2002 Nissan Altima Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the engine, especially on 2.5-liter cars: heavy oil consumption, oil smoke from the exhaust, overheating and coolant loss, and pre-catalyst debris that ends up in the cylinders. Reports on these powertrain topics cluster around 60,000-120,000 miles. A separate, clearly reported theme is rust-through of the driver and passenger floor pans, mostly on cars used in road-salt states, with complaints noting holes large enough to let exhaust fumes into the cabin.

1. 1
   Engine

   Excessive oil consumption and oil smoke

   • 302 complaints (29%)
   • median 92,000 mi at 6.9 yrs old (257 state mileage)
   • 11 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,000 (median of 56 quotes)
   • filed 2002–2025

   Complaints describe the 2.5-liter engine using large amounts of oil between changes, sometimes a quart or more a week, with no visible puddle underneath. Owners mention blue or black smoke from the exhaust, rough shaking at stops, fouled spark plugs, and mechanics telling them the engine needs replacement. Several say the pre-catalyst broke apart and particles were pulled into the cylinders; dealers generally attributed the oil use to worn rings or pointed to warranty limits. Mostly reported between roughly 60,000 and 130,000 miles, often worsening gradually over months.

   Recall 03V084000Recall 07V5270001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the oil level and smell the dipstick, and look for smoke at startup or under acceleration. Ask how often oil is added between changes and whether the exhaust/catalyst recall work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2002 Nissan Altima with 105,000 miles. I have no oil leaks, smoke coming out when I drive but my car is consuming a quart or more a week. I have 2 small children and I have contacted Nissan and they said they haven't heard anything. But on car complaints there are several. I am afraid my engine would blow when I am driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #10238902, filed 2008-08, 104 miles

   “I purchase the car on 03/29/2011 from a used car dealership,on june 27, 2011 while on vacation the car quit running checked fluids and found oil reservoir had no oil in it. Had oil change performed before I went on vacation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10415243, filed 2011-07, 71,287 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Stalling, no-start and misfire codes

   • 277 complaints (26%)
   • median 85,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (231 state mileage)
   • 14 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $900 (median of 27 quotes)
   • filed 2002–2024

   Owners report the engine cutting out at speed or while turning, failing to restart, and the check-engine light coming on with misfire or sensor codes. Some were told a position sensor was at fault and that the vehicle should have been covered by a sensor recall, while others say the VIN was not included or the work had already been done. A few describe loose screws from the throttle body or intake being drawn into a cylinder. Reported from very low mileage up through about 130,000 miles, with many cases under 90,000 miles.

   Recall 03V455000Recall 07V5270002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the crank and cam position sensor recalls were completed and confirm by VIN with a dealer. Scan for stored codes and test-drive at highway speed, watching for hesitation or a flashing check-engine light.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2002 Nissan Altima has complete loss of power while driving on three separate occasions, twice I lost control of car and miraculously avoided a crash. I have been told that the problem was repaired the second time having it towed to the dealership. I no longer feel safe placing my children in this car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10052352, filed 2004-01, 12,521 miles

   “On march 27,05 my Altima began to stutter while driving on the interstate very badly. I decided to return home to switch cars, and it began to stall while traveling at slower speeds (glad it did not stall while I was on the interstate). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10140507, filed 2005-10, 84,500 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Rusted-through floor pans

   • 105 complaints (10%)
   • median 100,000 mi at 11.0 yrs old (81 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $2,300 (median of 13 quotes)
   • filed 2006–2017

   Complaints describe rust eating through the driver and passenger floor boards, in some cases around factory drain holes, until holes appear and exhaust fumes reach the cabin. Owners say the rest of the underside looks normal and that the rust spread quickly. Several report dealers inspected and photographed the damage but repairs were declined as out of warranty, while others were quoted substantial body-shop estimates. Mostly reported between about 60,000 and 120,000 miles on cars driven in areas that use road salt.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Lift the floor mats on both front sides and inspect the sheet metal and seams, and look underneath at the floor pan and rear subframe. Ask whether the car spent its life in a salt-belt state and whether any floor-pan campaign work was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The front floor boards of my 2002 Altima are rusting and rotting away. The safety issue is not only the obvious floor rotting from beneath me, but also the exhaust vapors that are entering the passenger compartment. There is a major design flaw that has caused the floors to rust and rot on vehicles in the north east. Because there is no recall, the dealer cannot help me. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10712406, filed 2015-04, 80,108 miles

