2002 Nissan Altima

MY 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE ENGINE FAILURE IN DECEMBER OF 2007. IT STARTED WITH AN ENGINE CODE . REFERRED TO THE CATALYST CONVERTER. I HAD BEGUN SEARCHING FOR EVIDENCE OF A BIGGER PROBLEM PRIOR TO TAKING IT TO THE DEALER. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ON DIFFERENT FORUMS DESCRIBING THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS FOR THE SAME CAR. NOT IRONIC, DISTURBING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED PROPERLY AND PREVENTABLE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED REGULARLY. I ALSO HAD HARD TO START PROBLEMS . RECENTLY TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO THE NISSAN DEALER BECAUSE I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. I KEPT LOOSING COOLANT AND OIL AND I DID NOT HAVE ANY WITNESS MARKS ON MY DRIVEWAY TO PROVE THAT IT WAS LEAKING. AT TIMES YOU CAN SMELL THE SWEET ODOR OF ANTIFREEZE INSIDE THE VEHICLE. AFTER NISSAN SERVICE VISIT, THE SERVICE REP SAID THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE..CATALYTIC CONVERTER BROKE UP AND WAS SUCKED BACK INTO THE ENGINE. HERE IS WHAT THE INVOICE READS. INVOICE: ECM RECALL COULD NOT PERFORM RECALL VEH HAS E-LIGHTS THAT NEED TO BE CORRECTED?MULTI POINT VISUAL INSPECTION ONLY?INSPECTION PERFORMED REC ENGINE ASSY AND CAT RELATED PARTS A/C LOW PRESSURE HOSE?CUST STATES VEH LOSING COOLANT AND HAS A MISS CK DIAG AND CHCK OUT TIME ONLY?CUST STATES VEH HAS COOLANT LEAK AND MISS1.00 INSPECTION VEH FOR COOLANT LEAK BUT FOUND NO VISIBLE LEAK. MISFIRE FOUND INSPECTED PLUGS AND FOUND THEY'RE FOULED OUT AND HAVE CORROSION TYPE SUBSTANCE ON THEM?VEH POSS BURNING COOLANT. INSPECTED CAT AND FOUND IS COMING APART. REC ENGINE CAT AND RELATED PARTS CUST DECLINED REPAIRS? NOTE HAS REPLACED O2SENSORS, SPARK PLUGS. I ASKED THE SERVICE REP WHY NISSAN WOULDN'T PAY FOR THIS IF THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN PROBLEM. SHE SIMPLY RESPONDED BY SAYING THAT ALL THEY WOULD DO IS THE WORK BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING. THEY TOLD ME TO CONTACT NISSAN HEADQUARTERS IF I HAD A COMPLAINT. IT DOESN'T SEEM THAT MANY OF MY FELLOW ALTIMA OWNER?S HAVE HAD MUCH LUCK WITH THAT. NISSAN BE RESPONSIBLE. LIVES MAY DEPEND IT. *TR

