CarComplaints.com Notes: Here's a disturbing trend for the 2002 Nissan Altima: the engine starts burning oil like crazy, the catalytic converter goes bad, the head gasket blows and eventually the entire engine needs replacement. Sound familiar? Like a script from a horror film, these Altimas seem doomed to fail around 95k miles.
1.9
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
86,509 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.
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the floor pans were rusted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The contact notified the dealer but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,460.
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a tire specialist to have the tires rotated when he was advised that there were two holes located under the front and rear driver's side seat. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection but was not repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that they would not assist with the cost of the repair because the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was not available.
Floor pans on both driver and passenger side are rusted thru to the point of the only barrier between the road and driver/passenger is the floor upholstery. In viewing Nissan forums online, this is a common problem with 2002 Nissan Altima.
Have seen a number of these vehicles with floor pans, floor boards have deteriorated to the point where seat track mounting points are loose. Years to include 2001 to 2004 this is very concerning considering some of these cars have less then 100000 miles on them.
Passenger side floorboard rusted out, producing a basketball sized hole. The edges of the hole are appear thin and continue to rust. Dealer sent pictures following an inspection to Nissan, but Nissan refuses to assist with expensive repairs. Claims out of warranty (5 yr, 100kmiles). Incidentally, we also own a 2003 pathfinder which had a rust recall for front wheel struts which took a week to fix, and we now have both back quarter panels rusting through, and Nissan also refuses to assist with repair.
- Southport, NC, USA
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While changing the serpentine belt on my Altima, I noticed an eight inch chunk of the driver's side floorpan rusting away straight through to the carpeting. I also saw the floorpan beginning to rot away on the passenger side as well. I was shocked and disappointed that a car only 10 years old would have this type of problem, especially a Nissan. Now I have to figure out how to get this repaired without breaking the bank...
The Nissan Altima has severe rusting problems which will result in deterioration of the driver and passenger floor. I purchased my Altima brand new in 2002. 10 years later, my mechanic says there are holes in the driver and passenger side floorboard which will cost between $2000 and $3000. Nissan will do nothing to aid their customers.
I was under my Altima doing routine maintenance. On the right front floor area, I noticed rusted metal flaking off of the floor pan. Inspecting the area revealed that a large area was rusted completely thru. Further inspection revealed no other involved areas of the floor pan. I thought this was very strange indeed, especially since the car is rarely driven in the winter and also that the car was used in a southern state for a large portion of its operating life. Checking on the internet revealed that many people are reporting the same issue.
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5. the contacted stated that while the vehicle was being serviced by a private mechanic, the mechanic advised the contact that there was corrosion under the passenger side floor boards. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 104,000 and the current mileage was 112,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while the vehicle was serviced by a local repair shop when she was advised that the floor boards were corroded. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 59,000 and the current mileage was 72,000. Updated 02/06/12
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed state inspection due to corrosion of the sub frame. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed the corrosion of the sub frame. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 104,000.
The floor on the passenger side of my 2002 Nissan Altima 3.5 has rusted through, and the driver's side is well on the way. The car up till now has been an reliable, excellent vehicle. But with only 99,000 miles on it, it is basically trashed. It's like a seemingly healthy, active 50 year old going to the doctor for a yearly checkup, and being told "you have stage four cancer. It's over." Nissan won't do anything to help or compensate, stating it is beyond the perforation warranty. Cars built in 2002 aren't supposed to rust out. There's no visible body rust on the car, but the floor is rusted through. This should be a class action suit, as it has happened to many Altima. It is truly a crime.
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the floorboard on the driver and passenger side was corroded. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 60,000.
Passenger side floor rust out. Discovered August 23, 2011. Noticed wet passenger footwell after driving in rain. Looked underneath car and found rest of car to be pristine, almost like new. Car as a whole in great shape, except for this one area. Clear design problem/flaw.
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.
2002 Nissan Altima floorboard rust through. 90,000 miles, discovered large hole from rust through on passenger side front floorboard. Car is washed on normal basis and was parked in unheated garage during winter months.
While getting new tires put on my car the mechanic noticed a large hole in my passenger side floor. I own a 2002 Nissan Altima and he mentioned this was not the first case on this model of car he had seen. Upon further examination it became clear that someone had placed tape and some tin to mask the problem. I bought the car from my grandma who had no idea of such an issue. She had bought in when it was a year old. Clearly a car that age should have no reason to rust and have a hole in it, since I must assume the original owners placed the tin. Even a car at 8 years old should not have the rust that is found under only the passenger side and a hole the size of a dinner plate. I have researched it online and have seen numerous complaints similar to mine for this make and model.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- West Haven, CT, USA