Engine Exhaust System problems of the 2003 Nissan Altima - part 1

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was burning excessive oil and the exhaust pipe was emitting black smoke. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 140,223.

2003 Nissan Altima. Consumer writes in regards to a reimbursement for engine expense the consumer stated the catalytic converter failed, which caused damage to the engine. There was excessive smoke coming from the exhaust. According the invoice, there was possible ring wear, and possible damage to the pistons.

I have a 2003 Nissan Altima 2. 5 with approx. 155k miles on it. I bought it used with approx. 20k miles in 2006. At around 60k I noticed that the vehicle was using a little more oil than normal. I had it serviced and was told that the engine was getting older and it was normal wear and tear. I continued to do the regular maintenance and at about 130k miles it started to use even more oil. Took it in again and was told that the engine is getting older and this was normal again. Fast forward to this year. At about 145k miles the check engine light comes on. I take it in and I am told it is a p0420, which means that the catalyst system is below threshold, but not told that this is common in 02 - 03 Nissan Altimas. I started hearing rattling noises in the engine and oil consumption went through the roof. I just had my oil changed last week and had to put 3 quarts in it this morning after only 400 miles. Engine compression is also gone. So I start doing some research and find that I am not the only one experiencing these problems and that Nissan is well aware that the catalytic converter disintegrates in this model year car, destroying the engine and leading to excessive oil consumption but refuses to issue a recall. They are also aware that it happens overtime and I believe use this to their advantage in avoiding warranty repairs. It seems that they hide behind the warranty period and refuse to take action since this problem isn't discovered until it is too late and beyond the warranty period. It develops in most cars slowly over time. I am also very disappointed that every mechanic I went to told me it was normal. Then I get online and do a google search leading me to hundreds of message boards with people having the same problem and being blown off by Nissan. I take very good care of my cars. I am now going to have to purchase a new car because I am refusing to pay $4,000 to replace an engine for a know defect. Apparently this defect has also caused fires in cars.

Campaign id 03v455000 engine and engine coolant campaign id 03v084000 engine and engine coolant exhaust system campaign id 06v242000 engine and engine coolant I have attempt to contact Nissan north America on several different occasions regarding the above mentioned recalls. After car failure, and money spent on trying to correct these issues, Nissan has not been responsive to my numerous request. I am currently experiencing the above mentioned problems with my vehicle. However, these recalls came to my attention after I learned from a Nissan technician, and after having my vehicle repaired. Problems relevant to the recalls, I am still experiencing.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the pre-catalytic converter failed; there was debris in the engine that caused the engine to fail which overheated the catalytic substrate. The contact referenced recall 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe) but the vehicle was not included. The contact called the manufacturer and was awaiting a return call. The failure mileage was 69,000.

Screw came off of manifold intake and went into piston causing the engine to fail in the middle of four railroad tracks. Spoke with dealership and Nissan headquarter they said the 2003 Nissan Altima had no problems with that but 2002 2004 2005 certain models did but buy our VIN # there was not a problem. I myself took the manifold off and found the screw had fell off the butterfly and went in to the engine piston I was lucky enough to take a magnet and fish out the screw. After driving the car a few miles the engine light is on I have not a clue what that is about. We done fell safe driving the 2003 Nissan Altima anymore,thanks in advance for looking into this problem.

2003 Nissan Altima severe engine problems with stalling while driving! Nissan dealer states "power valve screw failure" in which the screw became loose, shot out , went through the engine and went out the exhaust. This caused over $1200 worth of damage to my engine and hope that there is not further damage that has not even been identified yet. Nissan will not cover the cost of repair, my private extended warranty will not cover the cost of repair. Apparently , Nissan has a "voluntary service campaign" for only for specific VIN# /years and will not cover the repair cost even though they are aware this is a known manufacturing defect ! this could have caused a serious injury/accident had my son been on the highway going 70 miles per hour when the car stalled in traffic!.

