Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-60, 61-65
4/13/07.
I bought a 2002 Altima SL just five months ago with 82k miles on it. It looks beautiful. I thought I got a bargain for just $9,200. Wouldn't you know I'd end up here. First, the ABS system was always on. A sensor I'm told. No big deal. Then the check engine light came on, I immediately pulled over to check the oil.
There was practically no oil in the car! This is only after about 2000 miles of driving the car since they had changed it at the dealership. I put oil in, but it was soon low again. Shortly afterwards, the car wouldn't start. I took it to a Nissan Dealership today. They told me that it was the Catalytic Converter and that both of my O2 sensors have been melted by this. Over $1200. to replace the "Catalyst" as they called it. Another $160. for the brake sensor and I'm still not sure if Labor is included. I'm with the rest of these people. What a Lemon!
Same problems here. First the Service Engine Soon light started to come on/off, then the heater stopped working. Radiator needs fluid every few weeks, but no sign of leaks. Local auto parts shop said the code on my computer called for either new sensors or new catalytic converter. While picking up my 02 Altima from the dealer after a recent oil change, was told I needed a new head gasket at a cost of $1600.
Can anyone report solving this common problem WITHOUT replacing the engine?
My 2002 Altima is in the shop as I write this. Same situation. Started burning oil. Mechanic checked it out, and found there was little oil in the car. (They had just done an oil change). My wife was driving today, and the car would not go above 40 MPH. She was towed to the ship by AAA. They are now telling me the catalytic converter needs to be replaced, as well as the 2 Oxygen Sensors. We are at $1000 plus the sensors if I get this done. Shame on Nissan for not stepping up to the plate with this known defect!!
I HAVE NOT GOT AN ANSWER!! I'm the one who commented: "Thanks a lot for me reading these TO LATE!" What does the Catalyst have to do with ruining the engine. The catalyst is in the exhaust of car NOT THE INTAKE!!! How does parts of catalyst get in the engine, when its blown out the tailpipe! Can anyone tell me? As of now, I have had my 2003 Altima for close to a year now. I have only driven 7000 miles ONLY since (This is my WEEKEND car). On some days when I look at level of my oil on dipstick, It reads OK, on other days it reads 1/2 quart low. THEN a few weeks later, It reads OK. I have notice that my car has the sign of the problem CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. After hearing of ALL THESE COMPLAINTS, I decided, I WILL NEVER AGAIN buy one of these Nissans. This is because I sense that PROBLEMS are going to come lurking around the corner and "SMACK ME IN MY FACE" Now I WISH I would have stayed with my 2005 Honda Civic!!!
I own a 2002 Nissan Altima. I replaced the head gasket 2 times already, and now the catalytic convertor. It seems that all Altimas come with the same problem.
I've been having the same problems here. I have a 2002 Nissan Altima SL. Had problems starting in the morning, car shakes when idle at stops, oil burns quickly, check engine light; problem after problem. So I took my car to a Nissan dealer to have it checked out. They told me they found coolant in the spark plug tubes. Possible headgasket and cracked head, but not 100% sure. Their suggestion is to replace engine and catalytic converter which costs all together $4200. That's not including labor. So I took my car to an auto shop. They replaced the spark plugs ($300) and the O2 sensors ($500). I just got my car out today from the shop. By reading these comments other people put on here I'm in for a long journey unless I get rid of it. It's a nice car. Looks good, drives smoothly, but when the problems start who knows when it's going to end. I know now not to buy any other Nissan model. It's just not worth it.
I have a 2002 Altima and the same story as the rest of you, but everyone listen, I have a solution that DOES NOT REQUIRE A NEW ENGINE.
I had the catalytic converter fail at about 81000. Had it replaced. The CC was totally emtpy when it was replaced so mechanic believed some or all of inner material was sucked into engine. Same result as rest of you, engine light on, oil consumption off the chart after that point. Starting making engine noises when oil got low, but got better after oil added. At about 91000, engine noises were getting worse and happening all the time under acceleration. Thought I was facing engine replacement or just getting rid of car. Took it back to my mechanic (who is a good friend of mine) and he was convinced it was not an engine noise. I thought he was crazy and I was convinced my engine was about to explode the next time I accelerated into traffic.
He had the car for a few days and found that IT WAS NOT AN ENGINE NOISE. The noise was being caused by the exhaust system resonator being totally plugged. This caused the spring loaded exhaust pipe union to actually begin to separate to attempt to allow exhaust gases out of the system. The coupling spread apart enough to allow the exhaust pipe to hit the bottom of the car and make all that "engine noise". It was not the engine it was simply the pipe hitting the bottom of car. I honestly did not believe him, but he said that all he did was knock out the plugged internals of the exhaust resonator and the problem went away. When I picked the car up, he showed me a piece of the resonator internals and it was 100% plugged. I drove the car out of the shop AND IT WAS RUNNING GREAT!!! I could not believe it. It sounded so bad when I dropped it off for the repair I would have bet a lot of money that it was the last time I would see that car running.
What appeared to happen is that when the CC failed some the internals got trapped in the resonator. Over a period of time it got worse and then completely plugged. Now here is the amazing point, OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEMS HAVE GONE AWAY!! I do not have a great theory for this one, but I have to believe that the extra back pressure from the plugged exhaust was somehow affecting another system that is related to the oil like crankcase ventilation. My mechanic is somewhat stumped on this result, but all I know is that I was consuming 1 qt every 350 miles and now I have not consumed any in the 1000 miles since the problem was fixed. I know all this sounds too good to be true, but I can assure you this is honestly what has happened in my case. I can only hope that maybe some of you can use this fix as well. Good luck.
Ed G.
