2003 Nissan Altima

WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING, THE ENGINE BEGAN MISSING AND STARTED TO SMOKE. AT THE SAME TIME THE HEATER QUIT PRODUCING HEAT. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ENGINE DIAGNOSTICS INDICATED CYLINDER # 4 MISFIRE. TOOK TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS DESTROYED BY FAILED CATALYST IN THE PRE- CATALYST. OIL HAD FOULED THE MISSING CYLINDER'S SPARK PLUG. THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL WAS FULL AND THERE HAD NO PREVIOUS INDICATION OF OIL CONSUMPTION, BUT THE OIL WAS FOUND TO CONTAIN COOLANT. THESE CARS ARE POPULAR FOR PARENTS TO PURCHASE FOR TEENAGERS AND APPEAR TO BE HAZARDOUS. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V084000 INDICATED THAT THIS PRE-CATALYST ISSUE WAS A FIRE HAZARD BACK IN 2003. IT APPEARS WHATEVER WAS DONE IN THIS RECALL DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS FAILURE SEEMS TO BE FAIRLY COMMON OCCURRENCE. *TR

CRANK CAMSHAFT SENSOR WAS REPLACED DUE TO HAVING PROBLEMS STARTING VEHICLE. VEHICLE STILL CONTINUES TO HAVE PROBLEMS STARTING. ALWAYS NEED MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO START. I AM AFRAID VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUTOFF IN TRAFFIC SINCE I COMMUTE SO MUCH ON HIGHWAYS. THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE OF AN ACCIDENT. NISSAN REFUSES TO INCLUDE MY VIN NUMBER ON RECALL LIST. THIS IS COMPLETELY ABSURD. *TR

WHEN I WAS CAME HOME FROM SHOPPING I STOP CAR AND SWITCH OFF AND GO HOME AFTER ABOUT 15 MIN GOING TO SOME WHERE BUT CAR TAKE TIME TO START AFTER FEW SECOND CAR START. TRY 3 TIMES SAME. NEXT DAY GOING TO WORK AND SAME STARTING PROBLEM START CAR AND GOING ABOUT 1 MILE DRIVE POWER CUT OFF AND LUCKILY NO ONE BEHIND ME ABLE TO GO ON SIDE BECAUSE CAN NOT DO ANYTHING NO BRAKE NO GAS GOD HELP ME AFTER ONE MINT START CAR AND RICH WORK ABOUT 2 MILE . AT WORK WE HAVE MECHANIC HE HAS SOFTWARE FOR CAR DIAGNOSIS HE CHECK AND TOLD ME CODE P0340 FOR CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WE CHANGE ONE BOUGHT FROM DEALER AFTER 2 HR GOING HOME SAME PROBLEM STARTING. MECHANIC RESET AND GO HOME NEXT DAY GOING TO WORK SAME THING HAPPENED POWER SHUTOFF ABOUT 1 AND 1/2 ABLE TO PARK ONSIDE AND START AGAIN AND DROP TO REPAIR SHOP. HE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME YOU HAVE TO CHANGE ANOTHER CAMSHAFT SENSOR AFTER WOK FINE FOR UP TO NOW. BUT THEY RECALL SOME CAR BEFORE FOR THIS PROBLEM IF I WAS IN HIGHWAY THEN WHAT HAPPENED DO YOU THINK I WILL ABLE TO WRITE NOW OR DIE. CAN YOU CHECK ON THIS AND DO SOMETHING OTHERWISE SOME ONE DIE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT AND THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V455000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 63,000. *TR

ON JANUARY 15, 2013, MY CAR SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROADWAY AT ABOUT 40 MPH WHILE TAKING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTART THE CAR AND MAKE IT BACK HOME SAFELY. THANKFULLY, THE PERSON BEHIND ME WHEN THE CAR STOPPED DID NOT HIT ME FROM BEHIND. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED WITH MY CAR. THIS ALSO HAPPENED PREVIOUSLY ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. I WAS INFORMED TODAY BY THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP THAT A FAILED CAM SHAFT SENSOR WAS THE REASON THAT MY CAR WAS SHUTTING DOWN. THEY ARE REPLACING THE SENSOR FOR APPROX. $400.00. HOWEVER, THIS EXACT ISSUE IS ON THE NHTSA.DOT WEBSITE AS PART OF A RECALL. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V455000. MY MAJOR CONCERN IS THAT MY CAR COULD HAVE SHUT DOWN ON 95, A MAJOR CITY HIGHWAY, WITH MY CHILD IN THE CAR AND NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. I SPOKE TO NISSAN USA TODAY, AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. PLEASE ASSIST ME WITH THIS SERIOUS CONCERN. *TR

MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 30-45 MPH THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED AND NOT PRODUCED FULL ENGINE POWER WHEN PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR. THIS HAS CAUSED SERIOUS CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY AND MYSELF. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO NISSAN SERVICE REPAIR (AUGUST 2011, ~94K MILES). NISSAN RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND STATED THAT THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR CRANK/CAM SENSORS HAD FAILED. PAID $430 TO REPLACE CRANKSHAFT AND CAM/CRANK SENSORS. FAST FORWARD TO DECEMBER 2012 (~110K MILES) WHERE I EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT ISSUES ALONG WITH REDUCED ENGINE POWER WHEN PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR. ANOTHER LOCAL MECHANIC DETECTED THAT THE CAM/CRANK SENSORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT ABOUT RECALL #03V455000, WHICH DESCRIBES THE EXACT SYMPTOMS THAT I HAVE BEEN HAVING. I CALLED THE NISSAN SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT REPLACED THE SENSORS IN 2011 WHO SAID THAT MY VIN WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL SO I DIDN'T QUALIFY. AFTER READING THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE FOR THIS SPECIFIC YEAR/MAKE/MODEL, IT IS BEYOND ME HOW NOTHING HASN'T BEEN FLAGGED ABOUT THIS BEING AN ISSUE. ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS (MULTIPLE TIMES) YET THEY ARE TOLD THEIR VIN'S DON'T QUALIFY UNDER THE RECALL?? SOMETHING IS FISHY THERE. OTHER COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME EXACT ISSUE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS: ODI ID NUMBERS: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805. THANK YOU FOR ANY ASSISTANCE OR LIGHT THAT CAN BE SHED ON THIS ISSUE. *TR

