Problems with 2002 Nissan Altima ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Recall number 03y-455 for 2002 nissan altima. *nj the consumer stated over the past 24 months the service engine light illuminated intermittently. the vehicle also exhibited poor acceleration and power and it also ran a little rough. but, after driving a couple of miles the light went out, but a few days later the light illuminated again. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer on several occasions and they performed an engine diagnostic. they were unable to pinpoint the problem as to why the light would illuminate and then go out. the consumer went back to the dealer and they recommended replacing catalytic converter which was apart of the recall. *jb

After googling the make, year and problem of oil consumption and engine and catalytic converter problems with this model year, it is overwhelming what you find. this is a huge problem with thousands of troubled consumers who have gone to nissan for an obvious defect in product to no avail. my car has the exact same problem and was told by my local nissan dealer that the faulty catalytic converters made that year are not covered and was told that nissan knew of the problem but will do nothing about it because of what it would cost them. please help us..... *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. while driving approximately 45 mph he began to see smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where he was informed that the pistons and catalyst needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified informed him that his vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 03v084000, engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe. he also noted that the vehicle would burn oil quicker than usual. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 68,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. while driving approximately 55 mph he heard a loud knocking sound inside of the engine compartment. he then noticed an abnormal absorption of oil from the engine. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician recommended replacement of the engine and catalytic converter. the vehicle was partially repaired according to recall campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). no additional repairs were made. the failure mileage was 78,500. the current mileage was 79,200.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. he heard a peculiar noise coming from the engine. a technician from the dealer made repairs to the catalytic converter. his vin was included in recall campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). however he was advised by the manufacturer that the recall ended in december 2009 and was not an "actual recall". the representative added that if he had brought the vehicle in two months prior to the repairs, they would have covered the entire costs. the manufacturer agreed to split the costs of the repairs to the catalytic converter. the current and failure mileages were under 77,000. the vin was not available.

The car had dark oil on the car lot and we just asked to have oil changed, we have mentioned this when we took the car for recalls, always having to add oil and now losing anti freeze. no one could find out where the oil and antifreeze were going-not on the driveway or anywhere. a mystery. even the first diagnostic test did not show what was going on. left the car all night to test it. this has been going on for years and we wanted to find the cause because we had a bumper to bumper warranty up until july of 2009. last week we took it again to have it checked, because it is getting worse and the check engine light is on- finally this repair center found the reason-we need an head gasket, a bad head, etc. so now i am researching and i find a web site-car complaints.com and boy are there many many complaints about the same thing. it is not right what nissan is getting away with. my car would probably be worse if i was not always checking it from the beginning. something needs to be done about this. please read the letter and i am sure if i go to other websites i will find alot more of the same problems. some people don't know how to go about these things, but i assure you i will get to the bottom of this. i am on a fixed income and cannot afford another car right now. people think nissan is an honest company. all the letters i read tell me they are not. these things have been happening to my car since i drove it off the lot on 7/07/03. it had 17,766 miles on it at the time. i would like to file a class action law suite and so would some of the people on that website. the people in this country are tired of being taken advantage of. this is not fair and the media needs to know about this too. please let me know what to do about this. thank you for your help in this matter. *tr

I have a nissan altima 2002 model .i have been calling 1-800-333-0829 for nissan recall campaign from last two and half weeks. i have a reference number for my case . this recall is with reference to campaign i.d. # r3007, r3014, r3015, r3016, & r3017. i had taken my car to great neck nissan dealer, new york for routine servicing. i came to know that pre-catalyst was damaged and the dealer also informed me about the chances that the particles from the catalyst converter might have already entered the engine. i went through the national highway traffic safety administration website which clearly states that this is a manufacturing defect and it needs to be rectified by nissan. nissan has also taken responsibility for the same and hence released the recall campaign bulletin. however, nissan are declining my case based on three reasons on three different occasions at 1st they said i am not a loyal customer , however when i insisted then they said my vin no. does not fall in the category and then on the 3rd call after too much of perseverance they said they decline because i am the second owner of the vehicle and i do not have maintenance record from the first owner. as a proof of maintenance i have already faxed them the car fax report which shows the car was properly maintained. however, i do not understand that the make and model will not change with the ownership my concern is that even if i change the catalyst converter and continue to operate the vehicle then there are chances that if my engine catches any particles due to precatalyst damage there is a possibility that my engine will catch fire and i might be blown out while driving. i have spoken to nissan and they don't want to take any responsibility and refuse to give me an answer in writing. i have tried to go on www.google.com where i have searched nissan 2002 catalyst converter . my search hit found too many people owning nissan altima 2002 have the same problem. please help us to resolve this issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the vehicle was repaired according to recall # 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). several years afterwards the engine warning light would illuminate on the instrument control panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the error code was reset. soon afterward the engine would intermittently stall. the current and failure mileages were 106500.

