8.3
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$3,262.00
Average Mileage:
110,078 miles
Total Complaints:
47 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (25 reports)
- replace engine and cat. converter (22 reports)
engine problem
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2010Jul 31
Altima SE 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 88,000 miles
I started having problems with this car last summer. The car was making weird noises and had a weird ticking sound. The engine was humming very loudly. I went for an oil change, which I did religiously since I bought the car brand new in 2002. I was informed by the person that my car had no oil in it. He told me to take the car to a mechanic (this was a jiffy lube) which i did. I brought the car to Nissan dealership and they told me they could not find anything wrong with it. The car continued to run but as the months went on, the engine would shake and the check engine light would come on. The car felt like it was going to stall out, but it never did. Once again I brought the car to Nissan (this was almost a year later) and they informed me that I needed a new engine. The car only had 95000 miles on it! It would cost 3800 to get a new engine which I could not afford to do. They told me to just continue putting oil in it. Now, 6 months later, the car is burning oil at a rate of a quart a week, if not less, and the check engine light just started coming on again.
I know I am on borrowed time with this car. Thank God it hasn't broken down. I also had to add coolant since the radiator was bone dry too. I looked up info on this car and saw all the complaints re. the cat. converter. I have to say that Nissan NEVER told me about that problem even though they must have known when they looked at my car the second time. Now I'm reading about people who actually replaced the engine and are still having problems!
There should be a class action suit since they obviously installed defective parts in this car since so many people are having the same problem. I can't afford to buy another car and I was going to replace the engine but now I'm not sure what to do after reading that the problems continued even after fixing it. I thought about getting a rebuilt engine but then there really are no guarantees.
This sucks and I'll never buy another nissan again!
2011Jul 26
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 137,000 miles
I bought this car in April 2011. I never drove it cause i wanted to repaint it making it like new. In June 2011 i finally saved enough money to get the paint job done. Driving the car for the first time from the paint shop to my house, i realized the check engine light on. I went to a mechanic who ran a test and said that my catalytic converter was bad and will need to be changed. I changed the converter and after three day, i hard a grinding noise coming from the engine. When i checked the oil, it was dry like the sahara desert. There was not oil light on and there is no sign of oil leakage. I added oil and took it to my mechanic who told my that i have to live with this problem because this is a problem known for Nissan Altima.
I was so disappointed and now i have to keep a case of oil in my trunk cause i have to add a quart every 100 miles. I will never buy a Nissan Altima again and please if you do not own one, consider yourself BLESSED. Pleaseee stay OUT!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2011Nov 21
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 108,752 miles
So I bought this car just a couple days ago. Drove it to school and try starting it this morning and it couldn't start. Took it to a guy to fix and said i need a new engine.
2011Mar 29
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 116,000 miles
I thought my mechanic had ruined my car. No. Its using 2 quarts of oil every 4 days now. Fix it or not is the question. I just paid it off and thought I would be driving it for a couple of years,. That's not going to happen now.
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2011Mar 29
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 116,000 miles
This car is a piece of junk. Changing the engine out doesn't seem to stop the problems.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2011Mar 28
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 116,000 miles
I thought my mechanic had left the oil out when changing my oil. Put 5 1/2 qts in two weeks later. It's just gotten worse. Took my good reliable car on road trip. Used 10 qts of oilo over 1600 miles. Now I'm putting 2 qts in every four days.
Just paid my car off in November and it's a piece of junk. Do I fix it or not? It doesn't seem like that fixes it either. Thought I would drive it a coupe of years before having to but a new one. That's not going to happen.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
2011Sep 01
Altima S 2.5L
- Manual transmission
- 95,000 miles
Same as everyone else. (sigh) I made the rookie mistake of making a quick purchase b/c I had a good impression of Altimas and this one seemed like a decent deal. Wish I'd researched it a little more before diving in.
2011Jun 03
Altima SE 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 125,000 miles
Thanks to all of the other posts on this subject. My car was great until 100K miles, then starting burning oil. I put it in to keep up, eventually the engine light came on and then the loss of heat. Now it runs rougher than H. I made an appt to have it diagnosed
this coming MON, but after reading all the good posts; I'm S***-canning it.