LIKE THOUSANDS OF OTHER 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 OWNERS, NISSAN HAS LEFT EVERY ONE OF US HANGING OUT THERE AND ALL THEY CAN RECOMMEND IS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. NISSAN CREATED THIS PROBLEM AND IS VERY AWARE OF THE OIL CONSUMPTION, CATALYTIC CONVERTER BREAK UP AND OXYGEN SENSOR FAILURE. THEN THERE IS THE EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION AND LET'S NOT FORGET THE HARD STARTING AND FAILURE TO START. I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER NISSAN AGAIN AND IT DISGUSTS ME THAT NISSAN IS WASHING ITS HANDS OF THESE ISSUES. I COULD UNDERSTAND THEIR RELUCTANCE TO LOOK ANY FURTHER IF THERE WERE ONLY A HANDFUL OF OWNERS WITH THIS PROBLEM BUT THERE ARE THOUSANDS AND WE ARE ALL FED UP WITH THE WAY NISSAN HAS HANDLED THE ISSUES. THEY KNEW AFTER THEY ROLLED OUT THE 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA, IT HAD ISSUES BUT THEY HAVE BURIED THEIR HEADS IN THE SAND. WHENEVER YOU CALL NISSAN DIRECT, THEY JUST BLOW YOU OFF AND ALL THE DEALERSHIPS CAN RECOMMEND IS A NEW ENGINE. THEY ARE TREATING THEIR CUSTOMERS AS IF THEY ARE STUPID. IT ANNOYS ME THE FACADE NISSAN IS PUTTING ON AND TREATING ANY NISSAN ALTIMA CUSTOMER AS IF THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE WITH A "LEMON" WHICH NEEDS A NEW ENGINE. MY NISSAN HAS DONE 145,000 MILES AND SHOULD NOT NEED A NEW ENGINE AFTER YEARS OF REGULAR MAINTENANCE. NISSAN ISSUED A RECALL IN DEC 2006 WHEN I THINK THEY KNEW THEY HAD A PROBLEM. THEY DID NOT REPLACE THE OXYGEN SENSORS AT THAT TIME. THEY JUST CHECKED THEM. IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE REPORTS LIKE THIS GO TO WWW.MYCARSTATS.COM, WHICH IS WHERE I GOT THE LINK TO SEND YOU THIS COMPLAINT. I WOULD APPRECIATE IF THE NHTSA WOULD AT LEAST INVESTIGATE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ALL 2002 NISSAN ALTIMAS. DID I MENTION THAT MY "ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT" HAS BEEN ON FOR OVER A YEAR - SINCE THE LAST TIME IT WENT INTO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I REST MY CASE.N *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BEFORE THE ENGINE FINALLY RESTARTED. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGHLY AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. RECENTLY, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND REMAINED LIT UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE FAILURE WAS SIMILAR TO THE ONE MENTIONED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V455000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 131,000.

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION IN MY NISSAN ALTIMA 2002 MODEL. WHEN I CONTACTED THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALER, HE SAYS THAT THE PROBLEM IS BECAUSE OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BEING SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE AND THE ENGINE MIGHT BLOW UP ANY TIME. AND THEY ARE ASKING $6000 FOR FIXING THE VEHICLE. THIS IS TOTALLY SUCKING THE CUSTOMER OF ANYTHING THAT ONE CAN LIVE OFF EVEN. AS A SMALL FAMILY WITH MEAGER EARNINGS, THIS IS GOING TO HIT OUR FAMILY IN A MAJOR WAY AS THIS KIND OF SPEND IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN AFFORD. THIS PROBLEM IS BEING FACED BY THOUSANDS OF OTHER ALTIMA OWNERS ALSO. REQUEST THE GOVERNMENT TO HELP US OUT IMMEDIATELY. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA THAT HAS BEEN GIVING ME NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS . I HAVE HAD THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER CHANGED AND NOW IT NEEDS ANOTHER ONE . OIL IS BEING CONSUMED OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT THE NISSAN DEALER TOLD ME IN 2006 HE SAID I NEED A MOTOR I HAVE BEEN TAKING THIS CAR TO THE NISSAN DEALER TOO MANY TIMES TO THINK THEY HAVE CLAIMED TO CHANGE THINGS EVERY TIME I'D TAKE IT . IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING DIFFERENT I DON'T THINK THEY KNEW THE PROBLEM AT FIRST. EITHER THEY DIDN'T KNOW OR THEY DECIDED TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER MY WARRANTY ENDED TO TELL ME THAT I NEEDED A MOTOR!! I HAVE SPENT SO MUCH MONEY ON THIS CAR. I FEEL THAT I PAID TOO MUCH FOR THIS CAR TO BE TRYING TO PAY OVER $5000 FOR A MOTOR. THE CAR IS NOW 6 YRS OLD AND THAT'S NOT OLD ENOUGH FOR A MOTOR. NISSAN SHOULD FEEL VERY BAD THAT THEY A RESPONSIBLE FOR PEOPLE PAYING TOO MUCH MONEY FOR THAT LEMON OF A CAR. I NEED TRANSPORTATION NOT A NEW CAR NOTE!! *TR