Simple engine heat appears to disintegrate the pre-catalytic converter part on a 2002 nissan altima 2.5l engine. the engine sucks in the broken parts, which then damage the engine, requiring that the engine be replaced. *tr

Engine needs to be replaced due to a time chain and other engine parts being defective. vehicle currently has 91,000 miles. *tr

2002 nissan altima 2.5l s. has started consuming oil despite regular maintenance andu se ig hoigh quality mobile 1 5w30 oil. in searching internet there are thousands of complaints from owners of this model year and engine. nissan know about the issue and offers no relief. time for a class action lawsuit. i have not had a car burn oil and have driven every one of my cars over 200,000 and sold them. *tr

Vehicle check engine light came on. took car in to garage and code reads catalytic converter. converter was replaced, drove car home and engine was making a ticking noise. brought car in to dealership on sept. 30, 2009. dealership said i needed new timing chain to get the noise in engine to stop. timing chain replaced, and same noise still existed. dealership had my car for 2 weeks and in the end they said they called a technical service line for help and an representative said that they had reports of a similar noise and that i would need a new engine. this diagnoses was made over the phone from a description given by the technician to the service rep. on the phone. i called nissan consumer affairs to explain this and was assigned a rep. whom didn't get in contact with me for 10 days. he said he contacted the dealership and that i needed a new engine. he explained that nissan would not provide a replacement engine since it is out of warranty. i explained that the dealership technicians said that there could be particles in the cylinder and that is an engine defect. the rep only offered a master technician to inspect the car and was not sure when that would happen. i investigated a recall that shows was completed on my car, but it describes exactly what is currently happening with my engine. i feel that nissan should replace my engine as the faulty engine issue was listed in an engine campaign recall. i am in no way to blame for particles entering into the cylinder or a screw as the tech's described as a possibility. i should not be out of a vehicle due to a faulty engine, especially one that was listed in an engine recall. i would like to know what my recourse is in this situation to get my engine issue covered under the campaign or have nissan place a replacement engine in my vehicle. it is deemed unsafe to drive and is burning excessive oil causing the converter to overheat which may cause a fire. just as it describes in the recall information #3v084000. *tr

2002 nissan altima check engine light with catalytic converter breaking up and pieces destroying the engine. the engine has started burning oil with loud noises. was told car needed a new engine by dealer with no explanation on why. car has only 97, 000 miles and is well maintained. contacted nissan consumer affairs and was told to send all maintenance records. after they reviewed all my records i was told they could not help me. after confronting them with the fact it is a known defect in that model car they still insisted they cannot help us. if engine seizes while driving it will mostly like cause a dangerous situation. something needs to be done by nissan to resolve this defect that they are aware of. *tr

Car uses excessive amounts of engine oil and low oil light never comes on to warn driver, can only determine that it is low by engine knocking noise.average oil consumption about 1 - 2 quarts every 300 miles also heater does not work when car is idleling only works when driving.check engine light constantly comes on code states cat converter bad.continous problem has been going on since car had about out 90,000 miles.car also turns off after running and will crank but does not start after multiple tries. *tt

As i was driving up a hill, i heard a loud popping noise. instantly i noticed my temperature gauge shoot up and the check engine light turned on. i parked my car and just figured that it had overheated. i added more water to the radiator and kept driving. 2 minutes later it was all the way hot again. i had my car towed home at which point i inspected the radiator and discovered a 4 inch horizontal crack in the plastic head of the radiator directly across from the hose mount. i could not believe that plastic could crack like this. i have seen cracks in plastic along seams, but there was no seam here. i just could not believe that this crack could happen this way. this must be some sort of a defect because this was unbelievable. i went on to purchase a new radiator plus hoses and antifreeze from the auto parts store for a total of $250, plus i will now have to take 3 hours out of my day to replace the radiator. i do all my own work on the car and take great care of it. i fix any small problems right away to prevent larger problems, such as this one, from happening. *tr