I too was expecting 200K miles, very disappointing!
2011May 10
Altima 3.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 125,000 miles
I keep having to fill the oil, I went to the shop because of a completely different problem and had them put a sensor on the oil gauge.. The oil light still blinks when I start it. Took it to the dealership yesterday they say they fixed it. Well, then why is it still acting up today?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2011Sep 28
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 151,000 miles
My Nissan Altima 2003 S 2.5 recently flickered an oil light so I pulled into a gas station and checked the oil. The oil was bone dry. I put in four quarts. 4 days later I checked it again and again bone dry. I took it to a mechanic who said "these Nissan engines are faulty" and described the catalytic converter failure which effects the piston rings. I then brought it to another mechanic who said it's the piston rings. I then brought the car to a third mechanic who said "these Nissans have been known to be faulty for years 2002 to 2006" and he went on to say that "Nissan should stand by their product". I figured I would get at least 200k out of this car. I am really pissed off that I have to either pay 5000 for a new engine or trade the car in to have more money tacked on to my loan. I'LL NEVER BUY A NISSAN AGAIN.
2011Sep 07
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 193,000 miles
What and do they have a class action lawsuit against nissan for failed engines?
2010Jul 03
Altima 2.6L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 81,000 miles
Have a 2003 Nissan Altima what went down hill quickly. Went to Nissan before my warranty expired with this burning oil problem. Paid $120.00 for a diagnoses, they claimed nothing was wrong with car. Months later car acted up and brought it to my own mechanic who told me there was an engine recall on this car. Went back again a while later. Again another diagnostic test and $120.00 for them to tell the engine has an internal engine malfunction to wait awhile and come back in a few weeks. Well went back probably 3 months later they did another test $120 down the drain for them to inform me so sorry "YOUR WARRANTY EXPIRED." why didn't they tell me that in the first place. NISSAN DOES NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS. So now I am stuck with a Nissan Altima 2033 with 92,000 I can't afford to have replaced. Now after reading what others have said about their Nissan's after getting a new engine will not invest any more money into this vehicle. Will find a junk box and put put around.
2011Jun 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 110,000 miles
I have a 2003 Altima that I loved when I first bought it in 2007. In around 2009 I noticed that I was using oil in my car when I would have a horrible noise coming from the engine and when I checked it I would have no oil in the car. So I just continued to put oil in the car as I needed to, which seemed to be every other day. Finally the car seemed to be getting worse and worse. The idle was off, it was trying to die on me all the time, was making ticking sounds along with many others from the engine. So I called the Nissan dealer and their solution was a new engine. Well in July of 2011 I finally had to break down and get the engine put in the car. It drove good for maybe three days, then it started idling rough again, and when I randomly checked the oil in it on the third or fourth day, imagine that, it was bone dry... After this my engine light came on, the code flashed for the cat converter. So then both cat converters and O2 sensors were replaced. My car then ran good for two days. It was trying to die on me all the time and idling rough once again but the oil was doing ok. About two weeks after the cat converter was replaced I checked the oil and it was....BONE DRY.... Now once again I am stuck putting oil in my car every other day and it drives like crap. What is a person suppose to do?? Never again will I buy a Nissan.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2011Mar 06
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 83,264 miles
Check engine light went on and car running rough. Took it for an oil change but could still smell an odor when starting up the car. Took it in to my reliable mechanic who tells me my oil is down 2 days after oil change. Suggested a new engine. Did my research on line and found many of the same complaints, same symptoms for the 2003. Called nissan Canada and waited 7 weeks for them to investigate. The answer: warranty up, can't do anything for me. So much for standing behind their obviously defective product. This was my 4th and last Nissan and last. Cheaper to drive it to the scrap yard at this point.