2003 Nissan smoking, burning oil, sputtering. Diagnosed (by $95. 00 diagnostic I was required by Nissan to get a Nissan dealership) as catalytic converter has gone bad due to overheating, this has caused it to fall apart and go into the motor. Now needs new catalytic converter and motor. There was a recall on 2003 Altimas for this very problem, a problem that could cause a car to catch on fire. According to Nissan my VIN was not included in the recall therefore I never received any notice of it but now I have the very issues that the recall was to prevent but they refuse to cover the repair costs. This makes me question if they mistakenly left out some 2003 models that should have been included in the recall, and I have been riding around all this time with the chance my car could catch on fire, this is scary. There are tons of complaints online about this very issue and no one seems to be able to get Nissan to respond, I feel like they need to go back and revisit that recall and maybe add more cars to it before someone gets seriously hurt. I filed a claim with Nissan yesterday, in less than 24 hours they called back to say there was nothing they would do for me. Not sure how much they looked into this because I called it in around 3pm yesterday and they called me back before 10am this morning. This issues needs to be addressed or someone is going to get hurt due to their car catching on fire.

I suspected that my car developed problems with the exhaust system, and two Nissan dealerships confirmed that the catalytic converter is cracked. I found out that problems with defective catalytic converters in 2002-2003 Altimas were addressed in Nissan voluntary recall campaign #r3007 (NHTSA #03v-084). The work pertaining to that recall was performed on my car on 07/31/2006 but the defective catalyst has not been replaced as instructed on page 5 of Nissan recall campaign bulletin #ntb03-070c. I asked the dealerships to replace the catalyst as part of the recall #r3007 (NHTSA #03v-084), but they refused since the recall has been recorded as performed. I contacted Nissan consumer affairs, but my request to complete the recall work was denied. I contacted ceo of Nissan, carlos ghosn, and executive vp of Nissan north America, carlos tavares. They also rejected my request to properly service my car as Nissan promised in its recall #r3007 (NHTSA #03v-084). The catalyst defects described in Nissan recall campaign bulletin #ntb03-070c are very serious. The debris from catalyst may damage the engine which can result in fire. I kindly request that you investigate whether Nissans remedy (recall #r3007, NHTSA #03v-084) in this case of defective catalyst was adequate.

I am one of many who have had the same problem with my Nissan Altima 2003 2. 5 engine. The Nissan dealership kept telling me they were not sure what was wrong with my car when I would take it in for their diagnostic testing. Costing 91. 00 each time you have that test done. I was told after many times of the car stalling and shutting off while driving it that it needed a coil #3 well that wasn't the problem the at all driving the car the day that we were going to replace the coil the engine completely shut down. So because I am at 89,000 mile and the warranty has run out I am basically out of luck is what they said and they aren't responsible. So here I am with a 2003 Altima that needs a new engine cause the of the faulty catalytic converter. So why we were never told the many times we went in that this could be the problem is what I am so confused about. I am a single mom that still owes a year on this car at 400 a month and can not afford to replace the engine and the catalytic converter. This is crazy all the complaints of the same problem that I am having and Nissan is not being accountable at all. And this problem could be very dangerous also if you were in traffic and your car just shut off.

My oil light flashed on and off my 2003 Nissan Altima with 97,000 miles. I pulled over and checked the oil. The dipstick was bone dry. I had the car towed to an independent mechanic. He said it is an issue with the catalytic converter that destroyed the engine. I need a new engine. Nissan had a recall on this exact thing, but after contacting them, they claim there is no issue and they are not liable. When I pressed them, they said it was because Nissan had not been servicing the car and I have too many miles. I pressed them again, and there story changed again. If you google this problem, hundreds of people have the same problem with the same non-action from Nissan. This is after 9 recalls on this car. Someone has to help us. Please.

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) as stated in my last complaint with odi id number: 10327349, I have a 2003 Nissan Altima. The car is now in the repair shop the engine blown. . . . The car was burning excessive amounts of oil. However, I also stated that the check engine light was on, and would stay on. Although, while driving on the interstate an reaching the speed of 70mph the check engine light would begin to start blinking. I don't have $3,000. 00 - $4,000. 00 to have this repaired. I'm still making monthly payments. I don't know if there was a recall on my vehicle engine with VIN: [xxx] . Furthermore, I need to know if this can be fixed/ repaired immediately by the Nissan in canton, ms. The mileage presently on the vehicle is 155,100. I didn't purchase the car new, but used. I truly don't know what to do at this point. I've keep the car maintained, and then this happens. Please someone from odi contact me regarding this matter immediately.

