2002 Nissan Sentra: engine failure

Filed Oct 19, 2012 · Engine · 103,000 miles · NE

I began to have trouble with my car a couple of weeks ago. I have been going through a quart of oil a day and a tank of gas in a few days. I took it to my mechanic and he found out there is a recall for my vehicle. I was never notified of this recall. I was in the marines and was stationed at several different bases. My mother?s address was also used by nissan but she never received any information on the recall. I contacted the nissan dealer in norfolk ne. He told me I had to wait two weeks for them to look at it. The people I dealt with were rude and unprofessional and acted like I was an inconvenience. I did not have another vehicle and I am in school and have work so I contacted nissan USA. After several phone calls I was able to get an appointment in sioux city ia. I had to have my vehicle towed at my expense to sioux city. They looked at my car and found out that there were shreds of metal in the engine and the engine needs to be replaced. They stated they were not going to replace the engine. They stated I have to pay for it to be replaced. In the recall they said it would be replaced at nissans expense, a tow if necessary would be paid and a rental vehicle would be provided. None of this has happened. I would like assistance with this issue because the engine should be replaced by nissan. I told them what was wrong and my mechanic called and told them as well. They have still are not willing to pay for the engine.

Filed Sep 28, 2011 · Engine · 130,000 miles · PR

Hello- I want to know why nissan dont recalls the sentra 2002 with 2.5l with the same engine and catalyst with the same recall from 2006 sentra, because my car happen the same problem of oil consumption, I know they change the catalyst for another one but is the same that the old one,not a re-design catalyst? This is that recall from the sentra 2006 that happen in my car 2002 1. The federal safety agency campaign id number: 06v223000 recall date: 2006-06-21 summary: certain passenger vehicles equipped with 2.5l engines may experience excessive engine oil consumption as a result of improper performance of the piston rings. Consequences: if the oil is not maintained at least at the minimum level, engine damage can occur and in extreme cases result in an engine fire. Remedy: dealers will reprogram the electronic control module (ECM or engine computer). Your vehicle will also be inspected to determine if it has been consuming engine oil at a higher than normal rate. In a small percentage of vehicles, engine replacement will be needed. On june 9, 2006, nissan notified owners of the possibility of excessive oil consumption and the importance of maintaining the oil at a proper level. Follow-up letter to owners advising them of the status of the recall was sent during august 2006. Followup letter to owners was sent on november 15, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261. Component affected: engine and engine cooling potential cars affected: 85,000 notes: nissan north america, inc

Filed Jul 22, 2010 · Acceleration, Engine · 72,000 miles · NC

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra se-r. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced recurring failures when it began to stall or fail to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the throttle body was replaced. Approximately 2 months later, the failure began to recur and the vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer where the throttle body was replaced twice. The contact began to notice that the vehicle was burning approximately one quart of oil a week. Approximately 6 months later, the failures began to recur and the vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer who stated that the engine melted. The contact was informed of an engine recall and the engine was replaced by an authorized dealer. Approximately two months later, the vehicle failed to accelerate intermittently. The vehicle was not examined in order to determine the cause of failure. The failure mileage was 72,000 and the current mileage was 77,000.

