2003 Nissan Altima Problems

What owners report

2003 Altima owners most often report the engine cutting out or refusing to restart, usually traced by mechanics to the crank or cam position sensor; many say their VIN was outside the related campaigns. A second recurring theme is floor pan and front frame rust-through, which owners describe appearing at surprisingly low mileage on otherwise well-kept cars. Engine oil consumption, catalytic converter damage and radiator/cooling failures round out the common reports.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or will not restart (crank/cam sensor)

   • 451 complaints (51%)
   • median 76,975 mi at 5.9 yrs old (391 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $500 (median of 38 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2022

   Complaints describe the engine quitting without warning while driving, at stops or at highway speed, sometimes with the check engine light on and a no-restart afterward; some note hard steering or loss of power when it happens. Mechanics and dealers frequently diagnosed a failed crank or camshaft position sensor, and several owners say the sensor was replaced more than once. Many owners report being told their VIN was not covered by the crank position sensor campaign and paid for the repair themselves. Mostly reported between roughly 50,000 and 130,000 miles, at stops, low speeds and highway speeds alike, with no clear seasonal pattern.

   Recall 06V242000Recall 03V4550002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the crank and cam position sensors have been replaced and keep records; a scan tool check for stored crank/cam sensor codes and a cold-start and short drive test are worthwhile. Confirm with a dealer whether any open campaign applies to the VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have had my car shut off on me while driving down the road causing it hard to steer almost causing other cars to rear end me. Then the car wouldn't start. Every year I have had to buy a new cam shaft sensor since the install of the new engine that was put in by Nissan. There is a recall on the cam sensor but my car is not under that recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #10916709, filed 2016-10, 152,134 miles

   “2003 Nissan Altima 2.5 s is part of the recall campaign surrounding the catalytic pin. My Altima stopped functioning on last year after two weeks of stopping, stalling, smoking, engine knocking, etc. The engine was replaced (supposedly) at the expense of Nissan. The exact same scenario occurred two weeks ago this year and the car again was towed to our local Nissan dealership. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10163439, filed 2006-07, 115,000 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Floor pan and front frame rust-through

   • 119 complaints (13%)
   • median 108,000 mi at 10.5 yrs old (97 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,756 (median of 11 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2021

   Owners describe soft or holed floor boards, often on the front driver or passenger side, and in some cases rusted front frame sections found hanging or crumbling underneath. Many say the cars were garaged and otherwise clean, and several mention holes appearing at low mileage; some report exhaust or fuel odors entering the cabin. Complaints describe dealers and the manufacturer declining assistance once the corrosion warranty period had passed. Reported from roughly 45,000 to 130,000 miles, often on cars described as otherwise rust-free and garage kept.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Get underneath the car or have it inspected on a lift, pushing on the floor pans and checking the front frame and side members for softness, holes or flaking metal; ask whether any floor pan service campaign work was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The floor pan is rusted out. 03 Nissan Altima I am not alone with this problem and I feel some one is going to get hurt. I called Nissan north america they confirmed the problem. They had a body ship give them an estimate of $2800 and they refuse to help. I know the car is out of warranty but it is there defect in design. I would love to talk to some one about this. Thank you”

   NHTSA complaint #10280869, filed 2009-08, 100,000 miles

   “Floorboards on drivers and passengers side is completely rusted thru. It is my 82 year old mothers car, which she bought new. The car has always been garage kept and taken care of meticulously by me and is in mint condition. No rust what so ever on the car (except the floorboards) and has only 50,000 miles.”

   NHTSA complaint #10916523, filed 2016-10, 50,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Excessive oil consumption and engine damage

   • 110 complaints (12%)
   • median 97,000 mi at 7.5 yrs old (100 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 21 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2020

   Complaints describe oil level dropping quickly between checks, sometimes several quarts in a short period, with no visible smoke; some report knocking, a thrown rod or engine replacement. Several owners connect the oil loss to pre-catalyst material breaking up and being drawn into the engine, and one mentions a failed oil pump. Owners say repairs were largely at their own expense. Reported from about 90,000 miles upward, often after the car had been in use for several years.

   Recall 03V0840001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the oil level and look for a fuel or burnt smell, ask how much oil the car uses between changes, and listen for knocking at start-up and under load; ask whether the pre-catalyst or catalyst has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We have a 2003 Nissan Altima, we had problems with the catalyic converter, we changed it, in aug 2011, we learned about the problem on-line. What we did not read about is how the converter goes bad and throws parts of it into the engine and has the engine burn oil and eventually throw a rod. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10443218, filed 2012-01, 99,608 miles

   “I am a collage student and I bought a 2003 Nissan Altima I always like this car but I got a shock in my life the first week to school I saw the engine light blinking when I check there is no oil I odd 3 quart and it fill to the h level the next week it went to below low level I only got this car 3 weeks only and I almost used one gal oil can any one do any thing about the problem the car do not smoke it just burn the oil.”

   NHTSA complaint #10554448, filed 2013-12, 148,200 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Catalytic converter and check engine light

   • 94 complaints (11%)
   • median 100,500 mi at 7.5 yrs old (80 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,000 (median of 19 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2020

   Owners report the check engine light coming on with exhaust odor, and mechanics diagnosing cracked or failed catalytic converters and oxygen sensors. Some describe repeated converter replacement without the light staying off, and others say the converter was replaced but related engine damage followed. A few owners say the dealer reprogrammed the control module rather than replacing parts. Most often reported between roughly 70,000 and 150,000 miles.

   Recall 03V0840002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the car scanned for stored and pending codes before buying, ask for receipts for any converter, oxygen sensor or control module work, and note any exhaust smell at idle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2003 Nissan Altima was at the dealer for the recall ECM re program , after that down hill , dealer told me the code also called for a catalytic converter , the car stalled 15 times, one time I had to stay over night on a fast food place. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10206263, filed 2007-10, 62 miles

   “My Nissan Altima 2003 2.5 sl has been experiencing lot of vibrations and power lost while traveling on city streets and highways, the problem seems get worse once your exit the highway sitting at the light the car want idle. It seems like it wants to shut off. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10811352, filed 2015-12, 132,000 miles

Buying note. Have any 2003 Altima inspected underneath for floor and frame corrosion and scanned for crank/cam sensor and converter codes before purchase, since those are the most frequently reported problems. Records showing sensor replacements, cooling system service and oil-change history help judge how well a specific car has been maintained.

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.