND INABILITY TO START INITIALLY) HAPPENS 1-2 TIMES A WEEK, WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY. NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. ONE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS NOT THE CASE. I WAS TOLD BY 2 MECHANICS (ONE AT THAT SAME DEALERSHIP, AND ONE INDEPENDENT) THAT THE PROBLEM IS INTERNAL, AND THAT THE ENTIRE MOTOR WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO BE REPLACED. AT THE VERY MINIMUM, THE HEAD GASKET AND / OR HEADER. RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, I FOUND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BY OWNERS OF NISSAN'S OF THE SAME OF SIMILAR MODEL AND YEAR. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO, AND SHOULD BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED FOR A RECALL! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN ILLUMINATING INTERMITTENTLY AND THEN REMAINED LIT. WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE AND TAKING OFF, THE VEHICLE MADE A STRANGE NOISE AND JERKED AS IF SOMETHING WERE SLIPPING. ONCE THE VEHICLE GAINED SPEED, THE NOISE STOPPED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FOLLOWING COMPONENTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED: THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, TWO MAJOR SENSORS, AND THE HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS. THE VEHICLE WAS BURNING OIL ON THE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE, WHICH CAUSED IT TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE COULD HAVE AN OIL CHANGE AND THEN FOUR DAYS LATER, THE OIL WOULD HAVE BURNED OUT COMPLETELY. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBERS 03V084000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/ HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE), 07V527000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), AND 03V455000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING WERE REFERENCED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. UPDATED 06/05/08 *BF THE DRIVER SIDE POWER MIRROR WAS REPLACED, THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS STICKING. THE CYLINDER HEAD, GASKET RADIATOR AND THERMOSTAT WERE REPLACED. WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 06/04/08

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V527000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). NISSAN REFUSED TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT ALWAYS START, IT IS LOSING COOLANT, AND THE OIL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,400.

NORMAL DRIVING IN AIR TEMPERATURES ABOVE 80 DEGREES. FAILURE IN THE CLUTCH PETAL PRESSURE- UNABLE TO DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH AND SHIFT GEARS. HAD FLUID FLUSHED HOWEVER THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE AND SO THE MASTER AND SLAVE CYLINDER WERE REPLACED AS RECOMMENDED BY MANUFACTURER. ONE YEAR LATER THE ISSUE RETURNS, FLUID WAS FLUSHED AND REPLACED WITH A HIGH GRADE CLUTCH FLUID (DOT 4) HOWEVER STILL DID NOT SOLVE ISSUE. MASTER AND SLAVE WILL BE REPLACED AGAIN. THIS LINK BELOW WILL SHOW THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE CLUTCH PRESSURE. HTTP://WWW.NISSANCLUB.COM/FORUMS/2005-2006-NISSAN-ALTIMA-SE-R-DISCUSSION/229124-CLASS-ACTION-LAWSUIT-CLUTCH-PROBLEM.HTML. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA, I HAVE AN ERROR MESSAGE ON MY 6 DISC CD CHANGER. IT IS ERR3. I CANNOT LOAD OR EJECT ANY CD'S. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I AM NOT PAYING TO HAVE THIS FIXED. NISSAN SHOULD COVER, OR BOSE. THANK YOU. *TR

2002 NISSAN ALTIMA BEGAN OVERHEATING, LOSING COOLANT RAPIDLY AND GAUGES INDICATED RAPID TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS. UPON TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER, VISUAL DIAGNOSTIC SUGGESTED A REPLACEMENT OF VALVE COVER GASKET. GASKET WAS REPLACED FOR APPROXIMATELY $300. OVERHEATING RESUMED AFTER REPAIRS IN ADDITION TO OVERHEATING, VEHICLE BEGAN PRODUCING WHITE SMOKE AS WELL AS MISFIRING UPON START-UP. COMPUTERIZED DIAGNOSTIC WAS THEN COMPLETED. DIAGNOSIS WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. REPAIR COST WAS QUOTED AT $2100 PLUS TAXES. I DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE BLOWN HEAD GASKET WASN'T ISOLATED TO ME ALONE AND THAT THERE ARE MANY 2002 NISSAN ALTIMAS THAT BLOW THE HEAD GASKET AROUND 70,000 TO 90,000 MILES. MANY CUSTOMERS APPEAR TO HAVE TRIED TO CONTACT NISSAN BUT COMPANY WILL NOT OWN UP TO APPARENT DEFECT WITH THE MODEL. IT IS QUITE DIFFICULT TO BLOW A VEHICLE'S HEAD GASKET AND IT IS UNFAIR FOR A MODEL TO HAVE SUCH A MAJOR DEFECT AND THE CONSUMERS HAVE TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY AND COST OF REPAIRING THE PROBLEM - A MAJOR ENGINE OVERHAUL. TO PRESENT, NO INJURIES OR CRASHES HAVE RESULTED, HOWEVER, DEALER HAS WARNED THAT WITHOUT REPAIR, ENGINE PARTS MAY CONTINUE TO WARP AND MAY RESULT IN COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

