Problems with 2003 Nissan Altima ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

At 9:30pm, on november 16, 2011, a dark rainy night, i left a hs parking lot. after a short distance, the engine (3.5l) completely failed without warning. this caused the powersteering to also stop. the situation almost caused an accident. cars behind me and on the otherside of the road almost hit my vehicle. it was terrifying and confusing. twice before, going at low speeds, the engine completely stopped without warning. after my insistance, a nissan dealership finally examined the car and found the cam position sensor was faulty. they replaced it with 23731-6j90b. it was paid for by my extended warranty. the company said that my vehicle was not part of any recalls. that was 08/04/09. from that date to 11/16/11, i had no problem. then on 11/16/11 it happened again (see above).there is a basic design flaw in this vehicle which needs to be fixed. nhtsa's campaign # 03v455000 describes the problem. also nvs-215 06v242 also describes the problem. no one should drive this car until it is properly fix. it should be part of the recall. the nissan specialist at 800-343-6913 was very dismissive. this is not right. *kb

My 2003 nissan altima stalls at lights,going slow,does not restarts sometimes, surges forward while driving. the dealer told me the crank sensor needs is faulty,cost 225 dollars with labor. i see some 2003 altimas with a different engine has a voluntary recall from nissan, but not mine. on the nissan help.com website there are 40= pages of complaints regarding the same thing on many years of these vehicles with alot of safety concerns. i think all their sensors are bad and all these years altima vehicles should be recalled. *tr

Nissan altima 2003 stalled at red light, without any warning of any sort. failed to start up again for multiple tries. team nissan of marietta ran a diagnostic and confirmed that it was because of a failed crankshaft sensor. i have to pay to replace the sensor though. surprising even though nhtsa has a safety campaign 03v455000 that documents this problem. am i being fleeced? *tr

I purchased a 2003 nissan altima 2.5l car in july of 2007. the vehicle had approximately 51,000 miles on it and had no issues. approximately 3 weeks ago i was driving my 13 year old son home from tae kwon do and was crossing a freeway to a side street when my car bucked and stalled. luckily i had some speed and was able to "barely" get through the intersection before 55+ mph traffic smashed into me. the ses light came on and i was able to start the car and make it home and then to my mechanic the next day. my mechanic informed me that the code read "crankshaft position sensor". he replaced it with a nissan part, i picked up the car and the vehicle stalled just before a very high, narrow, two-lane bridge in solomons maryland. i limped back to the auto shop and my mechanic read the code and it said "crankshaft sensor" again. i called nissan who informed me i had 3 recalls on my vehicle. i took the vehicle to sheehy nissan in waldorf md at 0730. i received a call from them at 1330 and they told me i needed a new engine due to the pre-catalytic converter substrate disintegrating and being ingested in the engine. after researching my vin, i discovered that this problem was a recall that was completed on my car in 2004. i contacted nissan consumer affairs to lodge a complaint in that a "known" defective part failed "after" a recall and damaged my engine and came very close to causing a possibly severe accident. they denied my claim because my car was at 82,000 mi. i was told that if it happened before 80,000 mi., which i found out later was because of the federal emissions warranty act, they would have probably replaced the engine for free. it is my contention that the failure of a part that has "no maintenance" requirements, that had been previously recalled because of "known" deficiencies should be the responsibility of the manufacturer. i also contend that this defect could cause loss of power and cause a serious accident, possibly resulting in death. *tr

I've been driving this 2003 nissan altima since march 2009. since april the car shuts off while moving every time i use it. the check engine light came on, so i brought it to my local auto parts store to have the engine codes read, and they said i have a bad crankshaft position sensor and a bad camshaft position sensor. after hearing of this i researched the parts and problems i've been experiencing and came across the recall. i then called a nissan dealer to have the recall addressed, and dropped the car off to have on 6/24/09. i received a phone call from the service department on 6/25/09 saying they can not perform the recall (ecm reprogram) unless i pay $300 + tax to have the sensors replaced and then they can perform the recall fix. i insisted he perform the reprogram before the sensors and he refused. so i said thank you and i'll pick my car up later on in the day. now my real complaint is the sensors are going bad because nissan has a faulty ecm program. nissan needs to be responsible for fixing the entire problem not just a simple computer fix. nissan is making money off of a blatant defect caused by their own manufacturing at the cost of safety and their customers expense. this recall is only addressing the initial problem, not the results of the initial problem. nissan is performing a slapstick recall campaign and the consumers need to have relief. for me to drive a safe car i and everyone else will have to pay an additional $300 for someone else's mistake...not fair and this should addressed asap. *tr

