Engine Exhaust System problems of the 2002 Nissan Altima - part 2

Purchased a new Nissan Altima in sept. 2002 and was recently told that I need a new engine. I have an excellent maintenance record. Brought the car in last month for a loud grinding noise in the engine but was told that they "couldn't find anything wrong. " then the engine started a racing noise and I immediately dropped it off. Now I am told that I need a new engine at the tune of $4,700. 00. I only have 94,000 miles on the vehicle. I have filed a complaint and am waiting for a response. I have had all of the numerous recalls fixed over the past eight years.

I purchased a vehicle from city Ford Lincoln Mercury located in bronx, NY. . On 4/11/2009. . The next day when I went to pick up the car it started making loud noises. I called and informed the dealership of the situation. I went to the dealership three times before they decided to take it in to their repair shop. . They never fixed the car and they're giving me the run around. They expect to take the car back and the engine is smoking and making loud noises worse then it was when I had it. . I need help on how I go about getting the dealership to fix the car. . They've offered me to get another car & have it financed rather for them to fix the car or provide me with a refund.

2002 Nissan Altima stalling out while driving. Losing power and not reaching speeds above 45 mph. Read several reviews from other customers with engines going bad and started out with the same issues and problems with hard crank, and catalytic converter going bad and causing engines to go bad.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The vehicle was purchased new in 2001. The contact took the vehicle to jiffy lube for an oil change and the oil light illuminated on the instrument panel one week later. She checked the dipstick and noticed that there was no oil in the vehicle. She took the vehicle back to jiffy lube and oil was added; however, the oil light illuminated again. She took the vehicle to a firestone shop and they found no oil in the engine. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine needed to be replaced because oil was entering into the exhaust system and the piston ring. The dealer further stated that the vehicle was out of warranty; therefore, the contact would have to pay for the repair. A report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that her VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer stated that they would call her back. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 111,000.

Catalytic converter failure, head gasket failure; engine and catalytic converter must be replaced.

Nissan 2002 2. 5 sl has to be checked once a week because the engine loses oil. When the oil is checked it is completely dry. Oil has to be put in the car once a week. The engine knocks and comes close to shutting down.

I purchased a Nissan Altima 02 on sept 08. After three days I found out the oil was low took it to Nissan dealership and was told that I need a brand new engine. One day my wife came and pick me up at work and the car won't start again. I took it to the mechanics and they still can't find the problem with it and I am suspecting because my mechanic told me one time that the catalytic converter was bad. Nissan will not get away with it as a matter of fact my mechanics told me that all Nissan Altima with that type has the same problem.

A month or so ago, the check engine light went on and I took it to the Nissan dealership for diagnosis. My car is a 2002 Nissan Altima 2. 5s, 104,000 miles and the mechanic stated it needs a catalytic converter and possibly a new engine . The vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe) in 2004, but that recall has not corrected the issue. The vehicle has not been repaired yet. This is ridiculous- there are hundreds, if not thousands of exact failures and no recall??? Nissan should be investigated for not repairing the matter. The small fix in 2004 did nothing to avert the long term issue. The maintenance records to this car are impeccable. Oil changes documents every 3000-5000 miles using top grade synthetic synpower motor oil. There is no reason for this type of failure aside from design flaws.

I had purchased a Nissan 2002 Altima from a dealer as certified vehicle. I have bought two other cars from the same dealer and in addition all the cars were always serviced by the same dealer. Since last two years the "service engine soon" light comes on and on one such occasion I was informed by the same dealership that the cat convertor had failed and the same needs to be replaced . Recently the car has failed mv inspection with two codes p0420 and p1217. There is a similar recall # pe02078 on 268,000 cars on oct. 2002 (I bought the car in 2005, and have no knowledge if this issue has been taken care of or not. ) the mv inspection report clearly indicates the failure of catalytic converter and requires repairs and monitors set for re-inspection. The inspection also notes a voluntary recalls ntb07-081 and ntb03-070c for pre-catalyst. The federal law requires emissions waranties (as per the mv inspection report)for at least 80000 miles and I have no idea if this was corrected on my vehicle on nisan's voluntary recall. I had not opted to repair this when the mechanic at dealer informed the reason for "service engine soon" at 82080 miles as the cost was exhorbitant and until I had similar problem (recall)with a Ford windstar van thru" NHTSA and was solved by the dealer. (I was about to junk that car, thanks to nhsta).