WOW did that really happen to you, REALLY!!! I knew it ALL ALONG!!! It does NOT make sense that Catalyst has to do with ruining the engine. I found out today! from the above comment. Thank you for telling me this one!! Now I will keep this in mind when my Altima starts eating oil. I will look into the resonator, then Ill do the work MYSELF, so I won't be charged an arm and my leg too!!! BUT ANYWAY though, I have working on cars as a private home mechanic on my own cars SINCE 1989, now for all this time, I HAVE NEVER NEVER heard of a Catalyst that ruins the engine!!! THAT TOTALLY DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!!
26 JUNE 03:29 On the Contrary, a catalytic converter can ruin an engine, and any shadetree mechanic knows this. If a converter becomes faulty or clogged it creates too much exhaust backpressure and can prematurely wear out piston rings, cylinder walls, even heads and head gaskets if left untreated.
Hello people, I am the one who made the comment on my 2003 Altima last year this time. Asking "What does the Catalyst have to do with ruining the engine"
Ooh! SO that's what it is ehh? Its the back (air) pressure that ruins the engine. I guess that sounds like MORE SENSE NOW finnally!!! WOW! So I still KNEW IT ALL ALONG, that its NOT the internal parts of the CC that gets sucked into engine. (This I NEVER NEVER HEARD OF!!) There is NO such thing, the internal parts of CC is supposed to be blown out of tail pipe if CC falls apart, NOT sucked in engine. ALL the reviews I read about the messed up CC in the 2002+ Altimas, people claim that engine consumes oil cause the parts of CC get sucked in engine causing metal to metal friction in engine, wearing out the piston rings etc. This is how I heard it. I know for a fact that there is NO SUCH THING as material from CC getting sucked in engine and causing this!!! NOW FROM THE ABOVE COMMENT: This DOES make more sense!!! Finally I have an answer here, Thank you Thank you Thank you! It does make so much sense what you had commented above, NOW I have heard that before. A clogged CC is very bad for the engine. It seems like to me, That's where the head gaskets get blown. (I read a lot of reviews about this) A clogged CC I do know for sure, that it can cause a very intense temperature increase in the combustion chambers in engines and blowing gaskets and cracking heads etc.
Now that we seem to have more info about the CC S*%@, just BE SURE you check the CC and all the Resonators etc to be sure they're unplugged, to prevent the engine from NOT being able to "breathe out!!"
Now that I got this info, I decided I now LIKE my 2003 Altima after all, hahaha!!! For the year I had my Altima, I have driven a total of 8000 miles ONLY. Oil level has been NO problem (not consuming oil), BUT I am having the symthm of the Crank shaft position sensor problem. In the mornings or when I start my car for the first time in a weeks time, my car stalls, or wants to stall on first few minutes of idle, when I take off.
I am about to buy a used nissan 2002...any particular things I should get checked before I buy it...
I also own a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5. It is a hunk of junk! The car idles rough when it fist starts, there is a water rushing sound under the dash, and my check engine light has been on since 70,000 miles. I have 75,000 miles on the car and it has already blown a head gasket. My private mechanic, who is a family friend, notified me of the problem and he also stated that the catalytic converter was also bad. I did not want to pay for the repairs after reading so many negative comments of the common problems with this crappy car. I reported the problem to Nissan Consumer Affairs, Mark Worley a specialist told me to take the car to a Nissan Dealership to have it diagnosed. Now the dealership wants to charge me $95.00 just for looking at my car and telling me I have a blown head gasket, but supposedly nothing is wrong with my catalytic converter. Which I think is crap because in CA by law O2 sensors and catalytic converters are covered up to 100,000 miles. Thanks a lot Nissan for stepping up to the plate. Oh yeah it's been 3 weeks and my car is still at the Nissan Dealership and I haven't heard a thing from Mark Worley regarding my car. Nissan has horrible customer service and sold me this lemom. I will never buy one of their cars again.
I wished I'd found this site before I bought my Nissan Altima. It was a year old when I bought and it's been in and out of the shop since. I also took out a 3 year warranty on it, just in case. In those 3 years, I've had to have the radiator replaced and now they're telling me my engine is blown and it's going to cost me 4500.00 to replace it because the caytalitic converter is cracked and some stuff was sucked into the engine. The funny thing is a year and a half ago they'd already replaced the caytalitic converter. The car was only 3 years old at the time and I'm already replacing the converter and a radiator! I'm not even going to go into the fact that the car has all ways had problems maintaining heat below temperatures of 30 degrees and we only get heat when we put our foot on the gas pedal. I took the car to Nissan service dept, for 4 years and all ways left with the same problem, it seemed fixed then as the winter progressed the problem came right back, no heat. Has anyone else had that problem with the heat, because apparently Nissan dealers can't seem to fix that either. I've also been bringing my car to the service dept. religiously I don't understand how come the didn't see this problem till it was too late? I am in the process of talking to Nissan about doing the repairs. I pray that I get better results, if not I will certainly let you all know about it.
IT HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID!!! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CATALYST PARTS GETTING SUCKED IN ENGINE. IF CC FAILS, PARTS OF IT IS SUPPOSED TO GET BLOWN OUT THE TAIL PIPE NOT SUCKED IN ENGINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!If NO ONE is going to EXPLAIN how the parts of Catalyst gets sucked in the engine, THERE IS NO SUCH THING!!!
Did loss of power accompany your oil consumption? I have a 2002 Altima and it was sold to me like this from a Suzuki Dealership, 1 litre per 500 km loss. I had to sue them and settled for $3000 to replace the engine and CC. I have great mileage and the power seems fine. Usually when the exhaust system is clogged anywhere along it's length, loss of power results... remember Eddie Murphy and his banana in the tail pipe!