Problems with 2003 Nissan Altima ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the crankshaft position sensor was failing on his vehicle. as a result, the vehicle loses power, jerks violently, and stalls in the middle of the road. the contact paid to have the crankshaft position sensor replaced two years ago after the ecm was reprogrammed; however, the failure still persists. the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall or warranty due to the mileage. the failure mileage was 50,000 and current mileage was 135,000.

Car stalled. wasn't firing on all cylinders. car towed to dealer. power valve screw that was fixed 11/20/2007 on recall by nissan has been sucked into engine thus requiring new engine & catalytic converter. *tr

I purchased a brand new 2003 nissan. the first time i heard about a recall issue with the 2003 altima, i took it back to the dealership and they told me there was nothing wrong. the car will sporadically not start. i have had to replace the tires early on, the plugs were also replaced because it was misfiring, the brakes were squeaky at about 20,000 miles, the ac and the heater did not work (at about 30,000 miles and we had to replace them), water sloshing sounds, and had to replace the rooter. at about 55,000 miles the car started stopping sporadically. i took it to the dealership and they claimed they had fixed it. on my daughter's birthday, (3 months later) the car stalled on us on the road and she missed her own 3rd birthday party. i took it back to the dealership and they said it was the battery (less than 3 years from the time it was replaced). 2 weeks before christmas, i was on the road with my 11 month old infant, making a left turn at a busy intersection and the car just stopped!!! the driver behind me was just inches away from rear-ending me with my infant in the back seat facing back. i called nissan headquarter and told them what happened. i explained to them that i fear for the safety of my 2 young children and myself in the car. i explained to them that we drive on one of the busiest freeway in the country (ca ? 405). my children's lives are in danger each time i drive them in this car. i requested a replacement car from nissan and was told that they could not do that. this vehicle is my main means of transportation. i am very frightened about driving this car. i fear being killed with my children in this car; this car is a death trap just waiting to happen. why has nissan refused to take responsibility and do something to prevent someone from being killed in their poorly built-malfunctioning vehicle? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle burns oil. the vehicle had just undergone an oil change and all of the oil has suddenly left out of the engine. she took the vehicle to a mechanic, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. she is concerned that the vehicle could ignite into flames due to the burning oil. the current mileage was 129,000 and failure mileage was 100,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while the vehicle was in park, it idled very roughly and made a loud whistling noise. the contact took her vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the throttle positioning sensor. immediately after the repair, the failure recurred. the dealer replaced the intake manifold gasket; however, the failure recurred shortly afterwards. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failures. the contact has not filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 76,000 and current mileage was 78,000.

2003 nissan altima with recall for a sensor. consumer states that she would like reimbursement because she did not take it to an authorized dealer for the repair. *kb the consumer stated the engine light illuminated and the engine seized. the consumer also stated the air condition didn't work. the rack and pinion steering bolt was found to be loose after a recall was performed. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 10 mph and greater, the vehicle hesitated and completely shut off. the vehicle was able to be restarted. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic twice and he stated that it was included in nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was repaired. the current mileage was 84,650 and failure mileage was 84,270. updated 03/10/08. *lj the crank shaft positioner failed which caused the engine to stop. the consumer stated the stalling still occurs. the crank shaft was not covered, and her vehicle was not included in the recall.

My pre catalyst failed at 80450 miles, just 450 miles over the federal mandate. *tr

Several times over the past two months, my 2003 nissan altima 2.5s has stalled out during operation. speeds ranged from 5-15 mph during stall. car also stutters periodically while in operation, but does not stall. two weeks ago my vehicle stalled while pulling into traffic, almost causing an accident. now vehicle takes 3-5 minutes to start. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the engine shut off while driving at an unknown speed. the dealer stated that nothing could be done because her vin was not included in the recall. the failure has occurred on three occasions. the vehicle was repaired all three times; however, the failure still persists. the recall number was unknown. the failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 54,000.