The 148,246 miles engine in the nissan altima is blowing oil out the exhaust at a rate of 4 quarts with in 20-40 miles of driving. i was told the cat. filter came apart and the material was sucked into the intake of the cylinder causing damage to the cylinder wall to the degree where as an engine and cat. filter need to be replaced. *tr

My 2003 nissan altima uses 4 quarters of oil in less than 50 miles of highway driving. the dealer service rep. said that the engine is damage by the cat. filter material. however, there is water on the oil cap of the engine as if the head is cracked or head is warped. i feel that is a design defect and something needs to be done about this product. *tr

Vehicle stalling while driving, burning oil quickly doing oil changes every month, nissan service station said catalytic coverter. car still making noise other complaints that this is a normal problem then engine blows due to debris from converter getting into engine. this should be a recall

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the service engine light illuminated and the vehicle stalled while driving 15 mph. the dealer stated that they needed to perform a diagnostic, but they believe that the crankshaft sensor was the cause of the failure. the dealer will not assume responsibility for the repairs. through research, the contact found nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in the recall. the contact believes that the vehicle should be repaired according to the recall since the failures were identical. the failure mileage was 145,000 and current mileage was 150,000.

2003 nissan altima has had multiple problems with the engine. *nj the consumer was informed, the cylinder 1 misfired which caused the engine light to illuminate. there was a problem with the head gasket consuming 3 quarts of oil every 4000 miles and running terribly rough. the consumer believed her vehicle was among the hundreds of vehicles having problems with the pre-catalytic converter where it deteriorates and becomes sucked into the engine, scorching the cylinders causing massive oil consumption then followed by the engine running rough. *jb

2003 nissan altima ecm. *dt the consumer is requesting reimbursement for the crank position sensor and the ecm that was reset. the consumer received a recall notice in the mail, however she was told the vehicle was out of warranty. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact has experienced multiple failures with the vehicle shutting off in the last few months. while driving 45 mph, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle lost power. the contact lost control of the steering and brakes. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and inspected by a technician, who determined that the crankshaft position sensor failed. the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $35. two days after the repair, the vehicle failed again and shut off while driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the crankshaft position sensor was failing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer would not provide compensation because there was no recall. the failure mileage was 77,000 and current mileage was 78,400.

Recall no. r0606 - part replaced 2 times in less than 2 years. once again, the car is stopping while driving, which is very dangerous and unsafe. the dealership says the part is no longer covered under the warranty. please help me to rectify this situation and obtain a reliable vehicle. thanks, *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that there were issues with the electronic control module (ecm), which caused the vehicle to stall. the vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling), which stated that the dealer would reprogram the ecm for free. on a separate occasion, the vehicle stalled while traveling less than 15 mph in heavy traffic. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, who verified that the ecm failed again. the manufacturer stated that the repair would not be covered under the recall a second time. the recall stated that if the interruption in the signal from the sensor is so brief, the electronic control module (ecm) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition. as a result, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed, thus increasing the risk of a crash. the contact was concerned for his safety. the failure and current mileages were less than 78,500.

- hesitation at slow speed and check engine light - hesitation once every 50km - car stalled in oncoming traffic during a left turn - crankshaft position sensor was replaced. *tr

