Engine problems of the 2002 Nissan Altima

My vehicle has shut off three times while driving in traffic. Of course, this has been extremely dangerous each time, and we have been very lucky to avoid accidents. Each time, we have had to find a way to get the vehicle to a safe location, and have it towed. Because various mechanics have been unable to properly diagnose the problem, we have given up on driving the vehicle. We have now been through three alternators, a battery, and some wiring. After having previously said parts replaced, I decided to try the dealer. I dropped the vehicle off at the Nissan dealership one morning before work. They called me at work and told me that a bolt had been welded to the alternator, and that it would cost me about $800 to resolve the problem. They also assured my wife that there was no recall on the vehicle. I told them not to fix it. When I went to inspect it myself, it was plainly evident that the bolt was not welded to the alternator, it was just not fully tightened down. Since complaining to Nissan recalls about poor service and the vehicle shutting off, I have been told that there is in fact a recall on my year, make, and model, but not on my specific VIN. I have also been promised that a regional manager would be in contact with me. I have called back asking to speak with this regional manager,and they keep telling me he will call me in two business days. It has been at least two weeks now. Nhtsa id number: 03v455000. 2002 Nissan Altima, 3. 5se.

2002 Nissan Altima engine has hole in the side. I was told they had a recall to put a shied between the engine and the catalytic converter. I think this was done to stop the heat from the cat. Convertor from fatiguing the block. Wellon my car they did the recall but it didn't work! I had to put another engine in the car! I have also put a complaint in for the floor boards rotting out on the same car! Nissan doesn't carethat they have built cars with defects!!! these problems should both have been fixed for free!!! these two problems will cost me thousands to fix!!!.

There were no significant events leading up to this failure. Vehicle has been meticulously maintained. Failure was recognized by cel p0420. Catalytic converters were replaced. Now engine has lost power and is emitting smoke. Coolant and engine oil are dropping at increasing rates requiring constant attention but have never been allowed to be "dry. " now engine needs to be replaced. This appears to be consistent with many other claims which Nissan denies.

I made a complaint by phone regarding my 2002 Nissan Altima and have yet to hear back or get a copy as promised of my complaint. Due to the many complaints, concerns and problems related to this year ,make and model ,you would think Nissan would be a little bit more concerned and wanting to remedy the problems that exist to avoid legal action for ignoring a potently dangerous problem that could be deadly . All though I have not been hurt physically ,mentally I am beside myself thinking if you cant get Nissan to step up to the plate then who can???? I had a engine replaced by Nissan dealership and it did not last 20,000 miles before the catalytic converter fell apart and got sucked up in the engine. . Nissan is aware of the recalls for this year/make/model???? its time to do something as you have pages and pages of complaints regarding this exact thing and it is obvious Nissan will do nothing because they get away with it time and time again. . They are worse than Toyota, at least Toyota admits there is a problem. . . Please let me know what and when you intend on doing something to get Nissan to do what's right?/?.

Engine needs to be replaced due to a time chain and other engine parts being defective. Vehicle currently has 91,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 mph, the vehicle completely shut off. The contact coasted to the side of the road and was towed to an authorized dealership for a diagnostic test. The dealer informed her that the mass air flow sensor was defective. The failure mileage was 93,338. The current mileage was approximately 98,000. Updated 07/02/10.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the crankshaft sensor malfunctioned. The failure occurred several times before. The vehicle was taken to a local shop where the contact was informed that the crank shaft sensor and the cam shaft sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 65,000.

The vehicle lost power and shut off while I was driving at about 45mph on several occasions.

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).

I have an 02 Nissan Altima. It is consuming my oil and anitfreeze. I was told that I needed a new engine and a new cat. My car randomly dies and will not start most of the time.

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.