   “I have an 2002 Nissan Altima s 2.5 liter with 95k on it. There is heavy rust under the drivers floor. It has only taken a little short of a year to go from nothing to some major rot. I am a professional detailer and autobody tech and the car has been meticulously well maintained. It looks as though is a flaw in the design. I noticed it today when I was changing my oil and inspecting the underside of the car.”

   NHTSA complaint #10381198, filed 2011-02, 95,465 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Overheating, coolant loss and radiator failure

   • 134 complaints (13%)
   • median 86,612 mi at 6.5 yrs old (124 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,500 (median of 27 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2016

   Owners describe the temperature gauge climbing or fluctuating, coolant disappearing quickly, white smoke, and misfires after starting. Some report the plastic radiator head cracking, and others were told a leaking head gasket or valve cover gasket was the cause. Dealer responses ranged from replacing gaskets and radiators to quoting a full engine replacement. Reported across a wide mileage range, commonly from about 60,000 to 120,000 miles, sometimes after repeated cooling-system repairs.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look for coolant residue and cracks around the radiator tanks and check the coolant level cold. Ask whether head gasket or radiator work has been done and whether the check-engine light has been on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car was losing coolant. Dealer said I needed a new engine because the head gasket was leaking. They refused to replace the catalytic converter and blamed the engine overheat problem on the leaking gasket. Engine is working fine. I do not want them to replace the head gasket because I can get it done by an ase certified mechanic for half the price and I do not trust them since they told me I needed a new engine. The catalytic converter is supposed to be covered by warranty up to 80k miles. I have 71k miles on the car.”

   NHTSA complaint #10171358, filed 2006-10, 71,000 miles

   “As I was driving up a hill, I heard a loud popping noise. Instantly I noticed my temperature gauge shoot up and the check engine light turned on. I parked my car and just figured that it had overheated. I added more water to the radiator and kept driving. 2 minutes later it was all the way hot again. I had my car towed home at which point I inspected the radiator and discovered a 4 inch horizontal crack in the plastic head of the radiator directly across from the hose mount. I could not believe that plastic could crack like this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10282486, filed 2009-08, 117,918 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Windshield, headlight and window electrical faults

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe assorted electrical problems: front windows lowering on their own after the key is removed, headlight bulbs overheating and melting the housing, doors that will not unlock or latch, and starting problems traced to wiring or the alternator. Dealer responses varied, with some repairs quoted and others described as no fault found. Spread from about 40,000 to 150,000 miles, with window and lighting reports often on lower-mileage cars.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test every power window, door lock and exterior light, and inspect headlight housings for melted or discolored plastic. Ask whether battery and charging-system repairs have been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The front two windows in my Nissan Altima roll down, by themselves, everytime I take my key out of the ignition! I have tried taking the batteries out of both of my key fobs, thinking maybe there is a short or something wrong with my key fobs, but my front two windows still roll down. I called Nissan to ask them about this problem, and they said, they have never heard of this problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10340227, filed 2010-06, 100,700 miles

   “Doors are locked shut all but one, cannot get them to unlock and when I get them unlocked, they won't latch closed. Will not unlock them even when I attempted manually... I need a solution.”

   NHTSA complaint #11395285, filed 2021-02, 134,500 miles

Buying note. On this model year, the engine's oil use and cooling system deserve the most attention: check oil level and smoke behavior, look for coolant loss, and confirm the crank-sensor and exhaust recalls by VIN. Inspect the front floor pans from inside and underneath, especially on cars from salt-belt states, since rust-through is reported often and repairs can be costly.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.