2011Apr 10
Altima GXE 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 122,410 miles
i bought this Altima in 2008 i loved the car until now i had my oil changed every 5to 6 thousand km. never had a problem until now i changed the oil on march 28/11 on April 10/11 my wife took the car out and called me saying the car was ticking real bad i told her to turn it off and would be right over i checked the oil and there was no reading on the dipstick so i filled it and took it back to mechanic who changed the oil and told him the problem he checked for leaks but there was none so i called nissan they said to try a high mileage engine oil so i paid for another oil change but now it smokes like crazy so i went on the internet to check out what the problem could be i was floored when i seen how many people had almost the exact same problem if i had of went to this site before i bought the car i wouldn't be home with out a car now i guess Japanese cars are only good to look at now that i need a new car i will be more diligent searching for the best backed car as for nissan shame on you for stealing hard working peoples money do the right thing and fix the problem at no cost to the customer and rebuild your reputation you might get some of these hundreds of customers buying a new nissan thank you to auto beef for allowing me to vent my frustrations p.s. i would like to know about any class action law suits e-mail me at frank.robichaud@hotmail.com
2011Apr 01
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 87,000 miles
I bought this car one year ago used. I loved it.... Until it started burning oil and have been fighting with Nissan ever since all they will do is split the cost to fix it with me or a 1,000.00 credit towards my purchase. I still owe 7800 on the car. Why would I ever buy a car from Nissan EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2009Feb 09
Altima
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
Our 2003 Nissan Altima was in need of repairs. The oil level was constantly low and I needed to add at least 1 quart per week. The car would shake and at times turn off at a stop light; embarrassing, or not even turn on. We began to notice this a lot... The check engine light was on... One day it began to smoke a lot and I mean a lot, through the tail pipe. We took it in and the mechanic took the engine apart and said that the pistons were twisted; odd. He said the cause was the oil level being low and it was burning a lot, because of engine trouble. But I kept on top of it and never let it get bad... I repaired the car under the extended warranty. But shortly after the check engine light came back. About a year or so later the same problem occurred only not as bad, but it still cost us $1100, not under warranty; out of pocket. During this time the check engine light kept turning on no matter how many times the mechanic reset it. The car burns a lot oil and this last time, I checked the oil and it was fine and the next day the car was burning oil like crazy, I checked the oil level and it was 3 quarts low... I took the car in last Friday and the mechanic said that the car needed a new engine. How is this possible, when just 3 years ago the engine was completely over-hauled...?!!! Our family has owned Nissan's in the past and never had any major problems, but this Altima has been a nightmare... I will never again buy a Nissan because of this issue, I don't want to risk it happening again. P.S.... I trust the mechanic with my life; he's my father, and he has a great reputation in the community.
2007Oct 10
Altima SL 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 65,000 miles
I bought this car used in 07 with 65,000 miles on it. Within a couple months, I noticed the oil was always low and I needed to add oil in between oil changes. Being a sales person and driving A LOT every year, I seem to always be in my car driving. As of Dec 2010, I have 185,000+ miles on.. It does still run, but I have to add a quart OR TWO every thousand miles.. That is once a week or more for me! NOT CONVENIENT AT ALL!
The check engine has been on forever, but the car has not ever lost power.. But I'm definitely afraid the day I'm on a sales call in the middle of nowhere when the engine finally goes.. If Nissan is aware of oil consumption issues, it should make things right will all the Nissan customers ready to switch car makers!
2011Jan 19
Altima SL 3.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 124,274 miles
2003 Nissan Altima Absolutlyyyyyyy ridiculous.
First engine started shaking and car kept shutting down when i would slow down or idle. Then i noticed Oil getting eaten up literally everyday i would have to put in oil. Took it to the Mechanic he said Catalytic converter... so i had that fixed $900. Then 2 weeks later the shaking and stalling and oil consumption CONTINUED. Brought it to mechanic he told me CRANKSHAFT SENSOR - $200. Didn't change a thing car kept eating oil ,shaking , stalling. NOWWW.. I took it to my mechanic he said engines saturated in oil all seals , spark plugs , coils need to be replace. This one costing me $1100. This is ridiculous how many of the same Stories are on this page i will NEVERRRR in a hundred years buy another Nissan. I just want to know and need your help. After fixing this last issue will there be something else? Am i just throwing my money at this car? Should i just cut my loses ? Please someone who has went threw this reply to me before i spend this 1100
2010Nov 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 20,000 miles
I HAVE A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 LITER THAT IS ON IT'S 3RD MOTOR THAT HAD 14K MILES WHEN INSTALLED LESS THAN A YEAR AGO AND IT ALSO IS CONSUMING OIL.....AT LEAST 2 QUARTS A WEEK.
