8.7
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$3,424.00
Average Mileage:
93,651 miles
Total Complaints:
218 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replace the engine (75 reports)
- not sure (59 reports)
- add oil as needed (36 reports)
- new engine (20 reports)
- nissan should replace the engine for the 2nd time (9 reports)
- replace block (7 reports)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Nissan dealer.
2011Nov 01
Altima 2.5L S
- Automatic transmission
- 115,450 miles
Quiero saber si el diler me pueda ayudar en algo de este probema porque el auto consume de maciada aciete consume dos cuartos por semana gracias (car consumes 2 quarts of oil per week)
2010Jun 01
Altima S 2.5L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 110,000 miles
I've owned my used 2003 Nissan Altima 4 cylinder for nearly 5 years now. For the past 4 years I've noticed it consumed alot of oil. It didn;t leak it, it just burned it to the point of recent - having to put in nearly 4 qts. every 400-500 miles! (that's a bit more than 2 fill ups - oil would be completely gone.
My engine light pops on and off continually (but never the oil light). it reads 4 different things but usually the mechanic says it's my 01 sensor. I had the this sensor replace 2ce so far; I've had coils and coil wires replaced (all 4) - that attach to the spark plugs.
about a month ago (Dec 2011) my car sounded really loud and I couldn't get it to go over 20 mph. I guess all the sludge that built up from the burning oil solidified in my catalytic converter and had to be replaced. The mechanic also found something cracked down below near the converter. I thought it was a cracked head but it wasn't.
I may have a cracked head or gasket or something as I know my car is still burning oil (but slower now since the c.converter and cracked 'thing' thats not a head). I'm a unemployed student and trying to avoid having to replace the whole engine. If anyone have had the same type of problem and got a solution, please contact me at delsgarden@yahoo.com. Thankyou
2011Mar 01
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 93,000 miles
I absolutely love this car until now that i have to change oil every 2000 miles :( Is there anything Nissan should be doing? because i am not buying a nissan ever.
2009Aug 01
Altima SE 4.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
I purchased my Altima 2.5 with the 4-cylinder engine new from a Nissan Dealership in 2002. This ran trouble free until August of 2009. I began to notice that I had to refill the coolant and oil every two weeks. Along with that, I was getting an intermittent check engine light. In addition, the car would stall out under normal driving conditions and it would take considerable efforts to restart. After which, thick plumes of white smoke would come out of the exhaust and the engine would run extremely rough until I gunned it a few times. While this is happening, the check engine light would flash - As I was to find out later, this indicated the catalytic converter was being damaged. Eventually the engine would smooth out and the flashing would stop. At times, I would hear a swooshing fluid sound coming from underneath the passenger side of the dashboard. This went on and off for months. Then I noticed that the heater was not working properly and would only produce heat when the RPM’s were at 2k. At an intersection, the heater would only blow cold air until the engine was at 2k again. In November of 2009, I had the car checked at Midas for the intermittent check engine light. Their test with error code P0420 indicated a failing cat converter and they recommended that I have it replaced by the dealership since it may still be under the warranty. The dealership replaced the 02 sensor and not the converter; this cleared the check engine light. Since I was more concerned with the engine running properly, I did not address the heating problem at that time. The car seemed to run fine up until April of 2010, the check engine light returned. I took the car to Firestone and had a complete tune-up performed and the fuel system cleaned. Again, this cleared the check engine light. It would appear intermittently, but go away whenever I had it serviced for oil change and coolant. The routine of changing the oil and topping-off the coolant became more frequent as time went on. Finally fed-up with all the problems and expense, I took it back to the dealership in January of 2011. Since it was a Saturday, they could only bleed the cooling system in hopes of getting the heater to work again. It failed a week later. That March, I took it back into the Nissan dealership to have a complete diagnostic ran. They performed a compression test and I was informed that cylinder #1 was filling with coolant with error code P0301 & P0300 indicating cylinder misfire and that the head gasket needed to be replaced for the cost of $1,600.00. Wanting a second opinion and estimate, I took my car to Firestone. After their test, they claimed that it was not a coolant leak issue at all, but a bad catalytic converter and they could replace the part for $607.00. This was considerably less expensive than the dealership and I had the work performed. For a week, the car seemed to run okay then the check engine light and stalling returned. I took the car back into Firestone to have another diagnostic ran but they could not find any error codes and suggested that if it happened again to bring it in. At this point, I sent an email to Nissan customer service asking why would a car with less that 85k miles have all these issues and would they stand behind their product and help their customer? Predictably, their response was “sorry we can’t help you.” Note to self: Do Not Buy another Nissan. After doing more research on this issue, it seems this is a known problem with the 02 Altima. However, I think found a less expensive solution. I purchased a bottle of “Barts head gasket fix” on December 5th. , it’s now January 3rd. I have not had to refill the coolant or replace any oil. The engine is not running rough, no plumes of smoke and the check engine light has not re-appeared. I wish I would had know about this products months ago.