I have taken my 2003 nissan altima to the dealer for the crankshaft position recall (nhtsa campaign id number : 06v242000). now the ses light is illuminated indicating that the crankshaft position sensor needs to be replaced. seems to me that if this defect is common, and it obviously is based on my research, and if it could cause crashes and, therefore injury or even death, that nissan would be obliged to rectify the problem--obviously they are not. what is being done to rectify the situation? why hasn't something been done already (obviously the reprogramming associated with the recall has not resolved the problem). by the way, if there were already injuries or deaths then someone failed to act in a timely manner. *tr

Under certain driving conditions my 2003 nissan altima's catalytic converter can have a failure that leads to destruction of the engine. nissan has issued a voluntary recall to replace the defective catalytic converters, and in some cases replacement of the engine. it is my contention that nissan has made the conditions of this recall impossible for most owners to meet therefore avoiding having to replace a great number of engines in a very popular car. when my vehicle suffered this damage in october of 2007 i took it to the dealer i had purchased it from. they informed me that one of the conditions of the recall is that the ecm (computer) in the vehicle report a specific trouble code. without that code being present they are unable to proceed under the conditions of the recall. it is my contention that a vehicle suffering from this defect will never report the trouble code that nissan is insisting it have. this defect causes material from the catalytic converter to be sucked into the engine resulting in major damage to the seals and rings inside the engine. this damage will result in an excessive amount of oil to exit the engine through the exhaust system clogging the oxygen sensors. without functioning oxygen sensors the cars ecm will never report the malfunction of the catalytic converter which is determined by readings from the oxygen sensors. i assert that nissan has deliberately placed this condition on the recall to avoid performance under it. the only condition of the recall should be a visual inspection of the catalytic converter to determine if the physical defects are present. this is covered in step 'd' of the recall which dealers never get to because they are stopped at step 'a' when they cannot get the ecm to generate the trouble code. the recall in question is ntb03-070. *tr

I have a 2003 nissan altima 2.5sl. my car would not start, hesitated to accelerate, seemed to lose power on several occasions and then "service engine soon" warning light comes on the dashboard display. dealer service dept is charging me more than $200 dollars for a crank sensor replacement repair. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. after being parked for approximately half an hour, the contact attempted to start the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. the service engine light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the crank shaft sensor needed to be replaced. the contact would like nhtsa campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling) to include her vehicle and receive reimbursement. the current mileage was 69,457 and failure mileage was 64,132. updated 07/07/08.*lj updated 07/03/08.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired in 2007 under nhtsa campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling) and the ecm was reprogrammed. the crank shaft sensor and cam shaft sensor were not replaced as mentioned in the recall. the manufacturer and dealer were notified but provided no further assistance to the contact. the approximate failure mileage was 91,000.

1. the failing of the engine was sudden and unexpected. 2. symptoms and diagnosed problem were identical to nhtsa recall id #03v4550. 3. the failed part ("crankshaft position sensor") was replaced. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 30 mph, the vehicle shut off without warning. the contact stated that the gear shift locked and prevented her from restarting the vehicle. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the unified meter control failed. as of september 19, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. the failure mileage was 75,578 and current mileage was 75,560.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. since september 7, 2007, the contact's vehicle has shut off at least 50 different times while decelerating or making a turn. the failure was noticed while driving between 5 and 10 mph. the contact stated that the engine failed when the brakes were applied. the vehicle continued to move, but the engine failed and the steering wheel locked up. the contact made at least 6-7 attempts to restart the vehicle and release the lock on the steering wheel. she has been to the dealer three different times with the safety recall notice, but they were not able to provide assistance. on september 10, 2007, the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling engine). the mechanic stated that a code appeared for the crank angle sensor and informed the contact to bring the vehicle back if the light illuminated again. the light has not illuminated again, however, after leaving the dealer, the failure recurred. the contact stated that the recall repair was not performed and the computer was reset. the purchase date and powertrain were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 95,731.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the dealer reprogrammed the electronic control module, but would not replace the crank sensor for free. currently, the vehicle is not starting properly and must wait a few minutes before it can be started. the current mileage was 45,000 and failure mileage was 44,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the contact is currently experiencing the failures associated with the recall. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and the contact was informed that the ecm module needed to be replaced. the current mileage was 100,432 and failure mileage was 88,000.