The failure occurred for the first time february 17,2009. i was driving down the road and the power to my 2003 nissan altima se 3.5 completely cut out. i was stranded in the middle of the road with a service engine light, the battery light, oil light and brake light all on. i tried to re-start my car and it would not start. i was finally able to get it into neutral. at first the engine turned over like it wanted to start but it did not immediately start. after the 3rd attempt it started up. i was able to make it to my destination 5 minutes down the road before anything else happened. i am very lucky and was not rear ended. when i pulled into my parking spot the same thing happened. this time it took about 5 attempts to get it to restart. the car was taken to our local repair shop and i was told it is a crank/cam position sensor. we replaced this item at a cost of $185.21. my husband did an internet search and found out nissan usa did a recall on 2002 and early 2003 nissan altima's for the crank/cam position sensor. i contacted nissan to find out if my car was included in this recall and was informed i was not. i explained to them that this problem is a hazard to motorists and it should be addressed by nissan. i was given a file #6422418 and that was all they could do for me. meanwhile i have investigated to see if others have had this problem and it appears to be wide spread among the nissan altima's and some maximas. it is also not just an issue with the 2002-2003 models but extends up to the 2005 models. most of the consumers have either made a complaint with nissan or the better business bureau-automotive line. nissan did make a recall on the 2005 nissan altima for the ecm which just resets the "check engine light" but still does not address the issue of the crank/cam position sensor. some of these consumers have spent up to $500.00 to get this sensor fixed.*tr

2/11/2009 check engine light made my 2003 2.5 nissan altima to stall during afternoon heavy traffic. ironically, the vehicle was stalled less than a mile from an authorized nissan dealership, which i utilized regularly. the outcome involved replacing the camshaft position sensor assembly @ a cost of $288.48. 6/23/2009-check engine light on again. outcome was to replace the crankshaft position sensor @ a cost of $159.69. 12/9/2009 check engine light on again. outcome dealership recommended installing a new engine, and installing a remanned transmission. i am livid that the issue was allowed to progress to the level that the engine needed to be replaced. when my vehicle stalled, i barely missed being rear-ended by a large truck traveling at least 55-65 miles per hour. this placed my family and i in a dangerous situation. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving approximately 65 mph, the engine stalled without warning. the engine restated after the first attempt. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was able to resume normal operation and was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician recommended a diagnostic test, which was not performed on the vehicle. the identical failure recurred on fifty separate occasions. in addition, the engine warning indicator illuminated. recently, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the crankshaft position sensor failed. the vehicle was repaired. the vin was unable to be entered into the system. the failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 105,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the vehicle was purchased used. the contact received a recall notice in august of 2006 for nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was not experiencing any failure at the time, but the contact still took the vehicle in for the recall repair. three years later, the vehicle began experiencing the failure listed in the recall. while driving 10 mph, the vehicle stalled and had to be restarted. prior to the failure, the service engine indicator illuminated permanently. the dealer stated that the crankshaft position sensor failed. the contact stated that the recall repair should have corrected this issue years ago, but the manufacturer stated that they were not responsible for the repairs. the vehicle was repaired again; however, the contact believes it should have been performed under the recall. the current and failure mileages were 66,138. updated 4/16/09 *cn updated 04/20/09.*jb

Engine light on car stalling chokes out in traffic has had tune up. *tr

Camshaft position sensor failure on highway. engine almost turned off on highway. engine hesitation atleast once every 50km. corrected with replacement of camshaft position sensor (sensor was redesigned) and not covered under recall. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the service engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. she received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling), which stated that a variation in temperature occurs due to the unique location of the sensor in the engine. under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor. the vehicle was serviced by an authorized dealer for recall repairs and the ecm sensor was reprogrammed; however, the service engine indicator continued to illuminate. on a separate occasion, the vehicle hesitated to start and the check engine warning indicator illuminated once again. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 69,540.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the crankshaft position sensor failed and caused the vehicle to shut off while in motion. the dealer stated that they would repair the vehicle at the contact's expense. the speed was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 62,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated when braking and coming to a full stop or driving at low speeds, the vehicle would stall intermittently. he was able to restart the vehicle and resume normal operation. the contact was able to locate a recall describing the failure he had experienced in his vehicle and when contacting the manufacturer, he was advised his vin was not included with the recall (nhtsa campaign id number: 06v242000: engine and engine cooling). the vehicle had not been repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 110,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that in order for his vehicle to pass emission testing, he must get the crank position sensor light repaired. the check engine indicator illuminates as a result of the crank position sensor. the contact is displeased because the vehicle is not included in a recall. the failure mileage was 131,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the oil in the engine was burning and damaged the engine. the dealer stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). the failure and current mileages were 85,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling) and took the vehicle to the dealer. the technician reprogrammed the ecm. several years later, she noticed that the engine warning indicator was illuminated on the instrument control panel. she received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 07v527000 (engine and engine cooling) and took the vehicle to the dealer. a technician repaired the vehicle and stated that she received the recall notice in error. the contact would have to pay $479.34 for them to release her vehicle. the manufacturer stated that they would not assume financial responsibility for the repair. the dealer still has possession of her vehicle. the failure and current mileages were 84,000.