I bought a 2002 nissan altima in november 2005. the last two years i have been having several problems concerning the vehicle including, jerking, stalling on highway, over heating and smoking. i have a the oc sensors replaced, spark plugs, cadillac converts, coils...the list goes on and on. i noticed my oil light always coming on and the need to always refill the oil but i could not see where it was leaking from. the same problem was with the coolant---i kept pouring it in the place for coolant and in 2 days it would be gone.at the end of august my infant and i were in the vehicle and it began jerking and cut off right in the middle of the highway. a tow truck was called to pick up the car. i took the car to nissan and they told me that the converter needs to be replaced again and the engine. after researching it looks as if this problem has been going on with several nissan altima's. i just want my engine and converter to be replaced the nissan corp to take responsibility. *tr

My car was serviced for a recall issue in 3/09 by the manufacturer. in august of 09, my car began to hesitate when starting, there was loss of power and hesitation during operation, soon afterwards the check engine light came on and finally the car failed to start. i brought it in to a local service center and they diagnosed that the crank position sensor and the camshaft sensors needed to be replaced. i was advised to bring the car into the dealer for additional servicing when i called nissan consumer affairs. i opened a claim for reimbursement for the cost of the parts that were replaced that were supposed to be part of the recall work, but nissan is saying that the parts that i had installed had nothing to do with the recall campaign. *tr

I purchased a 02 altima 2.5 (automatic) on thursday, july 16, 2009. on friday, july 17, i had to take it to the mechanic because it was making a terrible sound coming from the engine. upon arrival, it was found that the oil tank was bone dry. after adding 3 quarts of oil, the noise was gone. throughout that day when driving i smelt something like exhaust or burning oil or something. i just thought oil was spilled on the engine and it was simply burning off. i put approx 30 miles on the car that day. on saturday, july 18, i put approx 20 miles on the car (same smell). on sunday, i noticed smoke coming out of my muffler when i would hit the gas. it would go away when i was at a steady pace but if i put gas in it, the smoke would come out. i took the car to a friend of mine and had him check the oil. to my surprise, there was not a lick of oil left in the tank... where did it go????????? there was no sign of leaks underneath the car and no spot on my driveway. we went and purchased 3 more quarts of oil and added it to the car. when we checked the dip stick, the oil was pitch black. the car was also blowing black smoke. i am a single 27 year old mom, working and going to school. a nissan is what everyone told me to get.. why??? i have just forked out every dime i had (7800.00) in savings to purchase this car so what was i to do now? on monday, july 20, i took it back to the mechanic which then told me the engine needed to be replaced. i then took it to another mechanic which verified the same thing. after 2 weeks a 05 model engine was put in the car and i picked it up on august 7. shortly after being on the road, the check engine light came on and it was making a loud squeaky sound. after taking it back on august 18, they said it now needed a catalytic converter and they replaced a belt. on august 23, the car started going dead with no warning while driving; once i was on the interstate and thought i was going to die! it also acts as ...

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 2.5 nissan altima . while driving approximately 25 mph the contact heard a noise coming from the engine. he stated that he continued to drive the vehicle to his residence where the oil was checked. he added oil to the engine after he noticed that there was no oil on the stick. the failure had occurred for nearly a year. the vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer or local repair facility. the vehicle continued to use excessive amounts of oil. he had to add two quarts of oil per week. the approximate failure mileage was 76,000. the current mileage is 83,000. updated 10/05/10 *bf updated 10/07/10*jb

I began to burn about 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles that i drove at the beginning of 2009. there was also a strange growling noise when starting my car. eventually the check engine light came on. the oil usage also began to increase. i brought my car to a local mechanic and they said that my catalytic converter needed to be replaced and there were some engine issues that was beyond their capabilities. they recommended taking it to a nissan service department. i dropped my car off on 8/15 and within less then 2 hours they service technician told me that i not only needed a new catalytic converter but i also needed a new engine. he told me that because of a faulty design the front catalytic converter was to close to the engine causing it to over heat. once it overheated it would break down and because there is no egr valve on the cat the particles of the converter would get sucked back into the engine which ended up scoring the cylinder walls. they told me that because the recall campaign # 03v084000 was "performed" at 13,208 miles nissan would not cover the cost of a new engine and catalytic converter even though it is direclty related to the defective part that nissan is already aware of. the service advisor quoted me 4586.oo plus tax for my out of pocket cost and the parts and labor would only be covered for 12 monhs or 12,000 miles even though the engine that comes with the car when it is new is covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. i am currently filing a complaint with nissan and consluting a lawyer. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 mph, the vehicle completely shut off. the contact coasted to the side of the road and was towed to an authorized dealership for a diagnostic test. the dealer informed her that the mass air flow sensor was defective. the failure mileage was 93,338. the current mileage was approximately 98,000. updated 07/02/10 *lj

