My 2003 nissan maxima gle has had the check engine light, the ABS and the tsc lights coming on. I took it to my local dealer who ran diagnostics on it and said it was the crankshaft sensor which I had already replaced due to an intermittent problem with the speedometer quit working, or that I needed to replace the entire instrument package. As I am fairly mechanical (father was a master mechanic) this did not seem logical to me. The speedometer has now quit working completely and the tachometer is now having intermittent problems. I have also changed the camshaft sensors. The problem seems to be more electrical than mechanical--instruments only record what sensors send to them. It has now started dying in traffic which scares me as I am afraid I will have an accident. The dying in traffic problem is getting worse. So far I have been able to hit my flashers and struggle to glide it off the edge of the road to a stop when it happens until I can get it started again. Some times it is very difficult to start and sometimes it will start right back again. I have ruled out moisture in the gas has I have run several containers of heet through the gas tank the last two months. When I asked the dealer if they had seen other vehicles with the same or similar problems they said no. I asked them if my car model had any recalls and they said no again. Due to a search on the internet I have discovered that recall #03v455000 had been issued for my model year nissans that were having this same problem with the engine dying due to soldier flux on variable timing control sensor. Please advise if my car is covered by this recall asap as I am afraid I might have an accident due to the car dying and everything locking up when it does.
2003 Nissan Maxima engine complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 96, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The contact was driving 60 MPH, when the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated as the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle performed normally and was later taken to a dealer for inspection. The contact was informed that the engine sensor failed possibly due to faulty wiring. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, a burning odor emitted inside of the vehicle with the illumination of the engine warning indicator. The transmission then failed to operate. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. After waiting fifteen minutes, the vehicle restarted normally and the problem recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and they were unable to locate a problem. There was a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 01v3570000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the problem who stated that the vehicle had been previously repaired under the recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact attempted to re-start the vehicle but it took several tries before it started. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the cam position sensor needed to be replaced and that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency recall campaign id number:03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The failure and current mileages were 143,597.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 134,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. After approximately ten minutes, the contact was able to restart the vehicle. The failure occurred three different times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that two cam shaft position sensors and the drive shaft shift sensor would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.
While driving at a relatively low speed (~30 MPH), the engine suddenly stalled. I was able to pull over to the side of the road, and restart the engine a short time later. Within 30 seconds of driving (again), the engine suddenly stalled again. I had to stop driving. Just the previous day, the check-engine-light came on, indicating error codes p0340 and p0345. Upon checking the internet, it seems that the federal safety agency campaign id 03v455000 may be relevant (it covers 2003 maxima). The symptoms my car exhibited are the same as those described. However, when I called nissan, I was told that my car's VIN was not covered by recall. It seems very, very coincidental that I would experience the same problem described in the recall, but am not subject to recall. It seems that nissan is under-reporting the cars affected, and I fear my car would be quite unsafe to drive (with random, sudden stalls).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. While stopped at a stop light the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a diagnostic test. The mechanic stated that the camshaft sensor would have to be replaced. After the repair, the vehicle would not start. The failure would occur intermittently. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling), that may have been related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000. Updated 6/6/12 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle would stall more frequently at a quicker and more violent rate. Updated 06/11/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The contact stated the engine failed to start and the engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. After numerous attempts, the engine began to operate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The technician informed the contact that the crank position sensor and cam position senor would need to be replaced. There was a recall related to the defect under the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling) but the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
While driving the vehicle stopped running. After researching the trouble code, we attempted to replace the part. Replacement was unsuccessful and found safety recall on this same issue. Called local dealership and they stated their was no recall on this vehicle. There should be a recall on this vehicle if it dies while driving. This problem is very dangerous.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The contact was driving 30 miles per hour and while making a turn the vehicle stalled. The vehicle restarted when the first failure occurred; however, when the second failure occurred the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The diagnostic test report indicated that the camshaft position failed internally. The vehicle was repaired using the same recall remedy under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling), despite the dealer and manufacturer stating the VIN does not qualify for the recall. The failure and current mileage was 88,500. Updated 12/06/11*lj updated 03/12/12
The engine would not start during lunch. It started after a couple of attempts after work and the "service engine soon" warning light came on. As I left my job and drove 1/2 mile, the engine stopped running on a three lane road in traffic as I was going 35-40 MPH. I managed to coast past an intersection and quickly turn without power steering into a parking lot.
2003 nissan maxima cam sensor failure. Car shut down in traffic.
On april 28th 2011, I was driving on the highway when my 2003 nissan maxima se vehicle engine sputtered and cut off in the middle of traffic and an engine light came on. I was very lucky there was a police office a few cars behind me to stop traffic otherwise I avoided an accident by a hair! Needless to say I had to have the vehicle towed. An engine diagnostic report later indicated the a p0340 and p1564 code which is related to the crank shaft and camshaft position sensors. My vehicle only had 63215 miles on the odometer when this happened. I called nissan after an online search indicated they had a recall for the problem but when I called nissan north america inc to get approval for the recall fix, they gave me the run around.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving 35 MPH with the illumination of the check engine warning light. He was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was taken to the dealer whom performed a diagnostic test. The failure was located at the cam-shaft position sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 164,000.  
Tl* the contact owns 2003 nissan maxima. The contact was driving 55 MPH when the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the catalytic converter was faulty and caused the engine to fail. The dealer advised that he was unable to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted who offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.
