Engine Burning Oil problems of the 2002 Nissan Altima - part 1

Took our 2002 Nissan Altima in to Nissan for a recall repair (2003 recall for exhaust / catalytic converter issues) - recall states if engine is damaged, that it will be replaced. Engine has been destroyed due to catalytic converter failure. Nissan has acknowledged the recall and damage and indicated the engine would be replaced. This car was purchased lat year by my daughter, we were unaware of the recall until increasing oil consumption became extreme. I contacted steven's creek Nissan and they confirmed the recall repairs had never been completed. I was told to bring the car in for the repairs. I was very explicit in the description of the oil consumption as well as metallic residue on components - (I had replaced the cam / crank position sensors when the engine began to run rough - they both had a grey paste residue on them). Nissan acknowledged the engine was indeed damaged and needed to be replaced. After having the car for nearly 2 months, I received a call advising they did not have the parts anymore and would need to use aftermarket parts. They gave me a phone number to the Nissan consumer affairs, who authorized the aftermarket parts. Multiple times, Nissan called to say they had the parts and the repair would be complete by the end of the next week. This never happened. After another month passed, Nissan called to say they didnt have the proper tools to replace the engine. I went to Nissan and observed the car had not moved or had any work done at all since it was dropped off in June. Nissan has called back again and advised they are unable to do the repair and that I should come pick the car up as is and try some other dealership. Nissan has had this vehicle since 06/09/17. Nissan has had this car for 5 months and has not begun the recall repair.

Purchased vehicle pre-owned,seller appeared honest & truthful about the vehicle,however after about 2 weeks of ownership I noticed high oil consumption,probably about a quart a week,,didnt think much about it,except that I probably have bad rings,or leaking intake valves/seals and would require costly engine repair. My daughter came home one day and mentioned the car wouldnt go over 15 mph,so I took it for a ride & as she said,intermittantly the vehicle would only go 15-20 mph,rendering the car unsafe to drive,,when I got back with the car I opened the hood only to see the front catalytic converter was glowing bright orange and no exhaust exiting the tailpipe,,,I know enough about cars to know that can only mean the converter is clogged solid,,,,inquired at a local Nissan dealer what the warranty was on the the cat and they said it was 8 yrs,80k miles,,,did some research on the web and find out theres a recall on it,the cat coming apart & pieces of it getting sucked up into the intake causing catastrophic engine damage,,,Nissan was replacing the cats,installing heat shields,and replacing engines to to the defect of the cat,,,,,dealer says he cant help me,,,,,check the web,its an ongoing problem with the Altimas as well as the sentras,,,this is something that Nissan knows is an issue and should take care of this. .

My car is burning 3 quarts of oil evry 2 weeks. . I tryd replacing parts. . Using different oil. . Nothing works. . I looked online to get some ideas of what the problem might be. . But most people with the same model have the same problem and still haven't found a answer.

Tl * the contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle decelerated and lost power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the pre-catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle had excessive oil consumption, and was making the catalytic converter failure worst. In addition, the contact mentioned that the vehicle had experienced the exact failure related to NHTSA campaign number: 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling)the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage 85,655 and the current mileage was 86,100.

This was not an accident but a manufacturer fault. The engine is burning excessive amounts of oil to the tune of 1 qt per 200 miles.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 03v251000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the service engine warning lamp remained illuminated. The contact also stated that the oil was constantly low and had to be refilled. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who replaced the 02 sensor, but the failure recurred. While traveling, the vehicle hesitated and the contact had to apply the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal to keep the vehicle from stalling. The contact was not able to get the vehicle to restart after exiting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer who diagnosed that the pre-catalyst overheated, which caused the catalyst substrate particles to flow into the engine. The mechanic also diagnosed that the cylinder walls failed causing oil consumption, which leaked into the spark plugs causing damages. The engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and would not provide a remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.

The Cadillac convertor below threshold light came on then afterwards it got sucked up into engine and caused the engine to burn oil redicolously fast causing me to buy hundreds of dollars in oil and oil changes. Now the engine doesn't run right it seems and needs to replaced among with Cadillac convertor.

