Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
08/23/2011943011
 Multiple times while driving between 30-45 mph the vehicle has stalled and not produced full engine power when pushing on the accelerator. this has caused serious concern for the safety of my family and myself. check engine light came on and i took the vehicle to nissan service repair (august 2011, ~94k miles). nissan ran diagnostics and stated that the circuit board for crank/cam sensors had failed. paid $430 to replace crankshaft and cam/crank sensors. fast forward to december 2012 (~110k miles) where i experienced the same exact issues along with reduced engine power when pressing on the accelerator. another local mechanic detected that the cam/crank sensors needed to be replaced again. i did some research and found out about recall #03v455000, which describes the exact symptoms that i have been having. i called the nissan service department that replaced the sensors in 2011 who said that my vin wasn't included in the recall so i didn't qualify. after reading the complaints on this site for this specific year/make/model, it is beyond me how nothing hasn't been flagged about this being an issue. all these people are having the same problems (multiple times) yet they are told their vin's don't qualify under the recall?? something is fishy there. other complaints with the same exact issue include the following numbers: odi id numbers: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805. thank you for any assistance or light that can be shed on this issue. *tr
08/23/201194301
 Multiple times while driving between 30-45 mph the vehicle has stalled and not produced full engine power when pushing on the accelerator. this has caused serious concern for the safety of my family and myself. check engine light came on and i took the vehicle to nissan service repair (august 2011, ~94k miles). nissan ran diagnostics and stated that the circuit board for crank/cam sensors had failed. paid $430 to replace crankshaft and cam/crank sensors. fast forward to december 2012 (~110k miles) where i experienced the same exact issues along with reduced engine power when pressing on the accelerator. another local mechanic detected that the cam/crank sensors needed to be replaced again. i did some research and found out about recall #03v455000, which describes the exact symptoms that i have been having. i called the nissan service department that replaced the sensors in 2011 who said that my vin wasn't included in the recall so i didn't qualify. after reading the complaints on this site for this specific year/make/model, it is beyond me how nothing hasn't been flagged about this being an issue. all these people are having the same problems (multiple times) yet they are told their vin's don't qualify under the recall?? something is fishy there. other complaints with the same exact issue include the following numbers: odi id numbers: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805. thank you for any assistance or light that can be shed on this issue.
08/01/2012950001
 Like many other complaints, my car stalled on highway at 70 mph speed and stalls at intersections and low speeds or will not start. i can't believe nissan or nhtsa has not got serious about this issue. i checked your database and found following compliant numbers with same issue of altimas stalling due to crank or cam sensor failure. (odi id numbers: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805, ..... and many more). i am lucky to be alive. i am sure there are my accidents and deaths that did not get reported due to this manufacturers defect. this is a very unsafe and dangerous problem that could lead to many deaths. i hope nhtsa looks into this and get it fixed. *tr
08/01/201295000
 Like many other complaints, my car stalled on highway at 70 mph speed and stalls at intersections and low speeds or will not start. i can't believe nissan or nhtsa has not got serious about this issue. i checked your database and found following compliant numbers with same issue of altimas stalling due to crank or cam sensor failure. (odi id numbers: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805, ..... and many more). i am lucky to be alive. i am sure there are my accidents and deaths that did not get reported due to this manufacturers defect. this is a very unsafe and dangerous problem that could lead to many deaths. i hope nhtsa looks into this and get it fixed.
06/19/2012154000
 My daughter was driving home from work in my 2003 nissan altima when the car suddenly stopped running, the steering wheel froze and she nearly ran off the road. thank goodness there were no other cars coming and she was able to pull off the road with no incident. i pulled the codes and found it to be the p0335 (crankshaft position sensor) and p0725 (engine speed sensor). after searching the web, it appears there are many people with the same issue. i looked on the nhtsa website and found nhtsa campaign id number: 03v455000, nissan recall no. r3022 that states exactly what did happen - the check engine light came on and the engine stopped without warning. the remedy is that a dealer replace the crankshaft position sensor. so, i called nissan, found the other recall that is related to the sensor, took the car to the dealer (barely - i drove and the car stopped twice - again, lucky there was no crash). the dealer called and said he could not fix this recall because the sensor was bad. now i have to go back and pickup the car and pray again that i don't have a crash coming home. seems totally unreasonable that nissan would have a recall for this exact problem - the crankshaft position sensor - for, among many others, 2002-2003 altimas and yet there are many people out there with these cars that nissan won't fix. i was laid off and certainly cannot afford a $300 fix for a $40 part so we will have to drive this death car until i can figure out how to get it fixed. and pray every time i get in it that we don't end crashing the car, hurting myself, my young twins, my older daughter or anyone else on the road. this is a severely dangerous issue and nissan should replace all cars - not just a select few.
