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Sedans Nissan Altima Nissan Altima Engine Failures
496 messages, Last post on Nov 18, 2009 at 7:10 PM
You are in the Nissan Altima Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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2003 Altima SE 3.5 with only 45Kmi on it. Was *shocked* at last oil change/service when dealer told me the 'engine was on order'. As you can imagine, I have my twice-yearly oil changes after only about 4kmi! Turns out the 3.5's have TWO of the little bugger pre-cats to fail on you. In response to my complaint about 'heat shield rattle' the dealer pulled the bank 1 cat and it showed signs of deterioration. $6K is the approximate replacment cost and currently Nissan is supposed to be picking up the tab (will let you know how things get on) and for what it's worth I'm in Canada. We have bi-annual emissions inspections up here so not sure if I can go aftermarket header....coring the precats is an invisible option I suppose but the dealer won't do it, so I'll have to pay someone to take it all apart again... Dealer was evasive on the 'what happens when it happens again' question. Consensus was it wouldn't be covered a second time... So much for my plans to keep this car for another 8-10 years. Not of course that it will make it, as every problem I've had (other than this one) has been corrosion related and that's not likely to stop anytime soon. I have to say, after having both headlights replaced, the rear subframe replaced and now the V6 engine and precats on order....Nissan will have spent over $10K fixing this thing...so unlike most here I still have a modicum of faith in the brand. Of course, I have to have my rear brakes replaces every 18 months because of corrosion related crap...oh, and the ABS sensor is moved out of alignment when the rear bearing caps corrode...$500 whammy which if you don't address quickly burns out your $3000 ABS unit due to frequent and excessive engagement. That said I'm scared silly that this will be an ongoing issue, one that will seriously erode the trade-in values unless I act quickly. I also have read that the stupid engine mounts can fry your ECM....who would've thought? What's next...opening doors will cause your gas tank to explode?!? I'm still debating whether to stick it out or bail, but to anyone fence sitting on this issue, I'd suggest you run, not walk, away from these engines (QR25 and QR35's) which unfortunately means most of Nissan's lineup. Fred. PS I suspect it all started with a badly setup mixture in the ECM...so I'm going to push for an ECM reprogram too. No other reason for those cats to self-destruct, and there is a strong unburnt fuel smell when starting the car on cold days, and has been for years. |
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Replying to: electricdesign (Jan 27, 2008 9:10 pm)
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New to the forum, and have read many posts relating to the Cat Converter. Similar issues, CEL and SES lights. After diagnostic the PO420 code came up. Took to dealer to handle recalls and was told the Cat Converter needed to be replaced. I bought pre-owned, certified w/ 33k miles, now has 85k and I'm being told it is out of warranty. Trying to fight it with Nissan USA, has anyone had any luck doing this?? I am awaiting a call from a "regional customer service" person....any help is MUCH appreciated...thanks...
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Replying to: steinba1 (Nov 12, 2008 8:41 am)  yahoo.com
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Replying to: dev923 (Nov 06, 2008 6:50 am) link title
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Replying to: jd10013 (Nov 14, 2008 5:45 pm) We took it for a second opinion they said that it had something to do with one of the pistons miss firing. This place also informed us that they are pretty sure,there was some sort of a recall on either the engine or someething to do with the engine with the Altima and that we should definetely go back to Nissan. I will take the car to the dealership on Monday and will keep u all updated . I really hope there is a recall..........or else...........I 'm contacting NISSAN US for sure. Cars DO NOT NEED AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT IN 61/2 YEARS.
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Replying to: cdsjavaguy (Nov 15, 2008 8:15 pm) I think there's a reason why most manufacturers only offer 5 years warranty on the powertrain. I know most engines can be last longer than 5-6 years but the chance that something will be broke down is higher after 5 years. |
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Replying to: dmforce (Nov 13, 2008 7:07 pm) |
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Well, they did it. I have a brand new V6 engine, 2 x new pre-cats and 2 x new oxygen sensors installed in my 7yr old car with only 45kmi on it ALL courtesy of Nissan. I have no idea of the final cost (~$6K), but the page of gaskets required must've run $500 or more alone... Acceleration rattle has *finally* gone away! Presumably so too the mysteriously disappearing oil problem... It took them two days to do. (BTW the car passed it's emissions test not 3 months earlier with flying colours, and no lights, no SES, no oil, ever came on) Dealership swears up and down that the new parts have improved formulations and won't suffer the same breakdown as the original parts. ECM was not reprogrammed. I'm going to keep the car, as I still like driving it a lot, and even if it does melt down in another 7 years...I'll probably have got my money's worth. That said, I'm so glad I hadn't packed the miles on it like I used to, or I would've blown the 8yr/130km warranty and be stuck with the mother of all repair bills (like so many on this site)...and be in a bit of a quandary, as in to how to dispose of the car-cass least recklessly... Thank you Nissan for standing by your product (well, to a point). |
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I own a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5l with 73,000 miles. The SES light turned on 2 days after I had the oil changed and air filter replaced. I was able to find out the error code myself and it was reading ATF temperature sensor error. I then took the car to the dealership and was charged $100 to be told that it was indeed an ATF temperature sensor error and then an additional $200 to have the transmission fluid replaced. The dealership said the computer was reading a solenoid malfunction but when the mechanic checked it he concluded that there was nothing wrong so they just changed the transmission fluid. One week after having the light reset at the dealership and the transmission fluid replaced the SES light came on again. This time the code is p0302 (cylinder 2 misfire). I am not sure what to do at this point because the dealership told me that if the light were to come back on I would have to replace the solenoid which would cost about $600-$700. Although, I am hesitant because the error code is now something else. After reading several post from others with the similar dilemma I am not sure what to do. I feel like this SES light coming on is a chain reaction to many other problems and will only turn out to be money spent on a never ending problem. If someone could please give me some advice, it would be greatly appreciated. I am a girl and feel that every time I go to the Nissan dealership I am hustled and end up paying hundreds of dollars for minor problems all the while the mechanic is ignoring the major problem.
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