Check Engine Light On problems of the 2003 Nissan Altima - part 1

Tl the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while drive at various speeds, the vehicle check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the rear and front catalytic converters and the oxygen (O2) sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle then was taken to bosak Nissan (220 verplank rd, burns harbor, in 46304 (219) 787-1777) to be inspected. The contact was informed that the VIN was not subjected to a recall. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated the ecm needed to be repaired. The vehicle was towed to royal Nissan of cortland 3901 west rd, cortland, NY 13045(607) 753-9774 where diagnosed that the spark plugs were rusted to vehicle and head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 147,000. Ap.

This vehicle is on its second catalytic converter and flex pipe, I previously changed them in autum of 2017. After installing a brand new one from rockauto. Com eastern catalytic for $290 less than two months later I got a check engine light on my car. I took it to two mechanics and advanced auto parts where the diagnostic tool read code p0420 low efficiency bank 1. I had no money to replace it and now it's so clogged up it's shooting carbon monoxide back inside the vehicle causing me to end up at the emergency room where they told me I had symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. I am suffering from memory loss, noncoherent speech, unable to see 20/20 vision and chest pain. I hope you here at the nation highway transportation safety board can do something when it comes to all these cheap parts coming I from china and being sold to people as if there high quality goods. I have to drive with my windows down in the middle of winter due to high levels of this poison.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after some time. The check engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that cam shaft and the crank shaft needed to be replaced. The cam shaft was replaced. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Oo.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle shook and rattled. In addition, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank shift position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was 28,000.

In Nov 2013 the car would stall (engine dies) while driving. The car would not start sometimes and the check engine light came on. Vehicle was taken to a Nissan dealership where the oem was reprogrammed. I was also told the cam position sensor had an internal failure. The oem reprogramming was covered by a recall but not the sensor which was VIN specific, as told by Nissan. I replaced the sensor. This year the car has been jerking and would not start several times (seems the problem re-appears every summer). I again took the car for repairs and was told it is the crank and cam position sensor. I have again replaced the sensor and called Nissan. I was told my car is not covered by the recall as it is VIN specific.

I was sitting at a red light and when it turned green I went to go and my car stalled out. My check engine light came on and it's due to cam and crankshaft sensors. Drove the car to work today the car stalled out again completely shut itself off. Once again had to pull over on the side of the rode the best I could turn the car off and thankfully it turned back on. Called Nissan today spoke with a consumer affairs supervisor named [xxx] and they are telling me that my VIN # is not included in the recall for this claim on crankshaft sensors and that they would be able to forward my information to a regional office for consumer affairs and see if they can get them to pay for the parts but in the mean time I have to get a diagnostics report done on the car at a Nissan dealership and I have to pay for the diagnostics report and they will not waive it for me and in order to get approval for the parts I have to get the diagnostics report. So they transferred me to a dealership in albany NY a Nissan dealership service department spoke with a guy named ed he said they would need my car for 24-48 hours and can not provide me with a rental, can not waive the diagnostics fee and they wouldn't be able to get my car in until aweek from now. This is outrageous. People are going to end up being seriously injured if not killed by this malfunction. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated after the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed, which located the failure at the camshaft sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer advised the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure and current mileage was 147,655.

Check engine light came on. After running diagnostics the crank shaft sensor has been identified as faulty. I have read that there is a recall on the crank shaft sensor but not for my VIN #. Thought it appropriate to flag that there are other Nissan's with faulty crank shaft sensors.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact also mentioned that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted approximately one hour later and was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was later taken to a private mechanic where it was determined that the crankshaft position sensor had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure mileage was 162,000. Kmj.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 133,000. Pmb.