I have a 2003, nissan altima, 3.5l 6-cylinder. car has 99k miles. car recently stalled with no warning after warming up. car started up right away, so i continued driving. dealer did a diagnostics and found nothing. so i continued driving and car stalled (again with no warning) on a major interstate while traveling at 65 mph. dealer now diagnosed issue as a failed camshaft sensor, which is a known issue, but the recall does not apply to my 2003 6-cylinder altima. clearly, this is a known issue and the recall must be expanded to cover all nissan altimas 2002-2003 (at a minimum). this was an extremely unsafe situation. *tr

My 2003 altima 2.5s started having problems the day i took my car in for a recall to reprogram the ecm. that night my engine bogged down and would not accelerate even when the gas pedal was mashed to the floor. the next day i called the nissan service dept. and they told me there was no way their reprogram could have caused the problem. i noticed that when i turned my car off and then back on after about 5 seconds the engine would run fine, this by the way is going down the road with the car in neutral and turning off and back on. i have been dealing with this problem for a while and my service engine light comes on and says there is a camshaft and crankshaft sensor problem that is recalled on 2002 2.5s altimas. it came to a head the other day when i was taking my kids to school and it bogged down on me while pulling out into traffic and about getting me and my kids killed. there are numerous reports of this same thing on nissan forums. *tr

The heater/defroster does not blow hot air while car is at a stand still. once he press the accelerator and begin to speed up the hot then returns. i researched this on the internet and there are many of the same complaints from other altima owners. with this the windows fog up at traffic lights and when you are stuck at a standstill on the interstate the car becomes unbearably cold an is a safety hazard in the winter. the dealer wants over a hundred dollars to fix a problem of their design. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the check engine indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. she took the vehicle to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the crankshaft position sensor and catalytic converter failed. in november of 2007, the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling) and they reprogrammed the position sensor circuit. the following day, the camshaft position failed. the contact was informed that the dealer's repair would not have affected the failed component. the camshaft was replaced and the vehicle began operating normally. in december of 2008, while driving 60 mph, the vehicle would "skip" intermittently and lose power between 40-60 mph. the contact also noticed that the vehicle drove roughly when shifted into drive; however, it was not as bad when shifting into neutral. the dealer stated that the vin was not included in any relevant recalls. the current mileage was approximately 125,700 and failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

I own a 2003 nissan altima 2.5l. this car is affected by recall # ntb03-070c, potential engine compartment fire. this recall has been modified several times. the "flash" programming alone has been modified by nissan six times. the recall was performed on my vehicle in 2004, under campaign id r3007. this was the first version of the recall and programming released by nissan. the recall "corrects" a problem of too much raw fuel being dumped into the precatalyst on deceleration. this extra fuel in the catalyst causes deterioration of the precatalyst causing it to fail, clog up, and release catalyst substrate into the motor (it gets sucked back into combustion chamber on deceleration) once the catalyst particles are sucked into the combustion chamber, the cylinder walls are scored, causing significant oil consumption. you can verify all of this by reviewing the recall. my car has been impeccably maintained. i am ase master l1 certified. the car has suffered this exact loss. the precatalyst has failed and is plugged up, the catalyst substrate was sucked into the motor scoring the cylinder walls, and the car immediately started burning oil. i took my car to nissan of mckinney, tx for confirmation and recall work. the dealership informed me that the recall work had been done by trophy nissan in 2004. i spoke to nissan north america. they informed me that since the recall work has already been performed, my car was no longer eligible to be fixed under the recall even though it is the same failure for which nissan issued the recall. i told nissan north america that obviously if the first version of software that they issued under campaign id r 3007 was sufficient, then they would not have changed the "flash" six times. they did not agree with me. i would like to propose that the fix that nissan north america is performing regarding this recall is not sufficient. i would like to request a hearing with the nhtsa to prove my case. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving at speeds of 30 mph and up, the vehicle would intermittently stall or would hesitate to start. he also noticed that the check engine light would illuminate on the warning panel intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cam shaft and crankshaft were replaced; however the contact would continue to experience the same failures after repairs. the current and failure mileages were under 89,000.

