2002 Nissan Altima: engine overheating

Filed Aug 12, 2016 · Driver assistance, Engine · 96,000 miles · MA

The vehicle stalls while driving which could cause an accident. It has happened many times and we have been lucky other drivers are paying attention. The vehicle does start back up. We have found a recall but when we've checked the VIN # it comes up with no recalls. There is a sensor issue recall that describes exactly what the car is doing. It has stalled on off ramps, city streets and suburban roads. I have found the following online: on certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l enginethe crankshaft position sensor can overheat causing a brief interrupion in the signal output. If the interupption of the signal is so brief that the ECM electronic control module dose not have time to diagnose the condition, the vehicle may shut off creating the risk of an accident. The dealer will reprogram the ECM free of charge. The nissan recall # is r0606 nissan is no help the vehicle only has 97,0000 miles and was bought used from a lot in nh who was also no help

Filed Jun 16, 2015 · Driver assistance, Engine · 134,000 miles · OH

Car would not start. Towed to mechanic and found out it was crank shaft positioning sensor. After repair was made I found the recall on this website. According to nissan service dept. Looking in nissan database this repair was made at 28k miles before I bought the car. I had to have the same thing repaired and nissan will not reimburse me for the repairs. According to the safety information posted about this recall the sensor can overheat and cause loss of power to the engine and cut off the engine completely. This happened to me a couple of years ago and luckily I was in a parking lot driving at a slow speed, but prior to that I was out on a country road and it was getting dark. If it had happened then I may have been hit by another car. Since this part is still defective or not redesigned it is putting other nissan owner's at risk of this happening again. There should be a second recall to replace this part again. This is not a simple "sensor" that causes your car to not start, this is life threatening! I am afraid to drive any distance for fear of this happening further from home and either causing me to get into an accident or having a huge towing bill. Nissan was very uncooperative in number one, not willing to reimburse me because I took it to my mechanic and not a dealer, I'm psychic like that, and two, not issuing another recall when the nissan service rep told me that these have been repaired more than once after the recall. I hope the federal safety agency department can see the urgency of this complaint to issue a second recall. Thank you.

Filed Apr 21, 2015 · Engine, Fuel system · 125,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 03v251000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the service engine warning lamp remained illuminated. The contact also stated that the oil was constantly low and had to be refilled. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who replaced the 02 sensor, but the failure recurred. While traveling, the vehicle hesitated and the contact had to apply the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal to keep the vehicle from stalling. The contact was not able to get the vehicle to restart after exiting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer who diagnosed that the pre-catalyst overheated, which caused the catalyst substrate particles to flow into the engine. The mechanic also diagnosed that the cylinder walls failed causing oil consumption, which leaked into the spark plugs causing damages. The engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and would not provide a remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. Updated 8/19/15*cn updated 10/06/2017

Filed Feb 11, 2015 · Engine · 201,000 miles · GA · crash · fire

First there was a random misfire when I first started it that morning. Eventually got it to start, allowed it to run for a few minutes, and then attempted to pull out of the driveway. Once I put it in drive in and moved a few miles the engine completely shut off. Got it back home, changed the camshaft sensor and while attempting to see if the problem was resolved the catalytic converter began to overheat and caused a small fire near the sensor.

Filed May 14, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 125,000 miles · CO

Nissan altima 2.5 auto transmission. Nearly killed me. Car suddenly went to 20 MPH on the interstate in heavy traffic with 18-wheel 30 ton vehicle behind me. Burns oil like crazy. Put in better synthetic oil, burns faster. Had the car die on the interstate at 75mph right in front of an 18-wheeler. Could have died. Could have been killed by the nissan corporation. Know any good lawyers? This is really dangerous, nissan should recall and replace this engine. Replaced catalytic converter, o2 sensor, pre-catalytic converter, spark plugs, some other related stuff. Burns oil even faster than before. Completely ran out of oil in 300 miles. I am trying 10-40 oil to see if the oil burning problem will slow down. Car only has 125000 miles on it. Complete pos. Never buy a nissan, I never will again. This was my first, only 125k on it. I am used to selling perfectly good ford and vws at 250k miles. On the internet most people fail the pre-cat and catalytic converter by 95000 miles, then overheat and blow the entire engine. Cars stopping suddenly at 75 miles an hour are going to kill people. Since nissan is well aware, this is pre-meditated murder. Other symptoms: no power, no acceleration, no response by nissan dealer. Nissan "service" is a joke. Never take a car to nissan for repairs. Unrelated sign of really really bad engineering: paint is falling off car. Never had that happen to a car before, I have a 14 year old ford with 240k and the original paint job, even though it is not garaged.

Filed Oct 16, 2013 · Engine · 70,000 miles · NJ

My 2002 nissan altima 2.5s has around 70k miles on it and so far had been running very well until very recently, when the service engine light turned on last weekend. Within a day or two, the car started running a little rough. A few days ago the car showed low oil pressure light on the dash board. When I checked for the engine oil level, there was barely any oil left. I immediately put 5 qts of mobile full synthetic oil and took it to the nissan dealership in denville, nj. There I got a shocker that the catalytic convertor of my car got sucked into the engine and furthermore some of that material was bracing against the cylinder walls. It was the reason why my car was running rough sometimes and burning oil. I was further told that the only fix to this problem is to replace both the engine as well as the catalytic convertor. Job cost was estimated to be around $6000 to $6500. The dealership furthermore warned me about the fire hazard or engine seizure due to overheating. With some investigation I found a nhsta recall on my generation of altimas-the federal safety agency campaign# 03v084000. In order to seek further help in this regards, I opened up a case with nissan motors USA- case # 12257145. I got a callback from the regional representative on thursday- 10/10/2013 where I was told that my VIN did not qualify for a recall which had been issued by nissan earlier. I asked her about the nhsta campaign for my car, for which she asked me to hold on to the car for a few more days, before they could resolve the issue. On, 10/14/2013 I got a call from the same representative and this time I was given a different answer stating that although the catalytic convertor has a warranty of 80,000 miles but it is for only 8 yrs. I do not qualify for the warranty, because although I drove very less, but still my car is 10+yrs old. She further told me that nissan will not bare any expense on my car.

