2002 Nissan Altima

GAS DOOR DID NOT LATCH CLOSED. HAD REPAIRED ON 3/9/06. NOW I HAVE NOTICED SEVERAL 2002 NISSAN ALTIMAS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED NISSAN NORTH AMERICA ON 7/7/06 AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS DEFECT WAS NOT IN RECALL STATUS, AND I COULD THEREFORE NOT BE ISSUE A REFUND FOR THE REPAIR. I BEGAN COLLECTING PLATE NUMBERS OF ALTIMAS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, I'M AT NUMBER SEVEN SO FAR. I BELIEVE THAT THE GAS DOOR NOT CLOSING COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. THIS DEFECT IS NOT EXCLUSIVE TO MY CAR. *NM

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER 2002 ALTIMA WHEN THE RIGHT FRONT INNER FENDER SPLASH SHIELD CAME LOOSE AND JAMMED AGAINST THE TIRE. SHE THOUGH SHE HAD A BLOWOUT AND NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. CAR HAD PRIOR NISSAN RECALL TO INSTALL SUPPLEMENTAL SNOW/ICE SHIELDS. ALSO PRIOR OCCURRENCE OF THIS SHIELD DETACHING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NISSAN CHARGED FOR REINSTALLATION. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS BURNING OIL EXCESSIVELY. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 06V223000, REGARDING THE ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. UPDATED 7/25/2006 - THE CONSUMER HAD TO ADD OIL TO THE ENGINE EVERY 500 TO 800 MILES. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. *NM

I BOUGHT AN '02 NISSAN ALTIMA IN JAN. 2002. IN 2003 I HAD RECALL WORK PERFORMED FOR THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM (CAT CONVERTER DEFECT) AND AT THE TIME I COMPLAINED THAT MY VEHICLE WENT THROUGH EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE OIL CHANGED REGULARLY. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY INSPECTED MY VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT MY CAR DID NOT NEED ANY REPAIRS AND THAT THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED. AT 97,167 MILES I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH AND MY WARRANTY WAS ABOUT TO EXPIRE. ALSO ADVISED THEM THAT I HEARD WATER RUNNING BEHIND THE DASH AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ALL I NEEDED WAS A TUNE-UP DUE TO THE MILEAGE BUT OTHER THAN THAT MY CAR WAS GREAT. AT 100,460 MILES MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND FLOODED SEVERAL TIMES. HAD TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD START THE CAR JUST FINE AND THAT I HAD FLOODED THE VEHICLE. AGAIN RECOMMENDED TUNE-UP AND REPLACING SPARK PLUGS. (I HAD JUST REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS MYSELF) NEXT THING I KNOW...MY CAR WON'T RUN AND SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. HAD TOWED TO INDEPENDENT AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND ADVISED ME THAT MY ENGINE WAS BLOWN AND NEEDED REPLACED DUE TO CAT CONVERTER. I MADE THE DEALERSHIP TOW THE CAR TO THEM AND THEY INFORMED ME OF THE SAME AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $5000 FOR A NEW ENGINE. THE SERVICE MGR. TOLD ME THAT NISSAN KNOWS THAT THIS WILL OCCUR,AND THAT WHEN THEY CONTACTED THE NISSAN REP THEY DECLINED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE DUE TO THE MILEAGE. I CALLED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND GOT A TOTAL RUN AROUND AND TOLD ME THAT MY MILEAGE WAS TOO HIGH AND THEY HAVE HAD NO OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE. BULL!!! NISSAN MUST BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS AND FIX THE PROBLEM. I AM PAYING FOR A CAR THAT HAS BEEN SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP BACK LOT FOR 3 MONTHS!!! I AM CONTACTING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND MAKING MY VOICE HEARD AND OTHERS NEED TO VOICE AS WELL BECAUSE NISSAN IS TRYING TO SWEEP THIS UNDER THE CARPET....NOT ANYMORE. *NM

THE OXYGEN SENSOR ON MY 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA OVERHEATED AND DESTROYED ITSELF. THE FRAGMENTS OF THE SENSOR SHATTERED THE MAIN CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND PIECES OF THE PARTS MIXED WITH THE OIL DAMAGING THE ENTIRE ENGINE, IE. PISTONS AND OTHER INTERNAL COMPONENTS, RENDERING THE ENGINE NOT SERVICEABLE. NEW ENGINE IS NEEDED AT A COST OF ABOUT SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS. I HAVE NOTIFIED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS REPRESENTATIVE AND I AM WAITING FOR THEIR RESPONSE. *NM