I recently purchased a 2002 nissan altima. since i've had it, it uses oil and has a bad catalytic problem due to manufacturer defect. this 2.5s is under a recall. the ecm was replaced on the car to avoid this problem, but it still persists. nissan refuses to acknowledge the recall even though its never been fixed......the recall number for this catalytic converter is 03v084000. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that the crankshaft sensor malfunctioned. the failure occurred several times before. the vehicle was taken to a local shop where the contact was informed that the crank shaft sensor and the cam shaft sensor needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 65,000.

2002 nissan altima wouldn't start, blown head gasket, leaking coolant, now nissan says i need a new motor. aluminum was used making these cars and nissan new they couldn't with stand the heat. my son needs help. *tr

Internal oil leak in 2002 nissan altima. *tr

The vehicle lost power and shut off while i was driving at about 45mph on several occasions. *tr

7/21/09- check engine light came on brought it into dealer and they tell me that my engine is shot and it needs to be replaced, $5,100 plus tax and labor. the parts from the pre-catalyst have be sucked through the exhaust and back into the engine scoring the cylinder walls, which increases my oil consumption and could result in a fire. after some research i discover that this has been a problem with hundreds of other people with the same model year as me. nissan did a recall back in 05/03 (recall 3007) to try to fix this issue but proper measures were not taking. in national highway traffic safety administration action number- pe02078, it states that "nissan is still developing a corrective action to address the pre-catalyst." i have found no record that this work has ever been done, since 05/03 !?!?. my problem with nissan is they have known about these problems with model year 2002 2.5 liter altimas and still after over six years of releasing this information to the public they never address any issue that would prevent this from happening. i have contacted nissan and have been told that they have done all they can for me. with the issue of potential fire and sudden engine seizer i have not been able to drive my car since this issue has occurred. i would like nissan to pay for all repairs that are needed due to this issue. *tr

Vehicle continuously looses oil 1 1/2 qts per 500 miles regardless of how often i change the oil. i have had my vehicle in the dealership for several recall replacements{catalytic converter, crank sensor, cam sensor after vehicle shut off while driving, headlight ground, air bag sensor as well as others].vehicle has rough start every time vehicle is started. i also have complaint regarding the heater blowing cold air when i come to a stop. after reading hundreds of complaints and reports i fear my vehicle is soon to follow in regards to the engine failure so many have reported.why should i have to spend my time constantly checking the oil to make it is proper when there are no oil leaks and vehicle has less than 80,000 miles and is extremely well maintained? due to the immense amount of reports and claims shouldn't nissan motor corp. issue a recall for engines that have already ingested the catalytic converter material despite being replaced? hasn't the damage already been done? *tr

Our first problem came when the altima had several holes blown into the engine when the catalytic converter failed to hold up because of a defective design in the engine. i did take the car in for the recall, but what they did not fix the issue, and my mechanic told me i was fortunate that the entire car did not set on fire or that it didn't happen when i was on a highway. i fought hard and spoke to person after person and finally found the president of customer relations number(4 weeks into calling), they told me that because i had kept such great records of our service history that they would replace my engine. now i have a new defect in this car. the metal floor pan has a defect and there has been no recall! there are actually huge holes in the floor of my car that could prove deadly and make my car not road worthy. they are asking $2,000 to $3,000 to fix this!!! fraud. i am so livid. this car has been one nightmare after another. i want to feel as if my family is safe in the car i am driving. who worries that the floor might fall out from underneath them when they are driving??? or heaven forbid, something hit the bottom and come right into the car! i'm so angry about this car. please tell me that i am not helpless. *tr

Design flaw with engine causes excessive oil consumption. the burning oil then makes the converter start to fall apart and be sucked into the engine. this made the engine stall in heavy traffic on the highway. numerous complaints on this flaw throughout the internet. contacted nissan i they said to bad. dealer strongly suggested that i sell the car since it would only get worse due to this issue. *tr

