Problems with 2003 Nissan Altima STRUCTURE

Passenger side drain plug on the floor was not sealed from factory on 02-04 nissan altima models, the floor rusts out very prematurely leaving a large hole for a foot to go through, or worse exhaust fumes to enter the car doing a search online this seems to be a very common issue which nissan doesn't not want to address and does not cover. see here http://www.nissanforums.com/general-altima-stanza-discussion/137783-altima-rust-shocker.html and http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/2002-2006-nissan-altima-discussion-2-5-3-5/287928-floorboard-rust-problem.html. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed a piece of the frame hanging down underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the front and passenger side frame were completely rusted and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 45,000.

2003 nissan altima, the floor boards on both sides of the care are rotting through. *tr

Large hole in the passenger side floor. my mechanic was told by nissan dealer that its a known problem, but nissan wont do anything to fix/recall. *tr

Rusted out passenger side floor. *tr

2003 nissan altima has large rust, bubbling area under passenger seat. i am the original owner. the car is garaged. will not pass state inspection next time. this is a frequent complaint online. *tr

2003 nissan altima 4 cyl. automatic . front end under body all the steel parts ar rusted . the oil pan is rusted so bad it was leaking oil all over my driveway. i had to remove the oil pan not to mention the rusted bolts holding the pan. under the front passenger the floor is starting to rust so far is only a size of 1/2 a dollar. way too many complaints about this . please do something the dealer tells me they have no information or complaints about this . nissan is denying there is a wide spread problem. *tr

2003 nissan altima passenger side floor panel rusting out. eventually someone will put their foot through the floor. not corrected yet. *tr

I was on the internet just looking up things about my car (nissan altima 2003 v6 3.5) and found altima owners posting in forums about rust occurring under the front floor pans (either driver side or passenger) and i proceeded to inspect my vehicle and found a rust hole about 7"x7" in size. the car is out of its 5 year warranty period and nissan is not assuming responsibility for this problem. *tr

2003 nissan altima 3.5 se with both floorboards rusted through. *tr

Rusted passenger floor board in 2003 nissan altima sl. safety issue as car will not pass inspection with a hole in the floor. car has only 60,000 miles. in reading forums on similar situations in the same make and model of car, nissan has not taken any responsibility for this problem. it is clearly a manufacturers defect as it is occurring in numerous models of the same car. *tr

2003 nissan altima-86,958 mi. purchased new march 2003 rusted floor boards i, too, am a victim of rusted floor boards(front driver and passenger) that will not pass inspection. this was found during an oil change on 4/21/10. all my maintenance work is done through the dealership on a regular basis. why wasn't this noticed 3/30/10 when i had a catalytic converter replaced or on 10/23/09 at another oil change and multi-point inspection or at any of the other many garage appointments? my auto-body technician found manufacturer's tape over the drain holes. they sent pictures to the nissan regional specialist. i was told by this person they handle things case-by-case, and they were not going to help me financially to get this repaired! the auto-body technician needs a section of floor. the hole is so bad patching with a piece of metal won't do the job. i have since been searching the web and found this is a common problem-nissan not taking responsibility for a flaw in their product. i have also found many people have had the rusted floor board problem and/or the catalytic converter problem. neither are inexpensive repairs. i'm ready to complete all the consumer forms i need to and spread the word that nissan will not stand behind their product. as much as i love my nissan, from what i've been reading i need to get rid of it(if i can). i have to foot the bill for the rotten floor boards-$1756.73. i never filed a claim with nissan for the catalytic converter because i was told it was a rare problem. so, i paid the $865.10. from what i've read on catalytic converters one must figure out what caused the converter to go bad or it will happen again. *tr

My '03 nissan altima car has a large rust holes in the floor. i took my car to nissan dealer the they were quick to tell me that my car no longer had rust protection. yesterday, i took my car to reputable body shop and they pulled carpet back in the front passenger seat and showed me a hole that allowed me to see the ground. they told me my car was a safety hazard!!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving approximately 5 mph the check engine light came on and there was rust on the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. the dealer stated that the under carriage was damaged and that if the under carriage was removed the bolts may fall off. the dealer also stated that the fuel cap and the rear sub frame were corroded. all of the rotors on the vehicle needed to be replaced. the dealer stated that the state and ocean location may be a factor. the failure mileage was 42,000. the current mileage was 43,000.

