I've owned my 2002 Nissan for about 6 months now the previous owner informed me prior to purchase about issues she was having and the reason she was selling the car, explain to me that her friend who has worked on cars 20+ yrs felt if cause could be found it was repairable but seems luck she had is now the luck I'm having. I have a couple ppl look over the car under hood and run diagnostics but nothing can be found.. I can't afford to junk the car my income budget is tight and doesn't allow much wiggle room to purchase a new ride a friend told me about the federal safety agency website so we went exploring entering my VIN number comes back no recalls but looking over the recalls for saying make and model and year of my vehicle there's 12 to 15 recalls on it from headlights which I'm is an issue to engine stalls to catalyst issues but yet I'm told that no because we're done on my vehicle I know I'm not the first owner it's a vehicle that I just purchased but I want to speak to someone that can clarify or help me with finding out if my vehicle is actually supposed to be in recalls of these certain things because they were fitted the descriptions of what can take place fit what I'm experiencing and what the previous owner is experienced perfectly please contact me thank you for your time
2002 Nissan Altima engine problems
682 complaints (65% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 90,000. 8 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 682
- of this car's complaints
- 65%
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- crashes
- 8
- recalls
- 3
Which part fails
- Engine164
- Exhaust system91
- Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor69
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe48
- Cooling system22
- Engine: gasoline15
- Cooling system: radiator assembly9
- Exhaust system: emission control: crankcase (PCV)6
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Nissan Altima engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Nissan Altima engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Check engine light 193Oil consumption 168Engine failure 148Stalling 143Won't start 56Loss of power 51Overheating 50Misfire 34Knocking 15
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crankshaft position sensor can overheat causing a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
- Risk
- If the interruption in the signal from the crankshaft position sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ECM) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the ECM free of charge. Certain my 2006 altimas which have been previously remedied under recall campaign 06v223 (nissan r0606) are not included in this recall since the reprogramming for 06v223 also included this reprogramming. The recall began on december 31, 2007. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 07V527000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the circuit board for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress accelerated by the existence of flux residue during the soldering process.
- Risk
- This could cause the "service engine soon" warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduced engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the crank position sensors. Camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s). Vehicles involved in a previous recall campaign, 01v357, are also included in this new campaign. The replacement sensors used in that campaign are also affected. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261 or infiniti at 1‑800‑662‑6200.
Recall number 03V455000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
- What is wrong
- On certain vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine, the exhaust pipe hanger pin may catch debris from the road that could be ignited by contact with the main catalyst. Also on 2002 altima and sentra vehicles, certain engine operating conditions may cause the pre-catalyst to overheat and damage the catalyst substrate.
- Risk
- Either of these two conditions could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove the protruding portion of the exhaust pipe hanger pin. In addition to the corrective action, in order to reduce the risk of fire in the event of poor or improper maintenance that could result in oil spillage, heat shield(s) will be installed on the pre-catalyst and exhaust tube. Owner notification began on july 28, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261. Nissan recall nos. R3007, r3014, r3015, r3016, r3017. Also on 2002 altima and sentra vehicles, certain engine operating conditions may cause the pre-catalyst to overheat and damage the catalyst substrate. If substrate particles enter the combustion chamber, they could score the cylinder walls, resulting in increased oil consumption. If the engine oil level is not checked on a periodic basis and drops below the low level, and the driver continues to operate the vehicle ignoring noticeable engine noise, engine damage may occur which could result in a fire. The pre-catalyst will be tested to ensure it is working properly and replaced if necessary. If damage is found inside the pre-catalyst, it will be necessary to replace the engine.
Recall number 03V084000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Engine compartment fires
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation on october 18, 2002 based on three reports indicating that the engine compartment in model year (my) 2002 nissan altima vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine caught on fire without any warning to the driver while the vehicle was driven at highway speeds.one non-burn related injury was reported as a result of the complainant exiting the vehicle in haste after it had caught on fire.nissan discovered that one of the hanger pins which holds exhaust pipe in place may catch debris from the road.if the debris were to come in contact with the main catalyst, a fire could result.this condition is also present in my 2003 nissan altima vehicles built thru february 18, 2003.nissan also stated in its defect information report that on my 2002 altimas and sentras (equipped with the 2.5-liter engine) that certain operating conditions may cause the pre-catalyst to overheat, which would cause catalyst substrate particles to flow into the engine.these particles can score the cylinder walls which results in increase oil consumption.if the engine oil level is low, engine noise and damage can occur which could result in a fire.the recall includes 268,000 my 2002-2003 altimas and 2002 sentras equipped with the 2.5-liter engine.to correct the condition nissan will remove the protruding portion of the exhaust pin on the altimas.nissan is developing a corrective action to address the pre-catalyst.in addition to the corrective action, nissan will install heat shields on the pre-catalyst and the surrounding exhaust tubing.nissan will begin owner notification in may of 2003.
