Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | ||||||||||||||||
| 03V251000 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. | from 08/01/2001 to 05/20/2003 | V (Vehicle) | 377000 | 08/18/2003 | MFR | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 07/14/2003 | 07/24/2003 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of alaska, colorado, connecticut, iowa, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, north dakota, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. at extremely cold temperatures, moisture in the fuel tank could freeze and form ice crystals. these ice crystals may obstruct the suction opening of the fuel pump. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This can prevent the supply of fuel to the engine and cause the engine to stop, which could result in a crash without warning. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will install a screen at the suction opening of the fuel pump to prevent ice crystals from blocking the opening. owner notification began on august 18, 2003. owners should contact nissan at 1-800-333-0829. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Nissan recall nos. r3012/p3142.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 02103A | 05/30/2003 | 02103 | 10002426 | Fuel tank slosh or clunk noise from rear of vehicle. *tt | 08/27/2003 |
| 02103 | 10/10/2002 | 10000206 | Fuel tank slosh noise. *tt | 02/19/2003 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | |||
| 07/14/2012 | 99000 | 1 | |
| 1. the floor under the front passenger has rotted out making this car very unsafe. this is the most important one. the other ones i list because i am disappointed with the life of this car and because i have heard of multiple stories of the similar complaints. 2. the door handle broke off on the front driver side and on the passenger rear side. 3. gas cap will not close/open properly 4. trunk latch will not close. 5. moon/sun roof is off its hinge and will not work properly. 5. plastic part of the key broke not allowing it to attach to a key chain. *tr | |||
| 05/02/2012 | 70000 | ||
| The service engine soon light came on, and the car be not starting or struggling to start. the heater isn't working, and now the antifreeze is coming from the exhaust | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 160485 | ||
| Catalytic convertor problem resurfaced. originally fixed in 2004 during the nissan recall campaign. local nissan dealer qouted a price of over $2000 to fix. they do not honor the warranty on their work. car is unsafe to drive and burns through high amounts of oil. local nissan dealer denied any recall, even though a printout of the recall campaign was provided to them. never, ever will i buy a nissan car again. these cars are unsafe, and you will pay $$$ to get them fixed as nissan will not honor any warranty. these cars are priced cheap at the dealerships because of the expensive fix for them. buy a toyota or honda instead. | |||
| 05/16/2011 | 96500 | ||
| This situation has happened a few times; i park my car (turn engine off) do groceries, shopping, etc, come back, i turn the car on and the car is like stalling, like its idle but you can feel the shaking on the steering wheel. i didn't want to drive on this situation. i turned the engine off, turn it back on and still the same situation. i have to wait 3-5 minutes with engine off, then i turn it on and the car starts working normal. there is no service engine soon light on the dashboard. this is happening time to time. at first i thought it could be someting with the gasoline in the tank, that is not the case because i left my tank almost to empty and load a new tank, different gas station and still does the same. i called the dealer where i bought it, asked for any recalls on my car's model/year. they say no recalls for this year/model. i started searching for similar problems and i read a few articles that the '02 models have been recalled for similar issues, also that the same '03 model in canada has been recalled and serviced for same issue. although i cannot prove that what i read is true, i believe this problem should be checked by nissan dealership maintenance centers since there is no alert signs on the dashboards. | |||
| 05/11/2010 | 86958 | 1 | |
| 2003 nissan altima-86,958 mi. purchased new march 2003 rusted floor boards i, too, am a victim of rusted floor boards(front driver and passenger) that will not pass inspection. this was found during an oil change on 4/21/10. all my maintenance work is done through the dealership on a regular basis. why wasn't this noticed 3/30/10 when i had a catalytic converter replaced or on 10/23/09 at another oil change and multi-point inspection or at any of the other many garage appointments? my auto-body technician found manufacturer's tape over the drain holes. they sent pictures to the nissan regional specialist. i was told by this person they handle things case-by-case, and they were not going to help me financially to get this repaired! the auto-body technician needs a section of floor. the hole is so bad patching with a piece of metal won't do the job. i have since been searching the web and found this is a common problem-nissan not taking responsibility for a flaw in their product. i have also found many people have had the rusted floor board problem and/or the catalytic converter problem. neither are inexpensive repairs. i'm ready to complete all the consumer forms i need to and spread the word that nissan will not stand behind their product. as much as i love my nissan, from what i've been reading i need to get rid of it(if i can). i have to foot the bill for the rotten floor boards-$1756.73. i never filed a claim with nissan for the catalytic converter because i was told it was a rare problem. so, i paid the $865.10. from what i've read on catalytic converters one must figure out what caused the converter to go bad or it will happen again. *tr | |||
| 12/19/2007 | 1 | ||