Nissan Altima 2. 5 auto transmission. Nearly killed me. Car suddenly went to 20 mph on the interstate in heavy traffic with 18-wheel 30 ton vehicle behind me. Burns oil like crazy. Put in better synthetic oil, burns faster. Had the car die on the interstate at 75mph right in front of an 18-wheeler. Could have died. Could have been killed by the Nissan corporation. Know any good lawyers? this is really dangerous, Nissan should recall and replace this engine. Replaced catalytic converter, O2 sensor, pre-catalytic converter, spark plugs, some other related stuff. Burns oil even faster than before. Completely ran out of oil in 300 miles. I am trying 10-40 oil to see if the oil burning problem will slow down. Car only has 125000 miles on it. Complete pos. Never buy a Nissan, I never will again. This was my first, only 125k on it. I am used to selling perfectly good Ford and vws at 250k miles. On the internet most people fail the pre-cat and catalytic converter by 95000 miles, then overheat and blow the entire engine. Cars stopping suddenly at 75 miles an hour are going to kill people. Since Nissan is well aware, this is pre-meditated murder. Other symptoms: no power, no acceleration, no response by Nissan dealer. Nissan "service" is a joke. Never take a car to Nissan for repairs. Unrelated sign of really really bad engineering: paint is falling off car. Never had that happen to a car before, I have a 14 year old Ford with 240k and the original paint job, even though it is not garaged.

The vehicle has a defective catalytic converter that goes bad very quickly which results into junk being sucked into the engine. Eventually the engine gets blown or burns oil at an alarming rate. Everyone with the 2002 Nissan Altima has this problem and Nissan refuses to accept responsibility and make a recall. Nissan simply charges us thousands to replace the engine multiple times which of courses does not fix the problem.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. An independent mechanic was performing a diagnostic test on the vehicle to determine what cause the check engine light to illuminate; he stated that the exhaust and the catalytic converter were defective. The vehicle was also consuming oil excessively. The mechanic informed the contact the vehicle needed a new catalytic converter system, 3rd such repair. Oxygen sensors, a new ecm reflash and a new engine the 1st catalyst had apparently cause parts to be sucked into the engine which subsequently led to the failure of additional converters and engine oil consumption . The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that he would have to pay to have the vehicle repaired. The vehicle is having a remanuafactured engine, catalyst and sensors replaced at a cost of nearly $3000.

My car has been burning oil at a very fast rate, the check engine light has turned on, and my gas has lowered. My check oil light has never turned on, not even once in the 2 years that I have owned it.

My car burns a quart of oil a month at least, were is it going its to much to be evap from loose rings and my gaskets are good and I cant just keep changing catalytic converter 1 a month also my clutch doesn't seem to hold pressure it stays pretty sloppy and sometimes starts grabbing real low.

The car has an unusual oil consumption related to catalytic converter problems seems like. It is too many owners of this car having the same issue and base on their information there is not accountability from Nissan. This issue must be investigated by the authorities and enforce the quality material from Nissan for these car parts (catalytic and engine). This could be a hazard issue for possible fire or undesired gases on lungs and/or environment. Nissan must accept their wrong doing and responsibility for this poor quality materials and technology sell by them in our country. We must be protect from this cheap companies products without any work ethical. . Read more...

Engine was consuming oil at an accelerated rate (1+ qt per 2,000+ miles). Dealership conducted an oil consumption test beginning December 2011. It appears that when the catalytic converter goes out, it sucks in pieces of the converter substrate during the negative cycle. The small pieces of the converter then score the cylinder walls. After several months of the dealership monitoring the oil consumption, I was told that I would need a new engine. I took the car in to an independent mechanic for a second opinion. The cylinder compression test indicated the first cylinder was at about 82 psi and the other three cylinders ranged from 111 to 118 psi. Back at the Nissan dealership, the mechanic stated that the first cylinder is the one that is initially damaged by the pre-catalyst overheating. Nissan consumer affairs has told me they would not provide financial assistance in getting a new engine because I did not get a warranty when I bought the car used, and also because the mechanic who replaced the catalytic converter at 90,000 miles was not the Nissan dealership (Nissan case # 8897586). The car is suffering the effects identified on NHTSA campaign id 03v084000. There is the possibility the engine could catch on fire as identified in the campaign. I have meticulously recorded all of the repairs and oil changes to the car, only to have Nissan tell me that they will not provide me with any assistance with this issue. It appears to be a design flaw with the pre-catalyst overheating and subsequently casing grave damage to the engine. Thank you.

