2002 Nissan Sentra: excessive oil consumption

Filed Jul 24, 2015 · Engine, Transmission · 124,000 miles · MN

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra. While driving highway speeds, the vehicle lost acceleration and stalled. The contact maneuvered the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway and checked the oil level. The oil was approximately two quarts low. After twenty minutes, the vehicle started again and the failure recurred the contact had to call a tow truck to bring the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The diagnosis was that the pre-catalyst was damaged and clogged and needed replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact also stated that the vehicle was repaired according to the federal safety agency campaign number: 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling) a few years back. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.

Filed Dec 5, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 110,000 miles · IN

I currently own a 2002 nissan sentra se-r spec v and it is old but has been taken good care of and it only has 110,000 miles on it. Vehicle problems smoke black really bad, uses up to 5 quarts between oil changes, idles rough, runs rough. It has had a couple recalls I checked up on like the pre cat header it had been replaced in 03. I replaced coil packs, spark plugs, mass air flow sensor, cam sensor, and crank sensor. All this virtually did nothing and with vehicle oil consumption and fuel usage the engine is shot and will be in need of rebuild or replacement. I have read many reviews of others with the same car and have had the same and worse problems, and it just makes no sense how nissan can screw up that bad and screw that many people out of money because of manufacturing defects. I also called nissan and told them the problem and they basically said to bad nothing we can do you are on your own. I still own the car and feel like as many of these car owners have experienced the same issues it is obviously something nissan did wrong and should compensate me and others with this defect.

Filed Mar 12, 2014 · Engine · 118,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming oil excessively and he could he hear a loud knocking noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the catalytic converter had allowed debris to enter the pistons and as a result, the engine would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 118,000 and the current mileage was 121,000.

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 Aug 13, 2010 · Engine · 72,000 miles · CA

I bought a 2002 nissan sentra se-r with approximately 70k miles on it. At the time of purchase the engine was running fine, however, at approximately 72k miles it started burning oil and I had to put oil in the engine once a week. I took the car to the local dealership were they replaced the catalytic converted due to a recall, but did not state that the engine was damaged to that defective part. I asked about an engine recall but never received an answer from them as they said the car was not under warranty and had no warrants under recall.

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 Sep 11, 2009 · Engine · 145,000 miles · NY

Catalytic converter deposits go back into engine scoring the cylinder walls. Engine burning oil, potential fire and engine seizure. Nissan says the federal safety agency campaign 03v084000 was performed. Recent diagnosis shows code po 420, problem not fixed. The federal safety agency needs to issue another recall.

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 May 2, 2008 · Engine · 131,000 miles · MI

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra. When the contact purchased the vehicle, he had the oil consumption of the fuel system inspected. The mechanic informed him that the vehicle was burning large amounts of oil, causing the piston rings to wear down. He was also informed of a recall with this identical failure, which stated that they were supposed to replace the parts as well as install a catalyst. The contact called the dealer to see if he could have this repaired under the recall, but they stated that his VIN was excluded from the recall. The failure mileage was 131,000. Updated 5/20/08 *cn updated 05/20/08

Filed Jan 9, 2008 · Engine · 64,439 miles · VA

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra se-r. The service engine light began illuminating on the instrument panel and the exhaust began smoking. The muffler was replaced. The contact was notified of the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). The dealer stated that because the muffler was repaired by another shop, they could not repair the engine. The vehicle was experiencing increased oil consumption, excessive smoking, and made a knocking sound. The current and failure mileages were 64,439.

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.