A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON THIS MATTER BECAUSE THE CAR IS NO LONGER WORK HAVING A 4TH MOTOR INSTALLED!!
Update from Aug 24, 2011: I am finding out that Nissan Corp was aware of the problem being a pin in the catalytic converter that eventually breaks loose and goes in and scores the cylinder walls-if your Altima revamped the catalytic converter to have a screen like shield to prevent the pin from going into the motor and get this......Nissan will do ABSOLUTELY nothing about it so you can replace your catalytic converter but you will eventually have to replace the motor because the damage is done!!! AND beware of replacement motors because they could have the same defect and you will be like me.....on the third motor and still have to put a quart of oil in it per week!
No more Nissan cars for me.....I am done and I have yet to find an attorney that will take my case and Nissan still denies any wrongdoing!!!!! Good Luck Everyone :(
2010Mar 04
Altima 3.5SE 3.5L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 108,119 miles
Auto beef is good at lest we know that hows other car perform before buy car... thanx to all of your team...harjinder singh
2010May 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
Don't ever ever ever buy a Nissan Altima it is the worst car in the world. Not only is it the worst car in the world the staff at the Nissan Dealers are all CROOKS they no what the problem is with the car they act like their there to help you and in the end their just there to pamper you and take your money. I am so PISSED right now about my car and being suckered into investing in a car that i thought was going to be fixed and come to find out not only did they not fix my problem for the third time everytime i went back they kept finding other thing wrong with the car.I could have saved myself a few grand and went out and brought me a new car...Im am going to complain about this to everyone i know and i mean everyone theY should not be able to get away with this...someone needs tO compensate me for my lost of time and money spent and for all the lies that were told to me to get my hard earned money. I WILL NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN CAR AGAIN IN LIFE OR RECOMMEND IT TO ANY FRIENDS FOE OR RELATIVES YOU CAN BELIEVE THAT....P.S F--U NISSAN U ASSHOLES.....
2010Aug 10
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 148,000 miles
Same as everyone else. Had sensor failing a few years ago. fixed in 6 months before the 2003 model was included in the recall. then the manifold was leaking. fixed that. Now it is eating oil like crazy. no idea where to go from here.
2010Aug 31
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 139,000 miles
We bought my teenager a 2003 Nissan Altima with 130,000 miles on it...we have had one problem after the next that have been what i consider minor. Until the other day....She called to say her car would not go over 40mph. When she would push the gas the low oil light would flash on for a sec and go off. We checked the oil and it was bone dry and it was not time for another oil change. We added 3 quarts and it drives fine again. I am really worried about it though after reading all the reports on here. We had to change the cam shaft sensor the day after we bought it and we have had to replace the alternator as well. The car does not smoke and we can not find a leak. I really hope it is not going to start drinking oil...We have only had the car since May and we paid $5700 for it...we bought from an individual who would never return our calls....we called bc the next day the car died while driving due to the cam shaft sensor.
2010Jun 20
Altima SL 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 161,000 miles
Bought my nissan altima 2.5 SL 2002 of Nov. I will agree that it was very nice when it was brand new. I am very amazed on how much it takes to keep it running, its a freaking 4 cylinder car, not a sports car! Only after 2-3 years I had to get the whole throttle body system replaced and the A/C fuel pipes, which was fine since it was covered under warranty. But heres when they get you, those mother f**king people from the nissan dealership won't let ya know the big problems until ya not covered anymore. My car has trouble starting now, burns oil like gas, makes alot of bad engine noises, engine tends to shake or accelerate poorly, and stall out when I come to a complete stop sometimes. Not to mention the A/C and heater don't function properly unless I am stepping on the gas.
