I have a 2001 nissan altima. Similar to what I have read on dozens of website, it started idling high (at only 55,000 miles) and ultimately had to replace the intake manifold gasket at a cost of $852.05. I was told not to drive the car after the problem had been diagnosed. Sadly for me, it was three weeks after the extended warranty had expired and nissan refused to offer any price break on the service. This problem seems to be exceedingly common - and often on very low mileage vehicles such as mine. Nissan should issue a recall and fix this problem.
2001 Nissan Altima engine complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 66 of 66, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have nissan altima gxe model 2001. After a thorough research on the web, I find that "intake manifold gasket leak" is a common problem in nissan altima. It cost between $700 - $1200 (though part is for $15-$30 only). With this problem, car start shaking violently when you stop at light. Service engine light fequently lights up. Car stalls abruptly in the light. On a high way drive, car can stall anytime which is a great hazard, especially when you travel with a kid or an old age people. Nissan should help owners fix this and should immediately recall this cars with this kind of faulty parts.
I have a 2001 nissan altima gxe with 89,207 miles on it. Several months ago, I noticed a rough idling at stoplights, so bad sometimes I thought my car was going to die out on me. On september 19, 2008, I took my car into the mccarthy blue springs nissan and was told that I needed to replace my intake manifold. They had to order the parts, and was advised to not drive my car again until it gets fixed. So, I had to leave my car at the nissan dealership over the weekend and was not able to pick it up until september 22, 2008. In other words, I was without a car for 4 days. In researching my problem online to see if it's a notable problem with nissan altima's I came across several websites complaining of the same thing. Most of which had to replace the intake manifold at much lower mileage than mine. The replacement costs seems to be about the same across the board, to be between $700 and $800 plus. In researching my problem I don't understand why this hasn't been a recall for all nissan altima's. There are many websites complaining of the very problem of having to replace the intake manifold on nissan altima's. When I took my car in previously (january 5, 2008) for the same problem I was told that I had a broken motor mount. So, I paid to have that fixed which was over $450. My car ran fine for about a month, until I started noticing that it was idling hard at stoplights, but I figured it was just due to the cold. When I called nissan about it, they asked me if my check engine light was on, and it wasn't so they just said it was due to it being cold. But it never stopped and continued to get worse and worse. Until I finally was able to take it back into nissan to have them look at it again and that's when they said it was the intake manifold. I'd like to know how many complaints have been submitted on this very problem and how many it takes for you to consider a recall.
Check engine light came on and upon diagnostics it says catalytic converter is defective however after replacing catalytic converter and sensor problem still persists.
2001 nissan altima getting p0304 code at 99,500 miles. Searched on a discussion board and there are many other users with this same code. The code is for intake manifold gasket. It seems that nissan is also aware of this defect but is refusing to recall and pay for repairs. This is not an isolated case there are many others with the same exact problem.
Like many others, my 2001 nissan altima with only 57,000 miles on it displayed a check engine soon light. This occurred while my wife was idling at a traffic light. It is not a failure but if not corrected could crack the engine block. The error code crossed to a misfire in cylinder #4. I have found an inordinate number of folks with the same problem with their 2000 nissan altima. Our warranty has expired and I was quoted $920 to fix this problem which appears to be the result of poor engineering design or mediocre materials used for the gasket. I would like to reference four different complaints regarding this same issue: 10167168 10145161 10100639 10163901 this information was mined from www.carcomplaints.com. What exactly is the minimum criteria used to determine a recall or something to that effect? Is there any agency that can compel nissan to make something so obvious and prevalent among their customers right again?
The car - 2001 altima - had a rough idle at all stops. It felt as if the car was going to stall. An independent mechanic felt a 60,000 mile tune-up at a cost of $600.00 would solve the problem. He even checked nissan recalls to aid with the diagnosis. None were found that applied. The problem persisted after the tune-up. The car was taken to nissan where it took the mechanic less than one minute to diagnose the problem. He reported that this was a common problem with the model and year of the car. They would need to replace the intake manifold gasket at a total cost of $825.32. A subsequent search of the internet found that this was indeed a common problem with nissan not taking any responsibility for the problem.
2001 nissan-altima intake manifold gasket has failed at 56,800 miles. Repairs are est. At $850.00. Dealer recommended to change spark plugs and wire.
Engine vibrates a lot during traffic light stops. Found from a mechanic that it is a cylinder 4 misfire caused due to gasket leak. Will cost more than $600 to get it fixed. After doing some research found that this is a manufacturing defect that is affecting many nissan vehicles and could prove fatal if the vehicle stops on a highway. I believe nissan has to take responsibility and recall these.
As seen on the internet at least 50 times. Intake manifold gasket blown on #4 cylinder, nissan refuses to do a recall. I'll never buy another .
