Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 06009 | 02/08/2006 | 10019300 | Malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code u1000 or u1010 stored in engine control unit. *ak | 02/28/2006 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 10/16/2007 | 180000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra se-r. while driving approximately 60 mph, the oil indicator illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. the contact drove to his residence. the dealer advised him to add more oil in the vehicle. the oil leakage became a persistent issue. one year later, while driving approximately 40 mph, he heard a loud noise coming from the hood on the driver's side. the vehicle stalled and was towed to a local repair shop. the mechanic stated that the piston rings, head job, and crankshaft needed to be replaced. the dealer and the manufacturer were not notified. the vin was unavailable. the current and failure mileages were 180,000. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2002 nissan sentra with engine failure due to pre-catalytic converter. consumer states that there was a recall for this problem causing engine failure. he states that he wasn't even informed when the vehicle was being repaired for the failure. *kb the consumer stated unburned fuel is burned in the pre-catalytic converter which is located on the exhaust manifold. when the unburned fuel was burned it caused disintegration. it was then sucked into the engine causing cylinder wall damage, which resulted in the engine burning excessive amounts of oil. the consumer stated he experienced the problem which cost him thousands of dollars. *jb | |||
| 02/12/2005 | 25000 | 3 | 02/16/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra s-er. three years ago, the check engine light illuminated and the dealer stated that it could be due to various components. the check engine light remained illuminated the rest of the day. the dealer also suggested that there may have been a crack in the wiring harness. the cost to replace the wiring harness was $1,800, does not include labor or guarantee that the failure would be corrected. three years later, in march of 2008, the contact received a recall notice for the ecm, which stated that the vehicle could shut off. the dealer was unable to perform the recall as long as the check engine light was illuminated. the dealer also stated that the mechanics were not qualified three years ago. they left blown and loose fuses in the engine and also disconnected the wiring harness. the contact paid over $400 to have the o2 sensors replaced and they have failed again. the ecm repair was only guaranteed under warranty for 80,000 miles; however, the vehicle currently has 83,000 miles. the ecm repair was covered under warranty three years ago. the contact stated that she should not be responsible for the repair costs for a failure that was improperly diagnosed three years ago. there are invoices available that indicate the same computer reading that was displayed three years ago is the same reading that is displayed today. the complaint is related to having to pay for a failure that was covered under the warranty and improperly diagnosed. the powertrain was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 25,000 and current mileage was 83,000. | |||
| 07/17/2007 | 79000 | 20 | 10/30/2006 |
| 2002 nissan sentra se-r we own has been giving us a re-occurring problem with both the unified meter that controls the speedometer and affects the ecm to throw up the engine light to come on..causes a massive slow down in speed when the speedometer goes out while driving..brought this to the attention to a local nissan dealer, mike shad of orange park and was informed not to worry about the engine light and just have the ecm reflashed. we followed the instructions from the service center of mike shad nissan and had the system reflashed..speedometer worked briefly and went out again..to this day it continues to stay on engine light, and the speedometer still works off and on and continues to wreak havoc on maintaining a safe speed. also a major issue regarding the long engine crank time before engine starts. i have found information thru the internet informing there is a tsb on this issue on this particular vehicle ('02 sentra) and have submitted an email to the service dept of mike shad nissan to address this issue but no response. this problem with the crank time endangers not only me but my family as well. i cannot trust the car to crank properly which therefore puts the reliability factor in jeopardy when my wife drives the car to pick up my daughter for school and use the vehicle to and from work. i found information about this problem thru the nissanhelp website regarding the technical service bulletin long engine crank time before engine starts indicating a primary part failure on a faulty fuel pump that needs to repaired/replaced... *tr | |||