2002 Nissan Altima was serviced @ recall campaign in 2003. The dealership states the remedy was completed. However my car, overtime, shows the symptoms of a damaged catalyst substrate from the catalytic converter. These symptoms are exactly what is described in the original recall notice: ntb03-070d. Additionally my automobile has soot from burning oil in the tailpipe and has always run hot even though the dashboard temperature gauge, always stayed in the middle between hot and cold. I have taken my vehicle in for service and other recall notices, nothing was ever spoken of about this issue. Strange that an ase technician wouldn't see these symptoms, & report a potential problem. Only after my engine overheated and failed did I find the details of this problem; while researching my repair options online. The inspection process of the catalytic converter in my case seems to have not been properly preformed. I contacted the dealership to ask for the detailed service records for my Altima for that campaign. The service rep. Stated the repair was performed. I asked the service rep. To produce the inspection documentation for my vehicle's cat. System. He could not produce that documentation. I next called Nissan of na to file a notice. I stated my Altima may not have had the proper remedy to address the recall, and that damage was evident. I was informed that I would have to take my vehicle into a Nissan dealership for an inspection of the cat. System at my own expense. After the results of the inspection are noted, if it is warranted my case will be escalated to Nissan for review. I would like to follow up with further details if possible. If I cannot amend this complaint, I will document the resulting findings in another complaint and reference this number for correlation.

I bought a Nissan Altima 2002 2. 5 one month ago from her previous owner I drove the car back home it was smooth and perfect I put a temporary plates on it to do safety and emission test to it put before I do that I replaced the oil in it and after a couple of days I drove it to do the safety checks on it suddenly the car was making noise from the engine while I was driving on the highway and I was going about 100 and the car engine shutdown thank god I controlled the car on a highway filled with a lot of cars so I called a towtruck to take it a way from the street to the garage and when the mechanic looked and did some test on it he told me that it needs a new engine and it cost 1,500 to buy an engine I told him its impossible I just bought the car it cant be , I asked him how did this happen he told me that this car has a manufacture problem the programming of the crankshaft sensor gave the engine a wrong codes causing the engine to overheat and to burn more oil and because of that the engine is dead now he told me to call the Nissan dealership and give them the v. I. N number of the car I live in ottawa by the way and to ask if there is any recall on it so I did that and they told me to call the Nissan dealership in north America because its from there I did that I spoke with an agent and he told me yes there is arecall on it but we cant do anything about it because the car is nine years old now and the recall has ended tow years ago I told him why? its the dealership responsibility to make sure that they recall every damaged cars or some one will get hurt because of it that's first, second there was an investigation about this issue and there was alot of customers having the samething so its the dealership fault to make sure that every car has to be safe and perfect to drive it especially its a family car too so all im asking is that they have to take responsibility of this and to fix my car and every car that has a manufacture problem in it as soon as possible please. . . .

I have a 2002 Nissan Altima, that is burning oil. I have to put at least two quarts of oil in there every 2 weeks. Now my car is shuttering and hissing at me and not getting anymore when I accelerate. I'm being told that I will need a new catalytic converter and possibly an engine. Nissan is willing to do nothing about this issue. After doing some research I'm showing that this a common problem with this year of car and should be taken care of by Nissan. As a consumer what can be done. This is unfair to us, thinking we are buying a reliable car when it's really a piece of crap. I will never buy a Nissan again. Sticking to Honda's.

2002 Nissan Altima. Excessive oil consumption with no leak and problems with the vehicle starting. Dealer states head gasket is blown. Did not look at catalytic converter although I asked them to look into the problem as it mirrored issues car was recalled for. Nissan will not cover as a consequence of mileage 112,000. Many complaints online regarding the same issue. Please investigate for the thousands of owners who need your help.

I have a 2002 Nissan Altima, bought new, after 93,000 miles it burns excessive amounts of oil, and coolant. I've taken my car to Nissan dealerships for regular maintenance, recalls, etc. I've taken my car to several mechanics to find out why my car is doing this and a resolution has not been determined. Never have I been informed by Nissan of the issue at hand though it's a known issue. I have read and researched on the NHTSA website as well as other online mechanical forums and have seen multiple results of customers with the same complaint. The resolution for the majority of complaints was to replace the engine due to a catalytic converter recall/failure resulting in damage to the engine, continuously add oil as needed, sell/trade the car. I would like to know if there is a formal investigation that is ongoing or has been resolved. If resolved, what solution(s) have been determined to hold Nissan responsible for lack of informing consumers, not doing more to prevent further engine failure. Will Nissan provide a replacement engine, catalytic converter, and such as needed.