10/11/201155000
 Recently while driving my ses light came on. i took my vehicle to the nearest service center and had them read the codes which were 0725 engine speed sensor and 0335 crank shaft position sensor. upon looking into the problem i found that this is a common problem with many nissan owners, particularly the altima models. nissan has issued a recall to reprogram the ecm free however this does not solve the problem. the problem is the crankshaft sensor, and nissan should be responsible for replacing the defective part (the part has been modified from plastic to metal because of other complaints however they will not cover the replacement, ridiculous!) this is particularly dangerous due to the fact that i can cause the car to stall randomly while driving, which has happened to me on two occasions (luckily not in heavy traffic of on the highway! but it has happened in more serious situations to others).
06/06/201074000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40mph the vehicle accelerated without driver intent. he tried to tap the brakes and each time the vehicle accelerated faster. the vehicle jumped one ditch and finally landed in a canal. the owner suffered severe injuries including open wounds, fractured ribs, two cracked disks, a head injury and he was in and out of consciousness. he was transported to the hospital by ambulance. the police responded and filed a report. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure mileage was approximately 74,000. rd
03/01/2010640001
 Idle on car started to be erratic. would go up to 1800 rpms down to 700 rpm..took car for repair was to the throttle bad assembly needed replaced. the car was a 2003 nissan altima. we were concerned that in the snow this could be a problem with forward acceleration. dry conditions as well ...car only had 64,000 miles. *tr
03/20/200933094
 Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. the contact experienced unintended acceleration in the vehicle. while traveling less than 2 mph, the contact attempted to stop the vehicle. when the vehicle came to a complete stop, it suddenly lunged forward at high speeds. the vehicle crashed into a tree. the contact was uninjured. the vehicle was towed to the nearest nissan dealer for repair, which was covered under his insurance. the current and failure mileages were less than 33,094.
11/22/200786500106/13/2003
 2003 nissan altima. idle fluctuation from 1000 to 2000 rpm. also, automobile surges from 1500 to 2000 while driving. while in automatic mode 1 it will buck forward. the auto in my opinion isn't safe i feel there should be a recall. the check engine light indicates high idle. we are in the process of having the car repaired. *tr
06/06/200755800602/18/2003
 On several instances the engine cuts off while driving. major safety concern. eventually, the check engine light came on. took vehicle to dealer, and dealer informed me of recall campaign to reprogram the ecm. also, they found error codes p0725 and p0335. they told me that i had to replace my crank shaft position sensor (at my cost -- this was not part of the recall). after the dealer completed the recall work, the car still stalled that very day on the way home. took the car to my neighborhood mechanic who replaced the crankshaft position sensor. check engine light was cleared by mechanic and has not lit up again, however, the vehicle has stalled while driving again. this sounds very similar to the symptoms which led to the recall of the 2002 nissan altima's. my car was manufactured in december 2002, but was not included in the 2002 recall. the 2003 recall only consisted of reprogramming the ecm -- which did not solve the problem. this is a serious safety concern as the vehicle still cuts out at random times in moving traffic. please investigate -- this is similar to hundreds of other complaints under 2003 nissan altima's that i found reading through the complaints on this website -- please connect the dots and make nissan own up to the problem. *ak
02/16/2007204/29/2003
 Recalls on 2003 nissan altima concerning crank angle sensors and ecm, engine computer, received. took it to a nissan dealer , and they reprogrammed the ecm. they said this would fix my problem. 2 days later light was back on, and car continued to cut-off just as the recall letter stated it would do. took car back to nissan, and they refused to honor they recall, and have asked me to pay for it, and then they will investigate and will send me a refund for repairs. over $200.00 for repairs. advised them of their recall letter that i received only to say they were sorry. check engine light is still on, car cuts off while driving are , and while just sitting still. it continued to jerk or drive like it was skipping, and they claimed it was the crank angle sensor that needed to be replaced, same as recall. *ak
09/13/2006105/31/2006
 Courtesy copy re defective 2003 nissan altima. she is seeking reimbursement from nissan. *ts the vehicle stalled weather the vehicle was acceleration from a stop or while driving at various speeds. the check engine light illuminated the vehicle was taken to a dealer who indicated that the vehicle needed the crank case replaced, throttle sensor adjusted, fuel injection flushed, power steering flushed, and brake fluid flushed. the consumer did some research and found recall 06v242000 in reference to faulty engine crank angle sensor. the consumer vehicle fell within the range of the recall but the consumer was told by the dealer that the vehicle was not included in the recall. therefore the consumer had to pay for the replacement of the sensor. several months later the check engine light illuminated again. the vehicle was taken to another dealer who checked the recalls. the dealer replaced a faulty chamber. the faulty chamber resulted in a throttle chamber replacement.