The floor pan is rusted out. 03 nissan altima i am not alone with this problem and i feel some one is going to get hurt. i called nissan north america they confirmed the problem. they had a body ship give them an estimate of $2800 and they refuse to help. i know the car is out of warranty but it is there defect in design. i would love to talk to some one about this. thank you *tr

A few years ago approx. 2009 or so i noticed a whole in my passenger side floor board while getting an oil change. it seemed like it came out of no where. it is a very large rusted out whole under the passengers side where your feet would be. i have no other rust on or under the vehicle but in one spot!!! my mechanic looked into it and said that when nissan made these vehicles they positioned a tube that carries liquid to in the car versus out of the car. i then called and went to nissan and spoke with them. there a man told me that it is a big issue with 2003-2005 altimas but nissan would not recall it so it would cost $1600 for a new floor board. while searching the internet i find that this is a huge issue! and quite the safety concern. there is a whole in hundreds of vehicles if not thousands and nissan will not take responsibility. i would love for someone to do something about this before someone falls through a moving vehicle. most people do not look under their car on a monthly or bi monthly basis and it's very dangerous. my hope is that if everyone who owns this vehicle finds out about this they will take necessary precautions to make sure that their passengers are safe. and also shame on nissan for not caring enough of their customers to not want to admit their mistakes!! *tr

I own a 2003 nissan altima that was purchased brand new. the car has never been in an accident and has always been well maintained...washed and waxed regularly. i was changing the oil on 7/28/09 and noticed something hanging from the passenger side floor which turned out to be the remains of said floor. there is a rust hole approximately 2 foot long and 6 inches wide in the passenger side of this 6 year old car. after doing some research online i see this is a fairly common failure for this generation altima and nissan will do absolutely nothing to help with the repair since the perforation warranty is over as of 10/08. i have had the car into the dealership for recall work and nobody from the dealership ever mentioned the hole in this vehicle which at that time would have been covered by warranty. nissan flat out denies to do anything to help with the repair regardless of the fact that this shouldn't be happening to a 6 year old car in the first place. it's an obvious safety issue with a giant hole in the floor that exhaust fumes can enter but nissan refuses to acknowledge the design flaw in this vehicle. please help me to force nissan to admit the problem exists and get it fixed at their cost. *tr

Floor rusted through on a 2003 nissan altima 3.5 se with only 55000 miles on it. in service date of the vehicle was april 30, 2003. the hole in the floor of the vehicle was noticed in may of 2009. rust perforation warranty from nissan is for 5 years only. nissan unwilling to help. exhaust and other fumes can enter the car. this is unacceptable for a car with this low mileage. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving 40 mph, the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated on the instrument panel. the dealer made the necessary repairs to the sensors to make the light dim. when the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for routine brake maintenance, it was discovered that the undercarriage of the vehicle was rusted. the contact was hesitant to touch the vehicle due to the amount of rust and feared that something would fail. the failure mileage was 50,000 and current mileage was 98,000. updated 01/09/09. *lj updated 01/09/09. *jb

Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2003 nissan altma the trunk lid randomly popped open. there was no particular vehicle speed that caused this to happen. the contact was unable to close the trunk lid once it popped open unless she used the trunk release switch on the inside of the vehicle. the contact spoke with nissan ,and they advised her to speak with the dealership. the dealership informed contact that the problem was the lock. the lock was replaced by the dealership, and since the lock was replaced the problem only occurred when the vehicle hits a bump in the road. the vehicle's current mileage was 54,700 miles. *ak updated 09/12/07 *tr

2003 nissan altima has two design flaws. one flaw is that the turn signal indicator is too short. the second design flaw was when the dashboard lights were fully illuminated,the headlights looked as if they were on when they were not. *mr *sc

I had my car for a few months, when i consistently noticed that my fuel gauge was inaccurate. i took my car into greenville nissan to be worked on twice and they claimed to fix whatever was wrong. that was the depth of the information i received. to this day, my fuel gauge floats at least twice a week. i also wrote a letter to nissan stating this problem. they thanked me for the letter and that was the end of the correspondence. also, in the beginning of may, my roof was leaking. right under the visor on the driver's side, my roof was soaked after a hard rainstorm. i went to the nissan dealership on midlothian, in richmond,va. the tech told me it may have been the result of a clogged rain drain, and that it would cost $80 an hour just to see what the problem was. *jb

I purchased my 2003 nissan altima on may 05, 2003 and it had a defect in the paint on the hood. i asked the dealer dorschel automotive for a new hood and they refused and said they could paint it. the paint job was absolutley terrible and was repainted five additional times. almost the entire car has been painted and now the front nose/spoiler area is all checked and cracked and needs to painted. the vehicle only has 10,000 miles. i want a new vehicle or my money refunded for this vehicle.*ak

Nissan altima 2003, with several failures, leaking gasket, etc. *bf the consumer stated the water pump failed, the windshield leaked, the vehicle would not start, the windshield wiper failed, the heater and defroster did not work, the radiator cap and thermostat was replaced and the wheels rusted. *jb