Problems with 2002 Nissan Altima STRUCTURE

Tl* the contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2002 nissan altima. while entering the vehicle, the rear driver's side door handle fractured. the contact stated that the front driver's side exterior door handle fractured. additionally, the front driver's side window was also inoperable. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. a dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was informed of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000. consumer states that all door handles on vehicle are fractured, making it impossible to enter the vehicle. consumer says this is a common problem with nissan altimas in his area. *dl

The vehicle will not pass a safety inspection because there are two big holes in either side of the floor boards. the holes were discovered during a state safety inspection. we have 12 days to repair the holes at a large cost. unexpected and disappointing issue.

The car keeps stalling while i drive it

The floorboards on the driver and passenger side have rotted through and you can see the roadway on the drivers side. it is costing $1000. to fix the passenger side. i just discovered the drivers side.

The floorboards under where the passenger's feet are placed rusted out and a football sized chunk of metal flew off from under the car while on the freeway today. it was a definite hazard to the people who were driving behind me and they had to quickly switch lanes so as to avoid it. no there is nothing but interior carpet between the passenger's feet and the road below them. it appears very dangerous to have a hole rusted out right there. the car has always been parked on a driveway and washed after every snow/salting of the roads. there is very minimal rust anywhere else on the car, leading me to believe there was some sort of defect in that location.

Today aftter exiting my vehicle i noticed something hanging from beneath the car on the front passenger side. i opened the door and felt underneath the car in the area where the floor panel is and i was able to push the carpet up from underneath the car. currently i am unable to view the area of concern because i am unable to get under the vehicle at this time.

After hearing a scraping noise, while pulling out of a driveway, it was discovered that a 6-inch section (approx.) of metal was hanging from the undercarriage of the front passenger side of the vehicle. after looking at the area, it became clear that the floor pan under the front passenger side of the vehicle was corroded/rusted/rotted. after calling my local nissan dealership, i was directed to nissan corporate, who then passed me along to a regional consumer affairs rep. the bulletin number provided by that rep was ntb15-059 (floor pan repair). i was told that they knew of others also having this problem, but they said there was nothing they could do and that i should call around for repair estimates. after getting several estimates, it was discovered that the floor pan under the front driver side was even more rotted out than the passenger side. i was also told that carpeting in my vehicle was already slightly damp, due to the holes in the floor pan and that there may be a future issue with mold. flakes of rusted metal continue to fall from underneath my vehicle. one autobody shop even stated that they had already fixed approximately 2 dozen other 2002 nissan altimas with the same problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that the floorboard was completely corodded. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic where it was diagnosed that the floorboard needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was invalid. the failure mileage was 113,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that the floor pan under the front driver and passenger side of the vehicle was rusted through and created holes in the floor. the failure occurred due to rusting of the floor pans. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was invalid. the failure mileage was 120,000. updated 09/30/16*lj *tr

As others have stated.. the front floor pan on my 2002 nisan altima completely rusted through. the total cost of repairs was $746.60.

Front floor boards are rusted through. didnt not notice until an inspection was done. find this very alarming as it can be unrecognized when stepping on it from inside, as the carpet hides and supports the partial body weight when stepping into the vehicle. extremrely dangerous for anybody in front seats.

Got in my car and my boot literally went threw the floor in my driveway not on or anything !! this is dangerous nissan has a bulletin number ntb15-059 but will not pay to fix the issue they caused ??? insane a car shouldn't be doing this anymore where not in the 80s the metal shouldn't be rotted and so thin that in 10 years its shot like an 80s truck. if this happened in the back seats with my daughter what would the problem be then my child getting cut on rust and having possible health issues !!! this is dangerous and if i was driving i would have lost my foot .. please make nissan fix this issue its getting way out of hand and sorry not all of us can afford new cars to replace this issue.

I discovered around this date that my drivers side and passenger side floorboards are rusted out and almost have holes all the way through the floorboard.

