2003 Nissan Altima

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

RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING MY SES LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE NEAREST SERVICE CENTER AND HAD THEM READ THE CODES WHICH WERE 0725 ENGINE SPEED SENSOR AND 0335 CRANK SHAFT POSITION SENSOR. UPON LOOKING INTO THE PROBLEM I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY NISSAN OWNERS, PARTICULARLY THE ALTIMA MODELS. NISSAN HAS ISSUED A RECALL TO REPROGRAM THE ECM FREE HOWEVER THIS DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR, AND NISSAN SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE PART (THE PART HAS BEEN MODIFIED FROM PLASTIC TO METAL BECAUSE OF OTHER COMPLAINTS HOWEVER THEY WILL NOT COVER THE REPLACEMENT, RIDICULOUS!) THIS IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS DUE TO THE FACT THAT I CAN CAUSE THE CAR TO STALL RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING, WHICH HAS HAPPENED TO ME ON TWO OCCASIONS (LUCKILY NOT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OF ON THE HIGHWAY! BUT IT HAS HAPPENED IN MORE SERIOUS SITUATIONS TO OTHERS). *KB

DRIVING 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA ON TWO-LANE COUNTRY ROAD, WEATHER CLEAR, NO TRAFFIC. CAR SPED UP, DRIVER APPLIED BRAKES, CAR SPED FASTER, DRIVER REPEATEDLY & FIRMLY APPLIED BRAKES. CAR OVERCORRECTED TO THE LEFT, CROSSED ROADWAY, CROSSED ONE DRY DITCH AND MADE IMPACT WITH INSIDE WALL OF AN IRRIGATION DITCH FULL OF WATER. DRIVER RECEIVED INITIAL CARE AT THE SCENE AND WAS TAKEN TO EMERGENCY ROOM VIA AMBULANCE. DRIVER SUSTAINED BROKEN BACK, HEAD AND EYE TRAUMA, BROKEN RIB, DISLOCATED SHOULDER JOINT, MULTIPLE CUTS REQUIRING STITCHES, GLASS EMBEDDED INTO SKIN. DRIVER SPENT SEVERAL DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL AND WAS DISCHARGED UNDER CONTINUOUS FAMILY CARE. CAR WAS TOTALED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TAP THE BRAKES BUT THE VEHICLE JUST ACCELERATED FASTER. THE VEHICLE JUMPED OVER A DITCH AND FINALLY LANDED IN A CANAL. THE CONTACT SUFFERED SEVERE INJURIES INCLUDING OPEN WOUNDS, FRACTURED RIBS, TWO CRACKED DISKS, HEAD INJURY AND INCIDENTS OF LOOSING CONSCIOUSNESS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 74,000. UPDATED EVOQ 07/20/10.*JB THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY THE TECHNICIAN HE FOUND AN ELECTRIC CROSSOVER CONNECTION BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS AND MAY HAVE BEEN COMPUTER RELATED. UPDATED 11/23/10. *JB UPDATED 12/07/10. *JB UPDATED 12/21/10*LJ UPDATED 12/30/10 *BF UPDATED 01/10/11. *JB UPDATED 01/12/11. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED IT WAS A CLEAR DAY AND TRAFFIC WAS VERY LIGHT. HE HAD JUST LEFT HIS HOME AND WAS LESS THAN 2 MILES FROM HIS HOME, DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH, WHEN HIS VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. HE TAPPED THE BRAKE SEVERAL TIMES; EACH TIME THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FASTER. THE VEHICLE JUMPED OVER A DITCH AND FINALLY LANDED IN A WATER-FILLED IRRIGATION CANAL. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED SEVERE INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. UPDATED 01/13/11 *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 35 MPH, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESPOND WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WITHIN A FEW MOMENTS AFTER SITTING IDLE, THE VEHICLE BECAME RESPONSIVE TO THE DEPRESSED ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED, HOWEVER THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SECOND DEALER BUT THEY TOO, COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,364 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN THE VEHICLE. WHILE TRAVELING LESS THAN 2 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, IT SUDDENLY LUNGED FORWARD AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT WAS UNINJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALER FOR REPAIR, WHICH WAS COVERED UNDER HIS INSURANCE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 33,094.

2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. IDLE FLUCTUATION FROM 1000 TO 2000 RPM. ALSO, AUTOMOBILE SURGES FROM 1500 TO 2000 WHILE DRIVING. WHILE IN AUTOMATIC MODE 1 IT WILL BUCK FORWARD. THE AUTO IN MY OPINION ISN'T SAFE I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INDICATES HIGH IDLE. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE CAR REPAIRED. *TR

ON SEVERAL INSTANCES THE ENGINE CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. EVENTUALLY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER INFORMED ME OF RECALL CAMPAIGN TO REPROGRAM THE ECM. ALSO, THEY FOUND ERROR CODES P0725 AND P0335. THEY TOLD ME THAT I HAD TO REPLACE MY CRANK SHAFT POSITION SENSOR (AT MY COST -- THIS WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL). AFTER THE DEALER COMPLETED THE RECALL WORK, THE CAR STILL STALLED THAT VERY DAY ON THE WAY HOME. TOOK THE CAR TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS CLEARED BY MECHANIC AND HAS NOT LIT UP AGAIN, HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED WHILE DRIVING AGAIN. THIS SOUNDS VERY SIMILAR TO THE SYMPTOMS WHICH LED TO THE RECALL OF THE 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA'S. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED IN DECEMBER 2002, BUT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE 2002 RECALL. THE 2003 RECALL ONLY CONSISTED OF REPROGRAMMING THE ECM -- WHICH DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AS THE VEHICLE STILL CUTS OUT AT RANDOM TIMES IN MOVING TRAFFIC. PLEASE INVESTIGATE -- THIS IS SIMILAR TO HUNDREDS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS UNDER 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA'S THAT I FOUND READING THROUGH THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE -- PLEASE CONNECT THE DOTS AND MAKE NISSAN OWN UP TO THE PROBLEM. *AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA S CLASS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MOTOR HAS FAILED. ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE HAS AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH. THE MOST RECENT FAILURE OCCURRED ONE WEEK AGO AND SMOKE ASCENDED FROM THE ENGINE. THE FIRST TIME HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO NISSAN, THEY DID NOT OFFER AN EXPLANATION OTHER THAN POSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE. THEY ARE NOT PROVIDING ANY SOLUTIONS TO THE FAILURES AND DID NOT STATE WHETHER THE VEHICLE WAS AFFECTED BY THE RECALL. THE DEALER CLAIMED THAT THE RECALLS PERTAINING TO THE ENGINE WERE PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL NO LONGER WORKS. THE VIN AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 71,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.