Update from Jan 8, 2012: Here's an update. It has been over a month since I tried the Barts Head Leak fix. The oil and coolant fluid levels have not changed. In the past, I would have had to refill the fluids several times within the month. So far I am very satisfied with the results.
2011Aug 13
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 150,000 miles
click to see larger images
I just bought my 02 altima 2.5 in august 2011. Thinking that these are great cars, I thought i got a great deal for $6000. I have to add oil every day and antifreeze 3 times a week. Also when I start the car when its cold it makes a grinding noise. And the headlights burn out fast. I have had to replace my low beams 3 times. Nissan makes the best looking cars but they are pieces of sh*t. Also the heater works when it wants to.
2011Mar 01
Altima S 2.5s
- Automatic transmission
- 117,000 miles
Crap From Nissan. Eat oil like monster. Add oil after every 300 mile. No know what to do.
2009Aug 03
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 162,000 miles
I love Nissan styling and hate it that I will never allow myself to buy another Nissan due to all the problems with my Altima and my son's Maxima. Just one repair after another for years. I have rebuilt the Maxaima one part at a time and the check engine light is an ongoing problem. The Altima has had similar problems. It began using atifreeze which cost $1700 to fix and now my Altima uses 1qt of oil avery 1700 miles.
2005Jul 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
I'm so glad I found this website. I will never buy another Nissan again until they take care of this problem. I bought my Altima in 2001, an upgrade from 09 Sentra. Two years later, the engine started burning oil. The dealer replaced the engine at no charge under extended warranty of course. The catalytic converter was also replaced, not sure if it was before or after the new engine was put in. That one came out of my pocket.
Two years later, I started adding oil between oil change again. When I took my car to the dealer, I was told that there was no problem and that my car was just getting old. I didn't know what else to do, but to have a case of oil in the trunk all the time.
It's now Nov 2011, I'm getting ready to dump this stupid car because it will cost me about $2,500 to $3,000 to replace the piston rings and catalytic converter.
2011Mar 01
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
why isn,t there a class action lawsuit being filed against nissan? i really like my car other than it sucks up oil like a teenage sucks up soda pop, will someone from nissan call me and make arrangements to fix this problem. oh i didn't think so or better yet shock the S#!T out of me and grow some kahunas .
2011Jul 19
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
Just like everyone else, this car drinks oil. I have put in a quart every week for the past year. NOW the engine has thrown a rod through the side of the engine. I have to spend $3,000 to get a rebuilt engine. This is crap.
2010Dec 01
Altima ES 2.5L 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 140,000 miles
About 8 moths ago the engine light went on in my 2002 Nissan Altima. We took it in and they were not able to find the problem. A month later the car stalled on the road and the engine is idling rough. We took it in again and they could not find a thing. The last few months the car is going through oil excessively. We took it into another auto repair shop and they tell us that this is how most of the Nissan are when they get older. Replace the engine or live with it. The engine will burn up if we don't put oil in it weekly and is costly us $. I read about this problem and it is running rapid. Apparently the catalytic converters are breaking up and being sucked into the engine. Nissan is not doing a thing about this. Years of complaints are recorded on the safercar.gov website which is going back to Nissan. As so many people are saying, I will never buy another Nissan. At least Toyota isued a recall and saved their rep.
2010Nov 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 105,000 miles
I had to replace the engine. The damage was severe. I returned to mechanic to complain but turns out the problem was i purchased a "lemon".
2011Jun 01
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
My altima is consuming & Burning SO MUCH Oil..... I was told that I needed a new catalytic converter if not a new engine... I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO GET A NEW ENGINE OR A NEW CAR.. I HAD A 1987 TOYOTA COROLLA FOR 13 YRS & NOW I WISH I NEVER GOT RID OF IT TO GET THIS JUNK OF A CAR.... MY TOYOTA WOULD PROBABLY STILL BE RUNNING STRONG RIGHT NOW...
2011Jun 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 94,000 miles
Just found out how bad this car turned out to be... I bought this 02 Altima with 94000 miles to find out that Im adding so much oil. Not leaking, but burning oil.. I have owned many nissans but came to realize that the 02 model is their worst one yet..
How unluck for me, most complaints here the engine busts at around 120K miles, so i dont know whether to sell it (and if I can) or to try and keep taking care of it..
BAD nissan!!
