Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-75, 76-85
Here's my story... Purchased 02 altima 2.5S in Oct 2006, 68,000 miles. Now at 75k my engine light was on for about a week and had rough idle, especially on cold starts. Took it to dealership for scheduled maintenance to keep used car warranty valid. Dealer took it across the street to Nissan dealer. 1st diagnosis = P0300 multiple cylinder misfire, needed MAF replaced. Still not running right, 2nd diagnosis = Intake gasket needs replacement. Still not running right. Dealer informs me that they are contacting Nissan of NA for advice. I told the service manager that I am aware of the existing problems with 02-05 Altimas with the 2.5 engine, showed him plenty of documentation supporting that theory, which I printed out from websites including Consumer Affairs, and NHTSA among others. Some people have won themselves a free engine replacement. The majority of those that I have read about are still under the 80k/8 year manufacturers warranty of the entire emissions system (this includes the infamous pre-cat). I've noticed that it is more common for Nissan to pick up the tab when the vehicle has already had the recall work performed on the pre-cat. I still don't have my car, but the service manager has informed me that the engine is in the house, still in the crate and I should be on the road by next week. I had asked what my warranty company had said about the engine replacement and he told me that due to the fact that it was the pre-cat to blame, and the cat is covered for another 5000 miles on my car, Nissan would cover the motor replacement. Bottom line, I'm not counting my chickens yet because I don't have the car yet. But get the dealer on your side, get them to go to bat against NNA for you. Tell them it is in their best interest to service you well and get the car on the road... so you can trade it in for a new Nissan, at their Dealership maybe, print out various instances where the little guy has prevailed, show them it is possible, let them know that YOU KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT THIS PROBLEM! By the way, at excessive heat the internal pre-cat materials can break down and particles can be ingested into the cylinders, scoring them badly which will cause increasing oil/coolant consumption (this explains the loss of heat at idle), loss of compression/power, then leading to engine failure that is unrepairable. I'm guessing this catastrophe is probably due to either the cheap materials in the pre-cat, or the fact that it is REALLY close to the engine. Good luck to all..
Thanks for your Comment... I had 78,000 miles on my Altima. I had a blown head gasket, crazy oil consumption, fried O2 sensors, and both catalytic converters where bad, plus I was always refilling the coolant due to the blown head gasket. I was about to trade in my Altima for a Honda CRV before I read the comment above. I took my car to the Nissan dealership, I stated what my problems where, and let the guy know I knew about the problems that the 2002 Altimas where having. I also informed him that the catalytic converters are under warranty for 80,000. He was very friendly and stated he would try to help me the best he could. He also stated if Nissan gave him the O.K. to give me a new engine he would get paid for that as well. That is some motivation for the dealership to help you out.
A week later he calls me and lets me know that Nissan gave him the O.K. to give me a refurbished engine that is as good as new. At least that is what he said. Nissan replaced my catalytic converters and engine for free, but the O2 sensor where not covered under warranty, even though the catalytic converter caused the problem. Long story short paid about $450.00 for the O2 sensor and some minor engine repairs that where not under warranty. It was a lot better than having to pay almost $8,000 for the new engine or getting back into debt with a new car payment. The new engine and parts are under a 12 month 1,200 warranty. I just hope the car lasts for a few more years. If anything, I learned one thing from this whole ordeal; my next car will not be a Nissan.
This happened to me TWICE!!! Engine had to be replaced (because of cat converter) at 55,000 miles, and now it just went again at 116,000 (because of cat converter). When are we going to be able to file a class action law suit Nissan and get our money back??? Go to www.thenissanfight.com and register for free. If enough people register we can win this!
-Tyson.
Wow. I really wish I had done my research on the Altima before purchasing one. All these comments are mind blowing. I thought I had just bought one that had been very neglected or something. I've had mine for about a month now. It's an 2002 2.5, had 58,000 miles on it. So far I've already had to put a new engine in it, new converter, and now the heater has stopped working. It just spits out cool air. The dealership has looked at it twice and they still haven't fixed it. They're saying the heater is not under warranty and it's going to cost me $400 to fix the problem. : (I've also had to get 2 alignments already and it feels like a need another one.? This car is driving me nuts! I've really lost respect for Nissan.
Same as the rest. Car shutting down while driving. Hard to start have to hold on longer than typical for a car to start. Took to Texas Nissan in Grapevine, Tx and was told that recalls have already been performed before I bought car (2002 Altima SL) bought with 65K now has 80k just over a year ago. Dealer Svs dept said repairs have to be paid by me. I contested that the recall needed a recall! Was told sorry, but since the car ran another year and a half and 15k they have done thier part. Called Nissan (800) Nissan 1. (Corporate office) and was given a case # after explanation. Was told they would call me back within 24 hours with a ruling as to paying for the repairs. Never called me back so I called two days later and was told my case was closed and my claim denied. Service Engine Soon light still on, car stays in my garage until I can get some action taken. Anyone have any advice?? I can't put my wife and kids in this car like this. feronti@verizon.net (214) 457-4001.
Everyone.
Please go to www.thenissanfight.com to register and voice your problems. This is an organized site for Altima and Sentra owners with oil consumption problems.
Latasha.