I have a 2003 Nissan Altima. This car is burning oil like crazy. There's no smoke or anything of that sort, but I have to keep an eye out and put oil in my car to keep it running at least every 4-5 days or so. Gas is high and oil is getting higher; I have to keep at least 2-3 quarts in my trunk. The check engine light has been on for sometime now. While driving on the interstate if I go over 70mph the check engine light starts blinking. When I take my foot off the accelerator the check engine light stops blinking, but continues to stay on. However, I just had my spark plugs changed and now the car won't start. Please I need some help ASAP. . . . I don't have money to purchase a new one at this time, but wish someone can tell me what is going on. The dealer is no help whatsoever. They get you in there and tell you that this, this, and this is the problem. It seems that nothing is under warranty with Nissan, and I don't own the car as of yet I'm still making monthly payments. I think that Nissan needs to go over the engine, electronic, and etc. Because canton, mississippi is the home of Nissan and you have some big problems on your hands!!!.

I had a similar, yet extreme experience. I took my car in to get the oil changed at a local chevy dealership (it was cheap. ) when I went to pick up my car, the technician told me that he pulled less than a 8 oz. Of oil from the engine. He said he couldn't find any leaks, but to keep an eye on the oil everyday. I left the dealership and decided to take the car for a drive to "reoil" the engine. The engine had been running a bit funny: not starting right away, trouble shifting for about 48 hours. I got about five miles at ~55 mph, and while accelerating from a left turn, heard something fall out of the engine. After that, white smoke started pouring out the exhaust. I knew the engine blew. The steering and brakes went out, and I got it to the side of the road (somehow. ) the black smoke started pouring in from the vents. I don't remember stopping or getting out, but I remember turning around and seeing flames out the driver's side of the engine. The fire department arrived and put the fire out, but the car was totaled by my insurance company. The engine and interior, especially the driver's side, were destroyed. The backseat was smoke damaged. The trunk and three tires were relatively unharmed.

I was driving when I noticed my Nissan Altima oil light came on. I went to get it checked and there was no oil in the car. I got the oil and filter changed and a few days later it happened again. I took my car to my mechanic, who told me that I needed a new catalytic converter and new engine. The repairs cost is 3,000 that I don't have. I've been looking online and have noticed that their are a lot of people with the same problem. I had so much exhaust coming from my car that my mechanic told me it wasn't safe to drive.

I own a 2003 Nissan Altima 2. 5sl and the engine stopped working while I was driving, and hit the curb and blew out my tire and damaged my rim. This cost me about $500 out of my pocket, which really was disappointing. There should be a recall for my vehicle!.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The vehicle started to make noise in engine after oil change. Two days after oil was topped off, oil level showed it burned 4 quarts with no leaks. Since, it has consumed an excessive amount of oil. The low engine oil warning light illuminated on the instrument panel again. The contact placed more oil into the vehicle before it was taken to a repair shop. The mechanic verified the low oil level and 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 88,000 miles. Internet complaints show 4 cylinder Altima engines had design flaw and pre-catalytic converter overheats and ash material enters engine and scores cylinder walls causing excessive oil use and engine failure. Nhtsa had recall for this in 2003 (NHTSA recall #03v08400 . Odi) Nissan only inspected engines but did not repair. Engine failures continued to occur to date as NHTSA closed recall and did not monitor Nissan since. Nhtsa is negligent in due diligence and follow up with Nissan by allowing failures to continue. In last several years, the pre converter has continued to fail and destroy engines. Original recall only delayed converter failure until warranty expired and $5000 engine replacement costs was pushed onto owner. Nissan will not acknowledge design flaw still destroying engines. Reinstate recall and payment by Nissan. *"tr.