09/27/2006498681
 2003 altima throttle body was defective causing check engine soon light to illuminate. chamber assembly had to be replaced. *ts the consumer believes that the recall she received for the crank angle sensor and electronic control module is related to the throttle assembly which had to be replaced. *nm
05/12/200647000102/17/2006
 1. car stalled and once i held the gas pedal down and was able to hold the key over and crank the engine a huge puff of black smoke came out of the car and it seemed to run fine, although the service engine light came on. it eventually went away after a week or so. 2) a week or so later i started the car, it turned over fine but had no power, it simply would not go. it did not even realize i was pushing on the accelerator. 3) i removed the key from the ignition in frustration and then tried again. the second time the car worked fine. it revved when i put my foot on the gas pedal and then took off just fine. 4) this began to be a more common occurrence and if i took the key out or waited a few minutes it would straighten up. 5) not now! the car won't move forward. and now it is even starting to stall out and flood. 6) now the battery even seems to be running down. this has all taken place in the matter of about the past 5 weeks and now it won't move forward or run at all. *nm
11/21/200567214209/18/2002
 Dt: the contact stated vehicle stalled and operated at a reduced speed. there were no warning lights when this occurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealership, and they replaced the throttle sensor twice. *ak updated 1/25/2006 - the vehicle lost all power and would not go over 5 mph. the dealer replaced the throttle body and knock sensor. *nm
05/25/200561000105/15/2004
 Dt: the throttle body control operated poorly. the vehicle started but it did not accelerate. the vehicle is currently at the dealership, they did not know why this was happening. the problem started in may, they were able to jiggle the throttle, and it would start working, but it progressively got worse. currently, it needs to be replaced. consumer stated there were four on back order at the dealership.*ak
07/16/200436650111/28/2002
 We purchased a 2003 nissan altima 3.5 on 12/2002. on 7/16/04 the car wouldn't crank until the third try. after starting he wouldn't go but 15 mph. took to dealer and their diagnosis was the throttle chamber was defective. it has been two weeks now and the part has not come in because their telling me its on back order. called and talked to several service guys and requested a loaner car until my car got fixed. we don't do that anymore replied all the guys. so i called the gm manager and left a message, he called back and said he would check on a loaner and call me back in the am of 7/30/04 by 9am. he took to long so i called him at 934am went to voice mail.*ak
04/12/2004104/12/2003
 Consumer's vehicle accelerated from a stop and hit two vehicles head on. upon impact, none of the airbags deployed. driver sustained head injuroes. *ak
11/15/20031
 Without warning the vehicle accelerated when the driver was backing out of the driveway. this caused the vehicle to hit a gate. the consumer made contact with the dealership on two occasions but the problem still occurs. please add any further information. *nlm
09/08/200310564403/12/2003
 While applying the brakes, the vehicle suddenly surged and accelerated towards traffic. the brakes did not stop and the vehicle had to be shifted to neutral to stop. the dealer kept the vehicle for 6 days but couldn't duplicate the problem. *ak *scc *nlm
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL
10/09/200994364
 Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima. while driving at speeds of 35 mph, the engine would not respond when depressing the accelerator pedal. within a few moments after sitting idle, the vehicle became responsive to the depressed accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, however the failure could not be duplicated. the vehicle was taken to a second dealer but they too, could not duplicate the failure. the failure mileage was 94,364 and the current mileage was unknown.
09/01/20045
 Dt: while driving on the highway and when pushing on the gas pedal vehicle would not accelerate, and it does this when trying to precede on from a stop light. it might go 2-3 mph. this first started happening around september 1, 2004 and this happened intermittently. there was no fore warning and there was no noise. *ak *jb
06/20/20044660103/22/2003
 While parking, the vehicle accelerated forward. as a result, the vehicle crashed into a parked car. no injuries reported. *ak *sc
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL
01/01/200769000209/01/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2003 nissan altima s class. the contact stated that the motor has failed. on two occasions, the vehicle has automatically shut off while driving 60 mph. the most recent failure occurred one week ago and smoke ascended from the engine. the first time he took the vehicle to nissan, they did not offer an explanation other than possible engine failure. they are not providing any solutions to the failures and did not state whether the vehicle was affected by the recall. the dealer claimed that the recalls pertaining to the engine were previously repaired. the contact stated that the cruise control no longer works. the vin and engine size were unknown. the current mileage is 71,000 and failure mileage was 69,000.
04/01/200647000108/09/2003
 At approximately 45,000 miles, my cruise control set button popped off my 2003 nissan altima. i took it to the dealership and they said since the car was out of warranty (over 36,000), it would cost $92.00 to replace the entire part. this should not happen on a fairly new car. i previously owned a saturn 1996 sl2 and never had a problem with the cruise control button falling off. i feel this is flimsy workmanship and the nissan corporation should pay to have the problem fixed. *nm