2003 Nissan Altima

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED. IN NOVEMBER OF 2007, THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V242000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AND THEY REPROGRAMMED THE POSITION SENSOR CIRCUIT. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE CAMSHAFT POSITION FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DEALER'S REPAIR WOULD NOT HAVE AFFECTED THE FAILED COMPONENT. THE CAMSHAFT WAS REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN OPERATING NORMALLY. IN DECEMBER OF 2008, WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD "SKIP" INTERMITTENTLY AND LOSE POWER BETWEEN 40-60 MPH. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE DROVE ROUGHLY WHEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE; HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT AS BAD WHEN SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RELEVANT RECALLS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 125,700 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 125,000.

THE HEATER/DEFROSTER DOES NOT BLOW HOT AIR WHILE CAR IS AT A STAND STILL. ONCE HE PRESS THE ACCELERATOR AND BEGIN TO SPEED UP THE HOT THEN RETURNS. I RESEARCHED THIS ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER ALTIMA OWNERS. WITH THIS THE WINDOWS FOG UP AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS AND WHEN YOU ARE STUCK AT A STANDSTILL ON THE INTERSTATE THE CAR BECOMES UNBEARABLY COLD AN IS A SAFETY HAZARD IN THE WINTER. THE DEALER WANTS OVER A HUNDRED DOLLARS TO FIX A PROBLEM OF THEIR DESIGN. *TR

ON NOVEMBER 18TH WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA MY CAR STALLED THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR WAS BAD. I THEN CALLED NISSAN USA WHO SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE THIS PARTICULAR MODEL WAS NOT RECALLED. HOWEVER, WHEN I RESEARCHED ONLINE, I FOUND NUMEROUS PEOPLE WITH THE SAME COMPLAINTS. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 ALTIMA. THE CARS ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AND THE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD $850 FOR CAT CONVERTER. I THEN TOWED IT TO MY GARAGE WHEN THE NISSAN CORP. WOULD NOT HELP PAY. MY MECHANIC AFTER HE TOOK IT APART SAID ALL THE INSIDES OF THE CAT CAME OUT AND MORE THAN LIKELY HAD GOTTEN IN THE ENGINE. HE SAID HE KNEW IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. HE PUT THE CAR BACK TOGETHER WITHOUT REPLACING THE CAT BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. THE CAR WOULD RUN NOW BECAUSE THE CAT CONVERTER GUTS WAS OUT. WE TOPPED IT OFF WITH OIL SO I COULD DRIVE IT HOME AND BY THE TIME I GOT HOME 15 MILES LATER AND ALOT OF SMOKE THE OIL WAS EMPTY. I'VE READ ON SEVERAL SITES THAT THOUSAND ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND NISSAN IS NOT HELPING. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH 2002/2003 NISSAN ALTIMA'S AND THE CORPORATION IS DOING NOTHING. HTTP://FORUMS.AUTOMOTIVE.COM/70/1106267/NISSAN/2002-NISSAN-ALTIMA-OIL-DROPPING-AT-108,000MILES-I-W/PAGE10.HTML THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY A NEW ENGINE AT 124,000 MILES. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S 4 CYL. WHILE DRIVING , THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON .I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY IDENTIFIED THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE AS THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR, THE CODE IS PO335. THE VEHICLE HESITATED AS IF IT WERE ABOUT TO SHUT OFF. WHILE ACCELERATING, THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE AS WELL. WILL NOT START. MY SES LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AND MY CAR WOULD DIE AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS. THERE WAS NO RECALL ON MY 2003 MODEL; SO I PAID $224 FOR PARTS AND LABOR. I HAD TO REPLACE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR ON 2003 ALTIMA,HAD IT REPAIRED AT LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP,WASN'T UNDER RECALL FOR 2003, DOES ANY ONE KNOW WHO I CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH TO GET MY MONEY BACK?SEEMS LIKE THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE ALTIMAS THAT THE COMPANY NEEDS TO DEAL WITH..*TR