| 04/28/2007 | 99000 | 1 | 04/28/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra se-r. the contact stated that her vehicle is experiencing pre-catalytic failure. one of the converters separated and went into the motor, causing high oil consumption and engine viruses. the current mileage is 102,000 and failure mileage was 99,000. updated 02/01/08. *lj | |||
| 07/02/2006 | 44900 | 2 | 07/01/2002 |
| While both driving on the highway and in stop and go traffic, car shuts off entirely. sometimes not starting again. have had car towed to mechanic and mass air flow sensor replaced and on a different occasion the cam sensor reset. problem still occurs. never received a single recall notice; warranty period has expired. *jb | |||
| 11/10/2004 | 0 | 11/04/2004 | |
| When i went to get my oil changed the mechanic went to pull the dipstick out and since it is plastic and is located next to the manifold it dried out and broke. now the metal part of the dipstick is stuck in the tube. | |||
| 03/25/2004 | 4 | 02/01/2002 | |
| While driving the engine stopped running and the warning light illuminated. *mr the consumer was informed that the problem was a defective sensor. the engine light would go on and off intermittently with a series of stalling. *sc the consumer found information regarding a recall, however the dealer claimed they knew nothing about a recall. *jb | |||
| 05/14/2003 | 7204 | 1 | 08/05/2002 |
| I own a 2002 sentra spec v and this is my second one in 10 months that has failed to perform as it should. the current vehicle has had 1 new engine, 1 exhaust manifold, 2 window regulators, 2 new windows, three new door speakers, two shift knobs, 1 timing belt tensioner, 1 third brake light, and is in the process of getting it's third engine. car consumes oil at a rapid rate of 2 quarts per 1200 miles. tried an informal resolution and nissan rejected. dealer agrees the car should be bought back. symptoms that i have, lead to possible engine fire and is being addressed with a recall. i was sent home in a vehicle that was unsafe and they did not want to fix this last time and were denying the car had any problem. i fought a long hard battle just to get it fixed. *nlm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 01/08/2004 | 4 | ||
| While starting up the vehicle check engine light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 03/07/2010 | 65000 | 3 | |
| This was the third time that my engine has cut off due to a malfunction of the butterfly screws on the intake valve of my 2002 nissan sentra se-r spec v. i have contacted nissan corporate about the issue and they have issued a recall on the 2003 and up models but refuse to issue the recall on the 2002 model. this could have resulted in a highway crash on two occasions as well as continuous damage to my engine. *tr | |||
| 10/03/2008 | 90 | 1 | |
| Hi , i have a 2002 nissan sentra ser , this car is equipped with a qr25de engine , the piston rings came defective from factory , nissan doesn't assume their responsibility , but they sell improve piston rings for this type of engine ... engine oil disappear with stock piston rings, car doesn't have any leak .... machine shops know this problem ... consequence of this matter is that people brakes connecting rods , cylinders have uneven waste ... nissan only give 60k miles warranty on power train , but before that i notify them about this problem , they said that was cylinder head. my point is the next: if there is not any problem with the stock piston rings why they sell improved piston rings? .... they know that are a problem with the stock piston rings.... thank you *tr | |||
| 10/10/2005 | 63000 | 1 | |
| Severe engine failure. i bought my 2002 nissan sentra spec-v with only 7,000 miles on it and thought i had a great car. thank goodness i opted for the extra 100,000 extended warranty. my car's engine experienced massive oil consumption around 60,000 and i noticed the whole time i owned the car that the oil was always low each time i changed it. i used only mobil 1 full syn every 5,000 miles. the engine failed 3,000 over the standard 60k powertrain warranty. i fought with nissan for 1 month while they kept my car until i provided oil change receipts. once i provided them they changed the complete engine which totaled $8,500 and more than the car was worth anymore. further for about 70,000 the car had extended crank problems and were severe in hot or extreme cold weather. the car would take 20 seconds or longer to crank over while pumping the gas. after my 3rd complaint at my 3rd nissan dealer they finally fixed the problem and put in a new fuel pump and sensor. the car has 98,000 and 36,000 miles after the new engine. i am thinking of getting rid of it before more trouble happens beyond my 100k warranty. *tr | |||
| 08/09/2006 | 53260 | 1 | 10/15/2005 |