PE02078
What 2002 Nissan Altima owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
first, I started to notice my car would loose power while driving, over a couple months, it started to stall and/or completely shut off while driving at low speeds or at red lights! When this first stared happening, the car would immediately fire back up when cranked, after about a month of this, I noticed, I could not drive at or above 45mph or it would shut down, or drive for more than 15 minutes and it would shut off…AND NOT START AGAIN! It would crank, but not start, I would have to wait 30 minutes or more and then it would start right up! This is dangerous due to the immediate- no- warning shut off, whenever and wherever! I’ve almost caused multi car pile up! Not to mention my kids in the back seat and on the interstate! We could have been slammed into, and pushed down the interstate and over into other lanes! There’s a recall on 2002 Nissan Altimas for THIS VERY ISSUE!!! Somehow, my vehicles VIN # does not qualify! INFACT….. My VIN# NEVER EVER qualifies for ANY recall, but yet, my vehicle has the exact same problems!!
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle hesitated to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 03V455000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine would misfire and the oxygen sensor would remain illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The oxygen sensor was replaced and the oxygen sensor light shut off. The cause of the catalytic converter failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer was not notified of the failures. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 251,000.
My engine is destroyed because a screw came loose from the throttle body in the plenum, got sucked into an engine cylinder and destroyed that cylinder. This would cost somewhere between $3k to $5k to repair, more than the car is currently worth. In talking to a nissan mechanic and doing online research, this is apparently not an unheard of problem for nissan cars. There has been at least one recall for this problem in the past for some nissan 4 cylinder cars but there was never a recall for 6 cylinder nissan altima cars (my car is a 3.5l 6 cylinder model) the car was running fine. I parked it at my gym and when I came out, started it up. I was rewarded with an awful noise and engine vibration all of a sudden. I only lived 1.5 miles away, so I slowly limped the car home. After some mechanical sleuthing and bringing a mechanic to my home, we determined that a screw had come loose and gotten sucked into the engine. I called nissan USA to explain the problem and see if they would be able to offer any assistance. But all they offered was that they "would take a look " at the problem if I payed to tow the car to a dealership. They would not make any guarantee that they would then help me if the problem turned out to be as I have described. If they didn't agree to fix the problem, then I would be responsible for towing the car back to my house. Here is one url that lists 10 complaints for this problem with nissan pathfinder autos, which use the same 6 cylinder engine as my car. Https://repairpal.com/loose-screws-inside-intake-manifold-can-cause-internal-damage-if-they-fall-out-448 what makes this so awful is that I had a relatively low mileage older car (2002 with only 95k miles) and this problem makes the whole car a junker now due to no fault of my own with no recourse for me!
While driving on the highway I proceeded to try and reach the speed limit but the car lost power to merge into traffic almost causing an accident. Vehicle cannot go past 55 MPH, it loses power during acceleration.
My vehicle equipped with the 2.5l 4 cylinder consumes excessive amounts of oil. I have had to add roughly 1-2 quarts of oil every 200 miles. Engine has no external oil leaks. New valve cover gaskets 500 miles ago, new spark plugs every 10,000 miles due to oil fouling, new pcv valve 500 miles ago. The car does mostly city and country, 55mph driving and under.
The car will not start when it is hot outside. The service engine light stays on all the time. The car stops while driving on street and highways. The crank position sensor'(s), camshaft position sensor's and the variable timing control sensor'(s) needs to be replaced. Recall #r3021 and r3022 was listed on the recall from nissan.
My brakes are going out fast. My heater takes forever to heat up. My fuses keep burning out,car lighter don't work. It runs rough. I think it has a short on some wires.
Nissan altima 4 door. My daughter [xxx]. While driving the vehicle ignition switch, oil, cooling, coil pack cause a major crash, totaling a complete wreckage. [xxx] sustained, serious medical attention, taken to the hospital by ambulance. I started a series of complaints which nissan failed to comment or investigate. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Questions about the 2002 Nissan Altima engine
Does the 2002 Nissan Altima have engine problems?
Owners have filed 682 complaints about the engine of the 2002 Nissan Altima, 65% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2002 Nissan Altima engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 90,000 miles.
Is there a recall for the 2002 Nissan Altima engine?
Yes, 3 recalls: 07V527000, 03V455000, 03V084000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
Other 2002 Nissan Altima problems
Body 128Electrical 77Fuel system 56Lights 42Transmission 39Airbags 34Brakes 29Acceleration 20Steering 15Suspension 14Tires 14Visibility 13Driver assistance 9Seat belts 6Locks 5Seats 3Wheels 3
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