2003 nissan altima 2.5 s is part of the recall campaign surrounding the catalytic pin. My altima stopped functioning on last year after two weeks of stopping, stalling, smoking, engine knocking, etc. The engine was replaced (supposedly) at the expense of nissan. The exact same scenario occurred two weeks ago this year and the car again was towed to our local nissan dealership. This time, they're refusing to make the repairs because the warranty has expired and they're claiming the problems with the engine this time is not related to the catalytic pin. Their diagnosis was "sludge" in the engine, although the oil was changed just 500 miles prior to the engine locking. After reading other people's complaints, I've learned that these altima's require oil on a weekly basis or this is the result. What kind of car requires oil weekly? As of right now, the car is still at the dealership, which is probably where it will stay because there is no way I can afford to buy a new engine and pay the lender at the same time.
2003 Nissan Altima engine complaints
Page 18 of 20: complaints 491 to 520 of 559, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Complaint #10163230.
I purchased a certified pre-owned 2003 nissan altima september 2004. On 7/12 I experienced the issue of recall #06v242000. My vehicle stopped running w/o warning at a stop at 2:00a.m. The nissan dealer indicated the computer found nothing wrong. I took the car home only for it to once again stop as I departed my job at 2:00 a.m. I again took my car to the dealer who kept my car for three days. One of which I was called and asked if my car could be driven more than 60 miles away (the dealer had to pickup an item in another state) in order to recreate the problem. The next day the technician again indicated he could find nothing wrong. Upon hearing this I contacted nissan consumer affairs (7/19) of my situation and was advised to contact the dealer and tell them of recall #06v242000. After having done this, the nissan dealer indicated they knew nothing of the recall, but would contact consumer affairs as I requested. After speaking with consumer affairs the dealer then indicated they were unable to determine whether recall #06v242000 was in fact my issue as the ECM indicated no such thing. Finally, I spoke with the dealer service manager who indicated that nissan had not yet told the dealerships how to handle the issue of recall #06v24200, and therefore the only thing they could do is reprogram the ECM with the same program it currently has. With that porter nissan released my vehicle back to me indicating I must wait until august 21, 2006 (4 weeks) before I could expect correction to the problem. Since having the car in again in my possession, I have experienced the same problem two of the three days. This issue is further exacerbated as I have a family of four that depends on the use of this vehicle as well as my job requirement if a reliable vehicle. Furthermore my job is approximately 40 miles from my home and I am required to stay there until approx. 2:00 a.m. The handling of this recall is unacceptable.
The service engine soon light began to appear in mid to late june. I have taken my vehicle to two different mechanical establishments and they have ran the vehicle through their scanners and can not find the problem. They have replaced the resister on the transmission however the car continues to shift hard. Nissan has a bulletin about problems on the transmission solenoid but it has not been reported as a recall. My car has reduced engine power and has stopped on me once while I was driving. My vehicle has been serviced thoroughly and the service engine soon light is still on.
I own a 2003 nissan altima 2.5l 4 door. The engine light came on stating "service engine soon". Before I had a chance to get to the dealer my car stalled on the freeway during low speed rush hour traffic. I was able to coast to the side of the freeway without causing and accident. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a crankshaft sensor problem. Was this problem part of the recall #06v242000?
I have a 2003 nissan altima. The check engine light came on during a return trip of about 100 miles distance. The following day I reported to nissan in greensboro, nc. The technician reported that the catalytic converter had failed allowing particles from the converter to enter the engine, causing the engine to fail. Diagnosis, engine/catalytic converter replacement. The vehicle had 108000 miles on it. The problem is that the vehicle was taken to the nissan dealership the following year for inspection of said catalytic converter for a nissan recall that was for this type of problem. Nissan knew this was a defective part, but allowed it to stay on the vehicle and cause 3500 worth of damage one year later.
I bought a used 2003 nissan altima last summer, and it's given me no problems until now. I was driving through town (25 MPH) and the steering randomly locked up, the check engine light came on, and the car stopped accelerating. I drifted to the side of the road, shut the car off, and restarted it with no problem. It did this to me again the next day. I took it to mechanic who performed a computerized diagnostic on it. The test said it was the crankshaft sensor. I researched this online, and I found out that nissan recalled 2002 altima crank pos sensors: http://www.lemonauto.com/complaints/nissan/altima.htm the problem described for the 2002 altima crank pos sensors is exactly the problem I'm having with my 2003 altima. I'm not the only one this has happened to. I found another complain on the consumer affairs website: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/nissan_altima.html I think that nissan needs to look very closely into this, as it is a real safety hazard for drivers!