My car has been at lebruns nissan dealership 3 times they detected three different problems, the last resort was my blown headgasket. i have a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it i should not be having a headgasket problem!! i have researched different problems and concerns with other owners online and have come across the same problems. problems containing oil consumption, engine failure, head gaskets, catalytic converters, not starting, service engine light on. now to me if this is happening to more than a few cars same exact year and model this is a defect on nissan and they are not stepping up to the plate. i have contacted nissan again and have gone further into this and have spoken to nissan north america, i which my specialist returns my phone calls every three days, they have accepted to fix my catalytic converter which is appreciated, but that still does not fix my problem as others have experienced. i feel i have been purchased a lemon vehicle and i am not satisfied, and i will continue to go further until nissan steps up to the plate and takes fault on there product. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle would not restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. the contact was informed that there was no oil in the engine and there were no signs of an engine leak. the mechanic was unable to determine where the oil was escaping to. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the failure and current mileages were 80,000. updated 12/22/11*lj the consumer stated the engine and transmission were replaced.

2002 nissan altima - engine defect. the engine nearly caught on fire because the oil was burning so much that there was no oil in the engine after a few miles! first there was a problem with the heating/cooling, check engine light came on, white smoke from the engine. had each problem addressed at mechanic but problem was never fixed because the source was in the engine itself - a nissan defect. now i "need a new engine" because the source of the problem is the head gasket. my mechanic has seen 2 other 2002 nissan altimas with the same problem. it was a defect in the original engine and it is dangerous if you do not catch it and replace the engine, due to such fast oil loss and an overheated engine! scary! the car only has 100k miles!! the car is not drivable now and i am seeing hundreds of other complaints of the exact same nature online with some fires already started. yikes! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. while driving approximately 50 mph, the engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and remained lit until the engine was turned off. when pressure was applied to the brake pedal, the vehicle began to shake and vibrate excessively. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and it was discovered that there was a misfire in the engine cylinder. the technician reinstalled new spark plugs. the contact was advised to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer if the problem continued. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on a separate occasion for identical failures. the dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. they also detected missing screws from the engine. the technician stated that the vehicle should not be driven due to the safety hazard. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 84,681 and current mileage was 84,964.

I was on vacation, driving to cleveland, oh with my wife & parents on 6-13-09, sat in 2002 nissan altima, 2.5 sl. around 9.00 pm, on i-80, apprx 40 mil from cleveland, suddenly smoke started coming from the car hood, causing poor visibility. temp and oil level indicators did not show any sign of problem with the engine. after narrowly escaping crash with other vehicles by grace of god, we could stop the car with smoke still coming out. by the time i moved everybody away from the car, the smoke stopped. this sudden failure of the engine could have been more disastrous, endangering precious lives. on cranking the engine, loud noise from the engine made us believe that car was in bad shape, so car was towed to nissan of north olmsted, oh (dealer). after inspection on mon, 6/15/09 i was informed that the engine casting had a big hole apprx 2" big. we were asked to either scrap the car or replace the engine with estimated cost of $4500. we were not told any good reason for this engine failure. being stranded with my family for 3 days and despaired, i decided to replace engine hoping to get compensation from nissan. initial positive response from nissan customer affairs became very dissatisfying and frustrating after i paid the dealer. it was a shock to us that after calling so many times nissan did not took any responsibility stating on 6/24 that "the vehicle is outside of manufacturer's warranty" later i found many publications stating that 2002, nissan altima-2.5l engines have faced similar engine failures but nissan has not done enough to avoid such incidents. irresponsible behavior like this is not expected from such a reputed org. there had been multiple recalls on my car including "engine sensor kit" and " engine cooling system". i would like to request you to look in to this matter so as to contain further damage to precious lives of people at large. i further request you to impress upon nissan to reimburse us for total cost of replacing engine and mental agony. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. while driving 40 mph, the contact heard a clicking sound followed by a popping sound. the consumers daughter pulled the vehicle over and noticed smoke coming from the bottom of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the engine needed to be replaced due to a lack of engine oil. there were no warnings prior to the failure. the current and failure mileages were 109,250. updated 8/3/09 *cn the consumer stated there was a known defect with the vehicle, in which a recall had been issued. the consumer daughter had just had the oil changed. updated 08/10/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle coasted to the side of the road and roadside assistance was called to the scene. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was contributed to the catalytic converter. the vehicle was previously repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 03v08400 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe); however, the remedy has not corrected the safety defect. the vehicle is currently inoperable and has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were less than 101,0000.