ENGINE FAILURE: AT JUST UNDER 78,000 MILES THE CAR WOULD NOT START. CAR TOWED TO MECHANIC WHO WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR AFTER AN EXTENDED CRANK. COOLING SYSTEM PRESSURIZED INSTANTLY UPON COLD START IN A.M. MECHANIC SUGGESTED TOWING TO DEALERSHIP BECAUSE HE SUSPECTS A POSSIBLE CYLINDER HEAD PROBLEM. HE SAYS THE 02 ALTIMA HAS A WELL-KNOWN HISTORY OF ENGINE PROBLEMS. 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS THE ENGINE WAS CONSTANTLY RUNNING OUT OF OIL AND COOLANT. THE THERMOSTAT AND RADIATOR CAP WERE REPLACED BY A MECHANIC. 2 MONTHS PRIOR TO THAT, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND A FULL TUNE UP WAS DONE. ALL RECALLS HAVE BEEN DONE PREVIOUSLY. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. AFTER READING MANY CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS I AM CONCERNED THAT THE RECALL WORK THAT I HAD DONE PREVIOUSLY WAS EITHER NOT COMPLETED PROPERLY OR SOMETHING ELSE IS NOT QUITE RIGHT. A NISSAN SHOULDN'T HAVE A RUINED ENGINE WITH THIS FEW MILES. THIS IS MY SECOND ALTIMA AND MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH NISSAN IS FADING FAST. *NM

I HAD A SMALL INCIDENT WHERE SOMEBODY DAMAGED THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A PUBLIC PLACE. I GOT BODY WORK DONE AFTER ABOUT 15 DAYS (NO PROBLEM WITH AIRBAG UNTIL NOW) AND WHEN I TOOK THE DELIVERY OF THE CAR, I NOTICED THAT AIR BAG LIGHT STARTED BLINKING. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE BODY SHOP AND THEY WERE CLUELESS. NEVERTHELESS THEY ASKED ME TO TAKE IT A NISSAN DEALER TO GET IT INSPECTED. NISSAN DEALERSHIP CHARGED $110 AND TOLD ME EVERYTHING WAS ALL RIGHT AND THEY RESET THE LIGHT. THE AIRBAG LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AGAIN AFTER 2 DAYS. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO DEALERSHIP AND NOW THEY TELL ME THAT DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG CABLES ARE SHORTED AND IT WILL COST $1170 TO REPLACE THE SPIRAL CABLE. I DO NOT THINK THE AIRBAG ISSUE IS GOT ANYTHING TO DO WITH INCIDENT I HAD. THE AIRBAG SYSTEM SHOULD NOT BE SO WEAK TO CAUSE THIS KIND OF ISSUE AND POTENTIALLY PUT ME AT RISK EVERYDAY NOT KNOWING IF THE AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. THERE IS A RECALL RELATED TO THIS FOR NISSAN ALTIMA 2002, BUT THAT DOES NOT MATCH THE VIN NUMBER OF MY CAR. I CALLED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND THEY TELL ME IT IS NOT RELATED. REGARDLESS WHETHER IT IS RELATED OR NOT I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NISSAN SHOULD FIX IT FREE OF COST. *NM

MY NISSAN ALTIMA (2002) WITH VIN#[XXX]) ENGINE'S STOPPED WHILE DRIVING THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND I NOTICED REDUCED ENGINE POWER AS I DROVE TO A SAFE LOCATION. VEHICLE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AND SHOWS A CODE P0335 AND I WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC (SERVICE GARAGE) THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE 2002 ALTIMA'S WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I CONTACTED NISSAN DEALER IN TUCSON AND WAS INFORMED THAT MY VIN # DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE RECALLED GROUP. UPON CALLING THE NATIONAL CONSUMERS AFFAIRS OFFICE @ (888)737-2647 I SPOKE TO MACY SPENCER (EXTENSION 8510). SHE LOOKED UP THE VIN # AN INFORMED ME THAT THIS VEHICLE HAD THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR REPLACED IN MAY OF 2004 AND THAT IT ONLY HAD A 12 MONTH WARRANTY. I PURCHASE THIS VEHICLE FROM NISSAN IN JULY 2005. *NM UPDATED 07/16/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)