2005 Nissan Altima: engine failure

Filed Dec 11, 2014 · Engine · 80,000 miles · VA · crash

At 80k miles, the 3.5l infinity/350z motor that has been *very* well taken care of had a known issue occur which caused the valve to come loose in the engine. There is a problem where some screws which hold a butterfly valve together wiggle loose and is ingested into the engine. This causes the valve to get damaged and fall out resulting in total engine failure. Nissan knows this occurs and is unwilling to help me with the repair. When this occurred to me, I was in a very bad situation and nearly lost control of the car, I was lucky enough to gain control again however there was some damage to the car when I nearly went into the ditch. I have a police report as well. So nissan knows their top of the line engines can with no warning fail which at any speed can be a potential serious accident. The fix is simple to prevent it, secure those screws with some glue or lock tight, but if they admit this is a design flaw, then they'd be responsible for the damaged engines and they seem to prefer to deny it. I just spent a week trying to get them to take some responsibility and they wont. This is beyond a warranty issue in my opinion if it can cause the driver to loose power and loose control of the car. It happens quickly and the impact on control is immediate. Not safe at any speed. So this complaint is one of safety and one of having to cover a total engine failure no matter how well you take car of your engine.

Filed Feb 9, 2013 · Body, Engine · IL

I have a 2005 nissan altima that I bought in 2008 and has had nothing but problems, first had to replace the steering knuckle because the steering was going out ($400) than had to replace the motor mounts, struts, inner/outer tie rods, I have no heat when at idle, while putting new tires on again, I also learned my floor boards are almost rusted through, and now I can not even drive my car because about 3 weeks ago it started sucking down oil ( 4 qts within a 3-6 hour time frame) and it's smoking bad out the tail pipe because of the head gasket/piston rings caused by a faulty pre-cat, and told I need to replace the engine. I see there is a recall for the 2.5l engine for this issue but on a 2006 model, what about my 2005 model with same engine?? Searching the internet I find hundreds if not thousands of people having this same issues in 2002-2006 altima's, obviously there is a problem with these engines and nissan should be held accountable!!

Filed Aug 27, 2011 · Engine · 126,000 miles · NC

About a year ago my car began to use massive amounts of oil and also smoke when started. The mechanic could not find a reason for my car to go through so much oil. Ex. Had to put 4 quarts in one day into my car. About 3 months after that started, them temperature gage started running hot, but never showed signs of overheating. About two weeks ago my car started driving really rough and the service engine soon light began to blink at me. When taken to the mechanic is was found that I had a partially blown head gasket. Mechanic said he had seen 4 other cars, same year and model as mine that had the same exact problem on the same exact gasket. I started doing research and found that there were a lot of people with this problem and that soon after they replaced to head gasket, their engine blew.. I've had the car for 4 years and I'm still paying it. I really need some help with this issue.

Filed Aug 9, 2010 · Engine · 133,000 miles · OH · fire

Bought a 2005 nissan altima, 4 cy. 2.5l on june 18th 2010 I started having problems with the crankshaft sensor,the dealer gave me a discount to get this fix because they were aware of the problem dealer also told me if I get this fix the car would be working fine. I did replaced the crankshaft position sensor,but the service engine soon light kept coming on.. It reads the same error every time, crankshaft sensor. Recently (07/10/10) my car just stalled on highway made a loud knocking noise blew a big smoke --the fire men and police that showed up believe it threw a rod because it leaks oil everywhere..and is not drivable.nissan states they reset the (ECM) but my VIN# isnt in the recall for the crankshaft position sensor so I would have had to pay for that.I then was able to get online and see that alot of nissan owners were told the same exact information the (ECM) would be reset for free but you would have to come out of pocket for the crankshaft sensor to be fixed,if this amount of complaints are identical..then really it boils down to nissan corp is ignoring and doesn't care that their crankshaft sensor is failing along with the (ECM) and because of this some lives are gonna be lost ..as me and my 2 kids faced a stall on highway i75 with many people going well over 70mph..we could have been killed!

Filed Aug 1, 2010 · Acceleration, Engine · 133,000 miles · OH · fire · 1 injury

Recently (07/10/10) my car just made a loud knocking noise blew a big smoke on the highway at 65mph--the fire men and police that showed up believe it threw a rod because it leaked oil everywhere,had the oil changed exactly 5 days prior.