2002 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 L ENGINE EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION, BURNING OIL NO LEAKS. BLACK SMOKE FROM EXHAUST PIPE WANTS TO STALL AND SHAKES MOST OF THE TIME. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE FEELS AS IF IT WILL SHUT OFF, BUT IT REMAINS RUNNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THERE MAY BE RECALLS ON HER VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE FOUR OPEN RECALLS ON HER VEHICLE AND ADVISED HER TO GO TO A DEALER FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE REPAIR WAS MADE, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE CONTACT RETURNED TO HER LOCAL MECHANIC AND THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REMOVED. THE MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD SHATTERED INTO PIECES AS EXPLAINED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V084000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 149,000.

CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE FOR NISSAN ALTIMA RELATED TO POWER VALVE/BUTTERFLY VALVE INTAKE MANIFOLD DESIGN. THIRD GENERATION ALTIMA'S QR25DE 4-CYLINDER AND VQ35DE 6-CYLINDER ENGINES HAVE UNFORTUNATELY BEEN AFFECTED BY A RECALL RELATED TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND THE POWER VALVES, ALSO KNOWN AS THE BUTTERFLY VALVE. THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN P5202 - DOES NOT MENTION ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES FOR PRODUCTION YEARS W SAME DESIGN. THIS HAS LEFT SOME OWNERS AFFECTED BY THE PROBLEM WITH NO RECOURSE/REMEDY FOR WHAT IN SOME CASES HAS AMOUNTED TO CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THE POWER VALVE IS A SERIES OF FOUR PLATES IN THE QR25DE 4-CYLINDER AND 6 PLATES IN THE VQ35DE 6-CYLINDER ENGINES, ONE PER CYLINDER. THE PLATES OPEN AND CLOSE SIMULTANEOUSLY TO ALLOW MORE AIR INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR INCREASED POWER. EACH PLATE IS HELD IN PLACE BY TWO SCREWS. THE SCREWS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO COME LOOSE AS WELL AS THE PLATES AND ARE THEN INGESTED INTO THE ENGINE VIA THE INTAKE PORTS. PROBLEM IS INITIALLY EXHIBITED BY SES(SERVICE ENGINE SOON) LIGHT COMING ON AND/OR BLINKING. UPON OBD METER READING, CODE WILL BE P0304, OR SIMILAR WHICH IS RANDOM CYLINDER MISFIRE OR CYLINDER 4 MISFIRE. ELECTRODE ON SPARK PLUG HAS BEEN BENT CLOSED AS A RESULT OF THE POWER VALVE RETAINING SCREW VIBRATING LOOSE AND BEING INGESTED INTO THE ENGINE. THE SCREW THEN BOUNCES AROUND IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, HITTING THE SPARK PLUG AND BENDING THE ELECTRODE SHUT, PREVENTING SPARK IN THAT CYLINDER. ADDITIONALLY, THE SCREW(S) AND PART OF THE BROKEN PLATES, IN SOME CASES HAVE MADE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE ENGINE AND INTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, THUS CAUSING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER TO PREMATURELY DISINTEGRATE AS WELL AS BECOME INGESTED INTO THE ENGINE. FOR SOME REASON, NISSAN NORTH AMERICA HAS DECIDED TO NOT REMEDY ALL VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS ADMITTED FLAW OBVIOUSLY, THIS COULD CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE AT THE WRONG PLACE AND THE WRONG TIME, RESULTING IN SERIOUS BODILY HARM AND/OR FATALITY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AFTER THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WAS REPLACED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V527000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS, BUT NO FAILURE WAS IDENTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 109,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000. UPDATED 05/13/08. *LJUPDATED 05/13/08. *JB