My 2003 nissan altima 2.5 quit on me while driving down the road and would not crank. the next morning i tried to crank the car and it would crank , i did not want to take the chance of breaking down on the highway so i had the vehicle towed to sparks nissan in monroe, la. the technician did the recall on the vehicle and the service engine soon light was on and the machine put out a code that the car need a crank sensor , so i had him to put it on and i go to the get car and it would not crank again and the sensor had been put on . the car is doing the same thing it did when it cut off on me. now they want me to put a computer in the car after they damaged my computer. i am very upset and they really don't know what is wrong and are giving me a hard time. i am seeking an attorney , because i see i am not the only one with this problem and something should be done about it. *tr

Crank shaft sensor-2003 nissan altima 2.5 s. i bought my car new from a dearlership and have owned it for 3.5 years. it currently has 58,000 miles on it. my car started stalling out approximately 3 weeks ago. it cuts off on me the first time at a stoplight. about a week later it cut out on me twice after making a right hand turn. it threatened to cut off on me while driving down the highway at 60 mph. on 8/18/07 it cut off on me in a parking lot and the service engine soon light came on. on 8/20/07 we drove it to the dealership where they informed us of two pending recalls. the headlamp piece was ordered and will be installed later and the ecm was corrected. the dealership would not replace the electronic crank sensor because my car's vin number was not included in the recall. i refuse to pay for this because this is a safety concern that should be handled by the dealership. although the ecm recall was taken care of, i am not confident that this stalling problem will not occur again. the dealership did not offer a rental car or shuttle service. does someone have to be killed before nissan will step up to the plate, analyze and fix this problem once and for all! frustrated. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to restart the vehicle. the dealer repaired the vehicle according to nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000. the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. the dealer stated that an issue that was unrelated to the recall repair was causing the vehicle to stall. no additional repairs were made at that time. on a separate occasion, while driving over 60 mph on the freeway, the vehicle stalled again. the failure still persists. the failure and current mileages were less than 120,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact heard a loud snap underneath the vehicle while driving. he attempted to place the vehicle in drive and reverse, but it failed to move. the vehicle was towed to his residence and was later towed to the dealer. the mechanic stated that the vehicle needed a new engine and transmission. through online research, the contact discovered that the 2006 altima's have a recall for the same failure. the speed and recall number were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 127,000.

I have a 03 nissan altima that keeps shutting off while driving and will and sometimes will not start. i replaced the crankshaft position sensor twice within 6 months period and now my check engine light is back on for the same problem. i think we need a recall before someone is seriously injured while driving. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and remained lit. the mechanic stated that the crank sensor was failing, but did not make any repairs. approximately two months later, the vehicle shut off without warning while driving 20 mph. the contact was able to restart the vehicle. the manufacturer stated that his vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). the current and failure mileages were 70,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle started after several attempts. one week later, the engine light illuminated and approximately three weeks after that, the vehicle stalled and had to be restarted. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the crankshaft sensor failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle has been repaired. the current mileage was 90,000 and failure mileage was 88,000.

Butterfly valve screws in the intake/gas recirculation system work loose and make their way into the engine, causing damage. this was recalled on the 2004 and 2005 models, but the same problem exists on the 2002 and 2003 model qr25de 4 cylinder engines. the fix was to replace the screws, but engine damage occurred, which compromised the reliability of the vehicle. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving approximately 5 to 10 mph, the vehicle shut off and has to be restarted. while on the highway, the vehicle hesitated as if it would shut off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the camshaft position sensor and crankshaft position sensor were replaced twice and currently need to be replaced a third time. the current mileage was 83,675 and failure mileage was 71,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the interstate. the contact managed to pull off the road and have the vehicle towed to a local dealer. the dealer repaired the crank position sensor and the camshaft sensor at the cost of $373.57. the dealer also reprogrammed the ecm as stated in nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). the current mileage was 67,976 and failure mileage was 62,924. updated 06/16/08 *bf