Filed Mar 8, 2010 · Engine · 108,000 miles · ND

This is pertaining to an existing campaign (#03v084000). I bought a used 2002 nissan sentra ser spec-v in may 2007. Shortly after my purchase (june 2007), I had this outstanding recall, including several others performed. The above recall states that the pre-catalyst could overheat and disintegrate, blowing particulate into the combustion chamber, scoring the cylinder walls, and cause excessive oil consumption and possible engine damage, requiring engine replacement. There was approx. 65,000 miles on the car at this point. Last february, I was driving along the highway when I suddenly lost power. I pulled over to the side of the road and found the engine would barely run and would not rev over 2000 RPM. I had this car towed 20 miles to my local nissan dealership. Upon inspecting the vehicle they told me that the pre-catalyst that I had already had replaced on the recall, had disintegrated, plugging my exhaust, blowing chunks of debris into my engine, therefore destroying the engine. I was told I'd need to replace the entire engine at a cost of $4300.00. This car only had another 50,000 miles on it after the initial recall work was done. Since what happened to this vehicle was exactly what the original recall was supposed to prevent, I went to nissan, requesting that they stand behind this obvious design defect and at the very least assist me in replacing this engine. I was given several different stories ranging from accusation that I did not maintain this vehicle (even though I do so religiously at nissan dealerships) to stating the dealer I had the work performed at was at fault and I should pursue restitution from them, to the fact the car was no longer under warranty and I was sol and this was 'normal' wear and tear. Now, I can understand normal wear and tear but no catalytic converter should be designed so that it will destroy an engine if it fails and this was supposedly addressed in the above campaign.

Filed Mar 3, 2009 · Engine · 71,000 miles · NY

I am the owner of a 2002 nissan sentra. The dipstick broke in the ordinary course of standard maintenance of the oil in the car and the broken dipstick fell in, resulting in a $250-$300 repair (to retrieve the dipstick from the engine and replace the dipstick). The dipstick is clearly defective, as a brief internet search reveals hundreds of nissan sentra owner complaints regarding this exact problem, including numerous complaints on the federal safety agency websiter (over several model years). This dipstick, with its flimsy plastic part, is clearly not suitable for its intended purpose and can ultimately result in a dangerous engine failure. Nissan is trying to avoid responsibility for the problem by saying that they are not responsible because, in my case, the dipstick broke when it was being handled by an independent service station, rather than by nissan service. This response is absurd since this is not an isolated episode and since dipsticks are meant to be used in gas stations and in car owners' own garages and driveways. Nobody takes their car back to the car manufacturer to check the oil. That is like saying that if the gas tank is defective, nissan will not cover the repair because gas was put in the car at a gas station instead of at a nissan dealer. Apparently, even jiffy lube has had numerous problems with nissan on this front as well. It was necessary for us to proceed with the repair immediately and at our own expense, since the broken dipstick in the engine was obstructing the entry of a new dipstick and also distorting the measurement of the oil. Thus, it was impossible to know if the car needed oil, and running the car with insufficient oil would have further damaged the engine. This could ultimately result in engine failure and an accident. We had the dipstick repair done at a local nissan dealer and are seeking reimbursement for the repair (but, as stated above, nissan has refused to reimburse us). Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Filed Jun 2, 2008 · Engine · DC

2002 nissan sentra with engine failure due to pre-catalytic converter. Consumer states that there was a recall for this problem causing engine failure. He states that he wasn't even informed when the vehicle was being repaired for the failure. *kb the consumer stated unburned fuel is burned in the pre-catalytic converter which is located on the exhaust manifold. When the unburned fuel was burned it caused disintegration. It was then sucked into the engine causing cylinder wall damage, which resulted in the engine burning excessive amounts of oil. The consumer stated he experienced the problem which cost him thousands of dollars.

Filed May 29, 2008 · Engine · CT

Hi, my name is [xxx] . I have a complaint/recommendation about the manner in which a vehicle recall is being handled/performed. I am the owner of a 2002 nissan sentra se-r spec v. This vehicle has/had a recall in place to fix a condition that would lead to unrepairable engine failure. The condition you may be aware of as a pre-cat (catalytic converter located on the exhaust manifold in addition to the main one) failure condition. Basically unburned fuel is burned in the pre-cat resulting in its disintegration. It is then sucked into the engine causing cylinder wall damage. This condition results in the engine burning excessive amounts of oil, a further degrade in compression over time and overall engine failure before it should expire under normal conditions. This situation happened to me and I was notified in any manor at any time about any recall even during service for the recalled item. This repair was in excess of a thousand dollars. At which time I was told nothing about the particles being sucked into my engine causing my the engine wear which caused the oil condition. At the very least I should have been advised of the recall at the time of repair and of my oil being contaminated. Instead I was told it would be fine to drive 100+ miles to my local nissan dealership. It would of great help is you could look into this matter or make recommendations on how else this would be best handled? Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Mar 21, 2008 · Engine · 107,000 miles · TN

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra. While driving 55 MPH, the engine failed and the vehicle shut down. The vehicle had to be towed to a mechanic. Nissan stated that it would cost between $400 and $500 to dissect the engine and locate the cause of the failure. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 107,000.