Filed Sep 19, 2012 · Engine · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the contact approached a stop signal when the vehicle suddenly began to shake with a hesitation. The contact maneuvered to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle. He noticed coolant leaking into the oil and the engine oil level had become extremely low. In addition, black and gray smoke emitted from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to an independent auto shop twice. The technician advised the contact that the catalytic converter and the engine cylinder seal were defective. There was a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe) however, the contact's VIN was ineligible for repairs under the recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The failure mileage was unavailable.

Filed Jul 15, 2012 · Engine · 110,963 miles · CO

Engine was consuming oil at an accelerated rate (1+ qt per 2,000+ miles). Dealership conducted an oil consumption test beginning december 2011. It appears that when the catalytic converter goes out, it sucks in pieces of the converter substrate during the negative cycle. The small pieces of the converter then score the cylinder walls. After several months of the dealership monitoring the oil consumption, I was told that I would need a new engine. I took the car in to an independent mechanic for a second opinion. The cylinder compression test indicated the first cylinder was at about 82 psi and the other three cylinders ranged from 111 to 118 psi. Back at the nissan dealership, the mechanic stated that the first cylinder is the one that is initially damaged by the pre-catalyst overheating. Nissan consumer affairs has told me they would not provide financial assistance in getting a new engine because I did not get a warranty when I bought the car used, and also because the mechanic who replaced the catalytic converter at 90,000 miles was not the nissan dealership (nissan case # 8897586). The car is suffering the effects identified on the federal safety agency campaign id 03v084000. There is the possibility the engine could catch on fire as identified in the campaign. I have meticulously recorded all of the repairs and oil changes to the car, only to have nissan tell me that they will not provide me with any assistance with this issue. It appears to be a design flaw with the pre-catalyst overheating and subsequently casing grave damage to the engine. Thank you.

Filed Mar 12, 2012 · Engine · 102,000 miles · CA

I believe that this engine defect caused the pre-catalyst to overheat and damaged the catalyst substrate. These particles entered the combustion chamber and probably scoured the cylinder walls prior to recall 03v‑084 implementation. This resulted in increased oil consumption throughout the lifetime of the vehicle which in turn adversely affected the heater system not working properly, coolant reserves disappearing, engine started to heat-up, and ultimately engine seized-up. Prior to this I had to be adding engine oil and coolant every two to three weeks since engine would start to make noise and start to heat-up, but there was no leaks or engine light did not turn on. Previously, mechanics did not see any problems when taking it for oil changes and service. It is now at the dealership and they state that it will cost me $2100 to $5500 to fix this. I told nissan service personnel that I found the same thing happening to many nissan 2002 owners on the internet. I found several websites with hundreds of complaints just by goggling "2002 nissan altima oil consumption". Even nissan service personnel told me that this is not normal since these vehicles should last over the 200 thousand miles, especially since we are the original owners and have always done routine oil changes and service. Please help me and the many owners of these nissan altimas who have trusted nissan in building long lasting dependable vehicles.

Filed Nov 17, 2011 · Engine · 118,000 miles · FL

2002 nissan altima was serviced @ recall campaign in 2003. The dealership states the remedy was completed. However my car, overtime, shows the symptoms of a damaged catalyst substrate from the catalytic converter. These symptoms are exactly what is described in the original recall notice: ntb03-070d. Additionally my automobile has soot from burning oil in the tailpipe and has always run hot even though the dashboard temperature gauge, always stayed in the middle between hot and cold. I have taken my vehicle in for service and other recall notices, nothing was ever spoken of about this issue. Strange that an ase technician wouldn't see these symptoms, & report a potential problem. Only after my engine overheated and failed did I find the details of this problem; while researching my repair options online. The inspection process of the catalytic converter in my case seems to have not been properly performed. I contacted the dealership to ask for the detailed service records for my altima for that campaign. The service rep. Stated the repair was performed. I asked the service rep. To produce the inspection documentation for my vehicle's cat. System. He could not produce that documentation. I next called nissan of na to file a notice. I stated my altima may not have had the proper remedy to address the recall, and that damage was evident. I was informed that I would have to take my vehicle into a nissan dealership for an inspection of the cat. System at my own expense. After the results of the inspection are noted, if it is warranted my case will be escalated to nissan for review. I would like to follow up with further details if possible. If I cannot amend this complaint, I will document the resulting findings in another complaint and reference this number for correlation.

Filed Oct 4, 2011 · Engine · 101,000 miles · MN

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. The contact stated that the pre-catalyst converter overheated and shattered into pieces, causing the engine to fail. The engine would also exhibit a loud, abnormal noise when driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the catalytic converter ruined the engine which needed to be replaced. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe) but the contact's vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 101,000.

Filed Sep 24, 2011 · Engine · 93,000 miles · MN

My VIN should be included in the below recall as my mechanic diagnosed and recommended I bring to nissan to fix. But per there recall my car VIN is not included even though be as campaign # 03v084000. Please see campiagn notice below to reference. What can I do to make nissan do the right thing and fix under recall. Recall number: 03v084000 summary: 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. Consequence: this condition 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 is expected to begin during may 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. Notes: 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. Nissan is still developing a remedy for the pre-catalyst problem. Customers can also contact the federal safety agency's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1‑888‑327‑4236).