Nissan Altima Complaints (2002)

1,047 consumer complaints on file.

#11712207January 20, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed the State Inspection because the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 03V251000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The dealer was contacted for recall completion and informed the contact that the recall was not applicable to the vehicle because the contact did not reside in the States listed in the recall. The contact stated that the vehicle registration could not be renewed due to the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11676363July 26, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased a 2002 Nissan Altima from Stone’s Automotive in Somerset, Kentucky on [XXX]. I was told by the dealer that the oil pressure light sometimes comes on and he thinks it may have a weak oil pump. A couple of days later, I brought it to the mechanic they use, and at first, they thought it was just the oil pressure sensor or old oil. I had the sensor and oil replaced, but the oil pressure light is still coming on. When I returned, the mechanic told me it likely is the oil pump and advised me not to drive the vehicle anymore, as low oil pressure will ruin the engine. I was never told how serious this problem actually is when I purchased the vehicle. I didn't know you’re not supposed to drive a car when the oil pressure light is on, but the dealer should have known. It’s unsafe and could lead to complete engine failure or a crash. I am reporting this because I believe a car in this condition should not have been sold in the first place, and I am concerned it may be a recurring issue with this model or dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11580822April 3, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
I've owned my 2002 Nissan for about 6 months now the previous owner informed me prior to purchase about issues she was having and the reason she was selling the car, explain to me that her friend who has worked on cars 20+ yrs felt if cause could be found it was repairable but seems luck she had is now the luck I'm having. I have a couple ppl look over the car under hood and run diagnostics but nothing can be found.. I can't afford to junk the car my income budget is tight and doesn't allow much wiggle room to purchase a new ride a friend told me about the NHTSA website so we went exploring entering my VIN number comes back no recalls but looking over the recalls for saying make and model and year of my vehicle there's 12 to 15 recalls on it from headlights which I'm is an issue to engine stalls to catalyst issues but yet I'm told that no because we're done on my vehicle I know I'm not the first owner it's a vehicle that I just purchased but I want to speak to someone that can clarify or help me with finding out if my vehicle is actually supposed to be in recalls of these certain things because they were fitted the descriptions of what can take place fit what I'm experiencing and what the previous owner is experienced perfectly please contact me thank you for your time
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477270August 2, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
first, I started to notice my car would loose power while driving, over a couple months, it started to stall and/or completely shut off while driving at low speeds or at red lights! When this first stared happening, the car would immediately fire back up when cranked, after about a month of this, I noticed, I could not drive at or above 45mph or it would shut down, or drive for more than 15 minutes and it would shut off…AND NOT START AGAIN! It would crank, but not start, I would have to wait 30 minutes or more and then it would start right up! This is dangerous due to the immediate- no- warning shut off, whenever and wherever! I’ve almost caused multi car pile up! Not to mention my kids in the back seat and on the interstate! We could have been slammed into, and pushed down the interstate and over into other lanes! There’s a recall on 2002 Nissan Altimas for THIS VERY ISSUE!!! Somehow, my vehicles VIN # does not qualify! INFACT….. My VIN# NEVER EVER qualifies for ANY recall, but yet, my vehicle has the exact same problems!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469825June 17, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle hesitated to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 03V455000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11412914April 19, 2021
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
TOOK MY CAR TO EMISSIONS AND THEY PRINTED THIS PAPER OUT OF A RECALL ON MY CAR.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11395285February 8, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
DOORS ARE LOCKED SHUT ALL BUT ONE, CANNOT GET THEM TO UNLOCK AND WHEN I GET THEM UNLOCKED, THEY WON'T LATCH CLOSED. WILL NOT UNLOCK THEM EVEN WHEN I ATTEMPTED MANUALLY... I NEED A SOLUTION.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11302331January 27, 2020
ENGINE, VISIBILITY/WIPER
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE WOULD MISFIRE AND THE OXYGEN SENSOR WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REPLACED AND THE OXYGEN SENSOR LIGHT SHUT OFF. THE CAUSE OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 251,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11268040October 12, 2019
ENGINE
