What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Engine will not start. If I get the engine to start the car may act as if it wants to cut off in traffic. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Engine may stop while in traffic possibly resulting in someone hitting me in traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No the dealership service department are refusing to service or even inspect my car. At first he lied like there wasn’t a recall. Now because we are in MS he is refusing to provide service because we are not in a cold state. I called Nissan to verify this information prior to speaking with the dealership and Nissan specifically stated that for my VIN there is an open campaign for a fuel pump screen. Then they were the ones who referred me to the nearest dealership which is Gray Daniels Nissan North in Jackson. MS.
2003 Nissan Altima: won't start
55 of the 883 complaints about the 2003 Nissan Altima describe won't start.
- owner complaints
- 55
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical repair cost reported
- $281
- typical mileage
- 86,000
- recalls
- 3
Won't start by model year
What owners say
Takata recall my car seems like it won't crank up or like it is not getting gas
Nissan altima recall I was driving down the road an my 03 nissan died an would not start back it doesn't turn over.
I have had my car shut off on me while driving down the road causing it hard to steer almost causing other cars to rear end me. Then the car wouldn't start. Every year I have had to buy a new cam shaft sensor since the install of the new engine that was put in by nissan. There is a recall on the cam sensor but my car is not under that recall.
My wife was driving our nissan altima with our kid when all of a sudden the car started to stutter and then it just stopped in the middle of the road. Luckily the car behind her did not hit her. She was able to start the car again after a few minutes and then was able to drive it home. After she reached home, I then took the car to a nearby auto shop when the car just stopped again in the middle of crossing an intersection. The steering wheel was stiff and it could not be turned. I tried to start the car but it wouldn't start. I waited for a few minutes and then I was able to start and drive the car. I turned on the hazard lights and then drove the car to the auto shop. The mechanic mentioned the cam shaft sensor was bad and upon searching online I found similar drivers mentioned the same issue and that there has been a recall on this. I have all the paper work from the mechanic as proof that this was the same problem as mentioned in this link. Http://repairpal.com/nissian-crankshaft-and-camshaft-sensor-recall-492 I contacted nissan consumer affairs and they claimed that there weren't any recalls. They weren't willing to admit this issue. It seems like they will act only when there is a serious injury or loss of life.
Loose power valve screws - while driving my 2003 nissan altima 2.5 s both on city streets and on the freeway, the vehicle arbitrarily ran super rough to the point of almost completely cutting off in middle of traffic lanes. One instance was particularly dangerous because I was making a left turn across traffic lanes, and the engine stalled in the middle of opposing traffic lanes and I was almost t-boned by oncoming cars. Finally the engine wouldn't start at all one day, so I had the car towed to the dealer, and they identified a problem with intake power valve screws that needed to be replaced at a significant price. I had to get the car towed once before, and the dealer diagnosed the problem as a defective camshaft position sensor, not covered by any recalls, but obviously a significant problem for 2003 nissan altima owners. After doing my own research, there seems to be a large number of owners of this same car experiencing the same power valve screw problem also. I also believe there is a recall on 2004 and 2005 nissan altimas for this problem, which have the same engine as my car.
I was driving on the highway with my kids in the car when my car shutoff all of a sudden. I was not able to get it started and cars were whizzing by me . Finally after several tries that seemed like forever, the car started and I took the first exit off the highway. Then once I made it off the highway the car check engine light came on. I made it back home but the car would not start properly. It comes on and then shutoff or stays on for a few minutes and then makes a sound like its going to cutoff if you put it in gear. Finally had the car checked and was told it was the camshaft/crankshaft sensors based on the codes. My family could have been killed if this would have happened during rush hour. Something needs to be done. These parts seem to continuously go bad and endanger the safety of everyone. I have less than 70,000 miles on this car.
In nov 2013 the car would stall (engine dies) while driving. The car would not start sometimes and the check engine light came on. Vehicle was taken to a nissan dealership where the oem was reprogrammed. I was also told the cam position sensor had an internal failure. The oem reprogramming was covered by a recall but not the sensor which was VIN specific, as told by nissan. I replaced the sensor. This year the car has been jerking and would not start several times (seems the problem re-appears every summer). I again took the car for repairs and was told it is the crank and cam position sensor. I have again replaced the sensor and called nissan. I was told my car is not covered by the recall as it is VIN specific.
I drove my car from ms to ga. When I reached my hotel and turned my car off and tried to leave again the service engine light came on and the car would not start. I had the light checked the next the and it came back reading the crank position sensor. When I made it back to ms I got the part replaced and the check engine light was turned off. 8 months later my car started cutting off at red lights and not starting again. The check engine light came back on. When I had it checked again the mechanic said it was reading for the crank position sensor again. Once I explained to him that I just had that fixed he figured it was something else. Replaced my battery, battery cables, alternator, and starter. Cars still shuts off and wont crank. When I called nissan they said my VIN wasn't included in the recall. My car stalls on me daily and shuts off at red lights.
I was driving and my car just slowed down and eventually cut off. I put the car in park and started it back up. When I arrived at my destination and cut the car off and tried to cut it back on it would not start.
Car just died while driving on highway, then it will not start, paid 500 dollars to get fixed and there is a recall on these parts but not for my VIN, I feel that the recall should be extended for more cars.this is a dangerous problem.
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.
Service bulletins that may apply
- MIL on with DTC U1000 or U1010 stored in engine control unit
- Engine oil cooler gasket available
- Malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code U1000 or U1010 stored in engine control unit
- Engine will not start
- After a cold soak, the engine cranks but does not start
- Essential tool - J-47010 tamper resistant torx plus 25IPR bit
- Alternator noise after engine shut off
- Unable to maintain idle or low/rough idle at start
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crank angle sensor is affected by temperature variations. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
- Risk
- If the interruption in the signal from the 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. The recall began on august 21, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 06V242000 · 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
Questions about the 2003 Nissan Altima won't start
Is won't start a common problem on the 2003 Nissan Altima?
55 of 883 owner complaints about the 2003 Nissan Altima (6%) mention won't start. The model year with the most reports is 2009.
How much does it cost to fix won't start on the 2003 Nissan Altima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $281 (median of 10 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Nissan Altima?
There are 3 recalls and 13 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Nissan Altima
Stalling 246Check engine light 182Engine failure 51Oil consumption 45Loss of power 44Hesitation 28Headlights 22Jerking 22Fire or smoke 16Overheating 13Knocking 12Misfire 12Fuel smell 10Fuel pump 9No deployment 7Power steering loss 7Door locks 5
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