CAR WAS BEEN DRIVEN AND SHUT OFF ON HIGHWAY AND WOULD NOT RESTART . CAR WAS TOWED TO AUTO MAX IN APPLE VALLEY AND DETERMINED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAD CAUSED THE ENGINE TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF DEBRIS FROM THE CONVERTER BEEN SUCKED IN THE ENGINE. TOTAL COST OF ENGINE REPLACEMENT WAS $4226.62. UNDER FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND THAT IN CANADA , THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT HAS ORDER NISSAN TO REPLACE THE ENGINE BASED UPON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE. IF YOU GO ON LINE, THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE IN THE SAME BOAT AS ME AND NISSAN TRIES TO PLAY IGNORANT. I HAVE ALSO TALKED WITH A DEALER IN ST. CLOUD , MN WHERE THE SERVICE MANGER GOT A FEW ENGINES REPLACED FOR CUSTOMERS AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON AND STAY ON FOR A CYCLE AND THEN GO OF. THE CAR WILL TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING OR IDLING, OR WHEN FIRST START AND PUT IN TO GEAR. ALSO THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PICK UP SPEED AS IT SHOULD WHEN THIS OCCURS. HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY AT LEAST 3 TIMES A WEEK. WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE CRANK SHAFT SENSOR. *TR

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA WITH ABOUT 95,000 MILES. ON 9/19, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALER FOR SERVICE BECAUSE THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ON, THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING A LITTLE ROUGH AND HAD A SLIGHT RATTLE, AND MY OIL LIGHT STARTED BLINKING ON OCCASIONALLY. THE DEALER FLUSHED AND REPLACED THE OIL, AND ALSO REPLACED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND TWO OXYGEN SENSORS, AT A TOTAL COST OF $1700. THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME ON 9/23. I WAS AWAY 9/26-9/29 AND DID NOT DRIVE THE CAR. ON WEEKDAYS, I TYPICALLY DRIVE ABOUT 10 MILES TO AND FROM WORK EACH WAY. THE NEXT WEEKEND I DROVE THE CAR APPROX. 150 MILES, AT WHICH TIME I NOTICED THE RATTLE HAD NOT SUBSIDED AND THAT MY OIL LIGHT HAD STARTED TO BLINK ON AGAIN, ESPECIALLY AS I DROVE UPHILL. I ADDED 2 QUARTS TO THE ENGINE ON 10/4 AND TOOK THE CAR TO A JIFFY LUBE ON 10/8. THE JL TECH THAT REPLACED THE OIL TOLD ME THAT MY OIL WAS VERY LOW, SO I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE NISSAN DEALER ON 10/13. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE RATTLE AS "INTERNAL ENGINE FAILURE" AND RECOMMENDED A NEW ENGINE FOR $5000. MY CONVERSATION WITH THE DEALER MECHANIC LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE CAR WAS BURNING OIL DUE TO A LEAKY CYLINDER, MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY FAILURE OF THE PRE-CATALYST. THE PRE-CATALYST OR 'PRE-CAT' FILTERS EXHAUST BEFORE IT GETS TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE PRE-CAT IS CLOSER TO THE ENGINE THAN THE CAT CONVERTER, SO IT TENDS TO GET OVERHEATED. WHEN IT DOES, IT CAN BREAK DOWN, AND LITTLE PIECES OF IT CAN GET SUCKED BACK UP THE EXHAUST SYSTEM THE WRONG WAY, BACK INTO THE CYLINDERS, WHICH DAMAGES THE CYLINDERS & ALLOWS OIL TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE. BECAUSE OF THE MASSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION, I WAS UNKNOWINGLY DRIVING WITHOUT ENOUGH OIL, AND PERMANENTLY DAMAGED THE ENGINE. I PARK MY CAR IN MY GARAGE & HAVE NEVER NOTICED AN OIL LEAK OR SMOKE FROM THE TAILPIPE. I HAVE NEVER GONE MORE THAN 5,500 MILES WITHOUT AN OIL CHANGE, AND I HAVE A RECEIPT FROM EVERY OIL CHANGE I'VE EVER HAD. THE CAR HAS NO OUTSTANDING SAFETY RECALLS. *TR