My car shut of on me while driving at night which was hard to see because the headlamps didn't give much light and both airbags deployed and my seat belts don't work either. . . I own a 2003 Nissan Altima. . . The car would usually turn of on me like that but not a higher speeds. . . The car's engine has been making a loud noise it had 3 recalls for it( headlamp recall, engine exhaust recall, & engine cooling recall) before I had this done I had a service engine light on which came out as p0420, p0240, and had 3 p0335. . . After I had the "recall done". . . A week later my car "blew a head gasket" and I had a code p0300. . . I immediately got it fixed for like $1300. . . After that. . . 2 weeks later I got a service engine light on which came out as p0335, p0240, & p0420. . . I've also been in contact with Nissan consumer affairs. . . I've been in touch with a regional specialist which can't really help me at all. . . Nissan dealer like to take money for diagnosis and tells me the car is unsafe to drive. . . My car still shuts off and sometimes it doesn't even start. . . When the car start up it makes a loud engine noise. . . So right now my car shuts off at any speed rate now just low speeds, I don't have airbags in the car, engine makes a loud noise, sounds like there's something like a rock in the catalytic converter, and my car's seat belts don't work.

I have a 2003 Nissan Altima 2. 5 sl, in approximately 2008 February, my car stopped on me while driving on the freeway. It turns out that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. Had the work done at buena park Nissan then I realized that the car had also starting burning excessive oil. I was told there was an oil pan leak, had that work done at another dealership. Approximately 9 months later, the car stopped again, had the car diagnosed at the Nissan dealer ship in antioch, CA, was advised that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced, again. At this point, I was frustrated with the car and I contacted Nissan of north american, and the dealership in buena park who both denied me any help. I was given a reference number of 6594593 when I called for a solution in 2009. Now, 8/2010, I am having acceleration issues again, my check engine light is on, my antifreeze is evaporation along with the engine oil every 300 miles. I called Nissan north America again today and spoke with lisa byrne at extension 41661 who told me there was nothing Nissan would do at this point because my previous claim had already been denied. I am replacing oil on a weekly basis as well as the antifreeze. I called Nissan again today, ref # [xxx]. I asked her who could I contact other than the regional office and she stated no one and that there was nothing Nissan was going to do to right my situation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I bought a 2003 Nissan Altima in Jan, 2008. It had 53,000 mi. At 78,000 mi the service engine soon light came on. I took it to my mechanic it was diagnosed that there was a blown head gasket. I had him replace the gasket. At about 79,000 mi. There was a burning smell coming from under the car. I thought it was on fire so I pulled over but there was no fire. When I went to accelerate there was no power. The ses light was on so I took it to the dealer in ontario, CA it was the catalytic converter(it was clogged) they replaced it free because of the federal emission warranty. Then they told me that I was burning oil and that the probable cause was the converter, but told me that they would not replace the engine because someone else had worked on it. They said that if I had brought the car to them they would have replaced it. There was no notice about engine replacement when the gasket goes bad (which they said was also caused by the converter getting clogged up) some one needs to force Nissan of north America to recall the 2003 Altima and fix the engine and converter design. There could be a catastrophic engine failure that could cause an accident at high speeds.

Hi! I have a probelm with my Nissan Altima 2. 3 2003. I need to change the motor because of the catalyst have enter some residu into the motor, so it take so oil like hell. . . I did not receive any recall and the Nissan garage did never ask or tell me about that. They told me about the front light recall but never the catalyst. The yellow light in the dash light up to check engine but the damage was done. Becausee a phone them to ask ifd it's ok to run the that light on, they say yes but come on the next appointment or if you can come to get to alarm code. So when I did it was catalyist alarm that a inside damage. I was about 140000 km on the car so told me that a need to change the complite motor. . . . I was in shock. I had a Honda accord 1989 at 380000 and never lift the motor. And on a Nissan 150000 km our car is out of order????? is that something that a could do with the Nissan garage to make them change the motor on waranty? and more the remove the inside of the cataliyst in there facilities ( repair garage). I think that they not alloy to do that? so can I have some help for that ? thank you!.

The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was rapidly consuming oil and overheating. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/ header/ muffler/ tail pipe) yet the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the mechanic installed a pre-catalyst and oxygen sensor but did not remedy the failure. In addition, there was excessive black smoke coming from the exhaust pipe after a routine oil change and smoke coming from under the hood. The dealer advised having a diagnostic performed at the contact's expense. The contact declined. The manufacturer advised having the vehicle diagnosed before they would determine if they would assist with repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 the current mileage was 142,000.