| My 2002 nissan sentra se-r experienced a power valve screw liberation consistent with nissans voluntary service campaign # 5202. the issue is that the campaign is written to only cover 2004 and 2005 models. obviously this manufacturing issue predates the dates covered in the vsc. *nm | |||
| 06/11/2006 | 78900 | 1 | 08/28/2002 |
| I own a 2002 nissan sentra se-r. it has approximately 80,000 miles on it. one day last month, on the way home from work, my car stalled at a red light. i was able to get it started and drive it the 15 miles to my dealership, but it stalled at least twice on the way. the engine also was not running smoothly and the check engine light was on. when i got to the dealership, they told me that a power valve screw had come loose and worked its way into one of my cylinders where it then proceeded to smash a spark plug. also, i was informed that this was a known recall issue on the 2003 and 2004 nissan sentra se-rs and on the altima's, but that there was no recall issued for 2002 sentra se-rs. my extended warranty (75,000 miles) had just run out and my dealership suggested that i contact nissan corporate to see if they would intervene and help, since all of the parts involved and the nature of the problem exactly matched what was happening in the '03 and '04s. the only difference was that my car was an '02. to make a long story short, nissan corporate basically told me that since there was no recall issued for my model year and since my warranty had run out, there was nothing they were obligated to do for me. they also said, don't worry. we are constantly assessing the status of recalls and if a recall is issued for the 2002 model year, we will reimburse you. i ended up paying over $600 (and it would have been more, had my dealership not taken pity on me and given me a discount) to get something fixed on my car that was a known problem for the 2 model years following 2002, but that (for some reason) didn't include my car. as i stated above, my dealership verified that all of the parts that were affected were the same as those involved in the recall, and that the actual problem was the same as the recall. *jb | |||
| 02/01/2006 | 77000 | 1 | 03/01/2002 |
| Butterfly valve on the 2002 nissan sentra the car started to idle very rough while driving on the highway at 70 mph. the check engine light came on & the engine vibration became worse. the car stalled & i was almost killed trying to get to the side of the road. i was able to restart the car & drive a few more miles to work. the car was then towed to the dealership where they found spark plug #1 smashed because a screw was found in the intake manifold. the dealer said there is no recall for this problem. the dealer replaced several parts within intake manifold. nissan north america refuses to address the problems in the 2002 and 2003 models as i have attempted to work with them in a reasonable manner. this is a potentially fatal issue as noted in different individuals experience the same problems with engines catching on fire or car stalling and locking up in traffic. interested in pursuing a class action lawsuit. *nm | |||
| 09/19/2003 | 20000 | 1 | 09/06/2002 |
| Driving at 75 mph, car very suddenly lost power and would not accelerate past 45 mph. subsequent to this, car operated sporadically until going past 15 mph was impossible. car was towed to dealer where it has remained for a month awaiting a defective ecu replacement. the service manager later informed that this is a wide spread occurrence, and that nissan cannot keep up with the demand of this particular part(the engine management computer). at the time of this incident, i was very fortunate to have successfully pulled to the shoulder from the fast lane. my vehicle has 20,000 miles. *la | |||
| 10/05/2003 | 35920 | 2 | 11/24/2001 |
| I leased a sentra se-r in nov 2002. since getting the vehicle i have had numerous problems. the car randomly does not start. it sounds like the car wants to turn over, but to no avail. there is no pattern to it. the car starts fine some days, and then sometimes it just doesn't want to start. i've had it towed to the dealer at least twice - the dealer couldn't find anything wrong. in june, when i took the car in for the same problem, the dealer had the nerve to tell me that the car would have trouble starting when it rains out - and that must be the problem. (are they insane - i asked myself - the car won't start when it rains? then they told me that i need to pump the gas pedal every time i start the car - a fuel injected car?) so, they replaced the fuel pump. but twice since the car has not wanted to start. the car has, since the day i leased it, randomly stalled right after starting. why? no one seems to know. then, this weekend while traveling on a highway, at about 70 mph the car suddenly lost all ability to maintain speed or accelerate. luckily, i was able to get to the shoulder, and by that point the engine died. after repeated attempts over 20 minutes, the car started but the service engine soon light remained on. when attempting to get back on the highway to travel home from where i was, the car would not accelerate, starting making horrible banging noises and it smelled like something was burning. the car wouldn't accelerate and had no power. luckily, i was able to get into an empty parking lot before having to call for a tow. there was a recall recently on the sentra - relating to the engine and possible fires - and the parts replacement was performed - so i am left wondering what kind of junk i have been stuck with... it seems that it is one problem after another with this car. *jb | |||
