2002 Nissan Altima from North America - Comments

I have a V6 3.5L 2002 Altima. I have been having problems with oil consumption and was told the oil sending unit needs to be replaced. Today my "service engine soon" light came on. I went to have the code read and was told it's a cat converter problem. I am afraid that I am going to be in the same boat as everyone here. Does anyone know if anything is happening with the class action lawsuit that I have read about? If so please let me know. Thanks pocahontas049@yahoo.com.

BUYERS BEWARE!

We purchased a 2003 Altima in 2005 and have had nothing but problems... all related to the catalytic converter & engine problems. We have made numerous trips to the local Nissan dealership with no results and have contacted Nissan regarding recalls, etc. with absolutely no response. We will never purchase another Nissan and have made it our mission to help others from getting in the situation we are... with a car loan on a vehicle that is completely inoperable. We won't even consider spending the money on a replacement engine given the history of problems with this vehicle. I don't know how Nissan can get away with this, but it seems that they have done so in many cases.

MARCH 9, 2009:

Well, I do not know what to say. I have a 2002 2.5L Altima. Not a single problem with the car until 82,000 miles. Car was shuttering. Restarted, no problems. Brought to the dealership for a diagnostic on the motor. They said a misfire in the #2 cylinder. Crank Position Sensor ($60 on-line) needs to be replaced. Also, Catalytic Converter is bad and also needs to be replaced. $2400.00 to do repairs (part is $320).

Looking at alternative options. After reading all the responses, I have gone to doing repairs myself (do not trust dealership and their half fixes). Intention is to replace crank position sensor and put in a header pipe ($310 on-line) to bypass the pre-cat (bought Haynes DIY guide online). I believe this will be the solution and fix problems. No burning of oil or water in the car. Runs great, do not know how long it will last.

Willing to talk about solutions about Altima. Contact if you need to see if I solved. quintherrmann@gmail.com.

I AM an 18 year old kid going to college, recently bought a 2002 Nissan Altima, and GUESS WHAT, SAME PROBLEM. I took a loan out for this car, hoping it to be reliable, 2 days after I bought it the service engine soon light came on at 132000k... Same thing told that I need to replace the engine... WTF, where am I going to get $4000 from? Seriously, first Nissan I buy and I get screwed over.

If the engine is still good *crossing fingers*, then I will have the car towed and I will cut the catalytic converter out and weld it back up, or replace with after market headers, which with a spacer will make the engine light go off.

One more thing.. how does the debris get sucked back into the engine when it's getting blown out the exhaust??? Please help me!!!

I'LL NEVER BUY A NISSAN AGAIN.

This is completely outrageous and ridiculous how NISSAN's ignoring these problems. I bought a 02 Nissan Altima 6 months ago and I had a check engine light already. What a lemon. Little did I know that these models were a bunch of crap. I've had 3 Nissans; 2 Maximas and my current Altima.. and every one of them started failing around the 100K miles plus with the same symptoms (just stopping in mid traffic, cutting off while idling, rough startup, check engine light, loses coolant, burning oil like crazy). Took me 3 Nissans before I finally gave out and will never buy a Nissan again!!!

I got a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5S a couple of days ago from a private owner. The car drove perfectly fine when I test drove it. It looked great and had all the service records and I had no reason to not buy this car.

But then just 1 day later, the check engine light is on. The owner apparently had this problem 2 months ago and didn't reveal it. Now, I don't understand what the problem is. The spark plugs, ignition coil and the engine head gasket seem to be fine. Reading all the reviews posted here makes me very nervous.

I paid $5800 for this car and I am just a graduate student with hardly any income. If this thing is going to be costly to fix, I don't have a dime. I am just amazed at how many people are facing the same problem.

I have all of the same problems with my 2002 Altima, particularly the check engine light. My engine cranks at times and the car won't go forward. I believe that I am going to trade before the engine goes bad, what a nightmare that would be.

I have had the same problem. I bought my 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5s in 2004 with 36,000 miles on it. Everything was fine until I hit the 80,000 mile marker.

First I had a problem with the headgasket. I took it into repairs and they said I had to replace it (A $2,000 JOB!) My mechanic told me it was very odd that the car is suffering from a head gasket problem with that many miles.

A few months later my engine light came on and it and was told it was my catalytic converter. I called Nissan and they said there is nothing they could do about the problem because the warranty expired at 60,000 miles so I am on my own.

I financed this car for 5 years and I'm still paying for it, aside from that I have had about 6,000 worth of repairs in the past few years. Now it seems to be eating up oil and cannot go without an oil change for more than 2,000 miles.

Nissan should stop the nonsense and be honest about their mistakes and replace the engines on this vehicles out of their own pockets. They know they sold us lemons!!!

I am a mechanic, and have found that most of the cat. converter problems on the 3.5, are the result of bad ground at the trans. This causes the ignition coils to go bad (excess fuel / misfire), runs rough, burning up cats...

John, master tech.

Class action law suit now in progress, go to http://www.fazmiclaw.com/nissanoil. Time for Nissan to pay up!

I bought a Nissan Altima 2002 2.5L two weeks earlier in Windsor, Ontario. The owner bought it from Florida in 2004, drove the car for about 5 years in Canada and sold it to me before he moved to LA, USA.

I got the message 'SERVICE ENGINE SOON', took the vehicle to a mechanic, and they got the code 0745 'problems associated with the solenoid'. Talked to the mechanic again and I am afraid that I am on your board with the same problem.

Thanks in advance for any help to fix the problem.

There is a very simply solution to the problems being experienced by Nissan owners. It's called a Ford Fusion.

Just learned today why my 2002 Maxima has been consuming oil since 80, 000 miles. Been nothing but frustrated. Thank you to all. Stick together and lets get Nissan!!!

"There is a very simply solution to the problems being experienced by Nissan owners. It's called a Ford Fusion."

Which helps almost no one. It will still only last as long as most domestics do (about 150,000 miles before becoming complete money pits.) It's called planned obsolescence. Plus when buying a Fusion you can help out those Mexicans who clearly don't need the help at taking our jobs. When buying a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, you can at least help support some Americans.