My daughter was driving home from work in my 2003 Nissan Altima when the car suddenly stopped running, the steering wheel froze and she nearly ran off the road. Thank goodness there were no other cars coming and she was able to pull off the road with no incident. I pulled the codes and found it to be the p0335 (crankshaft position sensor) and p0725 (engine speed sensor). After searching the web, it appears there are many people with the same issue. I looked on the NHTSA website and found NHTSA campaign id number: 03v455000, Nissan recall no. R3022 that states exactly what did happen - the check engine light came on and the engine stopped without warning. The remedy is that a dealer replace the crankshaft position sensor. So, I called Nissan, found the other recall that is related to the sensor, took the car to the dealer (barely - I drove and the car stopped twice - again, lucky there was no crash). The dealer called and said he could not fix this recall because the sensor was bad. Now I have to go back and pickup the car and pray again that I don't have a crash coming home. Seems totally unreasonable that Nissan would have a recall for this exact problem - the crankshaft position sensor - for, among many others, 2002-2003 Altimas and yet there are many people out there with these cars that Nissan won't fix. I was laid off and certainly cannot afford a $300 fix for a $40 part so we will have to drive this death car until I can figure out how to get it fixed. And pray every time I get in it that we don't end crashing the car, hurting myself, my young twins, my older daughter or anyone else on the road. This is a severely dangerous issue and Nissan should replace all cars - not just a select few.

Car engine light came on, had checked, it was a 335 code camshaft sensor, took to mechanic, he checked for my Nissan model recalls and found one on this exact code. My Nissan dealership says its voluntary and they will charge me up to $300. The car keeps cutting off on me when driving almost causing me to wreck.

While driving this vehicle the check engine light came on. Auto repair shop read code as a p0420. Took it to Nissan dealer to have fixed and was told it was the catalytic converter and both O2 sensors needed to be replaced and if not it could lead to particles getting into the engine and resulting in complete engine failure. After looking into this problem online to see what others were facing, it seems this is a very common and dangerous problem. Not all 2003 Nissan Altimas are covered under recall or warranty, not sure why one type of 2003 Nissan Altima would be cover, but not another. Very frustrating and scary, especially as it can lead to a very dangerous crash even at low speeds. Nissan is not helpful or caring to this issue and becomes difficult to deal with when you even first mention it to them. Sounds like they have had lot of complaints, but will not and have not done anything to fix it.

Multiple times while driving between 30-45 mph the vehicle has stalled and not produced full engine power when pushing on the accelerator. This has caused serious concern for the safety of my family and myself. Check engine light came on and I took the vehicle to Nissan service repair (August 2011, ~94k miles). Nissan ran diagnostics and stated that the circuit board for crank/cam sensors had failed. Paid $430 to replace crankshaft and cam/crank sensors. Fast forward to December 2012 (~110k miles) where I experienced the same exact issues along with reduced engine power when pressing on the accelerator. Another local mechanic detected that the cam/crank sensors needed to be replaced again. I did some research and found out about recall #03v455000, which describes the exact symptoms that I have been having. I called the Nissan service department that replaced the sensors in 2011 who said that my VIN wasn't included in the recall so I didn't qualify. After reading the complaints on this site for this specific year/make/model, it is beyond me how nothing hasn't been flagged about this being an issue. All these people are having the same problems (multiple times) yet they are told their VIN's don't qualify under the recall?? something is fishy there. Other complaints with the same exact issue include the following numbers: odi id numbers: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805. Thank you for any assistance or light that can be shed on this issue.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle would refuse to start and exhibited an abnormal clicking. The check engine light was also illuminated and the vehicle would stall at any time. The contact had the engine due to a defective timing chain defect. The dealer denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The manufacturer offered to cover a portion of the repair costs due to the fact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 89,000 and the current mileage was 114,128.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated the vehicle was loosing two quarts of oil per day at an alarming rate. The contact stated the engine seized without the check engine light or oil light illuminating on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated it looked like the pistons or a cylinder had failed. The dealer stated they no longer sell that model year and the 2002 model year because of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 209,000.

My 2003 Nissan Altima with 31,000 miles had the check engine light come on and then go out after a day or so. The light came back on again about a week later. It appeared the vehicle was sluggish and prone to stalling once this happened. I had the code read and found it to be a cam and crank sensor code. I took it to a Nissan dealer after contacting them. My vehicle was not part of the recall, though many Nissans suffer from this condition including Altimas and sentras of this year. I contacted Nissan and they informed me this VIN was not part of the recall, though it is the condition described. They also said it was out of the drive train warranty as well. I therefore had to pay for the repair, which was $382. Since the car was prone to stalling it appears that this known condition should have been included in the recall, since it is unsafe.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle began to shake. The contact also stated the vehicle began to perform as if it were going to stall. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the contact was informed the crank shaft sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 67,000. Sm.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 30 mph the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. He stated that the vehicle continued t function normally and was immediately driven to an authorized dealer. The dealer advised him that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been on going for three to four weeks. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 100,000.