Driving on interstate car died almost had wrecks,car shut down. Thought maybe bad gas. Husband on the crosstown car died,it is at the dealers now. The service personal at the dealer ship said a lot of the altima's were having that trouble and he would see if the might be a recall. Have not heard anything yet.
I have a 2003 nissan altima 2.5 s. For the last 6 months my car has been stalling periodically. The stall occurs anytime at any speed. When the engine stalls I lose power steering and power brakes. I have had several close call potential accidents, while trying to stop the vehicle with no brakes and no steering. I took the vehicle to the dealer but they could not tell me what the problem was. Just yesterday the car stalled 5 times and finally the service engine light went on. The code indicated that the camshaft position sensor is faulty.
Three times my 2003 nissan altima 2.5s has choked down and tried to die while driving. I never get a check engine light or any codes showing, but after researching the problem, I feel assured that the problem is the crankshaft position sensor. There was a recall done on this issue, but only for 2002 models. A lot of people I know have been having this same problem on their 2003's.
On my way to work on 5/3/06 I was driving my '03 nissan altima on the highway going about 65-70 MPH and my car jerked. It was as if the car couldn't decided what gear to be in. It did the same thing for the next two days. The next day was saturday and I took the car to "conrads" to have a diagnostic analysis performed. I was told that the crank sensor needed to be replaced. The car had 43k miles on it and I knew it was over warranty. The part is a nissan only part so "conrads" ordered it and it was scheduled to be replaced the following saturday. Four days later on 5/10/06, my car stalled on the way to work. It wouldn't start or anything. It stalled in a pretty bad neighborhood so I called the police. I had it towed to a different place. Another diagnostic analysis was performed. Again I was told that crank sensor and the cam sensor needed to be replaced. Since I couldn't even drive the car anywhere and I didn't want to pay for a tow truck again, I told them to order the part and replace the sensors. Afterwards I did some research and discovered that many people have had this same problem-as noted on this website and others. I called nissan consumer affairs in an effort to get reimbursed for the cost. I read the warranty and I assumed it would be covered under the power train warranty. I was informed that the it fell under the federal emissions limited warranty and was not covered. I thought this was absurd because the 2002 altimas had a recall on this sensor. Since the 2002 body style was the same in 2003, it is well-known that the mechanics of the vehicles stay the same. All I want is to be reimbursed for the replacement. This is an issue that other 2003 altima owners have experienced. Nissan needs to have a recall or reimburse everyone who have already replaced the sensors.
Radiator leak was discovered by technician while performing a diagnostic inspection on my altima for some engine problems I was experiencing. At that time my car had 43k miles. I was informed that I had a radiator leak and the coolant reservoir was empty. They filled it with coolant, but I did not replace the radiator. Four days later, my car stalled on the highway and had to get it towed. I towed it to a different place than where I had been 4 days ago. I was informed a second time that my radiator was leaking and that it was about 1/2 empty. He filled up the reservoir. Just to note, my vehicle stalled because of 2 sensors that had gone bad. During second diagnostic inspection I was informed of the radiator again. On may 17th I took my car to the nissan dealership in an effort to get my radiator replaced by goodwill that dealerships extend. Nissan checked the radiator and confirmed it was leaking and needed to be replaced very soon, but would not use the goodwill to pay for the replacement. I have not replaced the radiator to date. I've been filling it with coolant as the reservoir gets low. I've been trying to work with nissan consumer affairs to have this replaced at no cost. I was told that this is part of normal wear and tear, but I absolutely don't agree. Four other people I know that have the same model and year had to get their radiators replaced while under the 36k mile warranty. I believe that is enough proof to show that the radiators nissan is installing in its new altimas are low quality.
Dt*: the contact stated a recall was found on the website, although no problems have occurred with the vehicle, there is a concern it might happen. The dealer determined the VIN was not included in the recall. The recall # 03v455000, concerning the engine and engine cooling. Updated 7/11/2006 - the vehicle was manufactured aug 2002. The recall is for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor.
Excessive oil consumption. I have a nissan altima with the 3.5 v6, there was a recall on the catalytic converter that when on the 03 altimas the engine would leak oil past the rings and damage the cat that would destroy the cat and then let the material go back into the motor and cause oil consumption. My car after telling the dealer last year, still uses a quart every week (roughly every 600 miles). The dealer told me that nissan consider this normal usage. I have tried over several times to get this matter resolved. All dealers and nissan would say, you are pass your power train warranty. Now I see nissan has a campaign out about the 06 alimtas. Why not extend the warranty on all altima.