I took my car to a mechanic because I had an engine service light on and I felt that something was wrong with the way my car was behaving. After inspecting my car, the mechanic found that a catalytic converter has failed, which created potential for a fire. The mechanic told me that there was a recall for catalytic converters for Altimas 2002/2003 and that my car should qualify for it based on its VIN number ( I have a printout from my mechanic that includes eligibility of my car based on VIN#). However, when I called Nissan manufacture I was told that my car no longer has warranty and that there were no open recalls on my car at that time. I took my car to a Nissan dealership and received the same information. My on-line research showed that there was a recall on catalytic converters in canada and USA and also a lot of people here in us had experienced the same problem as I did after the warranty expiration and Nissan was not helpful. Also, I found out that it is hard to diagnose this problem at the very beginning as engine service light can be on for a lot of reasons. My mechanic was able to diagnose this problem, as he was familiar with catalytic converters' failures in Altimas because a lot of his customers who own Altimas took their cars to him to be fixed. I did take my car to a Nissan dealership, but I couldn't afford their prices, so I ended up going back to my mechanic. A representative from Nissan manufacture asked me if I received any letter from them confirming my eligibility for a catalytic converter recall, but I am not the first owner of my car, so there was no way for me to receive it. Perhaps I bought this car with a damaged converter and had no idea about it.

The car started using oil around 30k. I noticed that I had to add some between oil changes this became worse over time and around 79k it became bad as in my wife called me about the engine oil warning light coming on when she was far away from home, we had to start checking the oil every day. The vehicle had always been well maintained and we got over 170k out of our last Altima before we bought this one, that one never used oil? I did some research on-line and found that there was a problem with the pre-cat breaking down and being drawn in through the egr causing failure of the engine. We took the car to Nissan and had it checked and sure enough that is what was wrong with ours also. We had exceeded the mileage for replacement by a few thousand miles. Had we'd been notified of this possible problem years ago, that would have explained our oil consumption and we could have had the problem resolved by Nissan. We fully intended to purchase another new Altima in the near future that would have been our third. I rely on the vehicle my wife drives as she also transports our children and grandchildren and if she hadn't called and asked about the red light on the dash, I believe the engine would have seized and left her stranded with my family several hours away from home possibly putting them in danger. How many complaints, or worse, are needed to admit there is a problem?? is Nissan hoping this will just go away??. If an emissions component failure is proven to cause premature engine failure isn't it the manufacturers responsibility to correct it other than reducing the time the egr is open to lessen the amount of defective catalyst drawn in the engine. In my opinion a way to delay failure of the engine until the fed 80k warranty expires for the cat, that?s all the previous recall did. Also the TSB is deceptive it starts with the external converter shield then much later mentions internal cat failure, were they hiding it? sounds like two separate issues to me.

In June 2009 I noticed that in my 2003 Nissan Altima the "service engine soon" light came on. I also noticed then that the car is out of oil. Upon refilling with oil few days later I noticed again dry dipstick. I then took the car to colonial Nissan and explained the problem. Few days later I was told that the catalytic converter was clogged (code p0420) and that there is an engine damage caused by faulty catalytic converter. I contacted Nissan of north America two times in writing and was denied any assistance with repairs. It appears as this is a common issue and Nissan refuses to acknowledge the problem and declines to take any responsibility in this matter.

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.

Well as usually I took my 2003 Nissan Altima 2. 5s into the shop and for regular work. I have proof that my car is up to date on tuneup, coolant change, transmission change, and oil change. Tires are in good condition. I took a trip to texas and the car was fine for the 2 1/2 weeks I was down there. Three days before leaving the ses light come on, but I thought it was a minor issue being the fact that they look at my car weekend before going on my trip. When I hit louisiana I experienced a jerking back and forth motion when I was using the gas. Only things kept getting worse when I start seeing the lost of gas, lost power in my car, and hearing metallic noises coming from the engine. Lucky, I made it to my sister's house in augusta. I didn't want to cause anymore damage driving it back to columbia, SC so I had tow truck come and pick it up 190. 00. So they look at the car and called me telling that one of the power valve screws came loose and damage two spark plugs. Now they want to replace the manifold and my catalytic converter is crack and needs to be replace. The cost of it would be around 1350. 00. I know this is defect issue and Nissan should take care of this issue. I hope all the information helps for current and future Nissan buyers. I will never in my life buy another Nissan again.