SUDDENLY STARTING USING 1 QT. OIL EVERY 600 MILES. NO LEAKS, NO SMOKE, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT EVER CAME ON. TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID OIL CONSUMPTION WAS FROM CATALYTIC CONVERTER BREAKING DOWN AND GETTING SUCKED INTO ENGINE ABSORBING THE OIL AND SCORING LOWER ENGINE (CYLINDER BLOCK WALLS), THUS CAUSING OIL BLOW BY. THEY RECOMMEND CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND ENGINE REPLACEMENT AT $5,000 DOLLARS. THERE IS A HISTORY OF THESE CONVERTER FAILURES FROM 2002 IN NISSAN PRODUCTS. MY LOCAL DEALER SAID MY VEHICLE WASN'T ON RECALL. THE BIGGEST CONCERN IN THIS MATTER WAS THAT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON AND HAD I'D GONE ANOTHER 1000 MILES THIS CAR COULD HAVE SEIZED UP ON THE INTERSTATE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CONSUMED A LARGE AMOUNT OF THE OIL THAT HAD RECENTLY BEEN REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V084000(ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE) THAT COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. UPDATED 01/02/2013 *LJ UPDATED 1/7/2013 *JS

BROUGHT VEHICLE TO NISSAN DEALER IN TEWKSBURY, MA FOR DIAGNOSTIC. (TAPPING NOISE WHEN I START THE CAR) THEY FOUND SOME REPAIRS NECESSARY BUT TOLD ME THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE TAPPING SOUND WAS. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND HE ADVISED THAT IT "SOUNDED" LIKE THE TIMING CHAIN. HE DID NOT WORK ON THE CAR AND TOLD ME TO BRING IT BACK TO THE DEALER, WHICH I DID. I CALLED NISSAN AND THEY TOLD ME I COULD BRING THE CAR TO ANOTHER DEALER AND HAVE ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC DONE. AT A COST OF ANOTHER $110.00 TO BE PAID BY ME. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS LITTLE OIL IN THE ENGINE AND THIS IS WHY THE TIMING CHAIN "WENT". I HAVE PAID $2500.00 OUT OF POCKET TO GET MY CAR FIXED. I NEED THE CAR AND WAS TWO MONTHS WITHOUT IT. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR. TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE TIMING CHAIN WENT NISSAN DID AN OIL CHANGE FOR ME ALONG WITH SOME OTHER REPAIRS. I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF MY CAR AND DO NOT BELIEVE THAT OIL WAS THE PROBLEM I HAVE ALL MY DOCUMENTS REGARDING REPAIRS AND OIL CHANGES AND WOULD LIKE SOMEONE TO CHECK INTO THIS FOR ME.

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK IN MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED RUNNING, THE STEERING WHEEL FROZE AND SHE NEARLY RAN OFF THE ROAD. THANK GOODNESS THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS COMING AND SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD WITH NO INCIDENT. I PULLED THE CODES AND FOUND IT TO BE THE P0335 (CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR) AND P0725 (ENGINE SPEED SENSOR). AFTER SEARCHING THE WEB, IT APPEARS THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I LOOKED ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE AND FOUND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 03V455000, NISSAN RECALL NO. R3022 THAT STATES EXACTLY WHAT DID HAPPEN - THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING. THE REMEDY IS THAT A DEALER REPLACE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. SO, I CALLED NISSAN, FOUND THE OTHER RECALL THAT IS RELATED TO THE SENSOR, TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER (BARELY - I DROVE AND THE CAR STOPPED TWICE - AGAIN, LUCKY THERE WAS NO CRASH). THE DEALER CALLED AND SAID HE COULD NOT FIX THIS RECALL BECAUSE THE SENSOR WAS BAD. NOW I HAVE TO GO BACK AND PICKUP THE CAR AND PRAY AGAIN THAT I DON'T HAVE A CRASH COMING HOME. SEEMS TOTALLY UNREASONABLE THAT NISSAN WOULD HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM - THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR - FOR, AMONG MANY OTHERS, 2002-2003 ALTIMAS AND YET THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH THESE CARS THAT NISSAN WON'T FIX. I WAS LAID OFF AND CERTAINLY CANNOT AFFORD A $300 FIX FOR A $40 PART SO WE WILL HAVE TO DRIVE THIS DEATH CAR UNTIL I CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET IT FIXED. AND PRAY EVERY TIME I GET IN IT THAT WE DON'T END CRASHING THE CAR, HURTING MYSELF, MY YOUNG TWINS, MY OLDER DAUGHTER OR ANYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD. THIS IS A SEVERELY DANGEROUS ISSUE AND NISSAN SHOULD REPLACE ALL CARS - NOT JUST A SELECT FEW. *TR