My vehicle stalled while i was driving and then lost power several times. would not start/hard to start. i called nissan dealer in fremont california and they said i would have to fix it myself or pay them to do it. i found numerous people with the same problem/faulty crankshaft sensor and cam sensor. i spent numerous hours of driving to get parts and spent over 3 hundred dollars on parts, obd computer, service book and not to mention this is a major safety issue. my wife is 9 months pregnant and could have been injured not to mention the stress. plus down time of not having the car fixed. i am very dissatisfied with nissans service. *tr

I have an 03 nissan altima with 77,000 miles that i kept well maintained. six months ago my engine cut off while sitting at a light, and then it cut off again a month later while driving at 25 mph. this second incident happened after i took my car in for the ecm reprogram recall. my mechanic told me it was probably the mass air flow sensor, and so i paid the money to replace it, though now i wonder if this was a mis-diagnosis. a month ago, my service engine soon light came on, and since then i have had difficulty starting the car and the engine makes a weird puttering sound like it?s about to cut out while in idle. i called the nissan dealership and was told that it sounded like the same recall issue and said that about 50% of the time, the ecm program is somehow lost and has to be reprogrammed a second time. i told him that didn't make much sense, it should be fixed the first time, and he said they could not figure out why it keeps happening. i took the car in to have it looked at and that's when he told me, never mind, this is actually an issue with the crank position sensor, which will cost $330 to replace. i did some research and found a recall back in 2003 on several 02 and 03 altimas for replacing this exact part, and when i mentioned this to the dealership, they simply said my vin number was not included in this recall so the issue with my car was unrelated and i would have to pay for it myself. seemed like too big of a coincidence to me, so i called corporate nissan to file a complaint. after several persistent phone calls, i was told they would make a note of my complaint for review, but they could not cover the expense for me. i am now taking my car to my independent mechanic who quoted me half the price to have the part replaced on my own dime. i can see i?m not the only one with this engine startup/stalling problem and it is a huge safety concern. please make nissan own up to the problem and fix the underlying issues, not just the ...

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalls. the contact must place the gear in park and then attempt to restart the vehicle. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they informed her that they would attempt to reprogram the ecm. the dealer also stated that they would not replace the crank shaft position and warned her that the vehicle may still stall. the contact stated that the vehicle is under recall number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling:engine). she believes that the failure is a major safety issue. the current and failure mileages were 117,897.

2003 nissan altima engine shuts down at slow speeds and while at stop lights. this has happened multiple time while driving and has nearly resulted in 2 accidents. after approximately 12 occurrences the "service engine soon" light came on with a code indicating crankshaft position sensor circuit is faulty. there is a similar recall for 2002 vehicles but not for 2003. was told not enough people have died from this yet to warrant a recall. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine light illuminated. the dealer reprogrammed the computer in the vehicle, but the engine light illuminated on two separate occasions after the repair was made. the vehicle is currently parked at the contact's residence. the current mileage was 50,746 and failure mileage was 48,000.

Engine stopped on road and restarted after 2 mins. service engine soon light on. engine stalled during multiple times. scanner code detected issue with crank/cam shaft position sensor. *tr

My 2003 nissan altima lost power on the highway while i was traveling at 55-60mph on 7/11/2007. my breaks did not work after the failure but i was able to steer. the local nissan dealership service department said the cam and crank sensor failed and said i needed a new "cam and crank sensor kit." this is the exact part that was defective in 2002 nissan altimas (nhtsa campaign id: 03v455000) and resulted in a recall. when i pointed this out to the service department they investigated it and said that while some 2003s were also involved in the recall, my vin number was not included. my '03 altima's production date is 11/07/2002 and the delivery and in-service date is 12/12/02. i think the part should be investigated in 2003 nissan altimas to see if the recall of the cam or crank sensors in the 2002 nissan altimas (referenced above) should be expanded to include more 2003 models.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the manufacturer will not reimburse her for the repair work performed under recall # 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). she was not denied reimbursement, but the manufacturer stated that they have not received her paperwork. the contact stated that she submitted the paperwork several times. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage is 67,458 and failure mileage was 10,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that the engine would shut off at any time with no reason or warning. the failure would occur while driving 5 mph or greater. the current mileage is 63,673 and failure mileage was 62,673.

