2003 Nissan Altima: hesitation when accelerating

Filed Jun 20, 2011 · Engine · OH

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated the vehicle would intermittently stall while driving at various speeds. The contact also stated the vehicle would intermittently hesitate after it was started. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the contact was informed the crank position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 81,456.

Filed Jul 12, 2010 · Transmission · 97,000 miles · NY

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. While driving 5 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate and jerk violently as the contact attempted to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the mechanic stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. There were no prior warnings. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 97,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

Filed Apr 7, 2010 · Engine · 129,463 miles · AZ

Driving down the interstate all of a sudden the car began to 'hesitate" and I was losing 'power/speed" . Got off freeway and a "rattle" type noise coming from engine bay. The muffler sounded like it was "sputtering". Drove via city streets at 20 mpg - 40 mpg towards a repair facility ( all the while feeling as though the car was going to die) and 20 minutes later the "engine light" came on. Pulled over and had car towed the last 4 miles to the repair facility. First diagnosis was a "foreign matter" hit the #1plug and closed the gap. The plug was regapped and installed. Car seemed fine , but 2 days later the same symptoms happened on the interstate again. Pulled over and drove to repair facility where it was discovered a common problem with 2002 thru 2005 altimas have. The butterfly valves screws had come loose and they could not find the screws. Ran a magnet in that area but pulled nothing. Tech thinks it may have blown out of the exhaust if I remember correctly. So the first time it occurred was probably a screw hitting the plug and closing the gap and the second time was because of the missing screw/screws not letting the valve functioning properly. The intake plenum was removed and the secondary butterfly plates were inspected. The #1 plate lodged by intake valve and 2 plate screws were missing(passed into cylinder #1), all 4 plates were replaced and all screws secured with red loctite thread locker, total cost for first repair was $200 which included decarb service(because they thought "loose carbon" hitting the plug closed the gap). The second time to cure the actual cause was $460.87 which included replacing a gasket also.

Filed Mar 11, 2010 · Engine · 89,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. While driving at speeds of 30 MPH and up, the vehicle would intermittently stall or would hesitate to start. He also noticed that the check engine light would illuminate on the warning panel intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cam shaft and crankshaft were replaced; however the contact would continue to experience the same failures after repairs. The current and failure mileages were under 89,000.

Filed Aug 5, 2009 · Engine · 42,120 miles · FL

I own a 2003 nissan altima, on the morning of july 27, 2009 I had driven only a few miles when I was slowing down to stop at a red light at that time the car began severely hesitating and then without warning, shut down, after which the engine light came on. I was extremely lucky the car behind me was far enough away to avoid a crash. I tried to crank the engine and it would only turn over, however after a few tries it did start. I then drove approx. Two miles to a repair shop where they used a code reader on the obd. The code reader indicated code p0335 crankshaft position sensor. I drove back home and checked the defects /recalls on where there are numerous recalls for this issue with various nissan vehicles including the altima. I called my local nissan dealer, where the car was purchased and told them about the situation. I was then informed that my car was not covered under any of the recalls for the crankshaft position sensor. So far, the car has not been driven or repaired since the day of the incident. I am very concerned about driving it on the road even for repair due to the unreliable and unpredictable operation of this car.

Filed Jun 30, 2009 · Engine · 93,638 miles · MD

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. While the vehicle was at a local repair shop, the mechanic noticed that the camshaft position sensor and crank position sensor were not working. The contact noticed that the vehicle hesitated and attempted to shut off while driving. Through online research, the contact found a recall for the 2002 model with the same problem, which generated a recall by nissan. He feels that this is a life and death situation and should be reimbursed and that all the vehicles need to be repaired. The current mileage was 94,000 and failure mileage was 93,638. Updated 07/08/09. *lj updated 07/08/09.

Filed May 7, 2009 · Engine · 56,000 miles · PA

Since may of last year, I have been a used owner of a 2003 nissan altima and have experienced the vehicle shutting off randomly while driving, as well as feeling sudden periods of loss in power while driving, like the car hesitates and almost shuts off while driving. The check engine light is constantly on. Upon getting my car inspected this past weekend, I was told I needed a new crank position sensor, ordered from nissan. Did some research online and it appears there are several owners of the same year, make and model of my vehicle who have also experienced similar problems with car hesitations and car stalling while driving. When I called nissan, they said my particular VIN number was not covered under the recall. I don't understand why it wouldn't or shouldn't be, given that I'm experiencing the same problems other owners have experienced with the crank position sensor. I'm requesting a formal complaint be made against nissan for not caring in the slightest about consumer/customer safety due to faulty car parts that could have potentially deadly ramifications involving the safety of everyone on the road, as well as the horrible customer service and extremely unethical judgment call in not taking full accountability with not replacing the faulty equipment that they had originally placed in the vehicle to begin with. I was informed by nissan that, with my particular year, make and model of vehicle, both the cam and crank position sensors were redesigned 3 times since 2003 - why would this be if there wasn't a legitimate issue with the part/s? I have been very lucky so far when the car does shut off while I'm driving it that, with no advance warning or anticipation that such a thing should happen at all, I haven't gotten hit from behind by another vehicle. So far. The engine hesitations and car shutting off while driving occur at least a few times a week. I would like the faulty parts replaced and installed, free of charge.

Filed Mar 4, 2009 · Engine · 39 miles · 00

- hesitation at slow speed and check engine light - hesitation once every 50km - car stalled in oncoming traffic during a left turn - crankshaft position sensor was replaced.

Filed Mar 2, 2009 · Engine · 38,000 miles · 00

Camshaft position sensor failure on highway. Engine almost turned off on highway. Engine hesitation atleast once every 50km. Corrected with replacement of camshaft position sensor (sensor was redesigned) and not covered under recall.

Filed Feb 4, 2009 · Engine · 22,000 miles · FL

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while idling at a traffic light. He was able to restart the vehicle and noticed hesitation when accelerating. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was driven to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the failure was due to a defective crank position sensor. The dealer stated that the crank position sensor needed to be replaced; however, they were not liable for the repairs. The manufacturer was notified and they stated that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. They also stated that they were not liable for the repairs. The failure mileage was 22,000 and current mileage was 23,500.

Filed Jan 14, 2009 · Engine · FL

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the service engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. She received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling), which stated that a variation in temperature occurs due to the unique location of the sensor in the engine. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor. The vehicle was serviced by an authorized dealer for recall repairs and the ECM sensor was reprogrammed; however, the service engine indicator continued to illuminate. On a separate occasion, the vehicle hesitated to start and the check engine warning indicator illuminated once again. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 69,540.

Filed Nov 10, 2008 · Engine · 81,769 miles · LA

I have a 2003 nissan altima 2.5s 4 cyl. While driving , the check engine light illuminated on .I took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic and they identified the cause of the failure as the crankshaft position sensor, the code is po335. The vehicle hesitated as if it were about to shut off. While accelerating, the vehicle would hesitate as well. Will not start. My ses light kept coming on and my car would die at traffic lights. There was no recall on my 2003 model; so I paid $224 for parts and labor. I had to replace the crankshaft position sensor on 2003 altima,had it repaired at local nissan dealership,wasn't under recall for 2003, does any one know who I can get in touch with to get my money back?seems like this is an ongoing problem with the altimas that the company needs to deal with..