Same story--my perfectly kept 2002 Shiny black Altima.97000 miles on it. CC failed causing Engine failure. I wrote and emailed Nissan NA until I got a satisfactory answer. Nissan will replace my CC and engine at no cost to me. But why am I not happy? because I'm scared it'll happen again in a few months.. if they are giving me a new 02 engine and CC-why would I think it wouldn't. So my victory is bitter/sweet. My plan is to sell it with the new engine and low miles and get a HONDA!
The day after Thanksgiving I heard on the news that Nissan had a recall on 02 Altima and Sentries. Is it for the problems of oil consumption and dealer saying the car needs a new engine? When I called Nissan to inquire that same day, I was told to call back next week. The customer service rep said that they didn't have all the information yet. They also said they will notify owners of a recall.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=alerts_recalls&id=5786424
Nissan has put out another recall on the 2002 Altima and Sentra's with the 2.5 L engine. This time it's for the crankshaft position sensor. This still doesn't address the precatalytic converter problem getting sucked into the engine, which all of us are, or eventually will be going through.
The bulletin you are looking for is ntb03-070 it addressed a catalytic converter deterioration problem, but most customers would not bring their car in asap. the cat would be visually inspected for cracks and deterioration, but they were only looking at the bottom of the honeycomb of the cat not the top were it connects to the head. good luck on getting nissan to participate in anything. the only good nissans are the maximas and muranos.. sentras are a 120hp go cart titans have great power if you can keep the rest of the stuff intact.
My wife and I bought a 2002 altima 2.5 and had the same problems as all of you had. No heat until I start to move, and I replaced the motor already (used 850.00, the cat was 150) Canadian money. The cost of putting it in was around 12-13 hundred dollars. The nissan dealer told me it was the rad cap that was no good so I replaced it myself and the car still blows cold air. But by reading the posts that are in here I will try that water valve and see what happens. We also had an 1993 altima and I wish we still had it because it had 348000km and the only thing I replaced was the starter. (other than the regular things like brakes and tires) Can anyone tell me if I can still get the recalls if we have 194000km on our car? Can you post them here and I well keep looking here for a reply.
A couple of weeks ago my temp went up on my 2002 altima SL I got home only to find the clamp on top of radiator hose has came off, we fixed it everything was fine then for aout 1 month and then the same thing happened with the top. I was told to replace the clamp and to flush the radiator which I did. car drives great no noises or anything. I drove about a mile today and temp started to rise so I took it home and when my husband came home he noticed that the oil had water in it. That car was never run hot and the check engin light has yet o come on. What would do this? PLEASE HELP!!!
Tina.
I have a 2002 Altima and it has always run like a dream. They did fix the cat. converter on recall, and I change my tires to a different style and size. This year I have started having the heater problem, but it has just arisen so I haven't gotten it fixed yet. I would buy another Altima. I just love the way it drives.
Thank you everyone. I found my girlfriend a nice 04 Altima 2.5l that was wrecked and had a friend rebuild it. The car had light front-end damage and needed a radiator among other things. We purchased this car in the summer and had a remote starter installed in the fall so she wouldn't have to go outside to start it during the winter. Right away we had problems with the car wanting to stall at idle; we figured it was the remote start. After about three months with the car I noticed the rotten egg smell which is a good indicator that the cat has problems. I figured I was wrong so I ignored it. Now it's winter and my girlfriend is upset because she has no heat at idle so the remote start was a waste. I work at a small part store and I am good friends with several professional mechanics. They all told me that we had air in the cooling system. I called Nisan about flushing the coolant system they said they had to use special tools and that the car had two thermostats. WRONG. I paid a friend with a coolant flush mach. to flush the coolant system and that did get rid of all the air, but still no heat at idle. The car only has one thermostat, but it may have a water control valve. Haven't checked just yet. I replaced the radiator cap and right now it seems to be doing better. 13psi. There is a recall on the stalling matter contact your dealer they have to flash the ecm and reprog to fix a prob with the crank pos sensor. After reading everyones postings I am going to have the cat replaced with an aftermarket one. THANK YOU EVERYONE.
Very depressing reading here... I bought my wife an '02 Altima this past August, had it tuned and replaced the tires. Had been happy with it until a couple of weeks ago the service engine light illuminated. As it was time for an oil change we took it in to our independent mechanic who ran a scan and checked for recall notices.
He had found a couple of minor recalls dealing with ecm reprograming and the fuel pump which didn't seem like a big issue, but when doing the scan they found an error code dealing the catalyst issue. He had printed out several pages showing that the dealership would have to unbolt the cat and visually inspect it for damage. He told me to get it to the dealership, quick.
I made my appointment with Nissan and explain to the service department over the phone the issues my mechanic had found. When I mentioned the cat issue he acted oddly and first said they "don't do that". Then placed me on hold for quite a while, came back and said he was mistaken and they would take care of it.
So this morning I took the car in and there was a different service guy on who I explained the issues with and he said the catalyst is not covered under any warranty (has 130k on car) and that the since I had gone to an independent mechanic who scanned the engine there was nothing he could do to "check" the code, and they will not take documentation from my mechanic as well.
The service rep goes on to tell me that the converter has probably failed with the "screen" being sucked into my engine which would need $4k plus for replacement. He was eager to introduce me to a salesman so we could trade off this car for another, I mean VERY EAGER. He said they wholesale these cars and they end up as taxis in Mexico. Hmmm, great Nissan support eh? Not sure where to go from here.