My car has a recall for the engine. I took time off from work to go and get my car serviced. The same day of the service, my car "service engine soon" light came on and the car had poor performance. I called the dealership back to explain the situation, and the service person told me to bring it back in. I told them I needed a loaner car so I could go to work. They insisted that they do not issue loaners anymore, so I proceeded to obtain another way. I called the dealership, on several occasions to let them know it was a problem getting my car in without the courtesy of a loaner. In June 2008, I tried to obtain my license but the car failed the emission test. I contacted the Nissan headquarters with my complaint making several calls and leaving messages. A regional manager assistant contacted me to let me know the manager will call me within 3 days. She did not contact me like she promised, so I kept calling until finally I requested someone call me ASAP. I received a call on Thursday, 7/31/08 from the regional specialist stating that the problem I am having has nothing to do with the emission test failure and added there was nothing they could do. She referred me to the dealership and stated she has nothing to do with their decision. I called the dealership and the serviceman stated that he had spoken to the regional specialist and when I bring the car in I would have to pay for diagnostic costs and repair services, because it is probably not their problem. As of now, the problem of my car not being repaired and unsafe has not been resolved, which was stated could result in a fatal accident.

My 2002 Nissan Altima (2. 5l) started out with O2 sensors needing replaced, the overheating, no coolant, loosing oil, replaced crank sensor, had all recalls done electronic control module (ecm). Now I am left with having to replace my engine. This seems like a problem out of most 2002 Nissan Altima with 2. 5 according to the internet searches I have completed. I feel Nissan needed to recall the whole engine.

My car wouldn't start. I notified Nissan, they towed my car in. My car had several recalls. Nissan checked my car and reset my ecm. When I went to get my car from mitchell Nissan which is 30 miles away. They told us that I had a possible head or coil failure. When we left the dealership we didn't check the oil cause when they reprogrammed they suppose to have checked everything. When my husband checked that's when we found out it was no oil. I drove my car 30 miles with no oil. My car is a 2002 Altima I checked the recalls and saw that the 2. 5 2006 Altimas has a recall on the engine as well as the sensor like the earlier years. The recalls states something about the ecm and about the pistons and driving without oil. Now I have to get my engine replaced and Nissan is saying it is not on them. My car was not acting up nor smoking until it cut off and had to be reprogrammed. I feel this messed up my engine.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the engine does not start. When the engine does start, the vehicle shutters and then shuts off. The vehicle was taken to the repair shop, but the engine is still not working properly. The current mileage was 109,000 and failure mileage was 100,000.

Engine cylinder walls are scored and using an excess amount of oil also catalytic converter is no good.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced difficulty starting and consumed large amounts of oil and coolant. The dealer changed the spark plugs, but the failures still persist. The failures began six months ago. The VIN was unknown. The current mileage was 70,400 and failure mileage was 60,000.

My engine still dies out while driving.

My 2002 Nissan Altima 2. 5s appears to have pieces of the catalytic converter in the engine cylinder, causing an engine misfire. When doing research on the internet I find hundreds of owners of this same model vehicle with the same problem and in most cases they are being denied any help from Nissan due to the vehicle being out of warranty. It is obvious that there is a definite pattern of premature problems/failures with this model that Nissan refuses to address. It is time that nhsta uses their influence to get this company to stand behind these defective vehicles!.

I own a 2002 Nissan Altima 2. 5s. I have seen that they have issued recalls for newer models based on the engine consuming excessive amounts of oil. I have noticed the same thing happening on my car for the past few years. I have mentioned it to the dealer on a couple of occasions and have been sort of blown off and told I am not changing the oil often enough. I recently was in the dealership for a recall for the undercarriage and while there had a 90000 mile service done. After that service, the engine was going through oil roughly every 500 miles or so. It used to go through it every 4000 miles or so, which seems incredibly quick. I think the problem is not just on the newer models but on older models as well. From what I have read, this could be a fire hazard and would like the matter looked into further.

Nissan Altima 2. 5 2002 in 2006 my car was using 2 or 3 quarts of oil every three thousand miles. Luckily my car was still under warranty, but Nissan and the Nissan dealership were very reluctant to provide help. Finally after months of testing, ten trips to the dealership, calls to corporate, and a trip to the dealership with my father, they finally replaced my engine. They would not, however, tell me exactly what the problem was and why the engine had to be replaced. Now, two years later, I am facing the exact same problems. The dealership says I need a new catalytic converter and new O2 sensor. Another one thousand dollars! after researching this car and others who are facing the same problems I am convinced Nissan should take responsibility and a recall should be mandatory. Thank you for your help.

