2002 Nissan Altima Engine Problems
- 164
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 164 stored complaint records:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 3 indicate injury
- 7 indicate fire
What owners report
- catalytic converter · 31 records
- engine light · 21 records
- check engine · 16 records
- head gasket · 12 records
- current mileage · 12 records
- failure mileage · 12 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 77 |
| 100–150k mi | 30 |
| 30–60k mi | 13 |
| 150–400k mi | 9 |
| 1–30k mi | 7 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine · Exhaust System
My car has been at lebruns nissan dealership 3 times they detected three different problems, the last resort was my blown headgasket. I have a 2002 with 60,000 miles on it i should not be having a headgasket problem!! I have researched different problems and concerns with other owners online and have come across the same problems. Problems containing oil consumption, engine failure, head gaskets, catalytic…
ODI 10276783
Driveline · Electrical System · Engine
I was on vacation, driving to cleveland, oh with my wife & parents on 6-13-09, sat in 2002 nissan altima, 2.5 sl. Around 9.00 pm, on i-80, apprx 40 mil from cleveland, suddenly smoke started coming from the car hood, causing poor visibility. Temp and oil level indicators did not show any sign of problem with the engine. After narrowly escaping crash with other vehicles by grace of god, we could stop the car with…
Fire reported
ODI 10275503
Engine · Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. While driving 40 mph, the contact heard a clicking sound followed by a popping sound. The consumers daughter pulled the vehicle over and noticed smoke coming from the bottom of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the engine needed to be replaced due to a lack of engine oil. There were no warnings prior to the failure. The current and failure…
Fire reported
ODI 10275053
Engine · Engine And Engine Cooling · Exhaust System
I have a 2002 nissan sentra se-r with the 2.5 liter (qr25de) engine i purchased new. This is the same engine that the problematic 2002 nissan altima has. My car has had numerous serious recalls, originating within the first year and a half i purchased it. Two years ago, my ses light went on. My car was still under warranty at this point as i'd purchased nissan's "gold plus" warranty coverage. I was told it was a…
ODI 10318850
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle consumed an excessive amount of oil. He took the vehicle in for an oil change and by the time he arrived back home (within 300 miles) the vehicle was in need of more oil. The low engine oil warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact placed more oil into the vehicle before it was taken to a repair shop. The mechanic…
ODI 10273649
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. The contact stated that the crank position sensors keep failing in her vehicle. In 2004, the dealer repaired the vehicle according to nhtsa campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact is the second owner of the vehicle and the dealer stated that she would have to pay $300 to repair the failure again. The failure mileage was 98,000.
ODI 10268223
Engine
I own a 2002 nissan altima, 2.5l engine. I have had more problems with this car than you can imagine. The car has stopped on me two times in the past year or two. It came to a halt in september 2007 in the middle of traffic and i had to wait over an hour for a tow truck. At that time i had the sensor detector replaced by a neighborhood garage. On last tuesday, the car stopped again and would not move but i happened…
ODI 10268464
Engine
MAJOR OIL CONSUMPTION AT 80,000 MILES. *TR
ODI 10262596
Engine · Exhaust System
Catalytic converter failure, head gasket failure; engine and catalytic converter must be replaced. *tr
ODI 10262404
Engine
One month ago oil light went on, checked oil and low. Mechanic said the oil was not leaking, yet we were losing oil every 100 miles. Went to nissan for diagnostic check and they said the 2002 nissan altima 2.5s, 80,000 miles needs catalytic converter and engine .researched on www.carcomplaints.com and many complaints for the same year and model has had the same problem. According to the research this defect can…
ODI 10265154
Engine
The car, nissan 2002 altima 2.5s, would stall without warning while driving. This was starting to happen on a regular basis during the first week of march 2009. Nissan replaced the crank & cam sensors. They stated they weren't covered under any nissan safety recall. *tr
ODI 10263215
Cooling System · Engine · Exhaust System
I had purchased a nissan 2002 altima from a dealer as certified vehicle. I have bought two other cars from the same dealer and in addition all the cars were always serviced by the same dealer. Since last two years the "service engine soon" light comes on and on one such occasion i was informed by the same dealership that the cat converter had failed and the same needs to be replaced . Recently the car has failed mv…
ODI 10409132
Engine
