2003 NISSAN ALTIMA Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. AFTER BEING PARKED FOR APPROXIMATELY HALF AN HOUR, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE CRANK SHAFT SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WOULD LIKE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V455000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) TO INCLUDE HER VEHICLE AND RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 69,457 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,132. UPDATED 07/07/08.*LJ UPDATED 07/03/08.

ON OR ABOUT JAN. 20, 2006 WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLES' CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD CUT OFF. WE TOOK IT TOOK IT TO FONTANA NISSAN FOR REPAIRS. THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO US ON JAN. 28, 2006. MAYBE 2 - 3 HRS. AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE, WE WERE DRIVING TO L.A. AREA AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. WE CALLED THE SERVICE MGR. AT FONTANA NISSAN AND HE SAID TO BRING IT BACK AND THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT ON THE FOLLOWING MON. WELL, WE NEVER MADE IT BACK BECAUSE WHILE WE WERE IN ROUTE HOME (FONTANA) I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR WHILE IT WAS SHUTTING OFF ON THE 91 FWY. TO THE 605 INTERCHANGE. AFTER THE CRASH, THE CAR WAS TOWED AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY REPAIRED THE EXTERNAL DAMAGES (BODY WORK) BUT THE INTERNAL WAS NOT FIXED. THEN IN JUNE 2006 WHILE DRIVING HOME, THE CAR CUT OFF AGAIN. FONTANA NISSAN SAID IT WAS THE BATTERY. SO WE PURCHASED A BATTERY. I REFUSED TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE WE FEEL THAT THE NEXT TIME WE MIGHT NOT BE SO LUCKY. IN JAN. 2007 THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE NISSAN ALTIMA FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WE HAD AND CONSEQUENTLY CAUSED THE CRASH. WE WERE BEING REPRESENTED BY A LAW FIRM BUT AS TIME PASSED OUR WARRANTY EXPIRED. I AM VERY AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WHICH I HAVE NOT DRIVEN SINCE 2006. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE SOMEONE'S HELP IN THIS SITUATION. *TR

MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA HAS A FAULTY CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED AT LOW SPEEDS AND IT HAS RESULTED IN A MINOR ACCIDENT. AFTER TAKING IT TO THE DEALER FOR THE REPAIR I WAS TOLD THAT ALL NISSAN WAS PREPARED TO DO WAS RESET THE ECM. HOWEVER, THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS A FAULTY CRANKSHAFT SENSOR WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THAT RESETING THE ECM WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL ON 2002, 2005 AND 2006 CRANKSHAFT SENSORS. THAT IF MY NISSAN WAS A 2002 IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE OPEN RECALL WHICH WAS EXPANDED ON NOV. 21, 2007. HOWEVER, SINCE THE RECALL DOES NOT COVER 2003 ALTIMAS. *TR

I OWN A 2.5S 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA WITH JUST OVER 90,000 MILES. MY SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT WENT ON, I LEARNED I NEED TO REPLACE MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH, I LEARNED SEVERAL OWNERS OF A 2002 AND 2003 2.5S ALTIMA HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND ALSO REMEMBERED A RECALL I HAD DONE WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW INVOLVING THE PRE-CATALYST. IT SEEMS NISSAN HAS A MAJOR DEFECT WITH THIS CAR AND THIS SPECIFIC ISSUE OCCURRING SHORTLY AFTER THE 80,000 MILE COVERAGE HAS ELAPSED ON THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM. IN CALLING NISSAN ON THIS I WAS TOLD SORRY YOU ARE OUT OF LUCK. I EXPECT SOME LEVEL OF SUPPORT FROM A CAR MANUFACTURER WHEN THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM FROM SEVERAL OWNERS AT THE SAME MILEAGE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS 5 YEARS AGO. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD GOING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, WHEN MY PASSENGERS AND I START SMELLING SOMETHING BURNING. WE LOOKED AROUND THE CAR DIDN'T SEE ANY THING, BUT THE SMELL GOT STRONGER AND MY SEAT WAS GETTING HOT. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR STARTED TO GET SMOKY AND FLAMES STARTED COMING UP FROM THE FLOOR AND THE BACK OF MY SEAT. I HURRIED UP AND PULLED OVER AND PUT IT OUT WITH A SHEET. BURNT MY HAND IN THE PROCESS. I DO HAVE POWER SEATS AND HEATED SEATS NOT SURE IF THAT CAUSED IT. *TR

STARTING IN DECEMBER 2007, MY 2003 ALTIMA (MANUFACTURED IN NOV 2002) BEGAN TO FREQUENTLY STALL AND STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING DURING VEHICLE OPERATION AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS OR ON STOP. INITIALLY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT MOMENTARILY TURNED ON WITH EACH EPISODE AND TURNED OFF AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE, BUT AFTER ONE OF THE EPISODES IT PERMANENTLY REMAINED ON. THE PROBLEM WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE ENGINE POWER WITH DIMINISHED ACCELERATION. THE OBD 2 SCANNER READ THE PROBLEM AS "CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR". THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP BOTH REPROGRAMMED THE ECM AND REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND CHARGED ME FOR THE AMOUNT OF 270 DOLLARS. THE CAR DOES NOT STOP ANYMORE BUT THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE HAS NOTICEABLY DIMINISHED. *TR

WHILE ON THE FREEWAY MY VEHICLE SHUT OFF, THIS COULD OF CAUSED SERIOUS HARM TO ME AND MY CHILDREN. REVIEWED RECENT RECALLS AND THERE ARE OTHER NISSAN ALTIMAS THAT ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM. CONCERN FOR MINE AND MY CHILDREN'S SAFETY IS A PRIORITY AND I WOULD LIKE THIS TO BE RESOLVED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED, THE FIRST TIME I HAD A $300.00 PLUS OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH AND BELOW, THE ENGINE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WOULD RESTART AFTER TEN MINUTES AND THE SERVICE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V242000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE FAILURE OCCURRED MORE FREQUENTLY AFTER THE ECM WAS REPROGRAMMED. THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WAS REPLACED TWICE, BUT THE FAILURE STILL PERSISTS. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. IN 2003, THE VEHICLE BEGAN JERKING AND WOULD COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO DEALERS AND THE RADIATOR AND CRANK SENSOR WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPLACED UNDER THE LEMON LAW BECAUSE THE TIME HAD EXPIRED. THE SPEED AND POWERTRAIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,435. UPDATED 02/12/08. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE STALLS AND THEN SHOOTS FORWARD. UPDATED 02/12/08 *TR

THE ELECTRONIC MODULE THAT CONTROLS TIMING STARTED TO FAIL. THE ENGINE WOULD STOP FOR A SECOND, AND THEN START AGAIN. THE DEALER DETERMINED VIA A DIAGNOSTIC PRINTOUT THAT THE MODULE WAS ABOUT TO COMPLETELY FAIL. WHEN I ASKED HOW THE FAILURE MIGHT IMPACT ON SAFETY, HE SERVICE ADVISER STATED THAT THE ENGINE COULD STOP DEAD WHILE TRAVELING IN TRAFFIC. *TR