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
Nissan altima 2002 oil consumption problem. Problem can lead to car fire. Dealership admitted to defect in engine. See: http://forums.automotive.com/70/1106267/nissan/2002-nissan-altima-oil-dropping-at-108000miles-i-w/index.html. I had to pay $5,000 for a new engine. *tr
ODI 10245181
Engine
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…
ODI 10245005
Engine · Engine And Engine Cooling
My 2002 nissan altima has very high oil consumption. Seems that i"m not alone according to the dealer service people. Is costing me a lot in replacing engine and catalytic converter. *tr
ODI 10243561
Engine
Car is sucking up oil makes noise and engine light is always on. *tr
ODI 10261110
Engine · Exhaust System
I have a 2002 nissan altima 2.5 s model, the car started to use excessive amounts of oil and coolant. Took car to a nissan dealer and the service dept. Told me i need a new engine and without having the service dept. Disassemble the engine they can't determine what the failure of is. This car only has 98k on it and is and was taken very good care of. I've heard of others who own nissan altimas having the same…
ODI 10243131
Engine
New 2002 altima, well maintained, buying nissans since 1992 receiving mileage over 260,000 miles. Looking back car constantly low on oil w/no light registering then light never came back on for 3 years, yet oil was always low. Checking oil every 2 weeks and every oil change at dealership-oil low at tip of the dip stick. Had car serviced-no indication of problems; september the car smelled hot; not registering or…
ODI 10259467
Engine
Constant problem with a misfire#4 in a 2002 nissan altima. I have replaced the spark plug,coil, and injector. Same problem. Also noticed a high volume of oil consumption. No one can seem to fix the problem. Shakes during a cold our hot start. Smoothes out then the car runs fine. Dealer is saying it passed the pressure test but is saying i need a new motor. *tr
ODI 10243078
Engine
I bought a used 2002 nissan altima 2.5 sl 2 months ago. I took it to nissan service center 2 times for in 2 months for oil change. Last time i got "engine check soon " icon so i asked to do diagnostic engine check and required repair. They did it and said coolant level is low and engine cap is leaking pressure so need to replace the radiator cap. After 1 month i had a mechanical failure problem on highway suddenly…
ODI 10240844
Cooling System · Engine · Engine And Engine Cooling
I loved the car until recently when i started having problems with the heater. Months ago, i noticed that my heater was not working properly. I took it to be looked at and the mechanic told me that there may be bubbles in the coolant line. They bled the line, refilled it and it was fine for awhile. I have no heat again. They checked and could find no external leaks. This has been a problem for the past year, and…
ODI 10240730
Engine · Labels
My nissan altima has gone through 2 catalytic converts and is burning 2 quarts of oil every 100 miles. *tr
ODI 10243137
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. While driving 70 mph, the engine failed in the middle of the road. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that there was no oil in the engine. As a result, a rod failed and destroyed the engine. The nissan dealer stated that there were no recalls for this issue. The failure mileage was 100,000.
ODI 10239199
Engine
My car has a recall for the engine. I took time off from work to go and get my car serviced. The same day of the service, my car "service engine soon" light came on and the car had poor performance. I called the dealership back to explain the situation, and the service person told me to bring it back in. I told them i needed a loaner car so i could go to work. They insisted that they do not issue loaners anymore, so…
ODI 10236595
Engine
We purchased a 2002 nissan altima 2.5s in june 2008 with 69,000 miles and we took the car to the local nissan dealer (universal nissan) when the check engine light came on. The dealer performed work on several recalls including the replacement of the catalytic converter. The engine uses a quart of oil every 50 miles so the dealer did an oil consumption test and the dealer informed us that the engine failed the oil…
ODI 10234766
Engine
Excessive oil consumption after precatalyst sucked into engine, which caused nissan to declare my engine was shot. This a known issue with nissan. Hundreds of others have reported it. There should be a recall issued by nissan and engines replaced for free. *tr
ODI 10240243
Engine
Engine head gasket failure,seams to be a common problem and nissan north america won't do anything about it .the gasket was replaced,the head needed to be machined. Events leading to failure, antifreeze loss from overflow tank no leaks or puddles after a two weeks the engine became hard to start. $1600.00. *tr
ODI 10233733
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. The contact's vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 07v527000 (engine and engine cooling). Approximately two weeks later, the vehicle began to exhibit the same symptoms as it did prior to the recall repair. While driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle would stall and then restart. The vehicle also failed the state smog emissions test due to crankshaft…
ODI 10233064
Engine
When driving the vehicle in warm weather for over 15 minutes, the engine will stall in traffic or refuse to start after engine is turned off briefly (ex: at the gas pump.) the dealership serviced the recall for the crankshaft sensor, and we had another put in by an independent mechanic since then. Diagnostics gave consult code po420 catalyst sys-b1. Gave us an estimate to replace the catalyst. Heard about a recall…
ODI 10394055
Engine · Exhaust System
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…
ODI 10244583
Engine · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. While driving 75 mph, the contact heard a bumping sound from outside the vehicle and noticed that the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle lost power and the brakes failed. The contact had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. Once the vehicle was stopped, she was unable to place the vehicle into park. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed that the…
Fire reported
ODI 10227786
Engine
1. The failure found at june, 6 2008 at mileage 65,000 miles 2. It has misfire code cause by very small cylinder head gasket leak 3. The gasket is replaced and the head cylinder is resurfaced. *tr
ODI 10233251
Engine
1. On june, 8 2008, at 65,200 miles 2. Randomly misfire code that cause by very small leak cylinder head gasket that cannot be detected easily. (no overheat, no smokes from the muffler, just slow lowering coolant fluid level) 3. Change the cylinder head gasket, and warped cylinder head. *tr
ODI 10231012
Engine
My 2002 nissan altima (2.5l) started out with o2 sensors needing replaced, the overheating, no coolant, loosing oil, replaced crank sensor, had all recalls done electronic control module (ecm). Now i am left with having to replace my engine. This seems like a problem out of most 2002 nissan altima with 2.5 according to the internet searches i have completed. I feel nissan needed to recall the whole engine. *tr
ODI 10225334
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. While driving at speeds of approximately 69 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The warning blinkers were activated and was unable to maneuver the vehicle from the center of the highway. The gear was shifted into neutral with the foot applied to the brake pedal. The vehicle was pushed to the to the median with another vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The…
Crash reported
ODI 10322193
Engine
2002 nissan altima 2.5 . There are many complaints about the oil consumption with this particular car, my car lis bone dry in between oil changes. According to many owners they have had to get the engine replaced do to this problem. Shouldn't nissan be doing something about this? No car owner should have to be constantly pouring oil into their car. Myself and other owners would like to see nissan recognize it as a…
ODI 10219835
Engine
Bought my 2002 altima new in may \'02. The car has received all major and minor services, oil changes, and recalls through a nissan dealership. Recently the service engine light came on. The dealer said there was an ongoing head gasket leak that had gone undetected paired with a sound from the timing chain that indicated it was soon to go. Recommendation: engine replacement. Mind you, the car was in this nissan…
ODI 10243478