2002 Nissan Altima: won't start

Filed Jul 13, 2018 · Engine · MD

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.

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 Sep 9, 2014 · Engine · 130,000 miles · CA

This car almost killed me. While I was driving in the traffic, the engine suddenly died, there are no power, no steering, no brake, and will not start again this time. The engine has been eating oil and coolant like crazy.

Filed Jun 30, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 99,975 miles · OK

Problems: service engine soon light, no start condition, reduced engine power, stopped running during vehicle operation. Car was parked and when started would not go over 15000 RPM - would not back out of the parking space. After several attempts at restarting it I was able to drive it to my local mechanic for him to check why the service engine soon light was on. Code he received did not give him any information so he turned the light off and I continued driving the car. On june 26, 2014 the engine stalled as I pulled up to a stop light. After putting the car in park and turning on my emergency blinkers it began running again. No service engine soon light came on. The next day the car failed to start. After several attempts it started and this has happened multiple times since then. A recall notice for all of these specific problems had been issued in december of 2003.for 2002 altimas manufactured between june 2001 and june 2002. My altima was manufactured in october 2001 and I purchased it in november 2001. I was told by nissan when I called on june 27,2014 that my vehicle was not included in that recall even though all of the consequences of the recall were documented on my car. I did receive a recall notice in february of 2009 at which time the local dealer reprogrammed the ECM (r0712). Not sure that worked because in july 2010 the service engine soon light came on - took it to repair shop which replaced the crank position sensor (which could have been defective also since all of these problems are occurring). I paid out of pocket for the same thing others are getting repaired by nissan for free. Recall no. R3022 and 03v‑455 describe these problems.

Filed Jan 22, 2012 · Electrical, Engine · AL

Will not start,replaced crank an cam sensor nothing they are recalls on these cars for lots of problems I purchased this car thinking it was a good car for my wife two days later it leaves her an my daughter stuck on the freeway. I have done resets nothing works is there something yall can help me with im out of pocket cause this car. Can I take it to nissan dealer an they fix it for a recall.

Filed Sep 29, 2011 · Electrical, Engine · 80,000 miles · NC

Car uses excessive amounts of engine oil and low oil light never comes on to warn driver, can only determine that it is low by engine knocking noise.average oil consumption about 1 - 2 quarts every 300 miles also heater does not work when car is idleling only works when driving.check engine light constantly comes on code states cat converter bad.continous problem has been going on since car had about out 90,000 miles.car also turns off after running and will crank but does not start after multiple tries.

Filed Apr 1, 2011 · Engine · 144,000 miles · TX

At 85,000 miles, the car began to shudder and had difficulty accelerating; the diagnosis was a blown head gasket. At around 130,000 miles the car started feeling rough and making rattling sounds. The dealer replaced the right and back engine mounts, leaking valve cover gaskets, front lower control arms, and left front hub and bearing but the sound still exists. At 141000 miles the "check engine light" came on and the dealer replaced the catalytic converter. At 144,000 miles, the car suddenly would not go more than 10 MPH. After turning the car off, the engine initially would not turn over; after a few minutes, the car started again but still could not go more than 10 MPH. The second stop seemed to temporarily revive the car because it could be driven at normal speeds (at least long enough to make the 1 mile drive home) but it emitted a strong burning smell. At this point the diagnosis is irrelevant - it's time for a new, more reliable car.