On november 18th while driving my 2003 nissan altima my car stalled then the check engine light came on. i brought my vehicle to a mechanic who told me the crankshaft sensor was bad. i then called nissan usa who said they couldn't do anything because this particular model was not recalled. however, when i researched online, i found numerous people with the same complaints. *tr

I have a 2003 nissan altima 2.5s 4 cyl. while driving , the check engine light illuminated on .i took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic and they identified the cause of the failure as the crankshaft position sensor, the code is po335. the vehicle hesitated as if it were about to shut off. while accelerating, the vehicle would hesitate as well. will not start. my ses light kept coming on and my car would die at traffic lights. there was no recall on my 2003 model; so i paid $224 for parts and labor. i had to replace the crankshaft position sensor on 2003 altima,had it repaired at local nissan dealership,wasn't under recall for 2003, does any one know who i can get in touch with to get my money back?seems like this is an ongoing problem with the altimas that the company needs to deal with..*tr

My car died out while stuck in traffic. i put the car in park, turned it off & tried to start it back up only for it to shut off again. i tried a second time, and again it shut off. on the third try i was able to move to the right side of the road & park & left the car on, only for it to shut off again. i let the car sit, shut off, to let it cool off. i was able to drive home safely, but only staying on the right side of the road, hoping that it wouldn't idle off & die out. i called corporate nissan the next day & explained the problem. i was told that an open recall on reprogramming of the ecm existed on my car & that was the reason why my car was shutting off. i took the car on thursday, 11/6/08 to a nissan dealer & had the ecm replaced. after the recall, i noticed that my car took a while to accelerate and that the rpm gauge was quickly shifting back & forth. on saturday, 12/6/08, my car died out again in traffic. i called corporate nissan & told them that the reprogramming of the ecm did not correct the problem because my car is still dying out. the car only has 52,000 miles on it & has never experienced any problems. the car has been maintenance with the necessary equipment. after much research, my car is not the only car which has experienced the same exact problems. several complaints have been filed. apparently the crank sensor is the source of the problem because the sensor isn't sending the signal to the ecm. nissan has only recalled the ecm because the recalling of the sensor costs too much to recall. it's a safety issue to drive & then to suddenly have the car shut off. i am very disappointed in nissan. it's a world-wide known brand yet their cars are failing at about 50,000 miles. if after the ecm is reprogrammed, and the sensors are replaced, some cars are still dying & nissan recommends new engines. a car at 60,000 does not need a new engine. engines are designed to last at least 100,000 miles not completely die out. *tr

I have a 2003 nissan altima - there has not been an accident yet in my car. i am writing to prevent this from happening ..my complaint is the crankshaft - the car shuts off in low speed driving - which there is a recall on the ecm (engine control module)) - but not the defective crankshaft it is on the 2002 model but not the 2003 but it should the same is happening with both models . the defective crankshaft will cause the engine to shut off as well. when the temperature changes it sends a signals to the sensor that goes to the engine - without the signals the ecm will not function properly - the point is there is a recall on the 2002 crankshaft and not the 2003. which the crankshaft is defective in both not just the 2002. *tr