2011Jan 04
Altima SL
- Manual transmission
- 150,000 miles
I bought my 02 Nissan Altima and thought it was a really nice car. BULLSHIT!!! The car turned out to be crap. Soooooo many problems and I always had my car serviced by a reputatable garage. Head gaskets, burning oil out da butt, cat. converter stopped up and the list could go on and on. I've spent well over a grand and it did not solve any problems. The nissan corporation should be held accountable for something. I felt that i had just made a bad car choice but after reading all the complaints, I know that its a major problem. How can the nissan corp. just be allowed to put trash out on the market for sale? I am more than furious because now I have no vehicle and knowbody has a solution. Something must be done and i plan to do whatever i can. I do know one thing and that is i will NEVER buy a NISSAN again.
2011Aug 01
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 1 miles
I found an 02 Altima on craigslist for $2500 with similar issue as those listed here, oil consumption and bad pre-cats. After reading the complaints here I will not buy it, but I did find a NHTSA recall that all you owners might want to look into. It's NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 03V084000 or NHTSA Action Number: PE02078. It's a recall for a potential fire hazard due to faulty precats. It says specifically on 02 Altimas and Sentras that if there's damage inside the precats present the engine will need to be replaced due to the oil consumption and potential for a fire. Maybe all you owners should press Nissan to fix your cars. The excessive oil usage seems to be caused by bad precats, which they admit in that recall. Look up that recall number on the NHTSA website, that's the national highway traffic safety association. All their info is 100% accurate because they are the ones that investigate safety defects. Good Luck.
2010Mar 13
Altima SL 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 54,000 miles
DON'T BUY THIS CAR. OR ANYTHING NISSAN SELLS. I'm not saying all their cars are crap, but apparently their customer service is. They obviously don't give a rip about this HUGE problem. I had the same problems as everyone else. Excessive oil consumption, blown head gasket, catalytic converter, ac/heater, everything. I still owe a ton on it, I got ripped off on this car. Its not worth a dime. But now I cant get rid of it. I have had so many people look at it. Our mechanic has tried fixing it, he's doing everything he can right now, but I don't think anything will help, because all the parts are faulty. Even if they're new. They are still the parts of a this car. I'm bringing this to court, and nissan is going to get screwed. Join me please
2011May 07
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 112,564 miles
I bought the car in December and immediately started experiencing no heat until i was driving and had the RPMs ove 3k. Dealer gave me a 30 day warranty, and they were true to it, replaced thermostat, twice, drained and refilled coolant looking for problems, found nothing. I drove it and dealt with it since nothing of other importance seemed wrong with it. two weeks later, at day 27 of my warranty, it started smoking heavy, engine light came on, sputtered all the way to the dealership. they called me that night and said there was no oil in the car and i needed a new head gasket, cat, and piston rings which they said they would replace and they did. car ran nice for three months and i checked the oil again and it was bone dry! take it back to them since they worked on it and they put it on the lift, OIL WAS EVERYWHERE!
Aparently the oilpan is so close to the engine that it swells and shrinks with heat and cold and the oil pan bolts had loosened. thred locked them and put oil in it, ran for two weeks checked again, 2 quarts low. took it to another mechanic who ran a dye kit through it for 4 hours and didnt get a drop of dye anywhere! had the oild changed new filter drove it home and slid some cardboard under it. came out in the morning and had four drops of oil. I give up, im trying to get good enough money on a trade because i dont want anyone else to have a headache like i do. until then i gotta case of oil in the trunk
2011May 23
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 64,000 miles
i took the car in for knocking in the engine and found out that the car had 1/3 qt oil in it and ruined the engine. no oil light came on, the oil was changed 5,000 miles ago, and i had no warning that the engine was being destroyed. i had expected to keep this car for several more years, but i will not put the $3,500 into the car, since it should be the responsibility of the manufacturer. i only had 64,000 miles on it and it was my 3rd altima. i have only had altima's for over 15 years, and have taken it in for every recall. i was never made aware of the oil consumption problem, and could have been notified so that i could have saved the engine by checking the oil more often. or if the oil or engine light came on to warn me of a problem. i will be part of the class action suit for this one.
katie g.
2009Jul 08
Altima SE 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 110,000 miles
I, just as all others, am having the same problem with excessive oil leakage from my '02 altima.This is the first car I've purchased on my own, and I thought, at the time, I was getting a great deal. I purchased it in June of 2010. Less than a month later, I heard a grinding noise coming from the engine. The first time I heard it, we didn't think it was the oil because it was so recently purchased, so we began checking other things. After a few more weeks of the grinding and knocking, we checked the oil and sure enough, it was bone dry. We called the dealership where we purchased it from and requested their service records because from our point of view, we thought they didn't change the oil before we purchased it. Long story short, I've had to add a quart of oil every 300 miles. No one dealership or mechanic wise had been able to tell me what was wrong and causing the leakage. The mechanic said something along the lines of "you're going to need to take this somewhere else. We've checked everything we can think of and there's no evidence of oil loss anywhere. In fact, if we didn't know better, we'd say that you're letting the oil out yourself and then coming to complain to us!" (Douchebags.) So I took matters into my own hands as far as trying to find the problem and the first link that popped up on Google was to this website. To see your car ranked in the top 20 worst cars is something of a shock, even if you knew it was already a piece of sh*t. I have no idea what to do to fix the problem. I wrote Nissan an email and they told me in their automated reply that in order to ease my worry, they have put my email in a case file. Big whoop.
