Engine Knocking Noise problems of the 2003 Nissan Altima

We have a 2003 Nissan Altima, we had problems with the catalyic converter, we changed it, in Aug 2011, we learned about the problem on-line. What we did not read about is how the converter goes bad and throws parts of it into the engine and has the engine burn oil and eventually throw a rod. We took the car into the dealership for an oil change in Nov 2011, traveled 500 miles and the engine goes out we told the service advisor there was a knocking noise in the engine, he said this could be due to low oil, if the noise continues after oil change we will diagnose the noise. Well, the noise stopped, after the engine gave out, the dealership is telling us that we are at fault cause we did not get the diagnosis done on the vehicle. I asked them is the test would determine that a rod was going to blow, he said no, then why pay for the test. I have been reading on line and see there are several people who have had the same problem with the vehicle, and Nissan corp will not do anything about this, people are talking about filing a class action law suit, but there is no record of anyone filing one. I recently talked to a friend, who's daughter has the same vehicle, they just went thru the same problem with the blown engine, we got estimates to replace the engine, $3500-$5500 for another engine and labor, this is crazy, I called several used or rebuilt engine places and this engine is hard to come by, guess lots of people are blowing the engines for the same reason, yet Nissan corp can not file a recall or help out with the costs, especially where they knew about the bad catalyic converter and blowing debris back into the engine. That is a shame, Nissan is known for good strong dependable vehicles, and for them not wanting to help the consumers is going to hurt them in the long run. I honestly can say I would never purchase another Nissan again.

My 2003 Nissan Altima started making a knocking sound on the engine and runs rough. I tried using fuel system cleaner but it did not work. I also tried oil treatments and changing the oil but non worked. I took to a Nissan certified mechanic and told me intake valve screws were loose and creating a knocking sound that the butterfly is half open causing the car to idle roughly. The mechanic also said the this happens alot with this cars, Altimas and sentra and that there is a recall for 2004 and 2005 models but not 2003 even if it has the same engine. He also informed me that if I don't get it fixed the it will break my engine and could cause an accident. On the same car I also had to pay for a crank sensor the failed on me. Nissan said the same thing, recall on the 2004 and 2005 but not 2003. It caused my car to stall and run roughly. Took it to Nissan and they said nothings wrong and take it back to them when the check engine light turns on. After a month it did turn on. Luckily have warranty but they still charge me. Please help, I'm not looking for someone to replace my car just to have Nissan fix what they messed up on.

I brought my 2003 Nissan Altima into countyline Nissan in middlebury, CT; the dealership I purchased the car from. It was 5-02-08 and I had 58,294 miles on it, I told them I heard a knocking sound in the engine in second and third gear, I also told them it sounded as if the engine bogged down while I was driving up hills. I explained to them that my warranty was going be up at 60,000 miles and wanted them to fix the problem before the warranty was up. I also told them that while they had my car to do an oil change. When I went to pick up my car later that day they told me they were unable to duplicate my concern, meaning that they could not hear the noticeably obvious sound the engine had been making. I assured them that I definitely heard a noise and that my car was acting weird , they assured me there was nothing wrong, they gave me my oil change and sent me on my way. On 9-21-08 at approx. 61,174 the faint knocking I heard suddenly turned into a loud banging in my engine. I stopped my car and not knowing what else to do checked my oil. There was not a drop in it, after I had just had my oil changed not even three thousand miles earlier, I knew it had to be the dealerships fault. I brought my car to the dealership on 9-22-08 and told them of the problem, they said they would look at it and call me back. A few hours later I received a call from the manager, he told me I needed a new engine and it would costs $4,500. I told him I would not be paying that because it was there fault and they needed to do something to fix it. He said the only thing he could do was replace the engine for $4,500. I then had my car towed to my house, I looked into my options and needed a car ASAP so I had another shop replace the engine for a little cheaper. I called Nissan corp. And told them of the situation they said they couldn't help me. I have found numerous complaints of similar situations and I have also found a recall on the same engine in canada.