2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 S from North America - Comments

READ THIS IT MAY HELP! I have a 2002 Altima 2.5s with 80k miles. I had previously stated I was having problems with a SLOW COOLANT LEAK, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, LOSS OF HEAT. Whenever the coolant would get low, the check engine light comes on, and the coolant "swishes" around b/c of the air trapped inside. A local mechanic advised me I needed a new head gasket. I wasn't convinced since the car seems to run fine. A neighbor told me about BARS LEAK radiator leak sealer (found at Advance Auto or Autozone). I put a bottle of this stuff into my coolant reservoir (pls follow the directions!!) and all of sudden no more leaking! I had to top it off another time or two, but now the coolant level is holding, and the check engine light hasn't blinked since. Engine is running great in the heat of summer. Not sure this has fixed the heating issue but we'll see come wintertime. Make sure the rear of the car is lower than the front when you squeeze the hoses to get the air out of the system, then top it off and replace the cap. Make sure it's a good cap too or it won't seal properly, and will either let air in or coolant out. Hopefully this will help some of you. I still believe the Altima has some issues but at least this was a temporary fix for me. Good luck.

I have a 2003 Nissa Altima. Just turned 100K miles and my service engine light came on. Took it to the dealership and coil problem that is causing a misfire. Estimate was $500 and then dealership told me to have the head casket changed on it too as fixing the coil alone may be a temporary fix. After reading all the problems with this, and all your postings I decided to take his advice. Now im dishing out $1800 to fix the coil, head gasket & new spark plugs. Haven't had many problems with my car but I do regular maintenance but getting this problem just infuriates me! This seems to be a direct mfg problem and not anything that I caused which again just infuriates me! I'd be happy to go along with any class action lawsuit against Nissan. And you better believe my next car will be a TOYOTA or HONDA. I can be contacted at jbhomes@comcast.net.

Please read online reviews and research recall info. I would suggest get rid of your Altima ASAP and don't buy another one. Do research your purchase and don't fall for good looks. Nissan have good designers.

Hello, I've read all these complaints about their Altimas and had to add my unfortunate experience.

My wife's 2002 Altima 2.5 SL started using oil. Well thanks to those who posted these warning, my cost was about $2100.00. I noticed engine oil in the anitfreeze reservoir, knew it was a head gasket. Replaced the gasket, all gaskets and timing chain and gears, and had a valve job done when the head was shaved. Took 3 weeks for the parts and machine shop time.

But if you need this done, I recommend you buy a new engine. They are available for about $2200.00. Might be quicker and the entire engine is new. I'd take it to a dealer; they have the lifting assembly required to tilt the engine to remove the timing cover, which is huge labor.

A couple of things.

1. The catalytic converter problem can be fixed PERMANENTLY with an aftermarket performance header. It completely deletes the "cat" there and no more problems.

2. The engines are fine. It's the crap headgaskets that they use. When/if you decide to change your headgasket, ask for the 2007-2009 QR25DE head gasket. It is made MUCH better and costs about $50.

3. I'm doing my own headgasket change for about $200. I know what some of you guys are going through.

I have the 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V which has the same 2.5 liter as the Altima (plus a few performance items)

If you guys need any help, contact me at Kei_Calibur (at) Hotmail.com.

This is really not a HUGE deal and it's only costing more for people who have NO IDEA what they're doing with cars.

Honestly, you can get the aftermarket header for about $150-$175 and it will save you a TON in the long run.