2002 Nissan Altima

RECENT RECALL FOR 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA DATED 11/07/2007. I RECENTLY CALLED NISSAN NORTH AMERICA REGARDING A RECALL I SAW WHILE SURFING THE WEB. I CALLED NISSAN TWICE, NOV. 7, 2007 & JAN. 10. 2008, AND THEY GAVE ME A FILE# AND FAXED ME A LETTER STATING "THESE REPAIRS ARE FREE OF CHARGE TO YOU". YET WHEN I TRIED TO HAVE IT FIXED AT THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP THEY SAID I HAD TO PAY FOR A DIAGNOSTIC OR THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT EVEN UNDER THE RECALL. I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ALREADY, REGARDING THIS PROBLEM WITH MY 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA SINCE 2007, I AM DISABLED AND ON A FIXED INCOME, THIS CAR PROBLEM HAS PUT ME IN CRITICAL FINANCIAL TROUBLE. WHEN I NOTIFIED NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. OF MY PROBLEM TRYING TO GET IT FIXED THEY TOLD ME TO TRY AGAIN, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CONTROL OVER HOW MUCH THE DEALERSHIPS CHARGE. IF I STILL HAD THE PROBLEM GETTING IT FIXED THEY WOULD DEAL WITH MY PROBLEM THEN. DOES INTEGRITY MEAN ANYTHING TO ANYONE ANYMORE? THIS CAR IS A DEATH TRAP. THIS CAR HAS SHUT OFF DURING OPERATION ON THE FREEWAY AT A SPEED OF 70 MPH. IT IS NOT TRUE WHEN ITS SAID IT ONLY STALLS AT LOW SPEED. I AND MY GRANDDAUGHTER ARE A WITNESS TO THAT. DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT A HUMAN LIFE? *TR

WHEN SHIFTING GEARS IN HOT WEATHER AFTER BEING IN CITY TRAFFIC MY CLUTCH WOULD ONLY COME UP APPROX. 1/4 WAY FROM THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO CAREFULLY SHIFT GEARS, BUT FELT I MAY NOT HAVE THE CONTROL TO SHIFT NEXT TIME. AFTER THE CAR COOLED BY DRIVING OUTSIDE THE CITY, THE CLUTCH WOULD RETURN TO NORMAL. THE DEALER FAILED TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THE CLUTCH FLUID WAS THE ORIGINAL. I HAD THE CLUTCH FLUID DRAINED AND FILLED, ONLY TO STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I SUSPECT THAT AIR FLOW WAS RESTRICTED WHEN A RECALL RESULTED IN A HEAT SHIELD BEING INSTALLED ON THE ENGINE THAT REDIRECTED MORE HEAT TO THE CLUTCH LINES/CYLINDERS. FORTUNATELY, THIS ONLY HAPPENS A FEW TIMES EACH SUMMER. *TR

MY CAR WOULDN'T START. I NOTIFIED NISSAN, THEY TOWED MY CAR IN. MY CAR HAD SEVERAL RECALLS. NISSAN CHECKED MY CAR AND RESET MY ECM. WHEN I WENT TO GET MY CAR FROM MITCHELL NISSAN WHICH IS 30 MILES AWAY. THEY TOLD US THAT I HAD A POSSIBLE HEAD OR COIL FAILURE. WHEN WE LEFT THE DEALERSHIP WE DIDN'T CHECK THE OIL CAUSE WHEN THEY REPROGRAMMED THEY SUPPOSE TO HAVE CHECKED EVERYTHING. WHEN MY HUSBAND CHECKED THAT'S WHEN WE FOUND OUT IT WAS NO OIL. I DROVE MY CAR 30 MILES WITH NO OIL. MY CAR IS A 2002 ALTIMA I CHECKED THE RECALLS AND SAW THAT THE 2.5 2006 ALTIMAS HAS A RECALL ON THE ENGINE AS WELL AS THE SENSOR LIKE THE EARLIER YEARS. THE RECALLS STATES SOMETHING ABOUT THE ECM AND ABOUT THE PISTONS AND DRIVING WITHOUT OIL. NOW I HAVE TO GET MY ENGINE REPLACED AND NISSAN IS SAYING IT IS NOT ON THEM. MY CAR WAS NOT ACTING UP NOR SMOKING UNTIL IT CUT OFF AND HAD TO BE REPROGRAMMED. I FEEL THIS MESSED UP MY ENGINE. *TR

(1) CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AND EVENTUALLY CAUSED ENGINE TO FAIL ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 60 MPH. CAR WENT OFF THE ROAD AND ALMOST HIT ONCOMING TRAFFIC. (2) I REPLACED THE ENGINE AND THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING TO ME AGAIN. NISSAN IS REFUSING TO REPLACE THE ENGINE EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. (3) UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, AND I CAN PRODUCE 100'S OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO HAVE SUFFERED FROM THE SAME PROBLEM AND NISSAN IS REFUSING TO DO ANYTHING. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN BE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH THIS??? *TR