| Door for gas cap broken - won't close. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 1 | ||
| The gas cap remains open and i have seen it on many of the same model altima. has there been a recall on this? the gas cap door does not shut. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 88000 | 1000 | 04/02/2003 |
| One year into the ownership of the vehicle, while driving, the car would simple shut off. if you were moving at the time it would eventually come back on to the running position. if you happened to be at a stop sign or a light and the stutter would happen it would completely shut off then you would have to try and start the car again. it would turn over but sometimes it would take several tries to start the car again. this car was purchased in 2003 as a new car. because of these instances of the car shutting off there have been two different accidents. thank the lord none with any personal injuries. these occasions of the car shutting off became more and more prevalent, happening everyday almost all the time towards the end of the life of the car. the car is now not drivable because it literally caught on fire while driving it. it was towed home and there it sits. we are still paying on the vehicle and have to have full coverage on it. *nm | |||
| 03/12/2006 | 56761 | 2 | 09/01/2002 |
| I recently filed odi # 10152516 (my 2003 altima 2.5 had stalled at a red light and cut out while i was driving on the freeway) and would like to update information: i took car to dealer and was told that they found code p0335-cr pos sensor, so they replaced crank pos sensor. nissan needs to do a recall for this problem so other owners won't need to suffer this dangerous problem. *nm | |||
| 03/12/2006 | 56761 | 1 | 09/01/2002 |
| Car, a 2003 2.5 s altima, stalled while at red light. check engine and check oil lights lit up. car restarted after three attempts. then, less than five minutes later, car severely jerked while driving 60 miles per hour. car's heater was on at time. felt like vapor lock, but it was too cold outside for that (40 degrees). car did not have much acceleration. had to pull of freeway. *nm | |||
| 06/27/2005 | 47200 | 1 | 09/02/2002 |
| 2003 nissan altima. wife hit a small piece of roadway debris, thought to be a piece of tire debris, which caused the fuel tank to crack and leak fuel from tank. damage was not discovered for several days. rupture posed a serious fire hazard if there had been an ignition source. given the damage caused by a small piece of road debris, the tank, made of fiberglass/composite material, does not seem as suitable as a steel tank in a major collision. dealer (north texas nissan) would not assume responsibility or pass complaint to manufacturer, so i had to pay over $700 in replacement costs. date of incident is approximate. | |||
| 01/19/2005 | 60850 | 60 | 03/15/2004 |
| At about 60,850 mileage - 850 miles after the warranty expired, my car started to stall while in motion and the engine light came on. after doing a lot of research and an engine diagnostic test, it was found that the crank position sensor was faulty. i went on the internet and found that nissan had recalled 2002-2003 nissan altimas (alomst 75,000 of them) but only in canada. i need to know why they have not recalled these parts in america. this is a very serious situation. the car tends to shut off and lose all power while in motion. myself being a commuter to and from work on highways, this is very dangerous. after speaking to the dealership, they stated that nissan had put a bulletan out on this part stating that it was a common problem. again, please advise me why this serious situation has not been corrected in america. | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - FUEL PUMP | |||
| 02/05/2006 | 6 | ||
| Car stalls or doesn't start. replaced fuel pump and reset computer chip.*jb | |||
| 07/10/2005 | 42000 | 5 | 10/17/2003 |
| 2003 nissan altima we purchased car new, and had numerous problems.[fuel pump 40k,starting problems, sensors, and right now car is back in repair shop]when i called waikem nissan in canton,ohio about the fuel pump, they told me it was not under warranty, yet my manual said it was. *nm | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2003 nissan altima safety recall regarding fuel pump.*mr the consumer contacted the dealer to have the recall done and was told that the manufacturer was no longer correcting the defect in southern states. *nm | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer made an appointment with the dealer for a recall repair, and asked if vehicle is safe to drive before repair date, dealer said yes. 2 days before repair date, vehicle stopped running while traveling at 65 mph. *la vehicle has more than a quarter of gas on it. consumer took vehicle to the dealer, and it was later found out that ice build-up on the fuel line which caused the stalling. problem was fixed and dealer assured consumer that it was safe to drive. another recall that needed repair on vehicle's pre-catalyst. consumer was informed by dealer that repair couldn't be done in a month and a half due to parts restriction. *la | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY | |||
| 09/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| The dealer refuses to perform recall repairs because the consumer's vehicle is not in the region specified for repairs. *nm recall# 03v251000. *sc | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2003 nissan altima safety recall regarding defect in fuel pump. *mr recall#03v251000. *sc the consumer was told by the dealer that they were no longer correcting the defect in southern states. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The consumer received a recall notice from the manufacturer which stated that certain engine operating conditions may cause damage to the pre-catalyst. the consumer scheduled an appointment with the dealer but, the appointment was cancelled due to the parts not being available. *la *jb | |||
| 09/20/2003 | 1 | 08/28/2003 | |