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the motor was ruined because the catalytic converter was disintegrated due to particles entering the engine. The engine was burning oil rapidly and in addition, the interior heat failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed him he would need to replace the engine and offered no further assistance. The manufacturer was contacted who informed him that the vehicle was out of warranty and offered no further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 127,250.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated that the catalytic converter was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was previously repaired under recall NHTSA campaign id number: 03v084000, engine and engine cooling exhaust system manifold header/muffler/tail pipe). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power. The contact managed to pull the vehicle over and was unable to restart the engine. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the catalytic converter overheated and shattered. The shattered pieces entered into the motor, which caused the engine to completely fail. The only remedy would be to install a new engine and a new exhaust. The contact was informed that the reason for the defect was due to the size of the catalytic converter that was manufactured into the vehicle by Nissan. She believes that a recall should be issued for the failure. The vehicle is currently at the dealer and has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.

My 2002 Nissan Altima's check engine light came on. The car started running sluggish, and totally ran out of oil! mechanic said I needed a new engine. I bought one - and that one went on the fritz two days after fixing it. The diagnostics test said it was an O2 sensor. It ran out of oil. Now I find out the car is a lemon, after I bought a new engine to boot. Two engines are ruined in this car, and I still don't have it paid for.

Well maintained 2002 Nissan Altima. . . . Followed all maintenance schedules, had all recalls performed all work performed at Nissan dealerships. Has had continual oil consumption issues, had heat issues, catalytic converter failure leading to full engine failure. Nissan denies any wrong doing and will not help due to mileage on the car. However this problem started well within the warranty period and the dealership(s) did not do let us know about a known problem with the design (catalytic converter in front of the exhaust). There are 1000 of consumers on the internet with the exact same problem.

1. Events- vehicle constantly miss-fired. 2. Failure- screws in butterfly valve came out, were passed through piston, damaged spark plugs and came to rest in the exhaust manifold. 3. Correction- part "air plenum gasket". Labor "r&r upper air plenum intake" and "r&r exhaust manifold to remove screw".

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.

Many problems with the catalytic converter, check engine light remains on although vehicle has been serviced at the dealer properly. Engine rattles. There have been many complaints regarding the 2002 Nissan Altima catalytic converter. Although previous recalls with the engine coolant system have been honored Nissan fails to recognize there is a problem with the catalytic converter. Many consumers have complained.

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.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. While performing a diagnostic, the dealer stated that the main catalyst failed due to increased oil consumption in the engine. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). The failure mileage was 137,000.

I have a 2002 Nissan Altima that I purchased with 57,000 miles (2nd owner). In December 2006 with about 68,000 miles on vehicle, the catalytic converter blew up. I had this replaced and at 76,000 miles I took the vehicle in to complain about the oil/coolant and metallic noise from engine. The dealer said they could not find a problem, at 86,000 the dealer said I needed a new motor since there were particles that had been sucked in from the cat, they wanted $5,900 to replace. I called and spoke to representatives of Nissan north America and lodged a complaint, after about a week I received a call from them stating that they would not repair or help with costs. I was forced to find an alternate repair option and purchased a rebuilt motor, the problem with this was after a few weeks the "service engine" light came on. I tried smogging the vehicle and was unable to, I finally found out that the cause of the problem was the catalytic converter again, I had the cat replaced again ($750) and I was able to get it smogged. This was only 3-4 weeks ago and about 1 week ago I took the car back to the shop and was informed that the rattling/grinding noise is coming from the engine again!! please help me with this, I have nothing but problems with this vehicle since I purchased it with only 57,000 miles on it. The problem with the catalytic converter on the 2002-06 Altima/sentra with the 2. 5l motors is a "factory defect"!! there are thousands of the same exact complaints on numerous sites. Nissan should be held responsible for this defect. I now have a vehicle that I pay $300 a month for that I have put an engine & 2 cat's in, and now it needs another motor. This is ridiculous for a car company to sell vehicles and not stand behind what they make.