Vehicle dies while in operation and traveling to work. It happens three to four time when driving it.
My 2003 nissan maxima shuts off without any warning I had my grandbaby in the car with me and traffic was moving pretty fast, after sitting for about 5mins it started back up. I took it to my mechanic and told that the cam shaft sensor needed to be replaced. He also told me that it was a recall on this, so I took it to the nissan dealer and they said it is not for my VIN number. I have 174,000 mileage.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. While driving 35 MPH the contact noticed that the vehicle had suddenly shut off without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the cam shaft sensor needed to be replaced. There were no prior warnings. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages were 174000.
On my 2003 maxima se, the "service engine :light" comes on and the moving vehicle stalls. My wife had a close escape from a crash when it happened to her yesterday. It happens when the vehicle has been in operation for a few miles. A scan of the failure code from the engine returned p0340 which implies camshaft position sensor circuit problem. Checking the internet I find that the manufacturer recalled this model for a bad solder on the camshaft position sensor electronic circuit board in 2003, but the dealer never informed me when I purchased the car. My vehicle has only 55000 miles. The dealer claims that just because there was a recall does not mean that every car from that model year will be fixed. This is a serious safety issue. You can check on the internet regarding issues with 2003 nissan maxima and you will see rampant problem and operational safety hazard with this specific camshaft sensor component.
2003 maxima shuts off when starting it, back to back. Car has less than 80k miles. Mechanic said it is the cam shaft sensor position & this car is horrible. This is a life threatening issue and must be fixed by nissan only. It was their error. I have filed a complaint against nissan as well.
2003 nissan maxima. Consumer stated the vehicle stalled several times for no apparent reason nearly causing an accident. *tgw soon after, the service engine soon light illuminated on the dashboard. The consumer then went to a mechanic who informed him, the problem was a recall issue. The consumer contacted nissan and was told nothing was coming up in their computer. The consumer paid for the repairs out of pocket, after nissan could not help him. The consumer stated he is the original owner of the vehicle and never received a recall notice.
Approximately a week after a remote starter was installed the check engine light in the vehicle came on, indicating a problem with the cam position sensor. The remote starter was removed (bypassed by installers) and the condition being experienced continued. The result is the car failing to start properly and at times cutting off while in operation including while the car is in motion, which can cause a crash. The failure is still being experienced and the cam position sensor will have to be replaced.
Failure to start, service engine light soon on -- took to svc station, did diagnostic bad camshaft position sensor.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. The service engine warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel and the vehicle stalled. The manufacturer was notified in reference to recall # 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). He was advised that since his vehicle identification number was excluded from the recall, he was ineligible for a free remedy. No repairs were made. The failure mileage was 92, 000 . The current mileage was 93,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. While driving 30 MPH, the check engine light was illuminated and the engine shut off. The contact also lost control of the steering wheel. The check engine light stays on continuously. The dealer stated the failure is related to the circuit board for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor and could have improper solder deformation which is related to the federal safety agency# 03v455000, component: engine and engine cooling. The failure mileage was 86,000. Updated 10/20/09 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle completely shut down multiple times. Updated 10/22/09.
I have a 2003 nissan maxima that stalled while I was driving down the highway. I was able to get the car restarted after a couple of minutes and I later researched the problem. Apparently, there was a recall for that problem (recall 03v455) involving 3 faulty sensors and my VIN fall inside the range of applied vins jn1da*1**3t 400002 - 515067. I did have my car repaired by nissan at a cost to me of over $416 whereas, nissan replaced two of the sensors. At this time, nissan insists that my car and VIN do not apply. I had read on the internet that they are others with the same problem and nissan refuses to correct their problem also. I agree that this is a safety problem since the car behind me came close to hitting me when my car stalled and the driver proceeded to honk the horn and shout and me. It is my believe that nissan has not been diligent in their efforts to get this problem resolved and get this unsafe cars off the road. I would like nissan to resolve this issue by 1.) reimbursing me for the cost of my repairs, 2.)repair the other faulty sensor that was part of the recall that they did not repair this time and 3.) repair others like mine that nissan refuses to repair at this time.
My 2003 maxima stalled out twice while driving, once while at a very busy intersection during rush hour. My mechanic informed me that nissan had recalled the 2003 maximas for a faulty cam sensor that causes the vehicle to stall. However, in typical fashion, nissan told me that my VIN did not fall under the recall and they would not help me. My mechanic told me that the local nissan dealership informed him that the part was on national backorder and he could not repair my vehicle. In the meantime, I could possibly be in an accident because of faulty manufacturing. My mechanic also informed me that nissan has changed the part number, meaning that the part is the cause of the problem, which proves that my vehicle should be repaired by nissan.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. While driving approximately 70 MPH on normal road conditions, the vehicle hesitated intermittently. On separate occasions, the engine stalled without warning. The engine restarted and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The failures occurred spontaneously. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection and they stated that the failures were related to the camshaft sensor. The technician discovered the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact experienced identical failures mentioned in the recall. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 215,000 and current mileage was 225,000.
I have a 2003 nissan maxima and am hearing an engine whine noise when the car is reaching higher speeds. I do not yet hear it when idling but I am told its only a matter of time before I do. The noise sounds kind of like what an alternator hum in a poorly grounded sound setup makes. You can turn off the radio and A/C but you can still hear it.
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