2.1

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,445 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Nissan Altima engine problems

engine problem

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2004 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Aug 202010

Altima

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. The contact was driving 10 mph when the check engine warning lamp illuminated as the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the cam shaft position sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the remedy failed to repair the problem. The vehicle was taken back to the local mechanic who was unable to further diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 95,000.

- Burlington , MA, USA

problem #21

Aug 042011

Altima 4-cyl

  • 87,433 miles
Car was back to dealer about 16 months ago for recall ntb06-051A. At that time crank angle sensor was replaced and ECM was reprogrammed. This month August 2011 same symptoms bucking hard to start stalling. Taken to and independent shop and confirmed another crank sensor failure.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #20

Dec 082010

Altima

  • 52,000 miles
TL- contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle stalled and the service engine soon light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact was able to start the vehicle after it stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians stated the crank shaft position sensor needed to be replaced. The dealer stated the repair was not covered by warranty. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the crank shaft position sensor was replaced. The failure occurred a second time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there was a recall NHTSA campaign id number: 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling) but the vehicle was not included. The contact stated the failure occurred intermittently and usually when the weather was cold. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.

- Coralville, IA, USA

problem #19

Aug 162004

Altima

  • 141,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2004 Nissan Altima is stalling at red lights and while I am driving. This could cause and accident since it happens without warning. I have taken the car in to the Nissan dealership numerous times for repair. This problem did not occur with my car until the recall work for the ECM reprogramming was done. But, it has been happening since then. Sometimes multiple times per week. I have paid to have the problem correct more than once, and nothing that has been done has stopped this problem. This is definitely a safety hazard.

- Dalton, GA, USA

problem #18

May 152010

Altima

  • 57,000 miles
2004 Nissan Altima power valve screw missing causing engine to misfire, stalling and shutting off in the middle of traffic, very scary since the whole family was in car, engine hard to start.

- Montgomery, IL, USA

problem #17

May 122010

Altima

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. While driving at 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power. The contact was able to pull over and restart the vehicle. Prior to the failure, there was a recall 06V242000 for the ECM sensor (engine and engine cooling). The contact called the dealership and the dealer stated that the sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The current mileage was approximately 105,000.

- Warner Robins, GA, USA

problem #16

Jan 042010

Altima

  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car intermittently stalls with out warning, Nissan is well aware of the problem but seems to want the repair revenue more that correcting the problem.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #15

Sep 072009

Altima

  • miles
Defect summary: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5L engine, a variation in temperature occurs due to the unique location of the sensor in the engine. Under certain driving conditions, these variations in temperature can be large enough to cause a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor. Consequence summary: If the interruption in the signal from the sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ECM) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash. Same problem as NHTSA #: 06424000 - my VIN # was not included in the recall, though I have the exact same defect.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #14

May 222009

Altima

  • 91,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. While driving 25 mph, the vehicle stalled and shut off in the middle of the road. The vehicle took approximately five minutes to restart and the steering wheel was difficult to turn because the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign id number 06V242000 and Nissan recall number R0606, but the dealer stated that the service engine light was illuminated. A diagnostic test would have to be performed before the dealer could repair the recall issue. In addition, the crankshaft would have to be repaired at the cost of $200 before the crank angle sensor could be repaired. This did not make sense to the contact so she called the Nissan manufacturer, but they will not return her call. The failure mileage was 91,000.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #13

May 152009

Altima

  • 63,252 miles
Ckp "crank position sensor" trouble code found when service engine light comes on. This looks identical to issue found in recall 06V242000.

- Yorktown, VA, USA

problem #12

Oct 102008

Altima

  • 109,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. While entering onto the freeway at 10 mph, the vehicle completely shut off. The contact placed the vehicle into neutral and it immediately restarted. The failure occurred at least three times, in which the vehicle had to be pushed to the side of the road because it would not restart. The weather was not a factor. The contact had just purchased the vehicle a few weeks prior to the failures beginning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they performed three recall repairs. However, the failures still persist. The failure mileage was 109,000.

- Johnston, RI, USA

problem #11

May 012008

Altima

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. The contact's vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign id 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling). Currently, the vehicle is displaying the failures noted in the recall. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current mileage was 107,400 and failure mileage was 100,000.

- Lithonia, GA, USA

problem #10

Jul 032008

Altima

  • 62,113 miles
All dash lights came on and vehicle stalled while driving. Vehicle would not start back up, waited 10 minutes and it finally started back up. Drove 1 block and the same thing happened, dash lights came on, car stalled while driving. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership where they informed me that it was a faulty cam and crank sensor and it was $258 to replace it. After researching this problem, I found that the same part, cam and crank sensor, was recalled on prior and later Altima models, but 2004 models were excluded. The same problem has been repeated over and over on safecar.gov as well as numerous other websites. I contacted the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and where I took it to be repaired and notified them of the seemingly consistent problem with this part on the Altima and they directed me to Nissan. I contacted Nissan directly and my file was escalated to the regional manager who requested that I fax him the invoice receipt for payment and my vehicle registration and he would have it reviewed to see if it qualified for reimbursement. He telephoned me 2 days later and informed me that I did not meet the qualification for reimbursement. This is a faulty part and many, many 2004 Nissan Altima owners have experienced problems with. Not placing a recall on this part is putting many lives in danger as the car stalls while driving and you have no control over it whatsoever. Even the power steering goes out and you cannot steer the car away from traffic. This is a very serious problem and needs to be addressed. The owners of these vehicles should not be responsible for paying to replace a part that is faulty and could cause a serious accident.