My 2002 Nissan Altima 2. 5 began to experience engine failure in December of 2007. It started with an engine code . Referred to the catalyst converter. I had begun searching for evidence of a bigger problem prior to taking it to the dealer. There are hundreds of people on different forums describing the exact same symptoms for the same car. Not ironic, disturbing. The vehicle has been maintained properly and preventable maintenance performed regularly. I also had hard to start problems . Recently took my vehicle into the Nissan dealer because I could not figure out what was going on. I kept loosing coolant and oil and I did not have any witness marks on my driveway to prove that it was leaking. At times you can smell the sweet odor of antifreeze inside the vehicle. After Nissan service visit, the service rep said that I needed a new engine. . Catalytic converter broke up and was sucked back into the engine. Here is what the invoice reads. Invoice: ecm recall could not perform recall veh has e-lights that need to be corrected?multi point visual inspection only?inspection performed rec engine assy and cat related parts a/c low pressure hose?cust states veh losing coolant and has a miss ck diag and chck out time only?cust states veh has coolant leak and miss1. 00 inspection veh for coolant leak but found no visible leak. Misfire found inspected plugs and found they're fouled out and have corrosion type substance on them?veh poss burning coolant. Inspected cat and found is coming apart. Rec engine cat and related parts cust declined repairs? note has replaced o2sensors, spark plugs. I asked the service rep why Nissan wouldn't pay for this if this was obviously a design problem. She simply responded by saying that all they would do is the work but I would have to pay for everything. They told me to contact Nissan headquarters if I had a complaint. It doesn't seem that many of my fellow Altima owner?s have had much luck with that. Nissan be responsible. Lives may depend it.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 30 mph on normal road conditions, the check engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact also heard excessive noise coming from the engine. The warning indicator remained lit until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the catalytic converter. The vehicle was excluded from the recall due to the mileage and has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 84,000 and current mileage was 85,721.

The technician performed a diagnostic test on my 2002 Nissan Altima because the service engine soon light came on. The problem was due a defect in catalytic converter, which is damaging my engine. I have to get it replace, but it costs $1500. My car has only 84,000 miles on it. Also, I take it in for an oil change at every 3,000 miles and for regular check ups. So I researched it online and discovered that there are hundreds of complaints on the catalytic converter. Below are the links to some of the websites with complaints from the Altima drivers on their catalytic converter. . Read more...

Service engine light came on in my 2002 Nissan Altima. Took it to the mechanic and was told the cat converter was bad. Checked website to see if others had the same issue and discovered that hundreds of individuals had the same issue and after replacing the cat converter, had to replace the whole engine. . Read more...

My 2002 Nissan Altima needs a new engine at 83,000 miles. This is a widespread problem, I found and Nissan is not doing anything to rectify the matter. Engines that are well taken care of should not die at 83,000 miles. This all started in June when my car started becoming difficult to start. I brought my Nissan into the dealership for some recall items and asked them to check the hard start while it was in there. They couldn't find anything wrong and suggested a fuel system tune up (which I did) and if that didn't work I might need a new fuel pump. This worked well for a while but then it started again. I paid for new spark plugs, oil changes, air filters, all seemed to help for a day and the hard start would happen again. Suddenly the computer finally got a read of O2 sensor and catalytic converter. I called Nissan consumer affairs because this problem started happening before the 80,000 mile warranty ran out and it was mis-diagnosed. They told me that there was nothing they could do about it unless I brought my car to the dealer, which I did. When I got there they told me I needed a new engine on top of the O2 sensor and catalytic converter. And that Nissan denied my request to honor the warranty.

I have a 2002 Nissan Altima 2. 5 s model, the car started to use excessive amounts of oil and coolant. Took car to a Nissan dealer and the service dept. Told me I need a new engine and without having the service dept. Disassemble the engine they can't determine what the failure of is. This car only has 98k on it and is and was taken very good care of. I've heard of others who own Nissan Altimas having the same symptoms and problems. The Nissan dealer told me there is nothing they or Nissan of America can or will do. I know that Nissan has had problems and they will not do anything to help.

2002 Nissan Altima 2. 5sl with 119k miles, purchased brand new from dealership, excessive oil consumption with check engine light on. Nissan refuses to accept any responsibility for poor emission/engine construction. Appears we need a new engine due to converter breaking down and being sucked into engine.

At 78k miles, the service engine light came on, and soon after, it started excessive oil consumption followed by a significant drop in power, especially in take-off speed. Took it to the dealer and was informed that I need to change the engine for close to $5000. Apparently, there are hundreds if not thousands of customers with the same problem. I found out about the extent of the problem after I did a simple google search. The root cause of this failure mode seems to be the same as well as attested by people who have the problem. Catalytic converter that was oddly designed too close to the engine thermally wears and sends chips into the engine where by scorching the cylinder.