Recently traveling to nc and the car lost power and won't start. The service engine soon light engaged constantly and the car burns oil with no engine leaks. I purchased brand new manual transmission 2002 nissan altima 3.5. The vehicle shifted very hard when purchased and clutch went straight to floor after 1 month. Took car to nissan dealer on three occasions and they could find nothing wrong. Took it to an…
ODI 10261113
Engine
I own a 2002 nissan altima with the 2.5l engine. Excessive oil consumption lead to damage to the engine and having to get it rebuilt approximately one year ago. Purchased the car new and while i drive a lot of miles each year there was no indication in terms of warning lights that the engine oil was low. This probably lead to damage to the engine in addition to that possibly caused by the other design defects (i.e.…
ODI 10303583
Engine
The cam chain tensioner in the nissan motors vq35de and vq40de are prone to failure after the warranty expires resulting in thousands of dollars in repairs. Nissan has revised the parts to prevent the failure from happening but those parts are only installed afterthe failure has occurred. The cost to have this done prior to failure is very high. Surely nissan should have done something to prevent this from happening…
ODI 10262580
Engine
I have an 02 nissan altima. It is consuming my oil and anitfreeze. I was told that i needed a new engine and a new cat. My car randomly dies and will not start most of the time. *tr
ODI 10257235
Engine · Equipment · Exhaust System
My 2002 nissan altima's check engine light came on. The car started running sluggish, and totally ran out of oil! Mechanic said i needed a new engine. I bought one - and that one went on the fritz two days after fixing it. The diagnostics test said it was an o2 sensor. It ran out of oil. Now i find out the car is a lemon, after i bought a new engine to boot. Two engines are ruined in this car, and i still don't have…
ODI 10259656
Engine
Well maintained 2002 nissan altima.... Followed all maintenance schedules, had all recalls performed all work performed at nissan dealerships. Has had continual oil consumption issues, had heat issues, catalytic converter failure leading to full engine failure. Nissan denies any wrong doing and will not help due to mileage on the car. However this problem started well within the warranty period and the dealership(s)…
ODI 10256239
Engine · Mechanical
Power valve screws fell into the intake manifold plate on 2002 nissan altima 2002 nissian altima 2.5 stalled on the highway. Car had been idling very rough and engine vibration as well as intermittent power loss 24 hours prior to issue. Took it to two independent mechanics. Both confirmed that the pvc value screw fell intake manifold. This was also confirmed by nissan. However it was only recalled on the 2004-2006…
ODI 10257026
Engine · Exhaust System
This complaint is in reference to the following: nhtsa action number: pe02078 nissan na made some preventive changes to the 2002 nissan altima as requested to by law. However the changes nissan na made were not sufficient nor successful. It appears that the preventive service nissan provided has only prolonged the outcome. Thousands of 2002 nissan altima owners are currently experiencing oil consumption problems…
ODI 10296454
Engine
Nissan claims that they have fixed their recalls but car stalled on a hwy where speed limit was 70 my family & myself could have got killed. I paid 1100 dollars to fix it. Engine light was back on did oil change car keeps burning oil every day i have to check it and add oil then they tell me i need a new engine have called over 50 times & left messages they tell me they can not give me a new engine but this is an on…
3 injuries
ODI 10259354
Cooling System · Engine
We own a 2002 nissan altima s 2.5 liter engine. We had a recall due to the exhaust pipe hanger pin possibly igniting with the main catalyst. After that was dealt with, the dealer charging me $80.81, said the engine noise and check engine light is due to faulty catalytic converter. The conversion efficiency of the pre-catalyst has deteriorated and now the catalyst has to be replaced. There is no heat when the car is…
ODI 10254179
Engine
My car started stalling and got harder and harder to start. Premier nissan (metairie, la) said a power valve screw came loose, fell into the engine, the engine was ruined, and i needed to buy a new engine. I googled the matter. Many others have complained about this for same make, model and year (2002). (there are lots of complaints of this happening in the 2003 model also.) and this was exactly the subject of a…
ODI 10273894
Engine · Exhaust System
Nissan na made some preventive changes to the 2002 nissan altima as requested to by law. However the changes nissan na made were not sufficient nor successful. It appears that the preventive service nissan provided has only prolonged the outcome. Thousands of 2002 nissan altima owners are currently experiencing oil consumption problems with a direct relation to a failure in the catalyst converter. After inspection…
ODI 10250178
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. The contact stated that the dealer repaired the vehicle according to nhtsa campaign id numbers 07v527000 (engine and engine cooling) and 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). Two weeks later, the catalytic converter failed and went into the wall of the engine, which caused the engine to crack. The dealer stated that the…
ODI 10251970