The car was diagnosed as having multiple large wholes in the floor under both the passenger and driver side where you would normally place your feet. at this point the car cannot pass a safety inspection.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. when the vehicle was taken to a mechanic, it was discovered that the floorboards on the front driver and passenger sides were rotting. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

The floor boards on the passenger and driver side front have rusted through.

My driver and passenger side floorboards are completely rusted through i was driving down the street and all of a sudden i heard a loud scraping sound when i got out to look half my drivers floor was on the floor so i go check my passenger side and it is also completely rusted but didn't fall yet. *tr

I have noticed there is extensive rust at the floorboard at the drivers seat. that is very localized and appears to be due to a design flaw that retains water there. i also feel this could be a structural problem.

Floor panels rusting out. had car in for service and mechanic told me there was major rust in the floor boards and should be addressed soon. the car has been garaged daily since it was purposed new at jeff wyler nissan, cincinnati area. not a lot of road salt used in this area. understand a class action lawsuit is in place.

After noticing excessive rust on both front floor panels of my 2002 nissan altima, i googled "nissan rust" and read the many articles and news shows on the amount of complaints. i live i st louis, so not a eastern state with excessive cold and snow. very disappointed in this defect, and would hope nissan would be forced to offer a recall to correct this defect.

2002 nissan altima. consumer writes in regards to vehicle driver side floor panel rust eating away at floor boards. *smd updated 09/25/15*lj updated 12/06/2017*cn

There is a rust hole in the bottom of the drivers side floor pan about 5x10 inches this is very concerning and going to be a very costly repair that i can not afford.

I purchased my car in 2013 as a used 2002 nissan altima. this past june of 2015, my mechanic noticed large rusted out areas behind each front tire on both the passenger and driver side of the undercarriage. the driver side was rusted so badly that one could easily take chunks of rusted undercarriage off. i quickly noticed a large hole, realizing that without carpet beneath my feet i would have had my left food through to the ground. after much research, i found that this is an all too frequent occurance in nissan altimas made in 2002-2006, and nissan refuses to recall these vehicles and/or pay for damages. with these facts in mind, one can see that this is clearly not an issue of poor care and maintenance by the owner, nor can it be blamed on salt and chemicals on the road in snowy areas. this issue was unsafe to myself and my passengers. if the rust had spread, it could have caused damage to other areas of the car, risking permanent damage, an unsafe vehicle on the road, and causing potential harm to my passengers and myself. the repair for this safety issue did not come at a low price, and the scenario is eternally frustrating. i will never buy a nissan altima again, and will continue to warn friends and family against purchasing nissans.

Passenger side floor panel was noted to be rusted through upon inspection after smelling exhaust fumes while driving the vehicle. it appears to have rusted from inside the panel out as the bulging of the rusted panel downward toward the ground suggests. i would like to get this inspected but from what has been shared thus far, nissan has not accepted responsibility (yet) for repairs. i am hoping nissan will voluntarily inspect this model to determine a suitable remedy, otherwise this will be the last nissan i choose to own.

While performing an oil change, noticed a soft-material flap had dislodged from underneath passenger side floor board. upon further inspection, noticed excessive rust that has left a hole that goes through and reaches the interior carpet. the surrounding area is very soft and brittle, same on drivers side. concerned about weakening structure overall especially seat placement, and possible injuries caused by not having a protective surface from the outside road.