I purchased a 2003 Nissan Altima 2. 5l car in July of 2007. The vehicle had approximately 51,000 miles on it and had no issues. Approximately 3 weeks ago I was driving my 13 year old son home from tae kwon do and was crossing a freeway to a side street when my car bucked and stalled. Luckily I had some speed and was able to "barely" get through the intersection before 55+ mph traffic smashed into me. The ses light came on and I was able to start the car and make it home and then to my mechanic the next day. My mechanic informed me that the code read "crankshaft position sensor". He replaced it with a Nissan part, I picked up the car and the vehicle stalled just before a very high, narrow, two-lane bridge in solomons maryland. I limped back to the auto shop and my mechanic read the code and it said "crankshaft sensor" again. I called Nissan who informed me I had 3 recalls on my vehicle. I took the vehicle to sheehy Nissan in waldorf MD at 0730. I received a call from them at 1330 and they told me I needed a new engine due to the pre-catalytic converter substrate disintegrating and being ingested in the engine. After researching my VIN, I discovered that this problem was a recall that was completed on my car in 2004. I contacted Nissan consumer affairs to lodge a complaint in that a "known" defective part failed "after" a recall and damaged my engine and came very close to causing a possibly severe accident. They denied my claim because my car was at 82,000 mi. I was told that if it happened before 80,000 mi. , which I found out later was because of the federal emissions warranty act, they would have probably replaced the engine for free. It is my contention that the failure of a part that has "no maintenance" requirements, that had been previously recalled because of "known" deficiencies should be the responsibility of the manufacturer. I also contend that this defect could cause loss of power and cause a serious accident, possibly resulting in death.

My 2003 Nissan Altima uses 4 quarters of oil in less than 50 miles of highway driving. The dealer service rep. Said that the engine is damage by the cat. Filter material. However, there is water on the oil cap of the engine as if the head is cracked or head is warped. I feel that is a design defect and something needs to be done about this product.

The 148,246 miles engine in the Nissan Altima is blowing oil out the exhaust at a rate of 4 quarts with in 20-40 miles of driving. I was told the cat. Filter came apart and the material was sucked into the intake of the cylinder causing damage to the cylinder wall to the degree where as an engine and cat. Filter need to be replaced.

2/11/2009 check engine light made my 2003 2. 5 Nissan Altima to stall during afternoon heavy traffic. Ironically, the vehicle was stalled less than a mile from an authorized Nissan dealership, which I utilized regularly. The outcome involved replacing the camshaft position sensor assembly @ a cost of $288. 48. 6/23/2009-check engine light on again. Outcome was to replace the crankshaft position sensor @ a cost of $159. 69. 12/9/2009 check engine light on again. Outcome dealership recommended installing a new engine, and installing a remanned transmission. I am livid that the issue was allowed to progress to the level that the engine needed to be replaced. When my vehicle stalled, I barely missed being rear-ended by a large truck traveling at least 55-65 miles per hour. This placed my family and I in a dangerous situation.

I own a 2003 Nissan Altima 2. 5l. This car is affected by recall # ntb03-070c, potential engine compartment fire. This recall has been modified several times. The "flash" programming alone has been modified by Nissan six times. The recall was performed on my vehicle in 2004, under campaign id r3007. This was the first version of the recall and programming released by Nissan. The recall "corrects" a problem of too much raw fuel being dumped into the precatalyst on deceleration. This extra fuel in the catalyst causes deterioration of the precatalyst causing it to fail, clog up, and release catalyst substrate into the motor (it gets sucked back into combustion chamber on deceleration) once the catalyst particles are sucked into the combustion chamber, the cylinder walls are scored, causing significant oil consumption. You can verify all of this by reviewing the recall. My car has been impeccably maintained. I am ase master l1 certified. The car has suffered this exact loss. The precatalyst has failed and is plugged up, the catalyst substrate was sucked into the motor scoring the cylinder walls, and the car immediately started burning oil. I took my car to Nissan of mckinney, TX for confirmation and recall work. The dealership informed me that the recall work had been done by trophy Nissan in 2004. I spoke to Nissan north America. They informed me that since the recall work has already been performed, my car was no longer eligible to be fixed under the recall even though it is the same failure for which Nissan issued the recall. I told Nissan north America that obviously if the first version of software that they issued under campaign id r 3007 was sufficient, then they would not have changed the "flash" six times. They did not agree with me. I would like to propose that the fix that Nissan north America is performing regarding this recall is not sufficient. I would like to request a hearing with the NHTSA to prove my case.