| 08/22/2003 | 5 | ||
| My car has had the check engine light come on 5 times since april 2003, everytime it has been the same problem, it starts idleing at a very sparatic pace, also i lose the throttle. the car has been reset and recalibrated 4 times at the dealership. the car then runs fine for about 300 miles and we go through it again. it has now turn into a safety concern because i will lose the throttle as i am driving. -kh. *ak | |||
| 04/30/2003 | 20800 | 0 | 12/11/2002 |
| Now at 20,800 miles i think my car may be burning oil.lost 2 quarts in 3000 miles. dip stick actually came up dry but no oil light. im taking it in tomorrow to have the tranny replaced along with some o2 sensors that went bad. also im having it checked because the trunk and drivers/front passenger door leaks. also the e brake is failing again, there is rattling coming from the drivers door and a sqeauking noise when i release the clutch. plus my side skirts are still warped, ill have to remind them of that. just wanted to add this one even though i havent gotten my car to the dealer yet. also just want to say i officially hate nissan and their extremely poor customer service. i will never buy another nissan and am looking into a lawyer to file a lemon law case. just because the sentra is the low end model car doesnt mean you have to treat the owners with less respect than those with a 350z or a murano. im buying a subaru after i get rid of this pos ! | |||
| 02/20/2003 | 18600 | 1 | 02/20/2002 |
| Engine failed in se-r spec-v from nissan causing me to lose control of the vehicle. *jb | |||
| 03/10/2002 | 4 | 02/01/2002 | |
| I bought a brand new 2002 sentra se-r spec v in feb of 2002. i have had major engine and transmission problems, before the car was even a year old i had to take it in for transmission problems 3 times. they replaced my transmission 2 times. the second transmission replacement was with a 2003 transmission. i have also taken my car in 2 times for the engine. my engine had to be replaced 2 times. both times my engine was found with no oil in it even thought it was far from being do for an oil change. my car consumes oil and i am constantly having to add. these problems are excessive and ridicules for a car that is not even a year old. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 72000 | ||
| I bought a 2002 nissan sentra se-r with approximately 70k miles on it. at the time of purchase the engine was running fine, however, at approximately 72k miles it started burning oil and i had to put oil in the engine once a week. i took the car to the local dealership were they replaced the catalyctic converted due to a recall, but did not state that the engine was damaged to to that defective part. i asked about an engine recall but never received an answer from them as they said the car was not under warranty and had no warrants under recall. | |||
| 02/21/2010 | 108000 | 1 | |
| This is pertaining to an existing campaign (#03v084000). i bought a used 2002 nissan sentra ser spec-v in may 2007. shortly after my purchase (june 2007), i had this outstanding recall, including several others performed. the above recall states that the pre-catalyst could overheat and disintegrate, blowing particulate into the combustion chamber, scoring the cylinder walls, and cause excessive oil consumption and possible engine damage, requiring engine replacement. there was approx. 65,000 miles on the car at this point. last february, i was driving along the highway when i suddenly lost power. i pulled over to the side of the road and found the engine would barely run and would not rev over 2000 rpm. i had this car towed 20 miles to my local nissan dealership. upon inspecting the vehicle they told me that the pre-catalyst that i had already had replaced on the recall, had disintegrated, plugging my exhaust, blowing chunks of debris into my engine, therefore destroying the engine. i was told i'd need to replace the entire engine at a cost of $4300.00. this car only had another 50,000 miles on it after the initial recall work was done. since what happened to this vehicle was exactly what the original recall was supposed to prevent, i went to nissan, requesting that they stand behind this obvious design defect and at the very least assist me in replacing this engine. i was given several different stories ranging from accusation that i did not maintain this vehicle (even though i do so religiously at nissan dealerships) to stating the dealer i had the work performed at was at fault and i should pursue restitution from them, to the fact the car was no longer under warranty and i was sol and this was 'normal' wear and tear. now, i can understand normal wear and tear but no catalytic converter should be designed so that it will destroy an engine if it fails and this was supposedly addressed in the above campaign. | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 0 | 05/11/2002 | |
