Tl* the contact owns 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH the engine warning indicator illuminated continuously. The vehicle began idling once the contact stopped. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where the contact was advised that the camshaft and crank shaft position sensors would need to be replaced. The contact referenced associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling), however the contact's VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.
2003 Nissan Altima engine complaints
Page 5 of 20: complaints 101 to 130 of 559, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that while entering the highway, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was confirmed that the crankshaft and the camshaft position sensors needed to be replaced. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling), but was advised by the manufacturer that the vehicle was not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 63,000.
My car stalled at a stoplight twice, both while stopped at the light. The car suddenly turned off at the stoplight so I put it in park and restarted it. It started back fine. Then it turned off again after a few seconds. Turned back on again and nothing happened again for one week. Then the car stalled out while in motion! It stalled out as I accelerated after turning onto a road traveling about 30mph. Also stalled out three days ago while idling in a drive-thru.
While driving on the highway, engine began to make rattling noise and lost a significant amount of power during acceleration. Due to location and time of night, I coasted (barely using any acceleration) to a safe location. Turned engine off to look under the hood- could not find any problem. Tried starting car again and would not start. Had it towed the next day to mechanic- he found shards of metal in the engine oil and stated that the valves screws had came off and ruined the engine. I had always put in synthetic oil every 5k miles, and did a complete engine flush every year/25,000 miles ever since I bought the car 6 years ago. This occurred at 133500 miles and the engine cannot be salvaged. To replace the engine, the estimates I am receiving are between 2,000 and 3,000 usd.
On january 15, 2013, my car shut down while driving down the roadway at about 40 MPH while taking my daughter to school. I was able to pull over on the side of the road and restart the car and make it back home safely. Thankfully, the person behind me when the car stopped did not hit me from behind. This is the second time that this has happened with my car. This also happened previously about 2 years ago. I was informed today by the nissan dealership that a failed cam shaft sensor was the reason that my car was shutting down. They are replacing the sensor for approx. $400.00. However, this exact issue is on the federal safety agency.dot website as part of a recall. The federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000. My major concern is that my car could have shut down on 95, a major city highway, with my child in the car and no one wants to take ownership of this dangerous situation. I spoke to nissan USA today, and they offered no assistance. Please assist me with this serious concern.
Recently the engine blew on my altima. It had been function properly and received regular maintenance since its purchase date roughly 6 months ago with about 74,000 miles. The catalytic converter failed and overheated at around 78,000 miles. Currently it is burning through about 3 liters of oil a week. Because of the damage caused by catalytic converter, the engine is no longer serviceable.
Multiple times while driving between 30-45 MPH the vehicle has stalled and not produced full engine power when pushing on the accelerator. This has caused serious concern for the safety of my family and myself. Check engine light came on and I took the vehicle to nissan service repair (august 2011, ~94k miles). Nissan ran diagnostics and stated that the circuit board for crank/cam sensors had failed. Paid $430 to replace crankshaft and cam/crank sensors. Fast forward to december 2012 (~110k miles) where I experienced the same exact issues along with reduced engine power when pressing on the accelerator. Another local mechanic detected that the cam/crank sensors needed to be replaced again. I did some research and found out about recall #03v455000, which describes the exact symptoms that I have been having. I called the nissan service department that replaced the sensors in 2011 who said that my VIN wasn't included in the recall so I didn't qualify. After reading the complaints on this site for this specific year/make/model, it is beyond me how nothing hasn't been flagged about this being an issue. All these people are having the same problems (multiple times) yet they are told their VIN's don't qualify under the recall?? Something is fishy there. Other complaints with the same exact issue include the following numbers: odi id numbers: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805. Thank you for any assistance or light that can be shed on this issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH the vehicle stalled with the illumination of the service engine soon warning light. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after pumping the accelerator pedal several times. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who performed a diagnostic test and advised that the circuit board for the crank position sensor failed. The dealer was then notified who advised that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified who confirmed that the vehicle was not included under the recall and offered no further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Suddenly starting using 1 qt. Oil every 600 miles. No leaks, no smoke, no check engine light ever came on. Took it to my local nissan dealership. They said oil consumption was from catalytic converter breaking down and getting sucked into engine absorbing the oil and scoring lower engine (cylinder block walls), thus causing oil blow by. They recommend catalytic converter and engine replacement at $5,000 dollars. There is a history of these converter failures from 2002 in nissan products. My local dealer said my vehicle wasn't on recall. The biggest concern in this matter was that check engine light never came on and had I'd gone another 1000 miles this car could have seized up on the interstate.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle consumed a large amount of the oil that had recently been replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic advised the contact that the catalytic converter would have 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) that could have been related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. Updated 01/02/2013 *lj updated 1/7/2013
