2003 Nissan Altima Engine Problems
- 109
- 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 109 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- engine cooling · 23 records
- engine engine · 23 records
- check engine · 22 records
- position sensor · 21 records
- engine light · 16 records
- needed replaced · 14 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 37 |
| 60–100k mi | 26 |
| 150–400k mi | 21 |
| 1–30k mi | 6 |
| 30–60k mi | 5 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Engine · Engine And Engine Cooling
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving low speeds. In addition, the service engine soon light constantly illuminated. The contact was able to get the vehicle operational after manually restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ecm, crank cam position sensor, and cam position sensor malfunctioned and needed…
ODI 10795029
Electrical System · Engine · Unknown Or Other
Like many others my 2003 nissan altima has stalled in traffic while driving. It reads no codes. There could have been a serious accident! This is a major concern i could have been on the interstate or in having traffic. I called nissan and they state there was a recall for a problem to this affect and it was already fixed on this vehicle in 2007. They will not fix it again. Unbelieveable! Also like many other my…
ODI 10759338
Engine · Service Brakes · Suspension
Check engine lights - oxygen sensor - brakes and router - seatbelt
ODI 10783194
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the service engine warning light illuminated randomly. The contact stated that the vehicle consumed an abnormal amount of oil as the failure progressed. The vehicle stalled several times and was able to be restarted but the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to multiple independent mechanics but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was…
ODI 10811945
Engine · Steering
Whie driving about 45mph the engine shuts off, steering was very hard . Tried too restart engine,hard to restart. At tiomes the car is hard to start after sitting for awhile. Engine also stumbles,or seems to miss fire while driving. This not the first incident. Had the sensors replaced after the first problem.
ODI 10732546
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle shook and rattled. In addition, the vehicle stalled and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crank shift position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The…
ODI 10730996
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
Car stalled two times within 20 minutes when slowing car down to make a turn. Meineke and paul miller nissan of fairfield, ct identified that parts 23731-al61a (crankshaft/camshaft sensor) and 23731-6j90b (camshaft position sensor) need to be replaced. These sensors were part a recall for the same make, year and model of car that i own. Nissan n.a. Claims that my vin was not a part of the recall. 630,000+ vehicles…
ODI 10705426
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. While driving approximately 40 mph and accelerating, there was an abnormal noise coming from engine. The oil warning indicators illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was informed that there was excessive oil burning. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was…
ODI 10761284
Electrical System · Engine · Suspension
Service engine soon lite came on , car runs sluggish , stalls while running at slow speed, put on computer stated cam shaft ignitors/sensors. *tr
ODI 10695516
Engine · Fuel System, Gasoline
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the service engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance and they cleared the code however, the failure progressed and the vehicle stalled more than five times. The contact had to wait a brief moment and was able to restart the vehicle. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 03v455000…
ODI 10789517
Engine
We purchased the vehicle from a private individual. It had 105000 miles on the odometer, it is a 2003 nissan altima with a 2.5l (4 cylinder engine) shortly after purchase.. We noticed a very foul smell coming from the exhaust and into the passenger cabin. Also the engine consumed 1 quart of oil per 50 to 60 miles. No exaggeration ! I discovered a recall on the altima concerning it's precat/catalytic converter could…
ODI 10694018
Engine
2.5l engine s model nissan altima. 2002-2003 has well documented blogs and complaints of excessive oil use. Causes are any thing to poor design valve seals to dust kick back from overheated catalytic convertor into piston/cylinder area causeing ring failures as well. This current vehicle has to been diagnoisised by a nissan dealer. It burns 2 quarts of oil per 160miles. The dealer recommends a new engine and new…
ODI 10705998
Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System · Vehicle Speed Control
I purchased a 2003 nissan altima with 106,000. As is no warranty. Within the first month it blew the head and needed a new engine which i paid for out of pocket. They supposedly replaced the enigine with a new crate engine once again the car lasted about 3 weeks before it was smoking so bad and will only drive at idle speed.. I dont think the place i bought it has a very good mechanic and i really would rather take…
ODI 10870131
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle decelerated and the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the crank position sensor or cam position sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the…
ODI 10681539
Engine
This nissan is burning oil like crazy. It started in jan, 2015, engine was making terrible noise, oil level checked, completely empty. I took it to nissan who said it wasn't a problem and did oil change. Then, just this saturday, june 27th the car was hard to start and sounded like metal so i turned it off and checked the oil- completely empty again. We had to pour 4 quarts in!!! It does not have a leak, nothing is…
ODI 10731072
Engine
The code is for crankshaft positioning sensor failure. The vehicle lost power during driving. The vehicle was not able to be started right after. Only pumping gas pedal while turning the key in ignition was able to start the vehicle. *tr
ODI 10670264
Body · Engine
The floor boards rotted out, just found out about it, give it a few more months. I can become fred flintstone and start pushing my car around when the camshaft/crankshaft sensor goes out again. Both sensors have been replaced and still had not corrected the problem. Brought the car in today and was told there are no recalls for your car. That's interesting when you can't go anywhere and you are sitting at a light…
ODI 10918678
Engine
Malfunction indicator light is on. Drove to a repair shop to get a diagnostic analysis on the engine. I was told the reason for the indicator light was because i had a bad crank sensor. There is a recall for that so, i called the dealership and they ran my vin number and told me there was no recall for my car and i explained the situation to him they still wasn't going to fix it. Then i called the nissan recall…
ODI 10659097
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle decelerated independently and failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the crank sensor needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling) and nhtsa campaign number: 06v242000…
ODI 10668184
Engine · Steering
Was driving 45mph when the engine shut off, steering wheel got stiff, and i had to maneuver to safety. Tried repeatedly to turn on the car, but it didn't work. I came to a complete stop, waited a few minutes, and then the car turned on normally. I have a family of nissan owners and this was the first incident of this ever happening. I just want nissan to help fix this, or risk loosing a valued customer to another…
ODI 10640363
Engine
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 nissan altima. While driving 60 mph, the front end of the vehicle caught fire. The fire department extinguished the flames, but the vehicle was destroyed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Fire reported
ODI 10620646
Engine
I pulled out of a parking spot onto a busy street when the car suddenly shut off while i was driving. *tr
ODI 10620644
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled on numerous occasions. The dealer stated that the camshaft position sensor, crank position sensor, and the timing kit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 06v242000 (engine and engine cooling) and nhtsa campaign number: 03v455000 (engine…
ODI 10643395
Engine
In nov 2013 the car would stall (engine dies) while driving. The car would not start sometimes and the check engine light came on. Vehicle was taken to a nissan dealership where the oem was reprogrammed. I was also told the cam position sensor had an internal failure. The oem reprogramming was covered by a recall but not the sensor which was vin specific, as told by nissan. I replaced the sensor. This year the car…
ODI 10611213
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the cam shaft position sensor and the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling) and nhtsa campaign id number: 03v455000 (engine…
ODI 10614530