File #6258697 2002 Altima my complaint involves a qr25de engine installed in my Altima. I like to give you some background on the engine and then talk about my problem. The qr25de is in the 2002-present Nissan altman 2. 5, 2. 5s, 2. 5sl 175hp, hybrid 158hp. The qr25de sold in the united states has been subject to a significant number of problems in its short lifetime. A variety of mechanical flaws have led to numerous technical service bulletins, recalls, repairs, and outright engine replacements. Vehicles with the qr25de may ingest material from a damaged pre-catalyst resulting in increased oil consumption. The pre-catalyst was replaced at 79,000 miles and shortly thereafter realize the engine was consuming more oil but nothing that significant. I started to notice more oil being consumed at 117,000 called Nissan and started a file they suggested I take the car to a Nissan dealer and check out the problem. The car broke down and I had it towed to Nissan and they looked at the car and told me the catalytic converter was gone at 118,151 miles and it was replaced at a cost of $825. 65. At the same time they checked for oil leaks and said there were no leaks and top off the oil and told me to bring the car back. The car was driven 1062 miles brought it back to Nissan dealership and was told it was down 3 quarts. They filled the oil back up and after 261 miles the oil light came on brought it back to Nissan and found it to be down 4 quarts and was told the engine was gone. Unsuspecting customers have let the oil run completely dry which could lead to engine fire or complete shutdown of engine while driving on the highway. Nissan consumer affairs reviewed the case and denied responsibility for a poor design and Nissan is letting many consumers in my situation pay for a new engine. I little research on this particular engine will yield many more unsatisfied consumers. The car had oil changes at 3000 miles intervals.

Own a 2002 Nissan Altima; replaced catalytic converter 6/2005 @ 71k miles. It fell under federal emissions warranty. 7/2008 service engine light on again and seem to be burning through oil. Took into balise Nissan - converter needs to be replaced again, needs more expensive tests to diagnose oil issue. Googled 2002 Nissan Altima problems, consumer affairs website had post after post of owners with the same problem as I've had/having. Ultimate fix, need to replace engine. One man replaced engine twice and car is still not correct. Called Nissan headquarters, the regional rep, catherine, who was extremely rude as though I was trying to accomplish something terrible, said she reviewed my complaint and there is nothing Nissan will do because there are no recalls pending and the car is a 2002 and now has 126k on it and my warranty expired. I told her the initial problem happened while I was still under warranty and obviously that had to be a problem also because a well maintained vehicle, regardless of mileage should not burn through 2 catalytic converters in 6 years and also need a new engine. I also tried to bring her attention to the countless other owners with the same issue, she did not want to discuss it. There is an obvious problem with the vehicles. . . Please help!!!!!.

2002 Nissan Altima - engine is going through 2 quarts of oil every 100 miles. I have done some simple research on this and find that hundreds of people have the same problem and apparently Nissan is aware of it yet claim that there is no problem. The basics of the issue are that an internal part of the catalytic converter is getting sucked back up into the engine scoring the cylinder. My daughter's car has about 100,000 miles on it however there are complaint after complaint on various blogs of the same thing happening as soon as 50-60,000 miles. Her car has had regular maintenance and this should not be an issue. The cost of replacing the engine is $5,000. I have read stories of engines having been replaced 2 times on the same car. Does Nissan have to address this or can they just blow off the customer and pretend that there is no issue with the motor, converter etc?.

2002 Altima 2. 5 engine- began using oil, a little between changes, increased to using 4 quarts for a 16 mile round trip. Car began to smoke , becoming a hazard to operate, due to the tremendous amount of smoke screen. Was told by mechanic , Nissan has issued a bulletin, but not recall on problem of cat. Converter failure, causing engine to fail around 100k.

My complaint is the same as about 50 other complaints I found on this site. My check engine light came on and when we brought it to the dealer to get it fixed, we were told that the catalytic convert failed and the engine ingested particles that scored the cylinder heads. Now the engine needs to be replaced. We contacted Nissan to see if they would help differ the cost of the repair and was told the catalytic converter was past the 80,000 mi. Warranty period and we did not buy enough Nissan vehicles in the past to warrant any good will. In fact the region Nissan rep refused to even acknowledge that she had heard of this problem before even though the dealer told me that they see a large number of this same problem every year. In reading recalls like 03v084000, it appears that this is a known defect that Nissan has agreed to repair voluntarily, but is now not standing behind their agreement. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to persuade Nissan to help out. Also, my vehicle has been experiencing all of the symptoms of the 03v455000 recall but the dealer tells me that this recall was already performed by the previous owner. Even the dealers own diagnostic test shows the p0335 ckp sensor circuit error code is still a problem. Can a recall be performed twice if a failure occurs again? the info provide in your description of the remedy for this recall seems to indicate that the circuit boards installed under the previous recall 01v357 were still defective. What should I do?.

Nissan (woodfield Nissan, hoffman estates, IL) is not forthright in acknowledging recall # ntb03-070c and is not willing repairing this know hazard.

Engine started burning oil before 100,000 miles. Come to find out not only does this vehicle have a bad cata lytic converter but that many Nissan buyers got struck with the same drama and unbelievable costs that Nissan will take no responsibility for. Now my dream car is dead in the driveway and Nissan wants $4600 for an engine and I still owe $7900 on the car. This is a nightmare.