The front floor boards of my 2002 altima are rusting and rotting away. the safety issue is not only the obvious floor rotting from beneath me, but also the exhaust vapors that are entering the passenger compartment. there is a major design flaw that has caused the floors to rust and rot on vehicles in the north east. because there is no recall, the dealer cannot help me. this should be a recall specific to the north east and needs to be done to rectify the faulty spraying of the undercarriage which was not sufficient to combat a normal north east winter. i bought this vehicle brand new and it has low miles. i have always kept up with maintenance and repairs for this vehicle inside and out. i should be able to pass this car on to my 16 year old son as a reliable first car. i cannot do that in good faith knowing the safety issue altima and the nhtsa has allowed. massachusetts is a difficult state for safety standards on owners of vehicles and i am fearful that if i have galvanized sheet metal welded to my undercarriage, it could possibly be considered not appropriate for the state's standards and cause me more financial burden. i would like to have altima rectify this safety issue. how many complaints do there really need to be in order for the nhtsa to help? as of 4/23/15 i have counted almost 500 complaints specific to the floor boards of the 2002 altima. add those to the complaints to the 2003, 2004, 2005, etc. of floor boards rotting in the north east and you can see these complaints need to be investigated. i will also file complaints with my local attorney generals office. safety standards should be a priority of car makers as well as car owners. *tr

My 2002 nissan altima has very badly rusted floor boards on both the driver and passenger sides. i noticed this problem started back in approximately 2010. i was walking away from the car an looked back and saw something hanging below the car on the driver side. it appeared to be a surface sheet of metal so i wasn't too worried about it and figured i was the only one who happened to get a bad car. but it has gotten worse since. there are large holes that go all the way through the floorboard. i heard about the news story on nbc and wanted to be sure you are aware of the extent of the problem and how many people cars are affected. i would appreciate being updated if there is any news on this apparently common problem or how i can rectify the problem. *tr

Took my car in for an oil change at my nissan dealership to find out that both front passenger and driver floor boards were rotted out. *tr

My dad recently informed me that he saw a story on the news about nissan altima's and rusted out floorboards. sure enough, my floorboards on the driver and passenger sides are in bad shape. especially the driver side. the car looks like new otherwise. i am the original owner and have taken my car to state line nissan for all maintenance. nobody there ever told me that this was happening under my car. i looked online and found quite a few nissan altima owners with the same problem. some of the complaints go back 5 years. it is clear that nissan knows about this design flaw and wants to avoid a costly recall. i went to hendrick collision center in merriam kansas who are in the nissan network for repairs. it will take 10 days and cost $3,232.38. i then took the car to santa fe body inc. which is an independent body shop. they have already done some other altima's and charge $500 per side for $1000. they cut out the rusted area and replace it with sheet metal. this will take 1-2 days. the nhtsa needs to force nissan into a recall as it is a design flaw and safety issue. people are driving around in cars not knowing that the floor below them is rusting all the way through. i feel nissan should pay for this repair since it is a design flaw. my mom lives 5 minutes away and has a 1995 nissan altima without this floorboard problem. *tr

I discovered around this date that my drivers side and passenger side floorboards are rusted out and almost have holes all the way through the floorboard. *tr

Rust problem underneath driver & passenger side. floorboards are rusting out. nissan is aware and is doing nothing. i am 61 years old and don't have the money to get this problem fix. i'm driving every day praying nothing will happen to me or my grand kids. nhtsa needs to look into this before someone is hurt or die from this problem that nissan knows about. i found this out just by accident-went on website see if my car was on the list for recall on the air bags issues. over 400 complaints on nissan website under complaints. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that the floorboards were completely rusted. the dealer diagnosed that the floorboards needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Floor board rusted through on the passenger side of the vehicle ...apparently a common problem that other nissan altima owners are running into ... the hole is about 20" in diameter and the carpet is falling thru the bottom at this point ... there has been a segment on nbc news about the issue. *tr

Floor rusting out from front of car to seat. feet could fall through. gas fumes come in car.

I brought my car in 2002 from nissan. i have had this car now for 12 years and nissan is the only place i take it to always have it serviced. my mileage on it is very low as i don't do a lot of driving. i love my altima and haven't had any major problems or concerns with it. on july 8 2014, i took my car in to have it service while waiting for it the receptionist came and asked me had i considered buying another vehicle, i said no i'm not able to and my car i don't have any problems at all with it. she said follow me i need to show you something. lord and behold my car was up on the lift and what did they show me but these two heavily rotted areas on my driver and passenger side floor. all i could say when i seen it was that is definitely a safety hazard for not only me but also a passenger that sits in my front seat. yet nissan don't want to take any fault for this and the many other 2002 nissan altima that this is and has happen to with these vehicles. i live on a limited income and feel they should be the one to repair the rotted floorings on the many vehicles that have rotted flooring. thank you for allowing me to send a report on my 2002 nissan altima heavily rotted floor that they had never informed me of until it is now heavily rotted and my foot or a passenger foot can now end up at any given time going right through the floor when i am sure that they knew much earlier that my floor was rusting out and they just waited till now when it is heavily rotted. feeling disgusted and very disappointed with nissan. *tr