I bought nissan altima 2003 on august 20 2012. I drove it around 800 miles and did oil change at lube express they changed oil at 67290 miles, after driving for around 200 miles car was making weird noise from engine. I got help of a local mechanic, he confirmed that there was no engine oil in the car !!! He put full 5 quart engine oil. I again got it inspected at lube express, they also confirmed there was no leakage. The third refill does not last for long. After 3 days again 5 quart engine oil was disappeared from engine. I again got it inspected at nissan dealership on 10/09/2012 they also confirmed that there was no oil leaks and they did burning oil consumption test, again there was no engine oil in the car. They had suggested me to change entire engine!!!. I can not drive car at all. The engine may caught fire !!! I surfed lot of websites and found that in nissan altima 2003, lots of people have experienced the problem and it had occurred after 60,000 miles I.e. After warranty expires and same happened with me as well. I complained at nissan but they replied that they can not do anything since warranty expires. Problem in altima occurs after original warranty expires!!!! Nissan is selling cars which can cause serious accidents and I want to stop this. Problem in engine occurs after warranty expires. Please help since this may case loss of life and serious accidents. Nissan can not escape from its social responsibility since they are selling junk cars to americans. I can provide lot of website and blogs to prove that nissan sold 2003-altima with faulty engines. They must recall altima 2.5l - 2003 and they must find amicable solution for this problem. I know that I am at a big loss but my effort will help to save lot of lives who are driving nissan cars on highways with huge risk. I trust in god and law of the united states of america. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact stopped the vehicle on the shoulder of the road and was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated the cam and crank shaft sensor needed to be replaced. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling) that may be related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 154,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the engine stalled with the illumination of the check engine warning indicator. The vehicle was restarted after waiting fifteen minutes. The failure recurred five times. The vehicle was taken to an independent auto mechanic for diagnosis where they stated that the defect was contributed to the crank sensor. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the contact's VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 133,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that after having brake repairs performed, the vehicle failed to start. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 128,796.
Vehicle stalled out in middle of intersection, after stopping for a stop sign.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving 13 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. On a separate occasion while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized after the battery warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis but they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000 and the current mileage was 97,240. ....updated 12/20/12 *bf the consumer stated the crank sensor malfunctioned, the motor mount was cracked and the A/C stopped working.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle and the problem was corrected momentarily however, the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle and advised the contact that the failure was caused by the crankshaft position sensor, which needed replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however no further assistance was offered. The current mileage was 54,000. The failure mileage was 52,000.
Like many other complaints, my car stalled on highway at 70 MPH speed and stalls at intersections and low speeds or will not start. I can't believe nissan or the federal safety agency has not got serious about this issue. I checked your database and found following compliant numbers with same issue of altimas stalling due to crank or cam sensor failure. (odi id numbers: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805, ..... And many more). I am lucky to be alive. I am sure there are my accidents and deaths that did not get reported due to this manufacturers defect. This is a very unsafe and dangerous problem that could lead to many deaths. I hope the federal safety agency looks into this and get it fixed.
While driving on the street and about to turn the car suddenly stopped running while driving. Since I was in the middle of a busy intersection, another driver came to help, he asked what happened, I said "I don't know". He got into my car, shifted to park and started it. Weird I said, and forgot about the incident until months later happened again, then months later again, the "service engine soon" light never came on so even I took the car for service and asked about the issues, it was never detected, but I kept complaining to my mechanic every month, replaced batteries each year thinking I had a power problem. I learned about the real problem because this last time it happened on 07/03/12, the help came from someone who knows about cars and he told me about the recall on the crank & cam sensors. I took the car to the nearest nissan and, yes, that is exactly the problem with my car!. But they said because I didn't service and didn't buy the car from an authorized dealer and my car isn't on the "list" they won't fix it. The cost isn't the problem I told them, the fact the car came out of your factory defective should be your responsibility to correct it, never the less your responsibility to recall all units with the problem not just a few. I am taking the car to them to fix the problem right now and pay for the repair because I have a 4 months old baby and I don't want to be hit by another car when my car stops running in the middle of the street but I do want help and have them be responsible for reimbursing me on the cost of the repair and recall all and every single unit involved with this issue. Nissan corporate (yes, I called them too) will not take any responsibility on the case either.
My car began to shake uncontrollably and my check engine light started to flash. I've brought it into a shop 3x now and they can't seem to find the problem so my car has been sitting in my driveway since the incident. My oil is burning at an extreme rate. I only drive max. Maybe 20 miles in 2 days and keep having to put 2qts. Of oil in my car. It's smoking really bad too. I keep paying for labor when the problem hasn't been solved. I found the following on nissanhelp.com: ntb03-070c safety recall campaign -revised- 2002-2003 nissan altima, 2002-2004 sentra; voluntary recall campaign engine exhaust pipe hanger pin and pre-catalyst for 2002-2003 model year altimas and 2002-2004 model year sentras, there is a possibility that certain engine operating conditions may cause damage to the pre-catalyst. Material from inside a damaged pre-catalyst could enter the engine and result 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. I don't know what to do. I keep paying money, but no one seems to fix the problem and I need a car.