We have a 2002 Nissan Altima that has about 132xxx miles on it and it is burning oil at about 5 quarts in a week. We have changed the oil regularly prior to this problem starting, which was about 6 months ago. We took it to the dealership and were told we had a catalytic system failure and it was going to cost $900 to fix, then we were told that the engine would have to be replaced costing upwards of $4000. I have looked into this problem and found a ton of other people have had this problem just outside of the "warranty".

I had purchased my 2002 Nissan Altima from a private party and had noticed it was burning an usual amount of oil when I took it on its first long distance drive a week after I had purchased it. When I took it back to the party I had purchased the vehicle from they told me they would help research the issue but could not refund my money. We found this particle model had problems with the catalytic converter and if not repaired in time could and would damage the engine. We then found that my car had been fixed at the the 50,000 mile range at the dealership from whom the previous party had purchased the car. I contacted Nissan corporate and they told me I need to pay to get an oil consumption test done to ensure that is was indeed burning oil. After I paid a hundred dollars to have this done they told me there was nothing they would do ( at this time the vehicle still had under 90,000 miles). Since then I have have replaces another catalytic converter, valve cover, and numerous gallons of oil. My last visit to the shop I was told I'm now burn antifreeze and I needed a new engine.

I had a 2002 Nissan Altima with 125,000 miles. I was told by Nissan that my catalytic converter was bad and there was only one quart of oil in the engine after my check engine light came on. They added oil and I had to replace it again after only 2 weeks. I called the Nissan dealership about the excessive oil consumption and was told that the only thing I can do to fix this problem is to replace the engine. I have found that this is a huge problem with Altimas. I really think there needs to be a recall as this is not acceptable.

2002 Altima Nissan-problem with oil consumption. There is 196 pages of complaints regarding oil consumptions on 2002 Altima Nissan where this is causing the engine to fail. The car dies after driving, which can cause wrecks and even deaths. Nissan is aware of the problem and will not help with any of the cost to repair the vehicles. I am a single mother with 2 children and at this point don't have the funds to repair this vehicle. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The vehicle burns motor oil excessively. The contact is concerned that the engine could seize while driving. The failure has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 100,450.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled. Within a few hours, she was able to restart the vehicle without difficulty. In addition, the vehicle burned oil excessively. The contact confirmed that she the oil was changed at least three times a week. The dealer was called and stated that there were no related recalls for her VIN. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing or to be repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

2002 Nissan Altima 2. 5l s. Has started consuming oil despite regular maintenance andu se ig hoigh quality mobile 1 5w30 oil. In searching internet there are thousands of complaints from owners of this model year and engine. Nissan know about the issue and offers no relief. Time for a class action lawsuit. I have not had a car burn oil and have driven every one of my cars over 200,000 and sold them.

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

7/21/09- check engine light came on brought it into dealer and they tell me that my engine is shot and it needs to be replaced, $5,100 plus tax and labor. The parts from the pre-catalyst have be sucked through the exhaust and back into the engine scoring the cylinder walls, which increases my oil consumption and could result in a fire. After some research I discover that this has been a problem with hundreds of other people with the same model year as me. Nissan did a recall back in 05/03 (recall 3007) to try to fix this issue but proper measures were not taking. In national highway traffic safety administration action number- pe02078, it states that "Nissan is still developing a corrective action to address the pre-catalyst. " I have found no record that this work has ever been done, since 05/03 !?!?. My problem with Nissan is they have known about these problems with model year 2002 2. 5 liter Altimas and still after over six years of releasing this information to the public they never address any issue that would prevent this from happening. I have contacted Nissan and have been told that they have done all they can for me. With the issue of potential fire and sudden engine seizer I have not been able to drive my car since this issue has occurred. I would like Nissan to pay for all repairs that are needed due to this issue.