Passenger side floor board completely rotted out. i bought my car 2 1/2 years ago (purchased in 2012) from a nissan dealer and they put a inspection sticker on my car which it should of never got one. i looked under the car at the time of the sale but i didn't see any holes because they popped riveted a plate to cover the damage and painted it so it looked like nothing was wrong. i just recently brought my car in for service and the plate fell off and you can see my carpet from the outside of the car. granted my car is 12 years old but the rust is so bad that it looks like a 30 year old car. *js

Structure: both front floor panels have rusted out. there are large holes and sagging of the floor that have weakened the overall floor structure and created an unsafe condition. it appears that a drain hole in each floor panel never had a rubber plug inserted. over the years, water splashed up through the holes and was absorbed and trapped by the insulation material between the carpet and floor.this is not the result of normal wear and tear. if the drain holes had been plugged, this never would have happened!

The vehicles floor boards on both passenger and driver are rusting and there is a whole that you can see the ground. i have done research and have seen hundreds of vehicles in the same year as mine having this same issue. nissan can blame it on salt all they want, but how is it that other vehicles don't have this issue? i think it's an issue with the car itself, it just doesn't make sense. this needs to be a recall. *tr

Purchased car used from nissan dealer in 2005 with 33,936 miles on it. although i live in the midwest and am exposed to road salt, i very seldom drive my car in the winter, if at all. for the past several months i've noticed "orange" spots on the garage floor where i park. at first i thought it was a fluid leak, however, when my husband went to change the oil we noticed a hole, 3-4" in diameter, on the driver's side floor board, where the opener for the fuel compartment is located. upon further examination, we observed a rusted area approximately 2ft x 1ft waiting to break through. now, if this is not a safety hazard i don't know what is. i currently have a rag stuck in the hole to avoid any road debris from hitting me and fumes from entering the passenger compartment. after researching this issue i discovered that this is a common problem with the 2005 model year, but mine is a 2002. this may indicate nissan has been allowed to sell this defective product for a much longer period of time. i have owned several vehicles over my lifetime, which i keep as long as possible, and have never encountered a situation like this. it's been my understanding that automobile manufacturers had remedied this problem years ago ! please, someone, make nissan accountable ! *tr

I took my car in for 100,000 basic tune-up estimate. i have had no serious issues with the motor, nor with the body or reliability of this vehicle. i pointed out to the mechanic a piece of metal was hanging from the undercarriage of my passenger side and asked him if it was from my exhaust. he checked further and indicated with shock and surprise that "no, it was from my undercarriage", "the hole appearing before me contained my interior carpet". i screamed in horror! literally, i did yell out of frustration and fear as i have small dogs and when i travel, i have one that does get on the floor and sniff around. he could have easily fallen through if the carpet was not secure! i was in shock and actually still am and don't know what i am going to do with my car. i am sad because it was a good car. i wanted to drive it until 200,000 miles because the engine still has the ability to get up and go! since monday i've frequented many websites and have seen this has been an ongoing issue with many 2002 nissan altima owners and find it very sad that the motor and body of a car outstand the actual framework. this makes me feel really safe on the road today. what are we putting on our roads in the winter, acid? i keep my car clean too. i'm not a person with a lot of money so i am in limbo right now. i'm hoping you can help? thank you. *tr