1. Engine stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low spped. And check engine light came on 2. Four times, first to second about 3 weeks. Second to third 2 weeks. Fourth one same day. 3. Reset the code, to clear check engine light. No one knows the actual problem.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. While at a traffic light the vehicle stalled. She restarted the vehicle and it began to function normally. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer to reprogram the throttle body. The check engine light illuminated and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer. The dealer advised her that the crank sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The pre-owned vehicle was purchased in may of 2010. She called the manufacturer and was advised that there were no recalls and someone would call her back. She referenced recall 06v242000, engine and engine cooling and was told by the representative that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and the failure was not the same component as the recall. The failure mileage was unknown and the approximate current mileage was 106,500.

I had trouble starting my 2003 Nissan Altima about 3-4 weeks ago after returning from shopping. It started a few hours later. Check engine light was on for a few weeks, then went off. On my way to work last week driving down highway at 65mph with the cruise control I lost all power and was unable to restart the vehicle and had it towed home. Check engine light back on. The air filter was clogged and changed. My car started and I drove to work 2 days later without a problem, but the car would not start after returning home that day. Code reader stated code p0340 camshaft position sensor malfunction. Car started he next day and we checked codes again with car running and received the same code. Called dealership and they advised no current recalls for my vehicle. Estimated $281 for diagnostic, labor and part replacement.

2003 Nissan Altima, car jerks violently while traveling 30 - 70 mph. Car shuts off while slowing down to make a turn. It will operate correctly for weeks then shut off three times in 10 miles. Taken to dealer two years ago and could not diagnose since check engine light did not come on and save a code. Paid my $100 and drove away. Told can't diagnose without a code so next time it stops tow it in if I survive. Told there are 25 things that can cause this so which one do you want to pick and how much do you want to spend?.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle would suddenly stall; he noticed reduced power from the engine and it would eventually stop altogether. He was able to immediately restart the vehicle most of the time. The contact also stated that at times, the vehicle was also difficult to start. The failure was intermittent but becoming progressively worse. The contact called both the dealership and the manufacturer and was told that the vehicle was not included in recall 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was 56,477. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle shut off. She was able to immediately re-start the vehicle . The warning lights did not illuminate during or after the engine shut off; however, on December 30, 2009, the check engine light came on. A local mechanic stated that the ecm was the cause of the failure and that recall 07v527000, engine and engine cooling was directly related. The dealer confirmed that she would have to pay for a diagnostic test and anything other than the recalled component that needed to be repaired as well. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer advised her that her VIN was included in the ecm recall and if the ecm was the cause, the diagnostic fee should be refunded; however, the dealer refused to perform the recall repair. The current mileage was approximately 86,520. The failure mileage was approximately 86,300.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. Immediately after the vehicle was started, the check engine light came on and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle had to be turned on and off in order to restart it. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall # 06v242000, engine and engine cooling. The Nissan manufacturer was also called and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 124,584.

I own a 2003 Nissan Altima, on the morning of July 27, 2009 I had driven only a few miles when I was slowing down to stop at a red light at that time the car began severely hesitating and then without warning, shut down, after which the engine light came on. I was extremely lucky the car behind me was far enough away to avoid a crash. I tried to crank the engine and it would only turn over, however after a few tries it did start. I then drove approx. Two miles to a repair shop where they used a code reader on the obd. The code reader indicated code p0335 crankshaft position sensor. I drove back home and checked the defects /recalls on safercar. Gov where there are numerous recalls for this issue with various Nissan vehicles including the Altima. I called my local Nissan dealer, where the car was purchased and told them about the situation. I was then informed that my car was not covered under any of the recalls for the crankshaft position sensor. So far, the car has not been driven or repaired since the day of the incident. I am very concerned about driving it on the road even for repair due to the unreliable and unpredictable operation of this car.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated. A diagnostic test was performed, which produced two codes related to the engine. The codes were for the engine speed input circuit and the crankshaft position speed center. The failure was causing the vehicle to slow down and the engine to shut off. The manufacturer stated that nothing could be done to assist because the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 66,881.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that there was a recall for the crankshaft position sensor for her vehicle. The vehicle was repaired according to the recall, but the failure recurred soon after and the check engine light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer, but they stated that they would not repair it again. She filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The NHTSA campaign id number was unknown. The failure mileage was 68,000 and current mileage was 98,000.