This needs to be fixed. I'm sick of all of this. Please DO NOT purchase this car. You will regret it immediately.
2011Apr 19
Altima SL 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 78,246 miles
I cannot understand why all of a sudden by car is burning oil but I do not see a leak.
2011Feb 24
Altima LS 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 115,300 miles
Well another Nissan Altima bites the dust. I have a 2002 Altima that was bought in 2005 that consumes oil like a monster and now there is a loud clicking, grinding and or rattiling in the engine. Take to Nissan dealer and hear the same bad news as all the other Altima owners out there. Catalytic converter is breaking up and being sucked into engine causing it to consume oil and ultimately blow up. As we all know this is a big problem with these cars and with 115,000 miles on it I'm sure they are going to tell me I'm out of warranty and to get screwed. They say the engine and cat need replaced and that it will cost $6200 dollars. WHAT A KICK IN THE NUTS! The sad thing is we just payed the POS off 4 months ago. Will never buy a nissan again!! Waiting on nissan consumer affairs to get back to us with any help. Not holding my breath.
2011Mar 15
Altima 2.5s
- Automatic transmission
- 82,642 miles
My altima is consuming oil, like 2 litres a week. 2.5s
2011Feb 08
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 104,000 miles
My daughter and her husband bought two (2) 2002 Nissan Altima in 2006. Both engine failed within short period due to excessive oil consumption. We are trying to get the engines fixed and Nissan pay for it. Please send all your inquiries to Consumer Law Center at 800-875-3666 to join for a Class Action.The more people get involved in this class action, the more chances we have to resolve the problem.
Please call Krohn & Moss, Ltd.
2006Apr 11
Altima 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 170,000 miles
* My 02 Altima much like everyone else's, burns a lot of oil. I would estimate that I use about a quart of oil every two weeks. In addition to that, I've also had the head gaskets replaced.
2009Dec 11
Altima
- 35,563 miles
nissan is a sorry company. they knew those cars were lemons.
2010Dec 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
Total Nightmare! Same problems as everyone else! Having to add oil and engine coolant every week!!!! Dipstick is bone dry every time! No leaks or smoke at all though. Glad to find out that we were not the only ones!!! Same issues...not shifting well, idleing to low..this morning it wouldn't start! still owe 3500 on the stupid car and not really wanting to replace the engine. The service engine light comes on all the time..was told by the mechanic that it was the cat converter..but after reading that alot of these problems didnt get better after fixing that, I don't know what to do..only have heat when the car is moving...SOOOO annoying!!! Clearly this is not the car to buy if you are looking to own it past 90,000 miles!!
2010Nov 29
Altima 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
I have a 2002 nissan i had the oil change in may 2010. i took it nov 2010 to get another oil change and they said it did not have any oil. I asked did it leak out. Walmart said there are no leaks. today nov 29 i drove maybe 3 miles and parked the car came out to start it and there is a clanking noise under the hood. i started to drive it and it has low pressure. now it is running hot. the temperture gauge goes all the way to hot then back down to the middle. i made it back home and cut the car off. i am afraid to drive it. i am going to check the oil and put some oil in it if needed. i am afraid that my engine is blown. this car has been nothing but a problem since i bought it new. the air works then the heat doesn't work. it is one or the other. either i am freezing or burning up. i will never buy another nissan.
2011Mar 15
Altima 2.5L 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 144,000 miles
Now that I've found these problem reports, things are making sense. Over a year ago, I had the Stanza towed into the local dealer because it would not start. They found gasoline in the oil. $450 later, it was running "normally." They claimed it was just an odd thing. Couldn't explain why it happened. Heh. Now, I can see it was the first indication of this bigger problem.
Three months ago, after 2-3 months of extremely high oil consumption, I took it in again. They said the gaskets were leaking, so they changed the top engine gasket and also the oil pan gasket, and cleaned the engine. And performed lots of maintenance, including replacing an engine mount. Lots of oil residue. Plus two new tires.
Finally, a couple of weeks ago (three months after the last repair job), I found the Altima (which my daughter drives) was almost empty of oil AGAIN. We added four quarts. Today I took it to the dealer's repair shop again, thinking it was simply a flaw in the last repair job, and might be repaired under warranty. Nope. No leaking. Ergo, the engine is consuming oil. I got a call this afternoon. Most of the valves are leaking oil into the engine. Recommendation: REPLACE THE ENGINE. They are looking for a replacement engine (used). Don't have a quote/estimate yet, but I expect $3,500-4,000.