Dt*: the contact stated a quart of oil needed to be added to the engine every week. Once the oil runs low there is a shaking noise until more is added. Upon inspection the dealership determined although there is no leak, the engine needed to be over-hauled because it burns excessive oil. Updated 7/3/2006 - although it was clear that eh vehicle used excessive amounts of oil the dealer refused to overhaul the engine free of charge because the vehicle was no longer under warranty.
One year into the ownership of the vehicle, while driving, the car would simple shut off. If you were moving at the time it would eventually come back on to the running position. If you happened to be at a stop sign or a light and the "stutter" would happen it would completely shut off then you would have to try and start the car again. It would turn over but sometimes it would take several tries to start the car again. This car was purchased in 2003 as a new car. Because of these instances of the car shutting off there have been two different accidents. Thank the lord none with any personal injuries. These occasions of the car shutting off became more and more prevalent, happening everyday almost all the time towards the end of the life of the car. The car is now not drivable because it literally caught on fire while driving it. It was towed home and there it sits. We are still paying on the vehicle and have to have full coverage on it.
I have 2003 nissan altima 2.5se . It stalls at idle and loses power during driving. It also does not want to start at times just doing sound and after trying about 5 min it's starting( this problem was from time when I bought this brand new car in 2003). Dealer could not find and fix this problem in 2003 when I had warranty. They told me if car starts they can't read a code , because I don't have a "check engine" message. Dealer charged me $300 for tune up. Now when my car start to stalls I went again and still does not have "check engine" message, but they replaced "crankshaft sensor" and looks like it works. Another $300. I check at nissanclub.com forum and realize that it's common problem for nissan altima. But my model 2003 does not have any recall. Nissan supposed fix this problem because it can hurt some one.
1) no event leading up to the failure. I enjoyed normal driving conditions. 2) on 5-18-2006 at approximately 10:00 pm my car stalled. The steering and the brakes locked up. The car was traveling at highway speeds of 75 MPH in heavy traffic. After the car stalled in the middle of busy traffic. I was again able to get it started. I took the car to the nissan service department the next day to be inspected. The "check engine light was now on" the light had not been on prior to the incident occurring. 3) the nissan service center stated that the catalytic converter had broken apart inside the engine and was destroyed. The converter being destroyed also damaged the o2 sensor. The engine stalling and the brakes and steering almost locking up caused a near death experience in the midst of heavy traffic with severely limited ability to steer and brake. This is the second time that the car has caused this issue. The previous issue was when the car's power valve screws (also called butterfly valve screws) came loose and damaged the engine and caused the car to stall in heavy traffic. That incident too almost resulted in a fatal accident) the servicing nissan service center for my automobile can attest to both of these incidents and there are pictures and car parts to prove both incidents.
1. Car stalled and once I held the gas pedal down and was able to hold the key over and crank the engine a huge puff of black smoke came out of the car and it seemed to run fine, although the service engine light came on. It eventually went away after a week or so. 2) a week or so later I started the car, it turned over fine but had no power, it simply would not go. It did not even realize I was pushing on the accelerator. 3) I removed the key from the ignition in frustration and then tried again. The second time the car worked fine. It revved when I put my foot on the gas pedal and then took off just fine. 4) this began to be a more common occurrence and if I took the key out or waited a few minutes it would straighten up. 5) not now! The car won't move forward. And now it is even starting to stall out and flood. 6) now the battery even seems to be running down. This has all taken place in the matter of about the past 5 weeks and now it won't move forward or run at all.
We purchased a 2003 nissan altima in january of 2005. After having the car approximately 2 months the car begin stalling while driving and it would happen periodically. We took the car back to the dealership and they stated that they couldn't find anything wrong with the car, this happen several times and with much boldness. We took the car back and demanded that the problem be found. Because someone almost hit us and my children could have been seriously injured or killed due to neglect of nissan/datsun. They initially tried to give us the run around and stated that they couldn't find any problems, then after the tech, drove the car for approximately 40 miles the car stalled and they detected that it was a sensor and we had to pay for this. I know that nissan should be held responsible for this, because this is a manufacture defect. I believe that this is happening more than reported, I just found this site and I know that it would be a disservice to other people that might have this defect and have not had symptoms yet of this possibly fatal defect. Thank god we were not harmed and no other drivers.
