Engine started burning oil before 100,000 miles. Come to find out not only does this vehicle have a bad cata lytic converter but that many Nissan buyers got struck with the same drama and unbelievable costs that Nissan will take no responsibility for. Now my dream car is dead in the driveway and Nissan wants $4600 for an engine and I still owe $7900 on the car. This is a nightmare.

- Tampa, FL, USA

2002 Nissan Altima stalling out while driving. Losing power and not reaching speeds above 45 mph. Read several reviews from other customers with engines going bad and started out with the same issues and problems with hard crank, and catalytic converter going bad and causing engines to go bad.

- Columbia, SC, USA

Purchased a new Nissan Altima in Sept. 2002 and was recently told that I need a new engine. I have an excellent maintenance record. Brought the car in last month for a loud grinding noise in the engine but was told that they "couldn't find anything wrong." Then the engine started a racing noise and I immediately dropped it off. Now I am told that I need a new engine at the tune of $4,700. I only have 94,000 miles on the vehicle. I have filed a complaint and am waiting for a response. I have had all of the numerous recalls fixed over the past eight years.

- Towson, MD, USA

A month or so ago, the check engine light went on and I took it to the Nissan dealership for diagnosis. My car is a 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5S, 104,000 miles and the mechanic stated it needs a catalytic converter and possibly a new engine. The vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 03V084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe) in 2004, but that recall has not corrected the issue. The vehicle has not been repaired yet. This is ridiculous- there are hundreds, if not thousands of exact failures and no recall"?" Nissan should be investigated for not repairing the matter. The small fix in 2004 did nothing to avert the long term issue. The maintenance records to this car are impeccable. Oil changes documents every 3000-5000 miles using top grade synthetic synpower motor oil. There is no reason for this type of failure aside from design flaws.

- Richmond, KY, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. While performing a diagnostic, the dealer stated that the main catalyst failed due to increased oil consumption in the engine. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 03V084000 (engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe). The failure mileage was 137,000.

- Auburn, IN, USA

Catalytic converter failure, head gasket failure; engine and catalytic converter must be replaced.

- Anaheim, CA, USA

2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 S excessive oil consumption began around 92K miles. This vehicle has always had timely oil changes, suddenly the car was low on oil. The car was brought to the Nissan dealership in smithtown, NY on 2/22/07, and I was informed that it needed a new engine and that there wasn't anything else that could be done. The catalytic converter was ordered on 2/23/07 (this was back-ordered). The catalytic converter was replaced on 3/13/07, approx. $600. Now the car needs another catalytic converted and the engine is consuming several courts of oil a week. There are many people with the same car that have all experienced this sudden excessive oil consumption. The are other Altima years that had this same problem and that were recalled but Nissan has not done that for the 2002 model. It is widely know that it was due to the oil rings and the faulty pre-cats and exhaust manifolds. This car needs approx. $8K is repairs in order to stop burning oil and to correct the emissions. Nissan should be responsible for these faulty parts in these cars, in all the years that they effected.

- Coram, NY, USA

Catalytic converter went out. Heater core went out, therefore no heat in the car.

- Antioch, CA, USA

I purchased a Nissan Altima 02 on Sept 08. After three days I found out the oil was low took it to Nissan dealership and was told that I need a brand new engine. One day my wife came and pick me up at work and the car won't start again. I took it to the mechanics and they still can't find the problem with it and I am suspecting because my mechanic told me one time that the catalytic converter was bad. Nissan will not get away with it as a matter of fact my mechanics told me that all Nissan Altima with that type has the same problem.

- Laurel, MD, USA

My 2002 Nissan Altima's check engine light came on. The car started running sluggish, and totally ran out of oil! mechanic said I needed a new engine. I bought one - and that one went on the fritz two days after fixing it. The diagnostics test said it was an O2 sensor. It ran out of oil. Now I find out the car is a lemon, after I bought a new engine to boot. Two engines are ruined in this car, and I still don't have it paid for.

- Greenville, MI, USA

1. events- vehicle constantly miss-fired. 2. failure- screws in butterfly valve came out, were passed through piston, damaged spark plugs and came to rest in the exhaust manifold. 3. correction- part "air plenum gasket". labor "R&R upper air plenum intake" and "R&R exhaust manifold to remove screw".