I OWN A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA WHICH IS EXHIBITING THE SYMPTOMS VERY TYPICAL WITH 100'S OF OTHER ALTIMA OWNERS. ONE MONTH AGO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, ENGINE IS CONSUMING LARGE QUANTITIES OF OIL, POWER IS SLUGGISH ESPECIALLY AT STARTUP, COOLANT IS BEING CONSUMED ETC. TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALER AND THE FAULT CODE WAS FOR FAULTY CATALYTIC CONVERTER. DEALER SUGGESTS COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF LONG BLOCK. SINCE THE RECALL (NTB03-070C) HAD BEEN DONE ON MY CAR A FEW YEARS AGO, PREVIOUS TO ME OWNING THE CAR, THEY ARE "NO LONGER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RECALL". SEEMS UNFATHOMABLE THAT SO MANY OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AND NO DEFINITE ACTION IS BEING TAKEN FROM NISSAN OR BEING FORCED TO BE TAKEN FROM THE GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT. *TR

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THE CAT CONVERTER WAS BAD. CHECKED WEBSITE TO SEE IF OTHERS HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND DISCOVERED THAT HUNDREDS OF INDIVIDUALS HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND AFTER REPLACING THE CAT CONVERTER, HAD TO REPLACE THE WHOLE ENGINE. THE WEBSITE IS HTTP://FORUMS.AUTOMOTIVE.COM/70/1106267/NISSAN/2002-NISSAN-ALTIMA-OIL-DROPPING-AT-108000MILES-I-W/INDEX.HTML. I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT OR BE DIRECTED ON WHAT TO DO NEXT. *TR

THE TECHNICIAN PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON MY 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA BECAUSE THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. THE PROBLEM WAS DUE A DEFECT IN CATALYTIC CONVERTER, WHICH IS DAMAGING MY ENGINE. I HAVE TO GET IT REPLACE, BUT IT COSTS $1500. MY CAR HAS ONLY 84,000 MILES ON IT. ALSO, I TAKE IT IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AT EVERY 3,000 MILES AND FOR REGULAR CHECK UPS. SO I RESEARCHED IT ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. BELOW ARE THE LINKS TO SOME OF THE WEBSITES WITH COMPLAINTS FROM THE ALTIMA DRIVERS ON THEIR CATALYTIC CONVERTER. 1)HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/NISSAN/ALTIMA/2002/ENGINE/CATALYTIC_CONVERTER_FAILURE_CAUSED_ENGINE_DAMAGE.SHTML 2)HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/NISSAN_ALTIMA.HTML 3) HTTP://WWW.ALLWORLDAUTO.COM/COMMENTS/VIEWTHREAD.PHP?CID=638520 4)HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/REVIEW_105673.HTML 5)HTTP://WWW.CARAUDIO.COM/FORUM/ARCHIVE/INDEX.PHP/T-222455.HTML 6)HTTP://FORUMS.CARANDDRIVER.COM/AUTO/BOARD/MESSAGE?BOARD.ID=NISSAN&THREAD.ID=158 7)HTTP://FORUMS.AUTOMOTIVE.COM/70/1106267/NISSAN/2002-NISSAN-ALTIMA-OIL-DROPPING-AT-108,000 MILES-I-W/INDEX.HTML 8)HTTP://ANSWERS.EDMUNDS.COM/QUESTION-NEGOTIATION-2002-ALTIMA-REPLACEMENT-ENGINE-28642.ASPX 9)HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_84045.HTML 10) HTTP://AUTOREPAIR.ABOUT.COM/B/2008/01/17/ALTIMA-OWNER-THINKS-HES-GETTING-THE-SHAFT.HTM I THINK NISSAN KNOWS THIS PROBLEM AND THEY NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. *TR