In oct of 2002 a investigation was made by (odi) concerning 2 potential fire hazards on 2002 nissan altima( nhtsa)action # pe02078)according to your report nissan would remove portions of the exhaust pin and apply a heat shield. over the precat. you also stated nissan is developing corrective actions to address precat from overheating .what corrective action were introduced to fix this precat problem? after reading pages of nissan customer complaints concerning the precat destroying their motors i would say nissan did not do anything to fix this problem .these 2 manufacturer defects are not the same and should be treated differently if your car had a heat shield applied years ago what was done to correct the faulty precat.now a few years later your motor is shot and nissan will tell you they already had it in for the recall i ask once again what was done the fix the faulty precat?? if you have the answer please include it in corrective actions taken so myself and every other dissatisfied nissan customer can make some sense out of their statement when they tell us they fixed the problem when they put a heat shield on it. *tr

I have a concern involving my 2002 nissan altima it is a 4 cylinder engine my check engine light has come on and its burning large amounts of oil (1 quart every 1000 miles) i bought this car in 2004( second hand)the cars burning of oil was strange to me because i always changed my oil approximately every 3000 miles,so i started to do some investigating on the web and came across a recall campaign in 2003 ( #03v084000) i read were fire may be caused by the catalytic converter and of 3 instances of fire to date of closer of nhtsa report in 2003. also nissan acknowledging a problem with the 2002 altimas converters and engine failers from this catalytic con. being that nhtsa has closed there report in 2003 will that affect nissan responsibility to fix this problem. i did not receive any type of recall for this issue and know finding out about potential fires and engine failures is starting to scare me this is a family car and i do have children can you please advise on needed actions on my part. *tr

At 112,000 miles the ses light on my 2002 nissan altima 2.5l came on. i had it diagnosed and was told that i need to have the catalytic converter replaced a $1500 repair job. after consulting many mechanics in the area, viewing many, many websites this is an extremely common problem with this car for this same year, make and model. the problem is by the time ses light indicates there is a problem it is too late as the damage has already been done to the engine and those that have paid the $1500 to have the catalytic converter replaced ended up having to replace the entire engine just a few months later!!! this cost up to $5000 to have done, bringing the total cost for this repair to $6500 dollars for something that is an ongoing issue, but not detectable during regular scheduled maintenance and often times has occurred after the car's warranty has expired. this can cause the car to stop in the middle of a highway and just shut down, as i've read from other owners that have experienced this same problem. i have a 3 year old, a 2 year old and newborn and i no longer feel safe driving them around in this car. please do the research and i feel rest assured that you will see the commonality of this problem. thank you from a very distraught 2002 nissan altima owner. *tr

I have a 2002 nissan sentra se-r with the 2.5 liter (qr25de) engine i purchased new. this is the same engine that the problematic 2002 nissan altima has. my car has had numerous serious recalls, originating within the first year and a half i purchased it. two years ago, my ses light went on. my car was still under warranty at this point as i'd purchased nissan's "gold plus" warranty coverage. i was told it was a loose gas cap, they'd checked and performed all outstanding recalls, and all was fine. 8 months later, the ses light went on again.the car began to also exhibit signs of increased oil consumption. i had it checked, was told it was a cracked oil pan by an independent mechanic. finally, i took it to nissan. i was told i needed a new catalytic converter, the exact part that has been mentioned in several recalls on my vehicle, and since the car was out of warranty they would not pay for it. estimate was $1200, which i got in writing, for the catalytic converter. i asked for records of what they had done to inspect and repair the recall previously. they had no record of it. i called nissan north america, who told me the dealer kept the records, and to ask them.. finally, an independent mechanic replaced the part. the ses light went on two weeks later. the independant mechanic said the pre-catalytic converter was damaged/falling apart, also listed in my recall explicitly. the dealer had misdiagnosed the car. called dealer, wrote letter, bbb complaint, nissan complaint, no response. had pre-cat replaced for $600. ses light came on again. eventually, my car stalled and wouldn't start. i had it towed to a repair facility who informed me my engine was blown, replaced for $4k. a screw had been found in the third cylinder. this is also listed in some of the 'bulletins' nissan distributed to their dealers. i've tried a demand letter, no response. obviously, no one inspected my car for recalls, or repaired the faulty parts. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that the catalytic converter was not working properly and the parts damaged his engine. the vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 03v084000; however, the failure continued. debris from the catalytic converter entered the engine and caused more damage. the failure and current mileages were less than 103,000.