First went to a friends mechanic shop who helped me replace my battery, spark plugs, rear/downstream O2 sensor, fully cleaned air filter (twice), and most engine related fluids, which cost me around $500 for parts only. Turns out to be engine related, and went to the dealership, since most mechanics are not experienced with altima engines. Had to replace crank sensor, camp/crank shaft, upstream heat O2 sensor, front engine mount, and all this costing me around $1200. Still runs sh*tty, and now they tell me I got to replace my manifold catalytic converter, which will cost me $600 just for the part and more than 3 hours. Then tells me I need to replace my engine which will cost me $5000, which is ridiculous since my car only worths around $3500 now.
I wish I knew that I was buying a very defective engine in the altima, will never buy from nissan ever again, i swear to that!
2010May 17
Altima 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
We have a 2003 nissan altima it was used when we bought it, but now they tell us that the engine is out and we have to replace it I still owe five thousand dollars on this crap sorry but this is what it has turn out to be the first thing we tried to fix was the catalytic converter not sure if I spell it right and was told that the engine was out so what we didnt realize is that this was our problem that it was burning oil this is not right that now we are out of five thousand dollars I'm just afraid that is going to burn down like the one in the picture that is ther with the other complaints someone has to help us on this...its not fair...
2010Jul 05
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 124,000 miles
I had to replace the catalytic converter and now there is smoke coming from the exhaust and it's burning oil. I just changed it like 2 weeks ago and today I check and had nothing. Had to add more. I'm being told to change the head gasket. The doesn't have power when I accelerate from a complete stop. I've already spent about $800 on the cat replacement, should I spend more on replacing the head gasket? Please help. I could spend on the head gasket but would hate for something else to come up after that.
Thank you in advance for any advise.
2010May 01
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 98,000 miles
Car consumes a LOT of oil. I keep up on my oil changes and the past change I noticed that the oil was completely gone! I have never had this problem with any other car I owed.
2010Apr 05
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 114,000 miles
I was happy with my Altima until this year when everything went downhill. Heat only worked when the car was moving and the oil light came on once a month but it wasn't leaking. After fixing my transmission, replacing the O2 sensors, spark plugs, and a bunch of other stuff i realize the car is burning oil like it burns gas....And then I wound this site where I see almost 200 ppl with the same set of issues.....I'm not prepared to replace the engine after only 115000 miles!! Does anyone know if Nissan owns up to this issue and is there a recall? I pissed!!!
2009Oct 01
Altima 2.5 V6
- Manual transmission
- 174,000 miles
I have a 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5, I thought this was the the absolutely BEST car on earth.Living in Atlanta, Ga most of us have to commute to work, my daily ride was 90 miles round trip. This car was excellent on gas. I had no problems until about 7 months ago, when I started to notice the oil was constantly running low or running out! Yet, I never saw any oil drippings in my garage or drive way! It was driving (no pun intended) me crazy. I just had an oil change last Saturday and today, Thursday, my CHECK ENGINE light came on. I popped the hood, checked the oil and it was BONE DRY!!!! Out of desperation, I sat at my computer and typed in the question: WHY DOES MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA KEEP RUNNING LOW ON GAS? This website appeared confirming, I am not losing my mind! Now that I know I'm not crazy, I'm pissed off! This probably explains when I am running the heater, why it will start blowing cold air all of a sudden! I was so planning on purchasing another Nissan, but now, I will be looking at a Honda. NISSAN you are such a disappointment to me! I could not stop singing your praises about this car, NOW, I will make it my mission to tell everyone I know about your faulty oil issue, starting with my company intranet website, and I work for one of the LARGEST telecommunication company in the world!! Your company needs to make this right!! At this point, your name might has well be TOYOTA!!!