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

I have a 2002 Nissan sentra se-r with the 2. 5 liter (qr25de) engine I purchased new. This is the same engine that the problematic 2002 Nissan Altima has. My car has had numerous serious recalls, originating within the first year and a half I purchased it. Two years ago, my ses light went on. My car was still under warranty at this point as I'd purchased Nissan's "gold plus" warranty coverage. I was told it was a loose gas cap, they'd checked and performed all outstanding recalls, and all was fine. 8 months later, the ses light went on again. The car began to also exhibit signs of increased oil consumption. I had it checked, was told it was a cracked oil pan by an independent mechanic. Finally, I took it to Nissan. I was told I needed a new catalytic converter, the exact part that has been mentioned in several recalls on my vehicle, and since the car was out of warranty they would not pay for it. Estimate was $1200, which I got in writing, for the catalytic converter. I asked for records of what they had done to inspect and repair the recall previously. They had no record of it. I called Nissan north America, who told me the dealer kept the records, and to ask them. . Finally, an independent mechanic replaced the part. The ses light went on two weeks later. The independant mechanic said the pre-catalytic converter was damaged/falling apart, also listed in my recall explicitly. The dealer had misdiagnosed the car. Called dealer, wrote letter, bbb complaint, Nissan complaint, no response. Had pre-cat replaced for $600. Ses light came on again. Eventually, my car stalled and wouldn't start. I had it towed to a repair facility who informed me my engine was blown, replaced for $4k. A screw had been found in the third cylinder. This is also listed in some of the 'bulletins' Nissan distributed to their dealers. I've tried a demand letter, no response. Obviously, no one inspected my car for recalls, or repaired the faulty parts.

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

Major oil consumption at 80,000 miles.

I own a 2002 Nissan Altima with the 2. 5l engine. Excessive oil consumption lead to damage to the engine and having to get it rebuilt approximately one year ago. Purchased the car new and while I drive a lot of miles each year there was no indication in terms of warning lights that the engine oil was low. This probably lead to damage to the engine in addition to that possibly caused by the other design defects (I. E. Pre-catalyst) in this model. There should be some penalty to Nissan for lack of owning up to the problems that they must have been aware of for this many years.

I purchased this car from a dealer used (2nd owner) in 2005 with approx 37,000 miles. Ran fine. During the first year it was noticed it burned alot of oil, however had no oil leak. Also began having heating issues (which persist)in the way that it will only give off heat if car is moving at 2rpms or higher. Check engine light was on probably within first 6 months and has only not been on since then when a mechanic "resets" it--and that lasts short period(like week). This car died while driving on the interstate for no apparent reason winter of 2009. It was found to need new engine. Replacement with used engine approx $4,000. 00. This engine promptly died in less than a month and yet again needed to be replaced. A 2005 motor was then put in my car, but guess what?? same problem with oil mysteriously vanishing and no leaking on ground and no leak to be found. Spring of 2010 all recall work done, including sensor 03v084000 which could cause a fire. Now find out catalytic converter is bad. Also through web-browsing that this can cause check engine light to be on all the time, is related to the recalled sensor, as well as the need for engine replacement. The cold air issue appears unrelated to this and is caused by air in the heating/cooling system, however this too is very common Nissan Altima problem. It seems to me that Nissan is putting bandaid on bigger issue by recalling only sensor and not addressing the fact that this is causing bigger, much costlier problems for the consumer. I have been able to find 100's of people on the internet who are complaining about the same exact thing. I also personally know 3 other "02 Nissan Altima owners who share this issue. I have easily put $8,000 into this car for problems related to the engine only. This is seems to be a widespread problem and should be addressed in a serious manner. Thank you.

This complaint is in reference to the following: NHTSA action number: pe02078 Nissan na made some preventive changes to the 2002 Nissan Altima as requested to by law. However the changes Nissan na made were not sufficient nor successful. It appears that the preventive service Nissan provided has only prolonged the outcome. Thousands of 2002 Nissan Altima owners are currently experiencing oil consumption problems with a direct relation to a failure in the catalyst converter. After inspection of the catalyst converter noticeable chucks of the catalyst converter are missing. Nissan na is very aware of the problem and they are selectively fixing some consumers vehicles. If the consumers vehicle is outside their power train warranty Nissan na refuses to assist the consumer with fixing the problem. Safety should not be limited to a percentage of miles or to a period of time.