| Gasoline smell around vehicle due to leak on exhaust pipes. *la the dealer suggested that the leaking was due to faulty fuel tank gas valves. *sc *jb | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE - TANK ASSEMBLY - FILLER PIPE AND CAP | |||
| 11/05/2009 | 42038 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving approximately 5 mph the check engine light came on and there was rust on the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. the dealer stated that the under carriage was damaged and that if the under carriage was removed the bolts may fall off. the dealer also stated that the fuel cap and the rear sub frame were corroded. all of the rotors on the vehicle needed to be replaced. the dealer stated that the state and ocean location may be a factor. the failure mileage was 42,000. the current mileage was 43,000. | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER | |||
| 04/25/2010 | |||
| I have a 2003 nissan altima. this car is burning oil like crazy. there's no smoke or anything of that sort, but i have to keep an eye out and put oil in my car to keep it running at least every 4-5 days or so. gas is high and oil is getting higher; i have to keep at least 2-3 quarts in my trunk. the check engine light has been on for sometime now. while driving on the interstate if i go over 70mph the check engine light starts blinking. when i take my foot off the excelerator the check engine light stops blinking, but continues to stay on. however, i just had my spark plugs changed and now the car won't start. please i need some help asap.... i don't have money to purchase a new one at this time, but wish someone can tell me what is going on. the dealer is no help whatsoever. they get you in there and tell you that this, this, and this is the problem. it seems that nothing is under warranty with nissan, and i don't own the car as of yet i'm still making monthly payments. i think that nissan needs to go over the engine, electronic, and etc. because canton, mississippi is the home of nissan and you have some big problems on your hands!!! | |||
| 05/16/2009 | 110000 | 1 | |
| My 2003 nissan altima stalls at lights,going slow,does not restarts sometimes, surges forward while driving. the dealer told me the crank sensor needs is faulty,cost 225 dollars with labor. i see some 2003 altimas with a different engine has a voluntary recall from nissan, but not mine. on the nissan help.com website there are 40= pages of complaints regarding the same thing on many years of these vehicles with alot of safety concerns. i think all their sensors are bad and all these years altima vehicles should be recalled. *tr | |||
| 06/19/2008 | 141000 | 1 | |
| Nissan has recalled the 2002 nissan altima's for faulty crankshaft and camshaft sensors; however, they didn't recall for 2003 and later, even though my vehicle was built in 2002. the same part was used. after replacing these parts, i now have a defective catalytic converter. there are several people complaining about all 3 problems in this vehicle. *tr | |||
| 08/04/2008 | 54000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 altima (almost 55,000 miles). the vehicle turned off while i was driving. all the suggested maintenance was and is up to date. when driving there is often a slight pull/stall like it is going to shut off. it was checked nothing was found to be wrong. service engine like came on. had the diagnostics done it showed something wrong with starter. nothing was wrong with starter, never had any problems starting. i have done research and found that several 2003 altimas are coming up with engine problems when they are fairly new, shutting off with out warning in the middle of traffic. nissan doesn't appear to no what the problem is but are unwilling to take responsibility. errors with the cam and crank sensors have been thrown out there for the reason the service engine light comes on. however, replacing this has not proved to be the solution to the problem. *tr | |||
| 04/26/2005 | 51000 | 1 | 05/14/2003 |
| I have a 2003 nissan altima 2.5 s. the gas door is not functioning correctly. i go gas one day a month ago and the door opened perfectly. when i went to close it, it wouldn't shut. it looks like the hing isn't lined up correctly. i had to force it shut and it gets worse each time i use the door. | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - DELIVERY - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||
| 08/01/2005 | 40000 | 12 | 03/18/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the vehicle is excessively burning oil due to a flaw in the piston ring. the engine failed to receive the proper amount of oil and, as a result, the engine needs to be replaced. while driving 15 mph, the vehicle has shut off approximately ten to twelve times, but was able to be restarted after each occurrence. the failure usually occurs when the air conditioner has been activated for an extended period of time. the vin was unavailable. the current mileage is 83,000 and failure mileage was 40,000. | |||
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER - STORAGE - FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM | |||
| 10/22/2003 | 1 | 08/20/2003 | |
| I had my car for a few months, when i consistently noticed that my fuel gauge was inaccurate. i took my car into greenville nissan to be worked on twice and they claimed to fix whatever was wrong. that was the depth of the information i received. to this day, my fuel gauge floats at least twice a week. i also wrote a letter to nissan stating this problem. they thanked me for the letter and that was the end of the correspondence. also, in the beginning of may, my roof was leaking. right under the visor on the driver's side, my roof was soaked after a hard rainstorm. i went to the nissan dealership on midlothian, in richmond,va. the tech told me it may have been the result of a clogged rain drain, and that it would cost $80 an hour just to see what the problem was. *jb | |||