I HAD A 90,000 MILE VEHICLE CHECKUP AT NISSAN VILLAGE IN ATTLEBORO, MA. THE VEHICLE HAD 88,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE SERVICE. AT THE SUGGESTION OF THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN, I HAD THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED. MY CAR CURRENTLY HAS 92,000 MILES ON IT AND I NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE. AFTER LOOKING THE CAR OVER I NOTICED THAT THE OIL WAS BONE DRY. I SEARCHED ON THE INTERNET FOR PROBLEMS RELATED TO THIS VEHICLE AND NOTICED MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, BURNING OIL, AND EVENTUALLY TOTAL ENGINE REPLACEMENT. I HAVE ONLY HAD THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED AND THE OIL BURNING PROBLEM HAS STARTED. I FEAR THAT I WILL HAVE COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE SHORTLY, LIKE NUMEROUS OTHERS HAVE, BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. HTTP://FORUMS.AUTOMOTIVE.COM/70/1106267/NISSAN/2002-NISSAN-ALTIMA-OIL-DROPPING-AT-108,000 MILES-I-W/INDEX.HTML HTTP://WWW.NISSANFORUMS.COM/L31-2002-ALTIMA/105620-LITTLE-GUY-VS-NISSAN-NORTH-AMERICA.HTML HTTP://WWW.NISSANFORUMS.COM/L31-2002-ALTIMA/117470-RECALL-R3007-RESURFACES-02-03-ALTIMA.HTML. *TR

2002 ALTIMA, LOSS OF POWER EARLY IN DEC 2007, DEC 17 2007 AT 85,000 MILES CATALYTIC CONVERTOR FAILS, AT 90,000 MILES USING 1 QUART OF OIL IN 700 MILES. AT 91,125 MILES TO DEALERSHIP AND REPORT MADE WITH NISSAN. A RECALL PART OF A EXHAUST PIPE HANGER REPLACED BY DEALER AND I AM TOLD THE OTHER EXPENSES OF CONVERTOR (APPROX $800.00 PLUS LABOR AND POSSIBLE MOTOR REPLACEMENT $3900.00) ARE UP TO ME. YET THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME IDENTICAL PROBLEM AND NO RECALL IS ISSUED.RESEARCH, PER NISSAN NEWS BULLITINS, HAS INDICATED THAT THE CONVERTOR ON THE ALTIMA AND SENTRA BLOWS INTERNAL RESIDUE INTO THE CYLINDER WALLS CAUSING THE EXCESSIVE OIL PROBLEM. *CN

PURCHASED VEHICLE JULY 3, 2006. AUGUST 8, 2006- SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT REPORTED MULTI CYLINDER MISFIRE, SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED. FEB 07- SAME CODE FOUND AND SPARK PLUGS AND O2 SENSORS REPLACED. JUNE 07- SAME CODE, ENGINE FLOODS TWICE, CAR CRANK BUT WONT START AND SPARK PLUGS, COILS, FUEL PUMP REPLACED. NISSAN TECH COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM BUT MENTIONED COOLANT WAS LOW AND SO THAT WAS WHY THE CYLINDER MISFIRE AND HEAD GASKETS NEED TO BE FIXED. OCT. 07 ENGINE SHUT OFF ABOUT 4 TIMES WHILE DRIVING. NOVEMBER 07- ENGINE FAILS. NO RECOURSE FROM NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS NOR WHERE NISSAN CAR WAS PURCHASED. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA THAT BEGAN CONSUMING OIL. PREVIOUS TO HAVING ANY PROBLEMS, NISSAN HAD A RECALL ON THE PRECATALYST WHICH SAID THAT MATERIALS COULD BE CAUSED TO GO INTO THE ENGINE AND INCREASE OIL CONSUMPTION. I HAD THIS RECALL DONE ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER PROBLEMS. NOW, I AND OTHER ALTIMA OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING OIL CONSUMPTION. I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WHICH HAS NOW MESSED UP MY ENGINE AND BOTH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN I QUESTIONED THE DEALERSHIP REGARDING THE PREVIOUS RECALL, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE LOOK FOR DAMAGE WHEN THE RECALL WAS DONE. OBVIOUSLY NOT, SINCE NOW A NUMBER OF ALTIMAS ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM AFTER THE RECALL WAS DONE. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH A FORMER ENGINEER THAT SAID THERE WERE A NUMBER OF DESIGN ISSUES WITH THE 2002 MODEL. I HAVE ALSO FOUND ON THE INTERNET THAT THE CATALYLIC CONVERTER MAY BE LOCATED TOO CLOSE TO THE ENGINE WHICH IS CAUSING THE PROBLEMS. SO IF IF THE ENGINE AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER WERE REPLACED, THE PROBLEM CAN START AGAIN. SOME OWNERS WHO HAVE PAID FOR REPLACEMENT HAVE EVENTUALLY STARTING EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE 2002 MODEL YEAR IS NOT THE ONLY MODEL WITH ENGINE PROBLEMS. *TR