Re: action number rq06001 manufacturer: nissan north america I have experienced all four problems with my 2003 altima that nissan north america cited as reasons for the recall of the defective part. Service records document that the problem that my car would not crank was reported as early as 23,619 miles when I had to have my car towed in to the service department. Since it was an ongoing problem, other records since that time reveal the same complaint. Each time the service department reported that they could not locate the reason for the problem. The car was taken in recently because it began cutting off abruptly while traveling - an extremely dangerous situation. Now that the warranty period is over, with over 60,000 miles, the service department notified me that the problem was in the crank position sensors and they both would have to be replaced. They also informed me that due to the mileage, it was my expense to have the problem corrected. I called nissan consumer affairs about the situation reminding them that the problem began before the warranty period was over and that I had read their information reported to the federal safety agency. I was told that my 2003 altima was not among those produced june 1, 2001 through june 30, 2002 and they would not pay to have the car repaired. Obviously, my 2003 nissan altima is also one in which defective crank sensors were installed as evidenced by the on-going problems and the conclusive diagnosis given me by the service department. The cessation of the engine without warning while traveling the interstate "could" have cost my life. Just as my car had a defective part creating these problems, there may be others like mine that should have been included in the recall. I notified the dealership on yesterday to repair my vehicle. I was told that this would involve replacing the two crank position sensors at a cost of $115 for the sensors and $225 for labor ($340) plus tax. I assume the old parts will be available.
My 2003 nissan altima 2.5 s (75,000 miles) was brought in for routine maintenance. For a week or two the car has run roughly and had a strange odor in the drives compartment. It was discovered that the radiator has a cracked seal and it has been leaking fluid. It was below the minimum line when it was brought in. The fumes in the drivers compartment were the fumes from the anti freeze. No service engine warning light ever came on and the temperature gauge never moved. There was no indication that the car had a problem.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. Afterwards, the vehicle intermittently restarted. In other stalling incidents, the engine would have to remain in the off position several moments before restarting. After the incidents occurred, the "check engine soon" lamp illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the dealer for inspection and replaced the crank shaft sensor. The vehicle operated normally. There is a the federal safety agency recall, # 03v455000, regarding the engine and engine cooling. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the VIN.
Check engine light was on & off , engine was consuming oil faster then normal . Started having engine noise , dealer mechanics said someone left oil cap off therefore oil was lost , engine needs to be replaced. Had car check out by outside mechanic said catalyst was found to be damage inside ,which cause could oil to burn off. Now the engine in a 2003 altima needs to be replaced. On nissan web site they have recall on exhaust hanger pin which could cause problem to catalyst therefore could damage engine.
I have an 03 nissan altima 2.5s. This vehicle stalls and surges while driving and will immediately restart. This problem is intermittent and is a well documented problem with the crank position sensor for this car.
For the past few days, car has been stalling and refusing to start up. Once, it happened on the freeway and luckily the traffic was not heavy, so could manage to take it to the shoulder. Managed to restart the car after a few minutes of trying. Service engine light turns on, and there is hardly any power when you press the accelerator. Took it to a mechanic, and he told me the crank position sensor needs to be replaced. Searched online and found that there was a recall for this exact symptom, but when I called the dealer, my VIN # does not have a recall. That is so strange. I hope nissan realizes that there are other altima's from 2003 that have the same problem.
2003 altima 2.5s events leading up to the failure: the car stalled twice during operation (almost caused 2 accidents) the crank position sensor was replaced (we found some info on the internet that others had issues with this and the car has not stalled since.
Last month, as my '03 altima 2.5s was nearing 65,000 miles, it would intermittently stall when stopping at red lights. After it happened 4 times, I took it to a local mechanic and they found no problems with it. 2 days ago, it happened again immediately after I started the car. It took several tries to restart the car. There was no warning prior to the engine stalling.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine intermittently stalled. This also resulted in no start conditions at various times. The vehicle was taken to the local dealership for inspection. The dealer discovered the crank shaft sensor needed replaced. Since the repair work was completed, the vehicle operates normally.
Please be advised that on 1/11/06 I took my 2003 nissan altima to south chicago nissan for a recall on headlights. At this time I decided to purchase the 60,000 mile service package which included the draining and refilling of the cooling system or radiator. Afterwards, the radiator was leaking fluids. I took the car back, and the supervisor discovered the radiator was cracked . He informed me that they weren't liable, and it would cost me $749.60 for a new radiator. But, I explained to him that the radiator had to be okay for it to be serviced; otherwise, somebody would have said something. I appealed to the manager, but nothing changed. I believe south chicago is liable but don't want to pay . Please investigate this matter and let me know what my options are because I don't have $750 to pay for a radiator . The name of the company is south chicago nissan, 7410 s. Western, chicago 60636. *ak ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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