The 2003 nissan altima 2.5 s died while driving about 50 mph and i had to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road in traffic with no power steering or brakes. the car would then not start up until cooled off and then stalled at several traffic lights on the way home. the car had half as much power as normal and continued to stall. my check engine light illuminated and i took it to nissan where they found the problem to be the crankshaft position sensor. i had it replaced and now the car is fine. this should definitely be a recall because it is a serious risk to injury to the driver of the car and other cars around. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 5 mph, the service engine light illuminated and the vehicle began to stall when stopping for a light or pulling into a parking space. the dealer stated that the upper and lower crankshaft sensors needed to be replaced. nhtsa campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling) was referenced. the current mileage was 47,136 and failure mileage was 46,136.

I own a 2003 nissan altima with a 2.5 liter engine. i recently received a recall notice from nissan. the notice stated that there is "the possibility that the engine might stop running while being driven due to an electrical problem between the crank angle sensor and the electronic control module. this may also result in the "service engine soon" light coming on. if the engine stops running while drivine, this could result in a crash without warning." the service engine soon light did come on, and the car began hesitating while being driven. it also was difficult to start after driving for a few minutes. after calling the number on the notice, i took it to the dealer where the ecm was reprogrammed. the next day the problems re-occurred. when my husband called the dealer they said the sensor must have gone out, and would need to be replaced at a cost of $140.00. he called nissan, who said that they would not authorize the repair, even though the part was obviously faulty. the repairs were done by an independent repair shop for $40 less than nissan quoted. i feel that nissan placed a few dollars above the well being of their clients. i did not think to ask for the old part. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 30 mph, the vehicle's instrument panel lights illuminated. the contact stated that when she attempted to depress the brake and accelerator pedals, they went down to the floorboard. she had to run into the curb in order to stop the vehicle. the dealer stated that the crank sensor failed and should be replaced. there is recall # 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). the dealer stated that they would only be able to reprogram the electronic control module sensor as part of the recall. the dealer was unable to reprogram the electronic control module because it failed. the current and failure mileages were 88,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that his vehicle was working perfectly until he took it to have safety recall # 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling) honored. the contact stated that half a mile from the dealer, his vehicle began flashing lights, the doors locked automatically, and the windows automatically opened and closed partially throughout the day. the contact took his vehicle back to the dealer who stated that the failure was coincidental. the dealer reprogrammed the electronic control module and stated that the failure is not related to the computer system. the engine size was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 35,427.

The engine light periodically flashed on/off. we had the car serviced at a nissan dealer which cost $1000. 3 months later,we spent $300. finally,2 months later the motor goes out and we spend $5000 to replace it in a car less than 4yrs old(bought brand new -not a used vehicle). furthermore,the car would just slow down and stop periodically(no matter if you were on the interstate or not). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that her vehicle was excessively burning oil. she replenishes two quarts of oil every two weeks. when she adds the oil, white oil leaks from the engine compartment. she discovered recall number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe) and took the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer stated that her vin was not included in the recall, even though it is experiencing the same failure. the current mileage was 36,000 and failure mileage was 4,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 5 mph, the vehicle's instrument panel lights illuminated and the vehicle shut off. the contact was able to restart the vehicle immediately afterwards. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the failure has occurred on three occasions. the current mileage is 43,100 and the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 40 mph, the service engine light illuminated. the dealer stated that the emissions oxygen sensor was defective. the dealer refused to perform the recall repair for free until the oxygen sensor was replaced. nhtsa recall # 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling) was found. the current mileage is 82,500 and failure mileage was 78,200.

Tl*- the contact took his 2003 nissan altima sl on the first week of march to have nhtsa campaign id number : 06v242000 recall work performed on his vehicle. they perform the recall work, but contact continued to have the same failure that is stated on the recall. the dealer stated that they would need to replace the crank sensor assembly, but it would be at contacts expense.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 65 mph the vehicle slowed down and shut off. the contact restarted the vehicle. on three occasions the vehicle shut off while driving without any warning. the mechanic, during a tune up, stated the crank angle sensor needed to be replaced. the dealer stated that recall #06v242000 repair was performed on the vehicle 3 months prior to the contact purchasing the vehicle. the failure mileage was 72000, and the current mileage was 80000. *ak