I have two persistent problems with my 2001 altima. Issue #1: the car randomly stalls at low speeds (0-10mph) with no check engine light. This problem began in october 2006. This problem results in a loss of power steering and power brakes which has caused many near accidents. There is no pattern or symptom to forecast when stalling will occur. The car has been in the shop (dealership and others) numerous times with mechanics never able to "duplicate" the problem. After spending hundreds of dollars on a new battery, lead wires, new spark plugs and spark plug wires, my nissan mechanic said that he didn't know what else to do except "throw parts at it until something sticks." issue #2: the car idles roughly and shakes unless in neutral. The shop said the problem is the intake manifold gasket which is a $600 repair. A search on the internet provides an abundance of complaints about this problem. This should be a recall issue.
Car shaking while at idle (stopped). Probably cause intake manifold gasket as faced by many other nissan owners. Some complaints reported heating of car leading to fire. I have not faced fire yet but will not take the car to far as well. Since many people faced this, it must be a nissan design issue and should be recalled. This is a expensive fix and so many people have paid from their pockets for a defect which nissan has introduced.
Intake manifold gasket failure at around 80000 miles causing rough engine idling, engine stalling, and an expensive repair. Found 9 similar complaints on the web.
In november 2006, my check engine light illuminated (nissan altima 2001) and I brought it to my mechanic for service. It was determined that there was a misfire condition in one of the engine cylinders. Consequently, the head gasket and various associated components were replaced. However, a day after getting this fixed the check engine light came back on. It appears that the real problem was with the intake manifold gasket, which is an expensive and labor intensive job. After searching the web, I have found that this appears to be a common problem associated with nissan altimas made around 2001. For example, see the following website: http://www.carcomplaints.com/nissan/altima/2000/engine/intake_manifold_gasket_leak_car_shakes.shtml common to nearly all cases (even those brought to nissan dealers) is it typically takes multiple attempts to realize that the true problem is a faulty intake gasket. Before getting it fixed the engine was beginning to get shaky, especially at idle speed.
Car was idled roughly. Often dropping to below 500 RPM and shaking the entire car. Car had a lack of responsiveness and power. Nissan dealer correctly diagnosed the problem just by hearing me tell them what was happening with the car telling me that they had seen a lot of cars with my problem. Took the car to trusted mechanic and got same diagnosis. He said he had seen a lot of 2001 altimas with that problem (blown in exactly the same location of the gasket). Problem was a blown intake manifold gasket, repair cost approached $600. A quick search on google.com yields several forums talking about intake gasket problems with 2001 altimas. The problem is so widespread that it is mention in the autos section of the msn site. Http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reliability.aspx?year=2001&make=nissan&model=altima#engi http://www.familycar.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=344&sid=cc46ef56b5e213fb8dc33fe86106ba57. *nm updated 07/16/2012
Dt: when driving and coming to a stop, the vehicle dies. The car has been to the dealer, and the dealer can't find the cause of the problem. O2 sensor, catalytic converter (2), and fuel pump were replaced, but the car still does the same thing. The manufacture is suppose to call the consumer on monday. The car stalls out everyday, and it's always going slow when it happens.
Vehicle lost speed from 70 MPH to 20 MPH ,and all the gauges on the dashboard shut down, but the engine was still running. Vehicle was driven to the dealer, who was unable to locate the cause of the problem.*ak the consumer stated that the vehicle began running on two of the four cylinders.
When driving at highway speeds, the vehicle stalled. The accelerator pedal went all the way to the floor and the vehicle lost power. Consumer pulled over to the side of the road. *ak
While driving, the vehicle stopped in heavy traffic with the engine still running and without any warning, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. Consumer engaged from drive to neutral. *ak
My 2001 nissan altima, with approx 89000 miles, has started experiencing engine failure at cruising speeds (50-70 MPH) on the freeway. It is intermittent with no apparent warning. First, all guages, including gas, temperature, RPM and odometer, fall to zero. The car jerks as if downshifted, and slows drastically, and the gas pedal does not accelerate the car. It has happened 7-8 times in the past few weeks. The radio display light also blanks out, not sure if this is related or a separate problem.
While in motion, the engine will suddenly shut down. This has happened quite frequently. The service men could not duplicate. The vehicle shut down again and both steering and braking control were lost. The vehicle was taken back to the service team. They test drove the vehicle again and this time confirmed that the engine does shut down. They are still unable to get to the cause of the problem.
The engine shutdown while driving. Nissan said it was the ECM and replaced the part. Unfortunately, the car continues to shutdown and has been returned to the dealer for further diagnostic testing. Ts
Engine shutdown while car is in motion results in loss of steering and braking control. Car drove onto curve. Dealer diagnostic can detect no error codes. The dealer insists that it is the ECM with no apparent proof. Mr
Vehicle is losing oil but shows no sign of leakage. Presently, it is unknown where oil is flowing to due to oil gauge reading below the full mark. While idling in park vehicle cuts off, when restarted it made a rattling noise and cut off again. Vehicle had 3 oil changes since december 2001. Service technician said that piston rings were put on too tightly. Consumer was asked to drive vehicle for 500 miles to see if the problem would correct by itself.*ak consumer also stated vehicle burns fuel quickly.
On three separate occasions vehicle stalled while driving, dealer was notified. Feel free to provide any further information.
Motor mount failed.
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