I am the original owner of a 2003 nissan altima with about 95,000 miles. on 9/19, i took the vehicle to my local nissan dealer for service because the "check engine" light was on, the engine was running a little rough and had a slight rattle, and my oil light started blinking on occasionally. the dealer flushed and replaced the oil, and also replaced the catalytic converter and two oxygen sensors, at a total cost of $1700. the car was returned to me on 9/23. i was away 9/26-9/29 and did not drive the car. on weekdays, i typically drive about 10 miles to and from work each way. the next weekend i drove the car approx. 150 miles, at which time i noticed the rattle had not subsided and that my oil light had started to blink on again, especially as i drove uphill. i added 2 quarts to the engine on 10/4 and took the car to a jiffy lube on 10/8. the jl tech that replaced the oil told me that my oil was very low, so i brought the car back to the nissan dealer on 10/13. the dealer diagnosed the rattle as "internal engine failure" and recommended a new engine for $5000. my conversation with the dealer mechanic led me to believe that the car was burning oil due to a leaky cylinder, most likely caused by failure of the pre-catalyst. the pre-catalyst or 'pre-cat' filters exhaust before it gets to the catalytic converter. the pre-cat is closer to the engine than the cat converter, so it tends to get overheated. when it does, it can break down, and little pieces of it can get sucked back up the exhaust system the wrong way, back into the cylinders, which damages the cylinders & allows oil to leak into the engine. because of the massive oil consumption, i was unknowingly driving without enough oil, and permanently damaged the engine. i park my car in my garage & have never noticed an oil leak or smoke from the tailpipe. i have never gone more than 5,500 miles without an oil change, and i have a receipt from every oil change i've ever had. the car has no outstanding safety recalls. *tr

I was traveling southbound on 1-95 and was going with the flow of traffic at approximately 55 mph in the fast lane on monday, september 29, 2008. suddenly with no warning, my car stopped moving. it would not accelerate at all. i could not get out of the flow of traffic. fortunately, my car was not hit as a result of this. my mechanic claims there was a problem with the drive by wire throttle motor. the dealer claims it is a problem with the catalytic converter. the car has been sitting in the dealers lot with no resolution since september 30th. *tr

I bought a 2003 nissan altima with 66k miles on it 6 months ago from wilsonville nissan. they promised this car was in perfect running order, even after the check engine light came on during the test drive, but the technicians there insisted that they just forgot to reset the computer after they performed an oil change. as i have come to find out, ses lights do not illuminate on altimas for this reason, but after i bought the vehicle and multiple problems arose, we ran diagnostics and cylinder 1 was misfiring. there are many more issues with this vehicle now, including problems with the head gasket, consuming 3 quarts of oil every 400 miles, and running terribly rough. there hundreds of thousands of people complaining of these same pre-cat related issues in their 02-06 altimas. the precat deteriorates and is sucked up into the engine, scorching the cylinders, causing massive oil consumption, and then followed by the engine running rough and then dying. we took the vehicle back to wilsonville nissan and they refused to give the precat a visual inspection. they claimed that since the computer did not throw a code concerning the precat, they had no reason to look at it. instead, they charged us $110 to tell us that the computer was giving a cylinder 1 misfire code. we already knew that and we told them that before they took the car in. under the federal emissions warranty, nissan has to pay for all costs to diagnose, repair, and replace all parts that are ruined by any faulty emissions part under 80,000 miles. the precat falls under this category, and the engine should also be replaced by nissan as its problems are a direct result from the precat falling apart and getting sucked into the engine. recall id# 5450 requires them to test and look at the pre-cat, and if there is any damage to the cat, then the engine must be replaced, free of charge. nissan will not cooperate and will not even look at the precat. please help. *tr

I brought my 2003 nissan altima into countyline nissan in middlebury, ct; the dealership i purchased the car from. it was 5-02-08 and i had 58,294 miles on it, i told them i heard a knocking sound in the engine in second and third gear, i also told them it sounded as if the engine bogged down while i was driving up hills. i explained to them that my warranty was going be up at 60,000 miles and wanted them to fix the problem before the warranty was up. i also told them that while they had my car to do an oil change. when i went to pick up my car later that day they told me they were unable to duplicate my concern, meaning that they could not hear the noticeably obvious sound the engine had been making. i assured them that i definitely heard a noise and that my car was acting weird , they assured me there was nothing wrong, they gave me my oil change and sent me on my way. on 9-21-08 at approx. 61,174 the faint knocking i heard suddenly turned into a loud banging in my engine. i stopped my car and not knowing what else to do checked my oil. there was not a drop in it, after i had just had my oil changed not even three thousand miles earlier, i knew it had to be the dealerships fault. i brought my car to the dealership on 9-22-08 and told them of the problem, they said they would look at it and call me back. a few hours later i received a call from the manager, he told me i needed a new engine and it would costs $4,500. i told him i would not be paying that because it was there fault and they needed to do something to fix it. he said the only thing he could do was replace the engine for $4,500. i then had my car towed to my house, i looked into my options and needed a car asap so i had another shop replace the engine for a little cheaper. i called nissan corp. and told them of the situation they said they couldn't help me. i have found numerous complaints of similar situations and i have also found ...

