2002 Nissan Altima

I OWN A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. IT SEEMED GREAT WHEN I BOUGHT IT AND NOW AFTER 5 YEARS IT IS CRAP AND THE THING WONT RUN. THE CAR IDLES ROUGH WHEN IT FIRST STARTS IF IT STARTS AT ALL, THERE IS A WATER RUSHING SOUND UNDER THE DASH, AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I AM CONSTANTLY REFILLING THE RADIATOR WITH COOLANT AND ADDING SO MUCH OIL TO MY CAR IT IS CRAZY. MY FATHER-IN-LAW WHICH IS A MECHANIC, TOLD ME THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS DETERIORATING INTO THE #4 CYLINDER WHICH IS CAUSING ENGINE FAILURE WHICH IS ALSO WHERE THE OIL AND COOLANT AND GAS ARE GOING. THE EASIEST FIX IS TO REPLACE THE WHOLE ENGINE, WHICH IS A $6,300 FIX. I JUST FINISHED PAYING OFF MY CAR IN MAY AND 3 MONTHS LATER MY CAR START HAVING MAJOR PROBLEMS. I CANT AFFORD TO FIX THIS AND I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO, CATALYTIC CONVERTER DON'T JUST DETERIORATE. HECK I AM THE ONLY OWNER TO MY CAR AND IT IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. THIS IS CRAZY. I HAVE NOW REPLACED MY ENGINE AT MY OWN COST, BECAUSE THE DEALER THAT I BOUGHT THE CAR AT CLAIMS THEY ARE NOT BE ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING AND TO CALL NISSAN, WHICH I DID AND NISSAN DOES CARE. WELL AFTER SPENDING SIX GRAND ON FIXING MY CAR, MY MACHINE HAS INFORMED ME THIS IS ALL DUE TO PLUGGED PCV VALVE BECAUSE THE TWO INLACE HOLES FOR THIS VALVE ARE SO SMALL THEY GET CLOGGED SO EASILY AND THE DISCHARGE FOR THE PCV VALVE BECOMES IN INTAKE AND TO TO THE SIZE OF THE DISCHARGES THE OILED IS GETTING PULLING INTO THE ENGINE AND WELL AS OTHER FLUIDS WHICH IS WHAT IS CAUSING THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE AND DESTROYING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. I AM GIVING YOU THE DATE MY CAR FINALLY DIED. IT TOOK ME OVER A MONTH AND A 1/2 TO GET THIS FIXED AND IT IS STILL FAR FROM BEING FIXED. PLEASE ALSO CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE FOR THOUSANDS OF OTHER NISSAN DEALER THAT ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. HTTP://WWW.THENISSANFIGHT.COM/PHPBB3/INDEX.PHP HTTP://FORUMS.AUTOMOTIVE.COM/70/1106267/NISSAN/2002-NISSAN-ALTIMA-OIL-DROPPING-AT-108,000MILES-I-W/PAGE5.HTML#6468288. *TR

STARTING AT JUST OVER 100,000 MILES THE ENGINE BEGAN MAKING STRANGE NOISES. BUT ONCE I CHANGED MY OIL THE NOISES WOULD GO AWAY. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MY CAR WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY SHIFTING GEARS AND EVEN WOULD JUST STOP RUNNING AT LOW SPEEDS. AFTER ABOUT 4 MONTHS OF THIS IS WHEN WE REALIZED THAT THE ENGINE WAS CONSUMING A LOT OF OIL. SO, BASICALLY MY CAR WAS RUNNING ON NO OIL FOR MONTHS AT AT A TIME. I TOOK MY CAR IN AND THEY SAID THAT THE ONLY WAY TO GET AROUND THIS IS TO PUT OIL IN HER EVERY 2 WEEKS! THAT, OR GET A NEW ENGINE. MY CAR HAS NEVER BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE AND NISSAN REFUSES TO FIX IT, SIMPLY B/C OF THE MILEAGE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE MAKES STRANGE SOUNDS, AND BLACK SMOKE COMES FROM THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAS EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. A MECHANIC PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND DISCOVERED THAT THE CATALYST CONVERTER AND PRECATALYST WERE MALFUNCTIONING DUE TO TOO MUCH OIL COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V084000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE). THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS CONSUMING A LOT OF OIL DUE TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS AFFECTED BY NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V084000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE); HOWEVER, THE RECALL WAS CLOSED AND THE REPAIR COULD NOT BE MADE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 96,000.

DEALER SAYS THE ENGINE IN MY 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $5,400 BECAUSE IT BLEW A HEAD GASKET ALLOWING COOLANT TO ENTER THE CYLINDERS. CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY BECAUSE IT HAS 83,00 MILES. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS MODEL BECAUSE OF DEFECTIVE DESIGN. NISSAN REFUSES ANY HELP TO CORRECT PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THERE WAS A LOSS OF STEERING POWER AND THE BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AFTER TWO OR THREE ATTEMPTS. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR. THE DUPLICATE FAILURE IS RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V455000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), WHICH WAS REPAIRED TWO YEARS AGO. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED. THE DEALER HAS NOT DIAGNOSED THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL NHTSA REGARDING A RECALL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 138,890 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 138,490. UPDATED 12/12/2007 *BF UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

2002 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S 77,000 MILES. JULY 2006 TOOK A ROAD TRIP TO CHICAGO, WHEN WE ARRIVED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD GONE BAD. IT WAS REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. PRIOR TO THAT WE NOTICE THAT THERE WAS NO HEAT WHILE THE CAR WAS IDLING, ROUGH STARTS, "WHOOSHING" NOISE UNDER THE DASH. JULY 2007 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, MULTI-CYLINDER MISFIRE, COOLANT IN CYLINDER 3, WHICH WAS THE RESULT OF A LEAK IN THE HEAD GASKET WHICH IS GOING TO CAST $1500.00. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 77,000 MILES, WHY DO WE NEED TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET SO SOON. UPON DOING FURTHER RESEARCH, I FIND THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER WHOSE 2002 ALTIMA HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS, SAME DIAGNOSIS (WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG). CALLED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS, AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. *TR

I COULD HARDLY BELIEVE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ REGARDING THE 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. ONE WOULD THINK THAT NISSAN WOULD RECOGNIZE THESE COMPLAINTS AND SIMPLY RECALL THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. WHEN WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN LATE 2001 IT WAS CALLED THE CAR OF THE YEAR. WOW! MY ALTIMA HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP MORE THAN IN MY GARAGE IN THE LAST MONTH. THIS TIME THEY HAVE HAD IT FOR MORE THAN A WEEK AND STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY IT WON'T START. YOU NAME IT -- EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE REPLACED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE MOTOR ITSELF HAS BEEN REPLACED. FROM THE FUEL PUMP TO THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR, THE ECM, THE THROTTLE POSITION ASSEMBLY -- AND STILL IT WON'T START. IT BEGAN WITH A "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" AND NOW THAT DOESN'T EVEN COME ON. THE VEHICLE HAS 152,400 MILES AND UNTIL SUCH TIME AS WE CAN GET IT STARTED WE CAN'T EVEN GET RID OF IT. I AM TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED AND WANT TO REPORT THIS TO THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND WHOEVER ELSE WILL LISTEN. NISSAN NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING!!!!!! *JB