Since the Altima seems to be driving well, I have decided to simply add oil as needed, while saving for another used car. Here's hoping it cooperates, and keeps running many more months.
I am so disappointed in Nissan. This is the second one I've had that has needed an engine transplant. No more Nissan for me, I'm sorry to say.
2011Feb 28
Altima SL 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 134,000 miles
I was unaware that the 2002 Altima 2.5Lwas a lemon until it developed this problem. I am now informed and realize that Nissan has been aware of this problem with thousands and thousands of these seemingly wonderful cars. I bought this car new and it has been a great car. It has been serviced regularly since the day it was purchased. Hoping to drive this car for many years, 300,000 miles which ever came first, I now am faced with a huge expense that Nissan knew would happen. Funny how some get away with screwing customers while others pay dearly such as myself and everyone that purchased a 2002 2.5L Altima. There has got to be some accountability from Nissan with this problem. I am sure the EPA would love to hear how Nissan made a car that burns as much oil as gas and I plan to tell everyone who will listen. I hope all who own a 2002 Altima will join me in an effort to make Nissan suffer a financial crisis like they have myself and others who purchased there lemon of a car.
2010Nov 15
Altima 2.5 4
- Automatic transmission
- 104,000 miles
I NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN EVER.I OWNED 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 USING 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 150 MILES,CHANGE CONVERTER,PVC,FLUSH ENGINE,ADD ALL KIND OF ENGINE RESTORER & LUBRICANT,IT SEEMS LIKE NOTHING WORKING.DO YOU TRUST TO REPLACE ENGINE WITH USED OR NEW ENGINE AND HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN.
I WISH THE NISSAN COMPANY WOULD COME UP WITH SOME KIND OF SOLUTION.
2011Jan 25
Altima 2.5S 2.5s
- Automatic transmission
- 109,000 miles
Adding to the growing list, basically a month ago my check engine light came on with P0420, it was the cat, prior to this car would consume oil and go below 'low' mark every 3K miles. Always used synthetic or synthetic blend oils, it dint help.
Now car started making strange noises, and oil lamp turning on intermittently, the dip stick came back almost dry just after ~ 1500 miles after an oil change. Took to dealer, stevens creek nissan, where it was purchased and serviced ever since, he said needed a new engine and cat and sensors, the estimate was $6,000 for this repair. We need to have a class action lawsuit for this problem against Nissan or somehow involve NTHSA with this problem.
2010May 01
Altima LX 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 135,000 miles
I bought a 2002 Nissan Altima last November. I've had it a year and the engine uses oil like crazy! I have to check it every couple of days. I spend $60 in one week in gas alone. I can't leave my car running because it dies if left running. So, when I pick my children up from daycare they have to get in a cold car. They have to ride in the cold car in the mornings because it dies. I took it to the Nissan dealership and they told me i'd have to replace the engine because Nissan doesn't recognize this as a recall! This si a major problem! Why wouldn't they do something about this when they know it's a problem? I can't afford another vechicle and in order to trade it in I have to get a vechicle 10k or more and I can't afford that. That means I would have higher payments than I do now. I just hope it doesn't leave me and my children walking down the road one day! The air isn't working right and the heat only works when you drive, when you stop it gets cold again.
2010Dec 27
Altima S 3.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 107,000 miles
My daughter has a 2002 Altima Nissan. In December we noticed that the car began using excessive oil (3 quarts per 250 miles). Since then I have had a local mechanic working on the issue; replaced valve seals, check compressions which were within tolerance, replaced pcp? sensor. This did not fix the problem and is still using excessive oil, smoking, with slight engine knock. From reading the complaints here; it appears Nissan has a major problem with the engines for this year of car. Is Nissan standing behind and covering repairs or is there some way to find resolve? Up until now the car has performed reasonably. However my daughter is not in a position to pay for a new engine. Is there manufacture help or are we on our own?
2010Jul 01
Altima 2.5S 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 117,000 miles
I had a great running Toyota Camry that i basically bought cash but sold when i came across the '"GREAT DEAL" on my 2002 Gold Nissan Altima 2.5S.. i payed for the car almost ALL CASH and it ran GREAT for almost 3 weeks after owning it. then i flew out of town and let my sister drive the car. She called and said the engine was making a "knocking noise".. Im NOT a mechanic but know a little about cars so i told her to top off the oil and take it for an oil change. it ran GREAT when i returned but a week later i checked the dipstick. BONE DRY. Mysterious because i never LEAKED OUT. So i took the car to Tires Plus and before they even examined my car one of the senior mechanics said its VERY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM THAT NISSAN MOTORS IS AWARE OF AND IT WILL NEED A NEW ENGINE. i had just paid 4,000 CASH DOWN for the car. i cried and drove it unwillingly for another month until i sold it to pay off the balance owed. WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!! I owned a 1997 Nissan Altima and its STILL GOING STRONG. BEWARE. THE NEW 2.5S ENGINES ARE CRAP AND ARE MADE TO FAIL!!!