2010Mar 13
Altima S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 125,000 miles
click to see larger images
I had a similar, yet extreme experience. I took my car in to get the oil changed at a local Chevy dealership (it was cheap.) When I went to pick up my car, the technician told me that he pulled less than a 8 oz. of oil from the engine. He said he couldn't find any leaks, but to keep an eye on the oil everyday. I left the dealership and decided to take the car for a drive to "reoil" the engine. The engine had been running a bit funny: not starting right away, trouble shifting for about 48 hours. I got about five miles at ~55 mph, and while accelerating from a left turn, heard something fall out of the engine. After that, white smoke started pouring out the exhaust. I knew the engine blew. The steering and brakes went out, and I got it to the side of the road (somehow.) The black smoke started pouring in from the vents. I don't remember stopping or getting out, but I remember turning around and seeing flames out the driver's side of the engine. The insurance company paid me off, no problem, but never was a cause determined. I attached photos,
2010Mar 01
Altima 4 cyl
- Manual transmission
- 190,000 miles
Like most of us now a days, I just don't have an extra $5000 to replace an engine in a vehicle that has not shown reliability and I don't have the money to buy a new vehicle so I had to put a used engine in the vehicle at a personal cost to me of $2000.
Catalytic converter blew the 2nd engine which lasted much longer than the 1st engine. Also had replaced the Electronic Control Module about 5 months ago. I have to replace the Console boot also for the gear shifter, it was broken at the dealers during the 1st engine replacement but I couldn't prove it and they were unwilling to accept responsibility for it. Wheel bearings have been replaced on two different occasions. I managed to convince a friend to not buy a Nissan product.
Nissan Motor Corp could not give me a Nissan, I wouldn't take it as I have not respect or confidence in their products or the Service and support of their products. If you want to save yourself from these issues DO NOT BUY A NISSAN!
2010Feb 26
Altima SE 2.5L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 79,000 miles
Well please add me to the long list of folks who have written about their 2002 or 2003 2.5 liter engines eating oil like gas. Took to dealer; they had to replace the catalytic converter because it was still under federal recall--however even with them telling me that it clogging caused the engine to go they refuse to fix or assist.
Why won't Nissan look at all of these complaints and own up that they have put in these vehilces defective parts....with so many ppl saying the same thing; really you don't feel you should be held responsible and help people.
2009Jan 01
Altima SL 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 178,000 miles
I bought this Altima brand new in 2003 and it is paid off. It has been a pretty good car up until the last 2years. It is burning alot of oil and it isnt leaking or smoking at all. I dont know where it is going. I put in a quart of oil every week and half. I also had the catalytic converter replace last year and it cost me 900.00. I really liked this car and cant afford to buy a new one at the moment. There has got to be a defect in the engine to cause this problem. Does any body have any ideas on how we can get Nissan to fix this problem? I will never buy another Nissan if they dont fix this as long as I live.
2009Jun 01
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 133,000 miles
I have had this car for about five years-2003 Nissan Altima.Already had one engine replaced from this same repeating problem...the oil seems to simply disappear from the crankcase.My vehicle does not smoke a bit at any time,it doesn't leak the oil out on my clean concrete driveway either.There has got to be something shady going on not to be a recall on these engines.Everything else seems to be ok.I mean wow what is it?Does Nissan have its own Oil Fairy or something?I know just by reading these complaints that this is a problem that deserves a solution.Just in case anyone with any kind of clout is reading this...Do something for Nissan Owners and help us out ! OIL PRICES ARE HIGH ENOUGH AS IT IS...Gas is one thing ,but when you have to keep a five quart "JUG" in your trunk to keep your car running something has got to give.I do love my car but it's beginning to be a pain...Please get help!!!
2006Jul 01
Altima SE 3.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 52,000 miles
We were told that the piston rings are bad and that this is the reason the oil is burning up so quickly. The car gets this annoying like tapping coming from the engine, especially when the oil is low. We're not sure if changing the engine is the right plan because there are so many complaints about the 3.5l, whats to say the same problem won't occur with the new engine. A short term remedy I've found that allows the oil to burn slower is the oil stabilizer from Lucas. Use it at every oil change. Good Luck!