I am the original owner of a 2003 Nissan Altima with about 95,000 miles. On 9/19, I took the vehicle to my local Nissan dealer for service because the "check engine" light was on, the engine was running a little rough and had a slight rattle, and my oil light started blinking on occasionally. The dealer flushed and replaced the oil, and also replaced the catalytic converter and two oxygen sensors, at a total cost of $1700. The car was returned to me on 9/23. I was away 9/26-9/29 and did not drive the car. On weekdays, I typically drive about 10 miles to and from work each way. The next weekend I drove the car approx. 150 miles, at which time I noticed the rattle had not subsided and that my oil light had started to blink on again, especially as I drove uphill. I added 2 quarts to the engine on 10/4 and took the car to a jiffy lube on 10/8. The jl tech that replaced the oil told me that my oil was very low, so I brought the car back to the Nissan dealer on 10/13. The dealer diagnosed the rattle as "internal engine failure" and recommended a new engine for $5000. My conversation with the dealer mechanic led me to believe that the car was burning oil due to a leaky cylinder, most likely caused by failure of the pre-catalyst. The pre-catalyst or pre-cat filters exhaust before it gets to the catalytic converter. The pre-cat is closer to the engine than the cat converter, so it tends to get overheated. When it does, it can break down, and little pieces of it can get sucked back up the exhaust system the wrong way, back into the cylinders, which damages the cylinders & allows oil to leak into the engine. Because of the massive oil consumption, I was unknowingly driving without enough oil, and permanently damaged the engine. I park my car in my garage & have never noticed an oil leak or smoke from the tailpipe. I have never gone more than 5,500 miles without an oil change, and I have a receipt from every oil change I've ever had. The car has no outstanding safety recalls.

I was traveling southbound on 1-95 and was going with the flow of traffic at approximately 55 mph in the fast lane on Monday, September 29, 2008. Suddenly with no warning, my car stopped moving. It would not accelerate at all. I could not get out of the flow of traffic. Fortunately, my car was not hit as a result of this. My mechanic claims there was a problem with the drive by wire throttle motor. The dealer claims it is a problem with the catalytic converter. The car has been sitting in the dealers lot with no resolution since September 30th.

I bought a 2003 Nissan Altima with 66k miles on it 6 months ago from wilsonville Nissan. They promised this car was in perfect running order, even after the check engine light came on during the test drive, but the technicians there insisted that they just forgot to reset the computer after they performed an oil change. As I have come to find out, ses lights do not illuminate on Altimas for this reason, but after I bought the vehicle and multiple problems arose, we ran diagnostics and cylinder 1 was misfiring. There are many more issues with this vehicle now, including problems with the head gasket, consuming 3 quarts of oil every 400 miles, and running terribly rough. There hundreds of thousands of people complaining of these same pre-cat related issues in their 02-06 Altimas. The precat deteriorates and is sucked up into the engine, scorching the cylinders, causing massive oil consumption, and then followed by the engine running rough and then dying. We took the vehicle back to wilsonville Nissan and they refused to give the precat a visual inspection. They claimed that since the computer did not throw a code concerning the precat, they had no reason to look at it. Instead, they charged us $110 to tell us that the computer was giving a cylinder 1 misfire code. We already knew that and we told them that before they took the car in. Under the federal emissions warranty, Nissan has to pay for all costs to diagnose, repair, and replace all parts that are ruined by any faulty emissions part under 80,000 miles. The precat falls under this category, and the engine should also be replaced by Nissan as its problems are a direct result from the precat falling apart and getting sucked into the engine. Recall id# 5450 requires them to test and look at the pre-cat, and if there is any damage to the cat, then the engine must be replaced, free of charge. Nissan will not cooperate and will not even look at the precat. Please help.