2008Oct 28
Altima 2.5S 2.5L S
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
Before I start off with my complaint, I want say this, everyone that has this Nissan altima 2002 4cyc (and I've heard other years are affected too) has this exact same problem but most of them are not reporting it. I've had my nissan altima taken care of by the Nissan Renton dealership i.e. I relied on them to do all the recommended maintenance work. After paying for minor maintenance that cost me no more than 200 dollars for, then following a few weeks from then, I had to take my Nissan Altima in for an engine light issue. The dealership said the cat converter had gone bad so that needed to be replaced. So I had the dealership go ahead and do what's needed to be done, so ended up paying for new cat converter and labor. Several weeks later, the engine light came on again, so I took back and the dealership said I needed a new engine. I filed a complaint with the manager and apparently he said they the dealership didn't do anything wrong. Very furious at the time since, all these maintenance work they've been doing to my car was worth nothing since they couldn't help prevent this issue. That was the end of me doing business with the Nissan Renton dealership. So I called Nissan Corp and they couldn't help me either. I swear, Nissan Corp was the worst customer service I have ever dealt with, and I'm not exaggerating, if you don't believe, give them a call and see for yourself. I think that Nissan Corp goals or motto is what can you do to not help the customers. Anyways, I ended up taking it to a local mechanic store and they said if they can work on the head gasket leak and thus would not require a new engine. Several months later, engine light on again, took to the local mechanic store and this time they said it's the cat converter that's bad again. It seems like the same issue is occurring again. Anyways, now I just have to fill the car with oil every week.
2004May 04
Altima SE 3.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 51,000 miles
Well where to start ,v6 Altima is not a bad car ,runs good and everything but i am noticing thats its consuming to much oil .i can tell when its low because of a grinding noise,while driving ,i don't have no idea what it is ,i of course keep on adding oil as needed but is obviously something wrong,the car runs good but i am afraid something might happen one day with the engine,Nissan should definitely,take a deeper look at the problem,i dont think they are doing enough,personally i have to say that mi next car is not going to be a Nissan especially not an Altima,honestly I'm just going to sell it ,just the way it is,i mean what other option do i have .
2010Dec 01
Altima 2.5
- Automatic transmission
- 113,000 miles
I can't believe that when I went to E-Bay to look for another Nissan Altima to replace this one that I have I was enlightened by a seller of the same vehicle. He had mentioned that it was an oil burner, and that the problem was in the Cat/Converter breaking up and being sucked into the exhaust manifold. These bits of metal rip apart the cylinders and rings Etc causing the engine to burn excessive amounts of oil. I acquired this car at 82,000 miles from my wife. Being that I thought at the time that it was a great car, I bought her a 2008 Nissan Altima. Now I use this car for work and in the six months that I drive it I put on about 33,000 miles.The end of November I noticed that the water level was going down about a quart over a period of a weeks worth of driving. Later to find out that it was blowing white smoke (Leak in the head gasket) I bought Bars head gasket repair and followed the instructions perfectly. Lo and behold the sucker worked and sealed the leak. Then I noticed that I had to add oil to the engine after that 800 mile weekly trip. The engine light came on, which I didn't pay to much attention to for it came on frequently when it was loosing water. When I downshifted the car would smoke, other than that I didn't see where the oil was going. After reading that report from a seller on E-Bay that would be the farthest thing on my mind was to buy another 2002 Altima. Luckily as an omen I dozed on the road and swiped a guardrail on the whole left side of the car. Now with the $4200 I got from the insurance company I will look for another make of vehicle.
2010May 01
Altima S 2.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 65,000 miles
For the hell of it I ran a search for "Nissan Altima Excessive Oil Consumption". I couldn't believe the comments I read from other folks having the same, identical problem. I bought my Nissan new in '02. It now has 65,000 miles. I take pride in maintaining my vehicles. I usually drive them for 10 or more years. Not this one. Not at a rate of 1 quart of oil for every 200 miles driven. What gets me is: no smoke, and no puddles........at least not yet...............there is a definite problem with this engine.
2010Sep 24
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 155,000 miles
I had the car for about a year, it started with the engine light, then noise came. I took it my mechanic to get it fixed (EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION), after two "catalytic converters" in less than a month and $1200 later, the car is still consuming more oil, its running rough (acceleration sounds like its climbing a steep mountain with power), smoking. its getting bad
2010Sep 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
My fiance has a 2002 Nissan Altima which she bought used back in 2005. The first couple of years the car ran pretty good but we did have to bring it back to the dealer for some recalls I found out about. Recently, about a month after an oil change, she noticed the car was making some loud noises coming from the engine area when she was accelerating and the check engine light came on. I checked the oil level and it was almost bone dry. My first reaction was to blame the place where she gets her oil changed thinking that they screwed up by either not tightening the plug or adding enough oil. I brought the car to a buddy of mine who owns a repair shop. He threw it on the computer and he told me that it said the catalytic converter needed to be replaced so I had that done. He also filled it up with oil.