Body and frame of car rusted out leaving a 6-inch by 10-inch hole in the floorboard. the rust hole is located under the driver's seat, on the frame, and around the jack reinforcement. the hole, deemed a structural flaw, is the reason the car failed its safety inspection in virginia. the estimated prices to repair the hole ranged from $2,500 to $5,000. *tr

I was turning my car on the corner of my block. my passenger who was about to get out the car stepped one foot out of the car and the other foot went through the carpet and landed outside of my car underneath. i got out the car and noticed that my passenger side underneath was rusted and had a big hole in it. i than looked on my driver side and seen that side was the same but not as bad. i went to get an estimate and the mechanic said it would be $800 to fix my 2002 nissan altima. i can not afford to get my car fixed. i tried to sell it but no one was interested in buying due to the holes. riding around in the winter was very cold and when it rained it would soak up the carpet that's hanging and felt like it made my car ride heavy. i would hope that nissan could look at this problem and see how dangerous it is to drive a car with holes in the bottom. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that there was rust underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000. updated 4/7/15*cn the consumer stated the body was rusting under the seats. updated 04/14/15

A section of the floor-pan under the front driver and passenger feet rusted completely out. both holes look identical a rectangular hole just forward of the seats between the frame ridge and the rocker panel about 16 inches long.and 4 inches wide. *tr

Front floorboards both driver and passenger are entirely rusted away. area adjacent to the outer sill about 14 inches in length and 9 inches in width has no structure remaining. affected area appears to have consisted of two thin sheets of mild steel. *tr

While inspecting my vehicle i noticed on both the driver and passenger sides there is an excessive amount of rot under the vehicle. while inspecting further and lifting the carpet from the front floor boards it has rotted through to the inside of the vehicle. upon searching the internet i've found this to be a huge issue over the years and would like feedback. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that an independent mechanic informed him that the under carriage was corroded near the front passenger's side floor board. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 98,026.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that upon inspection, it was found that the floorboards were rusted. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure was confirmed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vin and failure mileage was unavailable.

I have a 2002 nissan altima 3.5 i bought new. it has 83000 miles. like others, my floor pans on both the driver and passenger side have rusted out. i found this out on 8/6/14. it has been garage kept all these yrs. i was also told it was probably from the harsh winter and salt on the road. if this was true all the car's in nj this year should have the same problem. i was told by a nissan rep. they wouldn't fix it because, there are no recalls on it, it was too far out of warranty, and i live in an area that has a lot of snow and salt. i think nissan needs to read their complaints on their web site and stop saying they don't know about this problem and do something about it. my estimate to repair this is $2800. i am also scared to drive it because of the safety hazard. when i step into the car it feels like i am going to end up on the ground. i was also told if i get in an accident it could be bad because normal floor pans help protect you. please help all nissan owners with this problem. *tr

Just purchased this used car from a dealer in il. car overall seemed to be in good overall condition for it's age no visible rust or issues noted during test drive or my basic oversight of the vehicle including checking fluids, hoses belts tires etc... i took the car to my local mechanic as it was in need of some routine maintenance work and it was discovered the floorboards on both the passenger and driver side were completed rotted out in some spots the carpet is the only thing covering the hole. this is a dangerous condition i was told because it can lead to fumes in the vehicle or possibly the whole pan falling out, worse case weakening the structural integrity of the entire vehicle. the mechanic suggested i take the car back but since i bought the car used and "as is" i did not think i had a recourse. i called the dealer anyway where i purchased it from about the issue and asked why this issue was not disclosed to me he said too bad you signed the papers it's a done deal sue us if you want your money back and said he had to "go". i am now stuck with this car and trying to get it fixed.my mechanic tells me he cannot give me an estimate to fix it until he takes the seats, carpet and center console out to see the extent of the damage and what needs to be repaired, time and material. i have no idea what this repair will cost but he told me it will take 3 hours of labor just to get to the floor to see the extent of the damage. apparently this is a known issue that nissan has never acknowledged for 2002-2006. this is my first nissan my next new car was to be a nissan as well, i don't think so any longer. help! *tr