This complaint is in response to nissan recall r3007 which covers heavy oil consumption which leads to low oil level, catalytic converter damage, engine damage and eventually an engine fire. i've been having this problem for sometime where i need to add oil on a biweekly basis. my check engine light has been on for some time. i've had two diagnostic tests performed and showed code p0420 - cat. efficient low, needs exhaust manifold/catalytic converter/gaskets replaced. based on internet research (type: nissan altima 2002 - heavy oil consumption or catalytic converter) i found that thousands of other consumers with the same car are having the same problem and have filed complaints with nissan corporation. nissan refused to remedy the situation. please advise what recourse i can take. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle consumed an excessive amount of oil. he took the vehicle in for an oil change and by the time he arrived back home (within 300 miles) the vehicle was in need of more oil. the low engine oil warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact placed more oil into the vehicle before it was taken to a repair shop. the mechanic verified the low oil level in the vehicle and stated that the vehicle was burning oil at an alarming rate. there was no evidence of oil leakage anywhere in the vehicle. the contact found over 700 complaints on the nhtsa web site for the same failure. the failure and current mileages were less than 178,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that the crank position sensors keep failing in her vehicle. in 2004, the dealer repaired the vehicle according to nhtsa campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). the contact is the second owner of the vehicle and the dealer stated that she would have to pay $300 to repair the failure again. the failure mileage was 98,000.

I own a 2002 nissan altima, 2.5l engine. i have had more problems with this car than you can imagine. the car has stopped on me two times in the past year or two. it came to a halt in september 2007 in the middle of traffic and i had to wait over an hour for a tow truck. at that time i had the sensor detector replaced by a neighborhood garage. on last tuesday, the car stopped again and would not move but i happened to be in parking lot and waited 3 hours to get my car moved. this time the car was repaired by a nissan dealer and the sensor detectors were again replaced. i was informed that my engine was coming apart internally bit by bit and i would need the engine replaced or run the risk of having the engine stop on me at any time. i have changed the catalytic convertor, have an oil leak and some gaskets have been replaced. i put oil in my car every week because the leak was not repaired. i never seen any oil on my driveway and don't know where it is leaking. when i checked to see if i could find an engine for less than what the dealership quoted me, i found 400 complaints on one website and 99 on another website complaining of the exact same problems with their 2002 nissan altima with a 2.5l engine of which i am complaining. many of the complaints are reporting engine failure or breakdown. this is very concerning and i think something needs to be done by nissan as this seems to be a manufacturing problem but i don't know where to go. *tr

Purchased a new nissan altima in sept. 2002 and was recently told that i need a new engine. i have an excellent maintenance record. brought the car in last month for a loud grinding noise in the engine but was told that they "couldn't find anything wrong." then the engine started a racing noise and i immediately dropped it off. now i am told that i need a new engine at the tune of $4,700.00. i only have 94,000 miles on the vehicle. i have filed a complaint and am waiting for a response. i have had all of the numerous recalls fixed over the past eight years. *tr

I purchased a vehicle from city ford lincoln mercury located in bronx, ny.. on 4/11/2009.. the next day when i went to pick up the car it started making loud noises. i called and informed the dealership of the situation. i went to the dealership three times before they decided to take it in to their repair shop.. they never fixed the car and they're giving me the run around. they expect to take the car back and the engine is smoking and making loud noises worse then it was when i had it.. i need help on how i go about getting the dealership to fix the car.. they've offered me to get another car & have it financed rather for them to fix the car or provide me with a refund. *tr

2002 nissan altima stalling out while driving. losing power and not reaching speeds above 45 mph. read several reviews from other customers with engines going bad and started out with the same issues and problems with hard crank, and catalytic converter going bad and causing engines to go bad. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the vehicle was purchased new in 2001. the contact took the vehicle to jiffy lube for an oil change and the oil light illuminated on the instrument panel one week later. she checked the dipstick and noticed that there was no oil in the vehicle. she took the vehicle back to jiffy lube and oil was added; however, the oil light illuminated again. she took the vehicle to a firestone shop and they found no oil in the engine. the dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine needed to be replaced because oil was entering into the exhaust system and the piston ring. the dealer further stated that the vehicle was out of warranty; therefore, the contact would have to pay for the repair. a report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling). the manufacturer stated that they would call her back. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 111,000.