Recall #06v242: check engine light came on 6/21/09 took to independent mechanic who diagnosed it as the crank angle sensor in my Nissan 2003 Altima needed to be replaced because it was being affected by temperature variations due to the location of the sensor. Called dealership they said it was not covered under my VIN number. They suggested calling Nissan of north America. They kept my car for 4 days before getting back to me saying they would not cover repairs. Dealership is charging $150 to get car back for the diagnoses. Engine is cutting off during low driving causing very hazardous conditions. It has also stalled after starting the car several times.

My 2003 Nissan Altima with 83,700 miles was driven to a local dealership where I bought it used a little over one year ago. But prior to leaving home I read at the NHTSA website about similar problems I was already having, hoping this dealership would also have similar, if not, identical results. To my dismay, they had neither. Thereby no type of recall was showing on my model's history via the manufacturer, so I was told. My vehicle problems are as follows, per dealer diagnosis: tw catalyst sys-b1 (code p0420), engine over temp (code p0217), and cyl 1 misfire (code p0301). Furthermore, my complain essentially was about the car over-heating and taking longer than usual periods to restart, usually up to 10 minutes. This dealer said it could cost upward from at least $400. 00 to fix either one of the problems which may still not correct them all. But the most serious was the catalytic problem that involves hot gases and debris being drawn into the engine instead of going out the exhaust, resulting in engine damage. The problems began when the check engine light remained lit after about 6 months of ownership. But the problem with starting didn't show up until the one year point. Just recently, I have purchased a tune-up as well as a new battery for my vehicle in order to remedy what I thought were owner service issues. Sadly, this local dealer either does not know about your recall or somebody is hiding this from not just them but from owners like me as well. I plan to call Nissan-1 tomorrow as they were closed after leaving the dealership. I hope no fire results from this or any serious problems relating to injuries as we try and resolve this issue. Thank you for your service in advance.

I've been driving this 2003 Nissan Altima since March 2009. Since April the car shuts off while moving every time I use it. The check engine light came on, so I brought it to my local auto parts store to have the engine codes read, and they said I have a bad crankshaft position sensor and a bad camshaft position sensor. After hearing of this I researched the parts and problems I've been experiencing and came across the recall. I then called a Nissan dealer to have the recall addressed, and dropped the car off to have on 6/24/09. I received a phone call from the service department on 6/25/09 saying they can not perform the recall (ecm reprogram) unless I pay $300 + tax to have the sensors replaced and then they can perform the recall fix. I insisted he perform the reprogram before the sensors and he refused. So I said thank you and I'll pick my car up later on in the day. Now my real complaint is the sensors are going bad because Nissan has a faulty ecm program. Nissan needs to be responsible for fixing the entire problem not just a simple computer fix. Nissan is making money off of a blatant defect caused by their own manufacturing at the cost of safety and their customers expense. This recall is only addressing the initial problem, not the results of the initial problem. Nissan is performing a slapstick recall campaign and the consumers need to have relief. For me to drive a safe car I and everyone else will have to pay an additional $300 for someone else's mistake. . . Not fair and this should addressed ASAP.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact has experienced multiple failures with the vehicle shutting off in the last few months. While driving 45 mph, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle lost power. The contact lost control of the steering and brakes. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and inspected by a technician, who determined that the crankshaft position sensor failed. The vehicle was repaired at the cost of $35. Two days after the repair, the vehicle failed again and shut off while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the crankshaft position sensor was failing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer would not provide compensation because there was no recall. The failure mileage was 77,000 and current mileage was 78,400.

- hesitation at slow speed and check engine light - hesitation once every 50km - car stalled in oncoming traffic during a left turn - crankshaft position sensor was replaced.