| I haven't had the car for a year yet and i have already had the catalytic converter replaced twice & the engine replaced because there was no oil in it. what kind of car has these kind of problems? the gears shift hard now to where it about jerks you and i drive an automatic. not to mention the dealership wouldn't even give me a rental while they had to practically replace the entire engine. *nlm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2002 nissan sentra with engine failure due to pre-catalytic converter. consumer states that there was a recall for this problem causing engine failure. he states that he wasn't even informed when the vehicle was being repaired for the failure. *kb the consumer stated unburned fuel is burned in the pre-catalytic converter which is located on the exhaust manifold. when the unburned fuel was burned it caused disintegration. it was then sucked into the engine causing cylinder wall damage, which resulted in the engine burning excessive amounts of oil. the consumer stated he experienced the problem which cost him thousands of dollars. *jb | |||
| 04/28/2007 | 99000 | 1 | 04/28/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra se-r. the contact stated that her vehicle is experiencing pre-catalytic failure. one of the converters separated and went into the motor, causing high oil consumption and engine viruses. the current mileage is 102,000 and failure mileage was 99,000. updated 09/05/07. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 02/21/2010 | 108000 | 1 | |
| This is pertaining to an existing campaign (#03v084000). i bought a used 2002 nissan sentra ser spec-v in may 2007. shortly after my purchase (june 2007), i had this outstanding recall, including several others performed. the above recall states that the pre-catalyst could overheat and disintegrate, blowing particulate into the combustion chamber, scoring the cylinder walls, and cause excessive oil consumption and possible engine damage, requiring engine replacement. there was approx. 65,000 miles on the car at this point. last february, i was driving along the highway when i suddenly lost power. i pulled over to the side of the road and found the engine would barely run and would not rev over 2000 rpm. i had this car towed 20 miles to my local nissan dealership. upon inspecting the vehicle they told me that the pre-catalyst that i had already had replaced on the recall, had disintegrated, plugging my exhaust, blowing chunks of debris into my engine, therefore destroying the engine. i was told i'd need to replace the entire engine at a cost of $4300.00. this car only had another 50,000 miles on it after the initial recall work was done. since what happened to this vehicle was exactly what the original recall was supposed to prevent, i went to nissan, requesting that they stand behind this obvious design defect and at the very least assist me in replacing this engine. i was given several different stories ranging from accusation that i did not maintain this vehicle (even though i do so religiously at nissan dealerships) to stating the dealer i had the work performed at was at fault and i should pursue restitution from them, to the fact the car was no longer under warranty and i was sol and this was 'normal' wear and tear. now, i can understand normal wear and tear but no catalytic converter should be designed so that it will destroy an engine if it fails and this was supposedly addressed in the above campaign. | |||
| 12/07/2007 | 64439 | 2 | 10/16/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 nissan sentra se-r. the service engine light began illuminating on the instrument panel and the exhaust began smoking. the muffler was replaced. the contact was notified of nhtsa campaign id number 03v084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). the dealer stated that because the muffler was repaired by another shop, they could not repair the engine. the vehicle was experiencing increased oil consumption, excessive smoking, and made a knocking sound. the current and failure mileages were 64,439. | |||
| 11/10/2004 | 0 | 11/04/2004 | |
| When i went to get my oil changed the mechanic went to pull the dipstick out and since it is plastic and is located next to the manifold it dried out and broke. now the metal part of the dipstick is stuck in the tube. | |||