- Port St Lucie, FL, USA

problem #9

Oct 202007

Altima

  • 79,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. While making a turn, the vehicle completely shut off without warning and had to be restarted. In November of 2007, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling) to reprogram the ECM. In December of 2007, the vehicle was still experiencing the same failure. The contact was informed that the crankshaft position sensor needed to be replaced. Currently, the vehicle is still shutting off. On June 21, 2008, the ECM was replaced. The speed was unknown. The current mileage was 94,613 and failure mileage was 79,000.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #8

Jun 042008

Altima 6-cyl

  • 121,000 miles
While driving my 2004 2.5 litre Nissan Altima on highway about 60 mph I felt an abrupt jerk like noise in the transmission, almost even like a misfire of some sort. All I know is that it was odd and did not seem right. Immediately following, my "service engine soon" light illuminated and has stayed on. While my car did not stall or immediately shut down, it was hard to crank after shutting down. I had difficulty climbing hills as the car lacked the power and difficulty shifting down. In troubleshooting this problem, I immediately checked the gas cap. This did not solve my problem. I took it into the mechanic. He has had my car for two days. He found the problem to be the crankshaft sensor and he said it was difficult to get to for repair as well as having problems removing it. I have yet to receive a bill for this repair but with the labor involved to remove this sensor, it won't be cheap. Why on earth are manufacturers putting parts into places that are difficult and costly to repair. Not only that, but the average "joe" who likes to work on his own car, can't even do this one! now, the other ludicrous problem is that Nissan appears to not have included the 2004 Nissan 2.5 Altima in the "recall" campaign for this faulty sensor. That spells a class action lawsuit and complaints to my attorney general and better business bureau. There is no way, that I or anyone having bought a 2004 Nissan 2.5 Altima should have to bear the burden of costs involved into this ongoing issue with the crankshaft sensors.

- Duncansville, PA, USA

problem #7

Feb 052008

Altima 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 83,000 miles
On 2/5/08 we started our 2004 Nissan Altima and had no power steering. Upon observation the serpentine belt was not turning. We had the car towed to the mechanic and found that the bolt on the main pulley on the crankshaft had fallen out and the pulley had fallen off of the crankshaft. Had this occurred while driving down the interstate at 65mph, the results could have been horrific possibly leading to fatalities.

- Palmyra, VA, USA

problem #6

Jan 252008

Altima 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 77,750 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. The vehicle would not start and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle finally started after 2 or 3 attempts. The dealer stated that the crank angle sensor failed and they reprogrammed the ECM. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 06V242000 (engine and engine cooling). The current and failure mileages were 77,750.

- Macon , GA, USA

problem #5

Dec 032007

Altima 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that although the engine module was reprogrammed, the vehicle still stalls. The crank position sensor was faulty. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The failure also occurs when the brake pedal is depressed. The vehicle must reprogram itself before it can be restarted. The contact received a recall notice from Nissan and took the vehicle to the dealer for repair; however, the failure still persists. The recall number was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 60,000.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #4

Sep 082007

Altima

  • Automatic transmission
  • 61,689 miles
On 10/9/2007 I took the vehicle into sheehy Nissan to have it repaired for the known recalls. On 10/11/2007 I retrieved my vehicle for sheehy Nissan and was told by alan shurkin the issue with the ECM reprogramming had been corrected. About 20 mins after leaving sheehy Nissan lot my car again stalled and stopped running. On 10/14/2007 I called alan shurkin @ sheehy Nissan and told him that my vehicle was having the same problem and I thought that it was due to the recall I was told by alan that it would be a service charge to repair it again. I have been driving this vehicle for about three weeks now with the consist stop and go routine. I was advised by a friend to call Nissan North America back letting them know what my problem was. On 11/6/2007 I placed a call to Nissan North America. I expressed my concerns with the rep who took my call she did a little research and stated to me that it seemed the issue I was still having was pertaining to the recall for the ECM and that she need to forward me to a regional research rep. I was forwarding to the regional research rep who stated to me that they had to look in to the problem further and that someone would be in contact with me within 24 hours.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #3

May 212007

Altima 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 38,700 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Altima. The contact took her vehicle to the dealer to reprogram the ECM system. The dealer stated that the engine light illuminated after the repair was performed. The contact stated that she received safety recall # 03V455000 for engine and engine cooling. The dealer stated that the only safety recall on her vehicle was for the ECM system. The engine size was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 38,700.

- Miami, GA, USA

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