About a month later the noise started to come back so I decided to check the oil and, once again, it was bone dry. I then realized there is a much bigger problem going on so I decided to come on this site to check if other people had any complaints and, low and behold, it seems I am one of many who are experiencing the same crap and I am pretty damned pissed off the more I read.
I think Nissan should be held accountable for there poor excuse for a car and fix the damn problem without hesitation. I could see if it was a random occurence but there is no way in hell it is a coincidence. This car is a peice of crap in my opinion and I would never have her buy another Nissan again. I am going to attempt to contact the company this week but am not holding my breath for them to do something about it. If anyone has a better solution or would like to band together to make Nissan accountable please let me know.
2004Jun 16
Altima SE 3.5
- Manual transmission
- 30,000 miles
Bought 2002 Altima 3.5 brand new! Every service done at authorized dealer on time. After about 30K miles we noticed excessive oil consumption. We complained to dealer, and nothing. Switched dealerships and they started listening. After a few oil consumption tests they said it needed a new motor. By this time it had 70-80K miles on it. Luckily we paid for an extended warranty and the insurance put a new engine block in it. 30K miles later same issue. It is quickly getting worse. Dealer ran oil consumption test and it is using 1.5 qts every 1K miles. Dealer put in new valve cover gaskets (I didn't see how that was going to help since they were not leaking). Now going through oil consumption tests again. Last 2 checks it was using 2 qts to every 1K miles and smokes when it is cold. Waiting for their next suggestion after our last oil consumption test (they do 3 to check consistency). I assume they are going to say it is something like the tire pressure. LOL Since it has over 100K on it now and we are out of all warranties, we can only hope since we (paid for the first engine block (through our extended ins) that Nissan will fix it). Not exactly what I was expecting from a $30 car (after options).
2009Nov 27
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 87,770 miles
some time in nov. 2009 i went to bay ridge Honda to buy a car i got a lemon.. i have a 2002 Nissan Altima the no good for nothing car i spend over 2500 on fixing water pump oil pump and engine block gasket... i hate this car .... i will tell you never never never buy a Nissan.... i hate Nissan ... i feel like driving to north a. Nissan and crashing my car into the ceo...
2010Jun 16
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 111,000 miles
I have read so many complaints with 2002 alitma. I would started it up and would get a rattling noise, then I would hear water coming from my front dash. My car was being maintained very well. Until it started to put oil every week, I had it looked at several times and was told needed my oil flushed, then my I had to replace spark plugs. I did everything I needed to do but the issue was still happening. My engine light kept coming on, 2 cylinder misfire, 02 censor, cat converter. I took it to a mechanic and replaced the censor engine light went off came back on 1 week later had it replaced again. I would come to a stop and would jerk put in neutral and stops, get home check my oil bone dry. i had an mechanic look at so many times that i was throwing money away. I start my car on 8/27 and seen a cloud of smoke took it to the mechanic and to be told my engine is going and would cost me 2500. all I can say is WHAT! My car has 111,000 miles there no way my engine should be dead. Nissan does not stand behind their product, the car is only 7 years old. I have a supervisor at my job same year make and model same issue. this is terrible, Nissan should be SUED.
2008Oct 20
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 64,000 miles
Purchased car a little under 2 years ago at 64,000 miles. Since then, there's been massive oil consumption. Every time I fill up on gas (every 2 weeks or so) I need to put at least 2 quarts of oil in it. Brought it into a mechanic and they couldn't find an oil leak. Only thing they did was advise me to document when I need oil (at how many miles and how much.) I have a difficult time accelerating and would literally have to press my gas pedal all the way to the floor and it would still climb ever so slowly. Plus, it would make rattling noises, like it was struggling to accelerate.
2 months ago (at 72,000 miles), my car finally died on the highway. The gas pedal went kaput and my car had to coast to the mechanic. I needed a new catalytic converter which set me back $1100. The mechanic said it had nothing to do with the excessive amount of oil my car was drinking. After the replacement, I still have to put on average 2 quarts of oil every 2 weeks. I do not trust Nissan. There should be a recall. This is unacceptable an ridiculous.