MY ENGINE IS DESTROYED BECAUSE A SCREW CAME LOOSE FROM THE THROTTLE BODY IN THE PLENUM, GOT SUCKED INTO AN ENGINE CYLINDER AND DESTROYED THAT CYLINDER. THIS WOULD COST SOMEWHERE BETWEEN $3K TO $5K TO REPAIR, MORE THAN THE CAR IS CURRENTLY WORTH. IN TALKING TO A NISSAN MECHANIC AND DOING ONLINE RESEARCH, THIS IS APPARENTLY NOT AN UNHEARD OF PROBLEM FOR NISSAN CARS. THERE HAS BEEN AT LEAST ONE RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM IN THE PAST FOR SOME NISSAN 4 CYLINDER CARS BUT THERE WAS NEVER A RECALL FOR 6 CYLINDER NISSAN ALTIMA CARS (MY CAR IS A 3.5L 6 CYLINDER MODEL) THE CAR WAS RUNNING FINE. I PARKED IT AT MY GYM AND WHEN I CAME OUT, STARTED IT UP. I WAS REWARDED WITH AN AWFUL NOISE AND ENGINE VIBRATION ALL OF A SUDDEN. I ONLY LIVED 1.5 MILES AWAY, SO I SLOWLY LIMPED THE CAR HOME. AFTER SOME MECHANICAL SLEUTHING AND BRINGING A MECHANIC TO MY HOME, WE DETERMINED THAT A SCREW HAD COME LOOSE AND GOTTEN SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE. I CALLED NISSAN USA TO EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM AND SEE IF THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. BUT ALL THEY OFFERED WAS THAT THEY "WOULD TAKE A LOOK " AT THE PROBLEM IF I PAYED TO TOW THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP. THEY WOULD NOT MAKE ANY GUARANTEE THAT THEY WOULD THEN HELP ME IF THE PROBLEM TURNED OUT TO BE AS I HAVE DESCRIBED. IF THEY DIDN'T AGREE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THEN I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TOWING THE CAR BACK TO MY HOUSE. HERE IS ONE URL THAT LISTS 10 COMPLAINTS FOR THIS PROBLEM WITH NISSAN PATHFINDER AUTOS, WHICH USE THE SAME 6 CYLINDER ENGINE AS MY CAR. HTTPS://REPAIRPAL.COM/LOOSE-SCREWS-INSIDE-INTAKE-MANIFOLD-CAN-CAUSE-INTERNAL-DAMAGE-IF-THEY-FALL-OUT-448 WHAT MAKES THIS SO AWFUL IS THAT I HAD A RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE OLDER CAR (2002 WITH ONLY 95K MILES) AND THIS PROBLEM MAKES THE WHOLE CAR A JUNKER NOW DUE TO NO FAULT OF MY OWN WITH NO RECOURSE FOR ME!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11267741October 10, 2019
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2002 NISSAN ALTIMA S WAS HIT ON DRIVERS SIDE (T-BONED) WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN ONTO THE HWY, DRIVER DOOR AND PASSENGER REAR DOOR IMPACT AT OVER 55 MPH. NO AIR BAG DEPLOYED. *DT PHOTOS ATTACHED *JB
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11266020October 4, 2019
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I PROCEEDED TO TRY AND REACH THE SPEED LIMIT BUT THE CAR LOST POWER TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE CANNOT GO PAST 55 MPH, IT LOSES POWER DURING ACCELERATION.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11258650September 27, 2019
ENGINE
MY VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.5L 4 CYLINDER CONSUMES EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL. I HAVE HAD TO ADD ROUGHLY 1-2 QUARTS OF OIL EVERY 200 MILES. ENGINE HAS NO EXTERNAL OIL LEAKS. NEW VALVE COVER GASKETS 500 MILES AGO, NEW SPARK PLUGS EVERY 10,000 MILES DUE TO OIL FOULING, NEW PCV VALVE 500 MILES AGO. THE CAR DOES MOSTLY CITY AND COUNTRY, 55MPH DRIVING AND UNDER.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11254052September 9, 2019
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS, STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF THE OWNER OF A 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE ENTERING THE VEHICLE, THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR HANDLE FRACTURED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE FRACTURED. ADDITIONALLY, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WAS ALSO INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. CONSUMER STATES THAT ALL DOOR HANDLES ON VEHICLE ARE FRACTURED, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO ENTER THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER SAYS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH NISSAN ALTIMAS IN HIS AREA. *DL
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11220138June 14, 2019
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF NO WARNING NO ENGINE LIGHT JUST DIED
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11182882February 27, 2019
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THIS CAN PREVENT THE SUPPLY OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.IF THE MANUFACTURER HAS FAILED OR IS UNABLE TO REMEDY THIS SAFETY RECALL FOR YOUR VEHICLE IN A TIMELY MANNER
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11119627August 13, 2018
WHEELS
I HAVE A BRAND NEW FIRESTONE T135/70/R16 TIRE IN MY TRUNK THAT HAVE NEVER HIT THE GROUND.I HAD A FLAT AND WENT TO USE THE SPARE TIRE THAT WAS BRAND NEW FROM FIRESTONE AND SEEN THE TIRE HAD SEPARATED IN THE MIDDLE WITH THE RUBBLE COMING OUT,THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS AND CAUSED ME MY LIFE,IF THE YOUNG MAN THAT WAS HELPING ME CHANGED MY TIRE WOULDN'T HAVEN SEEN THE RUBBER CIMING OUT OF THE TIRE,I THINK YOU ALL NEEDS TO CHECK ALL THE FIRESTONE DONUT TIRES THAT ARE IN NISSAN BEFORE SOMEONE LOSE THEIR LIFE.FIRESTONE DOESN,T WANT TO TAKE ANY LIABILITY FOR THE PROBLEM I REPORTED ABOUTH THESE TIRES,THAT WHY I AM WRITING YOU ALL,MAYBE THEY,LL RESPOND TO YOU CAUSED THEY,RE DEFINITE NOT PAYING ME ANY ATTENION,I AM THE LITTLE FELLOW GOING AGAINST THE GIANT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11111888July 17, 2018
STRUCTURE:BODY
THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS A SAFETY INSPECTION BECAUSE THERE ARE TWO BIG HOLES IN EITHER SIDE OF THE FLOOR BOARDS. THE HOLES WERE DISCOVERED DURING A STATE SAFETY INSPECTION. WE HAVE 12 DAYS TO REPAIR THE HOLES AT A LARGE COST. UNEXPECTED AND DISAPPOINTING ISSUE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11111168July 13, 2018
ENGINE
THE CAR WILL NOT START WHEN IT IS HOT OUTSIDE. THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME. THE CAR STOPS WHILE DRIVING ON STREET AND HIGHWAYS. THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR'(S), CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR'S AND THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR'(S) NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. RECALL #R3021 AND R3022 WAS LISTED ON THE RECALL FROM NISSAN.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11099883June 4, 2018
STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE CAR KEEPS STALLING WHILE I DRIVE IT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11057369December 29, 2017
AIR BAGS, SERVICE BRAKES
MY CAR WAS HIT BUT NOT HARD ENOUGH TO MAKE THE AIRBAG DEPLOY ON THE PASSENGER SIDE . IT SHOULD NOT BE SO SENSITIVE .WITCH MADE MY TCS AND ABS LIGHTS COME ON . JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THE CAR WAS IN MOTION BUT FROM A STANDSTILL AT A LIGHT . UNKNOWN
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Nissan Altima