Filed Oct 1, 2007 · Engine, Fuel system · 63,000 miles · MI

Severe engine failure. I bought my 2002 nissan sentra spec-v with only 7,000 miles on it and thought I had a great car. Thank goodness I opted for the extra 100,000 extended warranty. My car's engine experienced massive oil consumption around 60,000 and I noticed the whole time I owned the car that the oil was always low each time I changed it. I used only mobil 1 full syn every 5,000 miles. The engine failed 3,000 over the standard 60k powertrain warranty. I fought with nissan for 1 month while they kept my car until I provided oil change receipts. Once I provided them they changed the complete engine which totaled $8,500 and more than the car was worth anymore. Further for about 70,000 the car had extended crank problems and were severe in hot or extreme cold weather. The car would take 20 seconds or longer to crank over while pumping the gas. After my 3rd complaint at my 3rd nissan dealer they finally fixed the problem and put in a new fuel pump and sensor. The car has 98,000 and 36,000 miles after the new engine. I am thinking of getting rid of it before more trouble happens beyond my 100k warranty.

Filed Jul 15, 2006 · Engine · MD

At 6:30 am, I was driving, trying to defrost the windows with the defroster at a light and the car started a jerking motion and overheated. I parked the car at family member's residence. I took the car to the dealer and was told that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the replacement was covered under the warranty. Nissan needed to be contacted and they were. My case was in the warranty department for 3.5 weeks, mean while I was without transportation I wasn't approved to have a vehicle supplied by nissan. Nissan made a decision not to replace the engine in my 4 year old car that received regular maintenance; but to replace the cylinder head gaskets (which from what I am told is a temporary fix). This is because I am at 58,000 miles and my warranty is up at 60,000 miles. Beware of nissan and their warranties.

Filed Jun 21, 2006 · NV

Dip stick of a 2002 nissan sentra gxe has snapped off at the plastic handle and is now lodged in my oil tank. From what I have researched, this is a pretty common occurrence, resulting in high dealership charges and severe engine problems, including engine failure. Great work nissan!

Filed Oct 6, 2003 · Engine · 35,920 miles · PA

I leased a sentra se-r in nov 2002. Since getting the vehicle I have had numerous problems. The car randomly does not start. It sounds like the car wants to turn over, but to no avail. There is no pattern to it. The car starts fine some days, and then sometimes it just doesn't want to start. I've had it towed to the dealer at least twice - the dealer couldn't find anything wrong. In june, when I took the car in for the same problem, the dealer had the nerve to tell me that the car would have trouble starting when it rains out - and that must be the problem. (are they insane - I asked myself - the car won't start when it rains? Then they told me that I need to pump the gas pedal every time I start the car - a fuel injected car?) so, they replaced the fuel pump. But twice since the car has not wanted to start. The car has, since the day I leased it, randomly stalled right after starting. Why? No one seems to know. Then, this weekend while traveling on a highway, at about 70 MPH the car suddenly lost all ability to maintain speed or accelerate. Luckily, I was able to get to the shoulder, and by that point the engine died. After repeated attempts over 20 minutes, the car started but the "service engine soon" light remained on. When attempting to get back on the highway to travel home from where I was, the car would not accelerate, starting making horrible banging noises and it smelled like something was burning. The car wouldn't accelerate and had no power. Luckily, I was able to get into an empty parking lot before having to call for a tow. There was a recall recently on the sentra - relating to the engine and possible fires - and the parts replacement was performed - so I am left wondering what kind of junk I have been stuck with... It seems that it is one problem after another with this car.