2010Jun 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
As someone who drives used cars for a local auto dealer, I have seen the benefit of making sure your car receives the needed servicing. I have driven cars with 150,000+ miles, which have received regular service. During my time behind the wheel these cars perform outstandingly. So to make sure my wife enjoys her 2002 Nissan Altima, I have made sure that the maintenance requirements of the car are performed. Even so, I got a call from my mechanic after he examined the car because it was burning an excessive amount of oil recently. I am told that I probably need a new engine because of an inherent problem with the 2002 Nissans because there is a breakdown of internal material which finds it way into the engine and destroys it. The car is going into the dealer for a diagnostic analysis and if the mechanic's suspicions are true, I am going to be quite upset! If Nissan's of this vintage have had these problems (which I am told occurs on a regular basis), has anyone received a notice from Nissan advising them to be aware of the problem and what to do to avoid it? Seems to me that we should have been served notice. Maybe this is a legal issue that the state's Attorney General's office should be aware of.
2010Jan 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 125,000 miles
I bought my 2002 Nissan Altima used in 2004. It had 38000 miles on it. Everything worked fine until about 119000 miles. At that time the engine would start to sputter and miss after I exited the freeway. I put up with that until my radiator resevoir literaly blew up one time when I exited the freeway. The car kept running, no check engine light was on, but when I looked under the hood there was a big hole blown on the top of the radiator. I had my mechanic replace the radiator, but I still had the sputtering problem when I exited the freeway. I took it back to my mechanic and he found a leaky head gasket. Got that fixed and it runs great, but I need to add a quart of oil evey 600 miles and the oil is always black. No smoke out the exhaust and no oil leaks,but it eats oil. That oil is going someplace and I'm guessing the rings or cylinders. In my opionion Nissan engines have oil consumption problems. I'll drive it until it doesn't pass smog check and then buy a Honda or Toyota.
2010Jun 01
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 125,000 miles
It is disgraceful that you cannot depend on this car. Engine light does not come on but you hear engine strain. You have to ride around with oil container in the car. 1000 miles to one quart is totally unacceptable. Nissan needs to be held accountable. If the engines in the 2002 were bad they should have to recall and replace like Toyota has with their problems. I am done with Nissan.
2010Jul 11
Altima 2.5 S 2.5L 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 136,000 miles
Just found this website listing numerous complaints about the same problem my wife's 02 Altima is having - excessive oil consumption. Never had a problem with this car using oil until a couple months ago, when, at 133k miles, we took it to the dealer for a regular oil change, and found the dipstick was dry. Arter monitoring it, adding oil and taking in to the dealer twice more for them to check it, they tell us the rings are shot and the engine needs to be replaced to the tune of $4300!! They also told us it could be the catalytic converter though that has not happened yet. This is not a matter of faulty maintenance, she has had this car since it was new and has always taken it to the dealer for regular service. It was just paid off last year, and we had planned to keep it for another eyar, but now we are looking at a new engine, which is not a good investment. Either that or keep adding oil each week, but by reading the other posts, it looks like there are several cases of even replaced engines having the same problem soon after, also related to the converter. I will talk to both the local dealership and Nissan Motor Corp, but I don't expect much given the responses others have gotten. I was surprised to find the problem this widespread, since the delaer never said that this was a known/recurring issue. Seeing what has happened to Toyota, maybe its time people went to the media and made this problem public!
2012Mar 05
Altima S/SI
We just purchased a 2002 Nissan Altima...I see Nissan's all over my city and I became a fan of the style and just purchased my very own.Well my excitement was short lived when my check engine light came on 4 hrs after we drove off the lot.We went back to the dealership and their mechanic told me that the only code it was reading was (P0420). I needed to replace my O2 sensors, needless to say 2+2= 400.00. 24hrs later my check engine light came back on. I went back to the mechanic and he read I was 2.5 qts.of oil low.He added oil and checked it again.It was very dark so,i did an oil change.Within 5 days the oil light came back on.I smelt a faint oil smell...I figured maybe some was spilled and was just burning off. But,since then I'm checking the oil daily and about every other day I'm low again.Needless to say I've had this car for 33 days and I have poured 10 qts.of oil into it and my check engine light is still on .I think Nissan should be held liable for these repairs since It's OBVIOUS this is not an isolated case.The catalact converter has now failed due to the excessive oil usage.Were having an oil crisis in this world and The president required B.P to clean up their oil spill.Well I think He should require Nissan to clean up theirs.How does the Gvmnt bail out Nissan in 09' with $1.6Billion and were going broke trying to keep our Nissan oil vessels running.I'm very diligent about energy efficiency in my home and through recycling ect.But,because of my income I cannot afford to purchase a new energy efficient car.My S.U.V only got 10 MPG this Nissan gets up to 27 MPG that was a great buying feature but, I feel like I fill up my oil tank more than I do my gas tank and oil is $7. a qt.I have to add one every 2 days or so.I've purchased so much oil that I should buy stock.... maybe get some of my money back.I've gone from qts.to gal my only other option is to purchase a drum.I'm going broke between gas and oil.When is ENOUGH...ENOUGH???
rtjohnwa
Puyallup, WA, USA
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