Brought vehicle to nissan dealer in tewksbury, ma for diagnostic. (tapping noise when I start the car) they found some repairs necessary but told me they did not know what the tapping sound was. I took the car to my mechanic and he advised that it "sounded" like the timing chain. He did not work on the car and told me to bring it back to the dealer, which I did. I called nissan and they told me I could bring the car to another dealer and have another diagnostic done. At a cost of another $110.00 to be paid by me. I was told that there was little oil in the engine and this is why the timing chain "went". I have paid $2500.00 out of pocket to get my car fixed. I need the car and was two months without it. I do not feel that I should have to pay for this repair. Two months before the timing chain went nissan did an oil change for me along with some other repairs. I take very good care of my car and do not believe that oil was the problem I have all my documents regarding repairs and oil changes and would like someone to check into this for me.
My daughter was driving home from work in my 2003 nissan altima when the car suddenly stopped running, the steering wheel froze and she nearly ran off the road. Thank goodness there were no other cars coming and she was able to pull off the road with no incident. I pulled the codes and found it to be the p0335 (crankshaft position sensor) and p0725 (engine speed sensor). After searching the web, it appears there are many people with the same issue. I looked on the federal safety agency website and found the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000, nissan recall no. R3022 that states exactly what did happen - the check engine light came on and the engine stopped without warning. The remedy is that a dealer replace the crankshaft position sensor. So, I called nissan, found the other recall that is related to the sensor, took the car to the dealer (barely - I drove and the car stopped twice - again, lucky there was no crash). The dealer called and said he could not fix this recall because the sensor was bad. Now I have to go back and pickup the car and pray again that I don't have a crash coming home. Seems totally unreasonable that nissan would have a recall for this exact problem - the crankshaft position sensor - for, among many others, 2002-2003 altimas and yet there are many people out there with these cars that nissan won't fix. I was laid off and certainly cannot afford a $300 fix for a $40 part so we will have to drive this death car until I can figure out how to get it fixed. And pray every time I get in it that we don't end crashing the car, hurting myself, my young twins, my older daughter or anyone else on the road. This is a severely dangerous issue and nissan should replace all cars - not just a select few.
My camshaft position sensor, bank 1, was diagnosed by sears as needing be replaced. My service engine light went off is what first made me aware of this issue. I read online that it's a faulty part, which has been recalled for certain years/VIN numbers by nissan. I contacted nissan directly, and they told me that my particular VIN is not covered under the recall. It is a cheap plastic part, and the new/replacement ones are made of metal is what I'm reading in the numerous cases discussed online from fellow altima owners who have experienced the same issue with these years of production.
My air conditioner has always been running even when the button has been off. I've asked the dealer many times over the years and they said it's fine. Now about 2 years ago my airconditioner won't go on, it's intermittent but if it does go on it only works for 5 minutes. I finally paid the 129.00 to have it checked and was told the intelligan power distribution module has failed. This has been recalled in many other nissans but not the altima. During a search I found lots of other altima owners with the same problem. I tried contacting nissan but they don't care.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was burning excessive oil and the exhaust pipe was emitting black smoke. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 140,223.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the intelligent power distribution module (ipdm) failed several times. The contact also experienced failures with the head lamp housing unit. The manufacturer denied assistance with any repairs because the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 10v517000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 129,556.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The vehicle was included in the recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the technician stated the crankshaft sensor would have to be replaced at the contact's expense before the recall repair could be performed. The recall repair would include reprogramming the ECM. The contact stated the recall mentioned the replacement of the sensors. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.
I was driving on the highway, 60 MPH, coming back from a friend's house when the car started shaking violently I felt like I was in a lot of danger so I got off the highway and came home through the streets, even though it was shaking a lot. While I was going home the engine felt so weak and sounded like a diesel truck. After research online I found out that many 02 and 03 altima owners are experiencing the same problem because of the butterfly valve in the throttle body went into the engine, nissan north america refuses to address the problems in the 2002 and 2003 models even though they have recalled the 04 and 05 models with the exact same engine in the 02 and 03 models!!!! Please help the 02 and 03 nissan altima owners because nissan north america is refusing to help even though they know the engine has major problems!
Due to faulty cat converter which nissan failed to replace the engine is burning oil excessively due to debris from cat converter going inside the engine. Roughly at around 100k miles car needs new cat converters and new engine block. This issue is very famous among 2002-2006 altimas and nissan is well aware of this. The oil indicator fails to inform the driver of pretty much zero oil in engine and this creates a catastrophic damage to engine which can result in fire.
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