Car was been driven and shut off on highway and would not restart . car was towed to auto max in apple valley and determined the catalytic converter had caused the engine to be replaced because of debris from the converter been sucked in the engine. total cost of engine replacement was $4226.62. under further investigation i found that in canada , the canadian government has order nissan to replace the engine based upon the catalytic converter failure. if you go on line, there are numerous people in the same boat as me and nissan tries to play ignorant. i have also talked with a dealer in st. cloud , mn where the service manger got a few engines replaced for customers as a result of this problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving between 15-20 mph, the vehicle shut off and lost total power. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle restarts immediately sometimes, but can take five minutes to restart at other times. once it restarts, the vehicle runs normally for the next day or next 30 days. the dealer could not determine the cause of the failure. the internet states that the crankshaft position sensor module is the cause of the failure. the failure mileage was 52,000.

I have had many problems with my 2003 nissan altima 2.5s. currently excessive oil consumption code p0422 - replaced catalytic converter and pre-cat. *tr

The engine stopped while driving. several times the engine stopped on red light. the last time was today 09/11/2008. i know there is a recall on the 2002 model related to the same problem. in some way 2003 owners will benefit for the same or similar recall? *tr

Tla*the contact owns a 2003 niacin alton. the contact stated that her vehicle is burning inefficiently. she must change the oil every 500 miles. before the oil is changed, it resembles black sludge. when the contact approached a stop, the vehicle shook, lost power, and would not restart quickly. the dealer rebuilt the engine at the cost of $2,500, but the failure still persists. the vehicle has been parked for 30 days and would not restart. the failure mileage was 98,000.

The car seems to not start once it ran for a short time. example i drive to the supermarket turns on fine, once i leave it is hard to start. almost seem to be flooded. it use to do it once a week know its doing it everyday. just recently i was driving and it turned off on me. from the nissan blogs it looks like this year has been giving problems. another complain is the exterior lights they are faded or stain from inside, this could cause a visibility issue. *tr

I have a 2003 nissan altima 2.5 s model with a 4 cylinder engine. my problem is with the crankshaft position sensor. there is currently a recall out for the 2002,2005,2006 models regarding the crankshaft sensor. no recall is available for the 2003 model. if the 2003 model is having the same problem as the 2002,2005,2006 why no recall was put out for the 2003 models. it seems to me that all the same make and models should be recalled if the problems are the same. just because the years are different do not mean the problems are different. it is clear that your aim is to protect big business. not the consumer who spent$ 15,000 on a product that is defected. i am sure that if you spent $15,000 on a product you would what it to work correctly. lets be fair! this is not something that cost 20 bucks. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle shut off in the middle of the expressway. it continues to shut off intermittently and takes 5-10 minutes to restart. the vehicle had to be towed on one occasion due to the failure. a mechanic stated that the crank angle sensor needed to be replaced. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). the recall states that the dealer will reprogram the ecm for free; however, the contact's recall notice stated that they will do more. she is able to fax or send the notice she received. the current mileage was 56,000 and failure mileage was 55,500.

About 4 months ago my car started acting up then shutting down. at first it stalls while i slow down on stop signs, while turning, basically at low rpm. that's when my engine light came up. then i got that checked and they told me that the crank position sensor was bad. so, i got it replaced. after that my oxygen sensor burnt out, got that replaced for $1k. earlier last week my engine light came on again and brought my car to the dealer, they told me that the crank position sensor is burnt out and i said, "again!!" there's got to be some thing wrong with the engine if it burnt out twice, all they said was "well, there's no re-call for it". almost cost me my life plenty of times over for this problem. something has to be done with this especially there's a lot of 2003 altima owners having this problem. this can't be coincidental. *tr