Three problems related to engine knocking noise have been reported for the 2002 Nissan Altima. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Nissan Altima based on all problems reported for the 2002 Altima.
I bought this 2002 Nissan Altima ($4500 at randy marion dealership in hickory, nc) for my wife on January 20th, 2015. The car had 123,000 miles on it. Just 5 or 6 days later, the engine light came on engine started making a loud knocking sound when you crank it up after it had sat for a while. I checked the oil level and it needed a quart of oil, so I added a quart. The noise came back after 2 days. This immediately became a mandatory issue to check the oil level and add more oil every 2 to 3 days. It is now August 7th and I have to check and refill the oil every day! I started my research for complaints on this vehicle and found thousands of complaints on the same issue along with recalls for replacing the ecm, catalytic converter and/or engine. The ecm recall applied to this car, so I had that done on July 30th along with an oil change. On top of that, I just spent $1006. 62 to get the catalytic converter replaced yesterday along with a quart of oil. Got the knocking sound again this morning. I took it to the closest dealership this morning and they said it needs a new engine. My wife and I are so upset now. We feel like we were sold someone else's problem (certified lemon) from a dealership that should not have resold it in the first place. How much more complaints is going to be needed for someone to make Nissan fix this problem???.
Car uses excessive amounts of engine oil and low oil light never comes on to warn driver, can only determine that it is low by engine knocking noise. Average oil consumption about 1 - 2 quarts every 300 miles also heater does not work when car is idleling only works when driving. Check engine light constantly comes on code states cat converter bad. Continous problem has been going on since car had about out 90,000 miles. Car also turns off after running and will crank but does not start after multiple tries.
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the check engine warning indicator would continuously illuminate. The dealer could not determine why the indicator continued to illuminate and stated that there was rust around the fuel tank. On a separate occasion, the engine began to make a knocking sound and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. It was determined that the knocking noise originated from the overhead cam component of the engine. There was no oil in the vehicle, although the contact maintained regular maintenance and oil changes every 3,000 miles. His VIN was not included in any of the recalls that described the same failures he experienced (NHTSA campaign id numbers 03v455000 and 03v455000). The failure mileage was 32,500 and current mileage was 86,600.