My 2002 Altima is using oil excessively. One quart in 500 -700 miles.

Too many issues to remember than all but I'll try: - excessive oil use - excessive coolant use - overheating to the aforementioned issues - intermittent transmission issues - failing airbag - electrical issues - broken sensors - catalytic converters gone bad - oxygen sensors gone bad - intermittent failure to start - intermittent car shaking and so on.

The oxygen sensor on my 2002 Nissan Altima overheated and destroyed itself. The fragments of the sensor shattered the main catalytic converter and pieces of the parts mixed with the oil damaging the entire engine, ie. Pistons and other internal components, rendering the engine not serviceable. New engine is needed at a cost of about six thousand dollars. I have notified Nissan consumer affairs representative and I am waiting for their response.

My 2002 Altima had the recall for the heat shields and every other one I was notified about. My car started consuming excessive amounts of oil. On approximately may 5 I drove the car in the morning, parked it in my moms yard, went to leave and it would not start. I called the dealer and had to tow at my expense the car to them. The car has 71,000 miles on it but I had purchased an extended warranty so I thought I was okay. Well dealer says that to tear it apart and find out what was wrong he needed to get authorization from the warranty company. I was informed that because I did all the oil changes myself, they wouldn't authorize it, even though I could get a statement from the garage attesting to this fact along with my own personal log where I recorded all my gas ups and oil changes. Any ideas how I can get them to fix this car I still owe three years on it. And I think it is bs they don't know what is wrong, they know exactly what is wrong they just don't want to payup. My car failed exactly how they described it would on aol the other complaints I read about, there was a problem with solder and they know it!!! thank you, mike redmond.

The car had been using a little oil prior to the event. On my way out of town on the highway my car caught fire and blew the engine.

Reporting 2002 Nissan Altima accident/fire; and requesting assistance on how to get reimbursed for auto repairs. The consumer was involved in an accident in which he re ended another vehicle. The vehicle sustained severe front end damage and the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle was totaled due to fire and water damage. The other vehicle drove away from the accident with little to no damage.

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that there was a recall for his vehicle. The dealer stated that he needs a new engine, but the contact believes that the dealer damaged what they were trying to prevent. Nissan and the consumer affairs office did not offer any assistance in the matter. The recall repair was performed in January of 2004 and the head gasket was repaired that same year. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 145,400 and failure mileage was 67,000.

The consumer noticed every 1000 miles the engine consumed one quart of oil. The dealer was unable to find a problem.

The consumer noticed that the engine consumed 1/2 quart of oil every 1500 miles. The dealer replaced the engine.

The vehicle failed to start.

Hot air blowing in vents, burns 1/2 qt. Oil every 1,000 miles, Nissan wants to replace engine.

The first failure was on 2/28/02. The car stopped on my husband on the interstate & was towed back to the dealer. The crank sensor was defective & was replaced. Exactly one weeek later on 3/7/02, the car was taken back to the dealer where a defective coil to the crank sensor was found defective & replaced. On 5/10/02, the car stopped on me in the middle of the street & after being towed back to the dealer, the crack sensor was found to be defective again! it was replaced & I wrote to Nissan about our concerns. On 6/4/02 the car againstopped on my husband on the interstate. Again a letter was sent to Nissan (as well as several Nissan vps) and as of today (three weeks later) we do not have our vehicle, nor do we want that one back! the dealer has loaned us a vehicle, but we are currently paying for a car that Nissan obviously cannot fix or do not know how to repair! they say that they are waiting on a part, but my husband & I do not trust a vehicle that will stop in the middle of the road without warning! I am trying all avenues to get help with this situation. Obviously, we purchased a lemon (& have met TN's lemon law), but this is a serious safety issue for me & my family! are other brand-new Altimas having similar defects? also, why is Nissan refusing to replace our brand-new no-defective vehicle? please feel free to contact me at any time.

When putting the key inside of ignition switch to start vehicle it starts intermittently, and then shutoff without prior warning. Dealership was aware of problem.

Consumer was never notified about recall 03v084000 for debris/fire in the engine although the VIN number was included. Vehicle was serviced several times for this problem by the dealership, and nothing was ever said about recall.