2009Nov 23
Altima SE 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 112,000 miles
Another p.o.s. 2003 Altima! My sister's car was bought in Little Rock, AR. She is having the same issues that I'm reading on the other posts...guzzling oil/catalytic converter/sensor. Her check engine light has been on numerous times, each time just as aggravating as the other. She was eventually told to replace the catalytic converter, which she did about one month ago (10/2009). That was $800! Now, the car will hardly run and the mechanic is now telling her she needs a new engine ($4,000). Plus, they are not wanting to cover the brand new converter because it was the fault of the engine! She is single and has no other vehicle to fall back on. The dealership is a sorry pile of sh*t. When I get the name, I will post it plus, the final outcome of her dilema
2009Nov 02
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 102,000 miles
I bought this car last year , and recently started to burn oil a lot , i have to add oil almost once a week. until it started making weird noise comming from the engine . After reading all the complaints regarding the same problem with a lot of nissan , i will never buy another nissan , and i will encourage people not to buy one
2009Jun 25
Altima 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 122,000 miles
Car ran fine until 122,000 miles, I had the oil changed and within a week, no oil on dip stick, motor knocking because it had thrown a rod....A used motor installed June 22, 2009 with only 44,000 miles on it and shortly after that, the catalytic converter needed replaced which was done. THEN on Friday, September 18, 2009, I was driving on a highway and when I accelerated, I heard a loud POP & there was smoke bellowing out from under the hood and the car just quit! There was oil everywhere....all under the hood and there was a huge puddle on the side of the road so now needless to to say, it is in the shop for a 3rd motor!! I am really sick of this car and I am going to have my attorney draft a letter to send to Nissan and I am going to join in with the CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT like it was suggested by tylerrose from Tyler, TX!
2009Aug 05
Altima ES 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 86,992 miles
Sherway Nissan in Toronto told us the catalytic converter was shot at 140,000 Kilometers (about 80K miles) so we had it replaced in May. Ok expensive but thats life. Car started burning oil fast in July. Took it in this week, Needs a new motor. Why? Because of the way the old converter dies it crumbled and sand was sucked from the converter into the motor and it must be replaced total write off $5000 plus. No kidding. Any general warning to all owners? No. DONT let your converter get old it can wipe out your motor. We paid $2,000 for an extended warranty why bother? Too Bad so sad pay up. Why get an extended warranty if a Nissan part or its Nissan replacement causes the damage we are screwed. We called Nissan as the dealer can not do anything so far a very polite drop dead. I've been through a lot of muffers and converters over my life but this is new, an old one for which there is no test, we keep the car serviced and blow up the engine!!!
This is unbelieveable. Stay tuned. Going to try You Tube next.
2009Jul 01
Altima V6
- Automatic transmission
- 58,000 miles
I have a 2003 Altima with 58,000 miles. The engine started knocking, bought the car in thinking possible oil change. Was told not a drop of oil in the engine. Had the oil change done, no more knocking sound. One month later, same noise started!! Checked the oil,... bone dry. From reading this blog, this problem is not uncommon. How is Nissan getting away with this!! By the way my oil light flashed on and off once!! Now I have a big problem and just made the last payment on my car loan!
2009May 01
Altima SL 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 99,000 miles
click to see larger images
i'll get a oil change and 3 weeks later i have to put more oil in. it has a crack manifold ,crankshaft sensor problem before too. Well this is the last one i will buy. i have a warranty for a 100000 mil and i have 99000 or so on it. yep on its way to the shop got two years left to pay on it - owe 7G's on it. if i ever get another car I'll get extended warranty on it BOY i'm HAPPY : O) .
2005Nov 01
Altima SE 3.5L V6
- Manual transmission
- 24,855 miles
Consumes about 1L per 1000 km. So that means I add more oil BETWEEN oil changes than I do when the oil is changed.
Nissan will not help you with this problem, despite postings all over the net about Maximas/Altimas/350Z etc consuming oil.