Filed Mar 11, 2010 · Engine · 85,000 miles · GA

I have a 2002 nissan sentra se-r with the 2.5 liter (qr25de) engine I purchased new. This is the same engine that the problematic 2002 nissan altima has. My car has had numerous serious recalls, originating within the first year and a half I purchased it. Two years ago, my ses light went on. My car was still under warranty at this point as I'd purchased nissan's "gold plus" warranty coverage. I was told it was a loose gas cap, they'd checked and performed all outstanding recalls, and all was fine. 8 months later, the ses light went on again.the car began to also exhibit signs of increased oil consumption. I had it checked, was told it was a cracked oil pan by an independent mechanic. Finally, I took it to nissan. I was told I needed a new catalytic converter, the exact part that has been mentioned in several recalls on my vehicle, and since the car was out of warranty they would not pay for it. Estimate was $1200, which I got in writing, for the catalytic converter. I asked for records of what they had done to inspect and repair the recall previously. They had no record of it. I called nissan north america, who told me the dealer kept the records, and to ask them.. Finally, an independent mechanic replaced the part. The ses light went on two weeks later. The independant mechanic said the pre-catalytic converter was damaged/falling apart, also listed in my recall explicitly. The dealer had misdiagnosed the car. Called dealer, wrote letter, bbb complaint, nissan complaint, no response. Had pre-cat replaced for $600. Ses light came on again. Eventually, my car stalled and wouldn't start. I had it towed to a repair facility who informed me my engine was blown, replaced for $4k. A screw had been found in the third cylinder. This is also listed in some of the 'bulletins' nissan distributed to their dealers. I've tried a demand letter, no response. Obviously, no one inspected my car for recalls, or repaired the faulty parts.

Filed Mar 8, 2010 · Engine · 126,100 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. The contact stated two days after he brought the vehicle it would not start. The contact stated he is having the same problems as in the recall 03v455000. The driver states he contacted his nissan dealer and they told him to bring in the vehicle and they would check it and if it were the same problem they would fix it free of charge. The contact stated that now they are telling him his vehicle VIN is not included in the recall. The failure and current mileages was 126,100. Updated 04/16/10. *lj the consumer stated the crankshaft position sensor was faulty. The consumer stated the crank shaft position sensor was replaced at his expense on march 10,2010 and the next day the vehicle would not start again. Updated 05/17/10

Filed Feb 25, 2010 · Engine · 56,000 miles · FL

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. While driving on the highway at 65 MPH. The driver stated that his vehicle started to lunge forward and then cut off completely. The driver pulled off of the highway. The driver stated that the vehicle restarted after 10 minutes but the service engine light came on remained illuminated. The driver stated that he took the vehicle to the dealer but nothing was done. Occasionally his vehicle does not start immediately and he has to restart it within 30 minutes. The failure mileage was 56,000 and the current mileage was 56,140.

Filed Jan 12, 2010 · Engine · 170,000 miles · MS

The latest problem with my nissan altima occurred yesterday. It would not start after extreme cold. This is the last in an ongoing saga of problems with this vehicle. We fail to get notifications of recalls from the manufacturer. If something fails to work, it is always our financial responsibility unless it is a very minor repair. The day after the sale there was no beam for a headlight. Now we see headlights fall under the recall. Maybe we should have known we had a lemon. We had a sensor go out as I was driving 70 miles an hour on an interstate. I had to pay because the vendor said at 8,000 miles it was just outside of warranty. I later find out that sensors fell under a recall. Yet to get my money back I had to produce documents that I could not get the repairing dealership to fax to me. I wrote, called, etc. Still the end was I paid and they did not return my money. We have had to have the air compressor replaced not once but 3 different times to get air conditioning in the car. Now today the call I get says this, the "engine is shot" expect to pay in excess of $4900 to get it fixed. This car and many other nissan altimas I have found out have had the same series of problems. I want my car fixed at no cost to me or I want a replacement at an extremely reduced cost. I want the vendor to be required to notify car owners of recalls and to not merely have to report that there is a recall. My permanent address has not changed since the purchase. They could have let me know that. Even now there are recalls that are due this car but conveniently not on the parts that now need to be replaced. Please help or put me in contact with someone who can.!! I spoke with brandon at your office by phone this a.m. Because I feel I was not able to effectively get my point heard by him, I have chosen to file this written complaint in the hopes of receiving attention and assistance. Deep down I want a manufacturer that stands behind what they sell and that replaces what is defective.

Filed Jan 6, 2010 · Engine · 77,280 miles · NY

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. While the contact was driving approximately 45 MPH, he noticed that the engine light appeared on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the 02 ring needed to be replaced. The contact noticed prior that the vehicle would not start or would hesitate while being driven. The vehicle has not been serviced and the current and failure mileages were 77280.