Filed Jul 2, 2010 · Engine · 88,000 miles · ME

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan altima. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle, there were unusual clouds of blue smoke coming from the tail pipe. In addition, the vehicle was consuming excessive amounts of oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic told the contact that there were no signs of an oil leak and could not determine the cause of the failure. The mechanic advised the contact to replace the engine and the catalytic converter. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an authorized dealer who was not able to determine the cause of the failure but recommended having the engine replaced at the contact's expense. The dealer also stated that there was a possibility of an internal engine failure where the carbon in the engine oil was damaging the pistons. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 88,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.

Filed Apr 9, 2009 · Steering · 108,215 miles · MI

2005 altima became very difficult to steer. Took the car to my mechanic and he discovered that the steering shaft u-joint had rusted and seized. (he felt the seals on the shaft are defective.) he had to backorder the part, so there appears to be a nationwide problem with this part. (one dealer had fourteen in stock and all were accounted for.

Filed Mar 17, 2009 · Brakes · 36,000 miles · MN

During cold weather, I experienced what felt like a seized braking system. The weather was close to 0 and when I attempted to stop, the brake pedal would not depress to the floor and the car would not stop. After pressing with both legs as hard as I could, the pedal gave and the car stopped. Research LED me to replace the brake vacuum assist line in this and my wifes 05 altima. Purchased both items through the dealer and if there is a recall on this issue, I would love a refund as nissan should take care of this issue.

Filed Feb 19, 2009 · Engine · 65,333 miles · MD

Car arbitrarily stalled and cut off at low speeds and began to also jerk intermittently as if attempting to shut down while traveling at highway speeds...easily this could lend to a collision!!! Service engine soon indicator illuminated on dash and has remained lit. Dealer reprogrammed ECM only for stalling and jerking to continue, and service engine soon indicator to re-illuminate within 24-hours of initial "fix." also of note, dealer repairman noted that p0420 was diagnosed stating that the catalyst system is failing and engine may need to be replace depending on oil consumption level to be determined after 1000 miles driven. Canadian recall campaign code: r86 calls for p0335 kgb sensor to be replaced by dealer whereas niacin north america's only "corrective" action is for dealers to reprogram the ecma free of charge--which, consequently, does not remedy the problem--and instead attempts to divert the computer from diagnosing the problem--a faulty crankshaft position sensor. Catalytic converter failure (and related engine failure) covered per the federal emissions warranty until 80,000 miles.

Filed Oct 27, 2008 · Electrical · 47,000 miles · WA

My 2005 nissan altima had a recall for an electronic control module which I had replaced free of charge on reichert nissan in wenenchee wa. On 10-22-2008. After driving 106 miles my engine failed. I called reichert motors and they responded to have the vehicle towed back to there dealership by a certain towing company; which I did. (by the way before this incident ,this car had never had a problem ; this all happened after the recall) after the car was checked by reichert they stated that the problem was now a crank shaft position sensor which was not related to the original problem so I would now have to pay for the towing charge as well as the problem with the crank shaft sensor. This seems a little strange to me that a car with no problems prior would all of a sudden develop this problem after 106 miles which was the distance to my home in omak wa from wenechee . Within 3 hours after the car was picked up from the dealership. It was a danger for the car to loose power while driving down the highway. I called nissan about the problem( file # 6327690) and they stated they are not at fault. If I would have caused a serious accident with this vehicle I think they would of been at fault. This company need to be reprimanded for an unsafe vehicle that could cause serious problems on our nations highways.

Filed Oct 1, 2008 · Engine · 100,000 miles · TX

Check engine light will come on and cause the car to stall as well as cut off and will have a hard time restarting. The ride becomes very rough and the car is noisy. I was told that this problem is common with nissans and that nissan is aware of the engine failures and excessive oil consumption.

Filed Jun 18, 2008 · Engine · 150 miles · CA · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan altima. The contact experienced engine failure ever since the vehicle was purchased. The engine failed and had to be replaced twice. The first time, the contact heard something pop while driving 60 MPH, and the vehicle began smoking. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was repaired under the extended warranty. When the vehicle was taken in for an oil change, the contact was informed that she needed another engine block. She had it replaced, but the vehicle still began to pull and hesitate as if it would lose power. The vehicle has yet to completely shut off. The current mileage was 73,866 and failure mileage was approximately 150.