They will tell you it is in the "normal" range and deny you until your warranty is up.
Will not buy another Nissan. Will not recommend one to anyone. Will suggest to anyone to pay a bit extra and get a Honda/Toyota. My 95 Civic does not consume a drop of oil between changes and has not had one interior piece of trim break/fall off like the Altima but thats another complaint
Nissan will learn like GM/Ford/Chrysler that once you get a reputation for building $@%, that reputation will stick to you like %%$@#
Shame because the car looks and drives great but thats not much consolation
2009Feb 01
Altima 2.5S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
I am a used car dealer and I have to say Nissan surely has gone down hill. This oil consumption problem is nothing but a bunch of BULLSH-T. I'm taking it in the you know what for the second time this year so far because of this problem. I can tell you that there will never be another Nissan on my lot for sale ever again! Every single 2002 to 2006 2.5 Nissan Altima and Sentra should have been recalled. Don't bother calling Nissan for help either, all you hear is that the warranty is expired or there is too many miles on the vehicle. I'm so angry about this flaw that clearly should have been corrected from the beginning. And this oil consumption test that Nissan requires the dealer does is a joke too. They know whats wrong why bother going through the hassle of wasting customers time and money. I urge anyone who has had this problem to spread the word to stay away from these vehicles. I would love nothing more than to see this company go bankrupt right now! They sure have cost a lot of people a lot of money and aggravation such as myself.
2009Mar 10
Altima 2.5L
- Manual transmission
- 127,000 miles
The real problem is that my car burns oil. It has been burning oil since the time that I bought it. I bought the car from a dealership with 80,000 miles on it. It now has 127,000 on it and it won't pass inspection because of a crack in the manifold. $1400 to get it to pass inspection. The real problem is the engine and how it sucks up pieces of metal that breaks off near the manifold. I'm no mechanic, but I can tell you that pieces of metal floating around in your engine isn't a good thing. I can replace the manifold to get it to pass inspection but my mechanic said that the engine will just damage the manifold/catalitic converter again. You need to replace the engine. GREAT.....I only owe another $5000 dollars on the piece of sh*t and I have to replace the engine. THANKS NISSAN.
2008Dec 19
Altima 2.5S 2.5L
- Automatic transmission
- 95,000 miles
I have owned Nissans for 20 years and raved about them to anyone who would listen. I had a Sentra that ran for 10 years and cost almost nothing to maintain, outside of the usual items.
This 2003 Altima is a hunk of crap. It's not old enough to be such a problem. It burns so much oil that it looks like someone lit a smokebomb!! I paid $500 3 months ago to have the sensor fixed--a recall item (I was not told this by the service station)--and one month later the engine is the problem. I have heard opinions that the fix will cost $3K. Forget it. I agree with other gripers, this is my last Nissan too.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2011Jul 16
Altima 2.5L
Back in July, my car started burning oil at an ungodly rate. Went online to research why my car was burning so much oil and low and behold, here is this website and many others with '03 Altima owners complaining of the same thing as well as burned up motors. I was literally burning 5 quarts of oil a week and my daily round-trip mileage for work is 40 miles. In October, I finally bit the bullet and took my car to the Nissan dealership to have a remanufactured engine installed. They also had to replace the pre-cat and oxygen sensors. Since the motor replacement 2 1/2 months ago, I have had my car at the dealership 5 times due to the "service engine soon" light coming on and the car running sh!tty. The first time was to have the timing adjusted, the 2nd time was to switch around 2 coil packs to see if there was a bad cylinder or bad coil pack, 3rd time to determine it was the coil pack, 4th time was to replace the coil pack and I just picked up my car again a 1/2 hour ago after paying another $242 to get the CAM/Crank Shaft sensors replaced. All in all, I've spent almost $4700 in the last few months to keep this POS on the road. At this point I feel so far in the hole that these "minor" repairs are necessary. I had an epiphany today-- marry a mechanic so I don't have to deal with car issues ever again...or never buy another Nissan.
Krissy A.
Omaha, NE, USA
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