- Centennial, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power. The contact managed to pull the vehicle over and was unable to restart the engine. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the catalytic converter overheated and shattered. The shattered pieces entered into the motor, which caused the engine to completely fail. The only remedy would be to install a new engine and a new exhaust. The contact was informed that the reason for the defect was due to the size of the catalytic converter that was manufactured into the vehicle by Nissan. She believes that a recall should be issued for the failure. The vehicle is currently at the dealer and has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

Many problems with the catalytic converter, check engine light remains on although vehicle has been serviced at the dealer properly. Engine rattles. There have been many complaints regarding the 2002 Nissan Altima catalytic converter. Although previous recalls with the engine coolant system have been honored Nissan fails to recognize there is a problem with the catalytic converter. Many consumers have complained.

- La Habra, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. When the ignition key was activated, the contact heard a loud noise coming from outside of the vehicle. The noise occurred intermittently and without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection and they stated that the failure was related to the catalytic converter. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer. The dealer replaced the front exhaust assembly, front 02 sensor, and cleared the system codes. The repairs were performed under warranty. The failure recurred and the engine and catalytic converter were replaced. The failure mileage was 77,065 and current mileage was 120,000.

- Hampton, FL, USA

I have a 2002 Nissan Altima that I purchased with 57,000 miles (2nd owner). In December 2006 with about 68,000 miles on vehicle, the catalytic converter blew up. I had this replaced and at 76,000 miles I took the vehicle in to complain about the oil/coolant and metallic noise from engine. The dealer said they could not find a problem, at 86,000 the dealer said I needed a new motor since there were particles that had been sucked in from the cat, they wanted $5,900 to replace. I called and spoke to representatives of Nissan North America and lodged a complaint, after about a week I received a call from them stating that they would not repair or help with costs. I was forced to find an alternate repair option and purchased a rebuilt motor, the problem with this was after a few weeks the "service engine" light came on. I tried smogging the vehicle and was unable to, I finally found out that the cause of the problem was the catalytic converter again, I had the cat replaced again ($750) and I was able to get it smogged. This was only 3-4 weeks ago and about 1 week ago I took the car back to the shop and was informed that the rattling/grinding noise is coming from the engine again!! please help me with this, I have nothing but problems with this vehicle since I purchased it with only 57,000 miles on it. The problem with the catalytic converter on the 2002-06 Altima/Sentra with the 2.5L motors is a "factory defect"!! there are thousands of the same exact complaints on numerous sites. Nissan should be held responsible for this defect. I now have a vehicle that I pay $300 a month for that I have put an engine & 2 cat's in, and now it needs another motor. This is ridiculous for a car company to sell vehicles and not stand behind what they make.

- El Cajon, CA, USA

Nissan na made some preventive changes to the 2002 Nissan Altima as requested to by law. However the changes Nissan na made were not sufficient nor successful. It appears that the preventive service Nissan provided has only prolonged the outcome. Thousands of 2002 Nissan Altima owners are currently experiencing oil consumption problems with a direct relation to a failure in the catalyst converter. After inspection of the catalyst converter noticeable chucks of the catalyst converter are missing. Nissan na is very aware of the problem and they are selectively fixing some consumers vehicles. If the consumers vehicle is outside their power train warranty Nissan na refuses to assist the consumer with fixing the problem. Safety should not be limited to a percentage of miles or to a period of time.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 30 mph on normal road conditions, the check engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact also heard excessive noise coming from the engine. The warning indicator remained lit until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the catalytic converter. The vehicle was excluded from the recall due to the mileage and has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 84,000 and current mileage was 85,721.

- Choctaw, OK, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. When the contact started the ignition, the check engine warning indicator illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. He also heard a loud noise coming from the four cylinder engine, which was not operating properly. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to an oxygen sensor that was replaced. The vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 03V084000 (engine and engine cooling, exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe); however, the repair was insufficient. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer for the same failure on three occasions. The vehicle has not been repaired again. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 81,286 and current mileage was 95,500.

- Seven Springs, NC, USA

My 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 began to experience engine failure in December of 2007. It started with an engine code. Referred to the catalyst converter. I had begun searching for evidence of a bigger problem prior to taking it to the dealer. There are hundreds of people on different forums describing the exact same symptoms for the same car. Not ironic, disturbing. The vehicle has been maintained properly and preventable maintenance performed regularly. I also had hard to start problems. Recently took my vehicle into the Nissan dealer because I could not figure out what was going on. I kept loosing coolant and oil and I did not have any witness marks on my driveway to prove that it was leaking. At times you can smell the sweet odor of antifreeze inside the vehicle. After Nissan service visit, the service rep said that I needed a new engine..catalytic converter broke up and was sucked back into the engine. Here is what the invoice reads. Invoice: ECM recall could not perform recall veh has E-lights that need to be corrected"multi point visual inspection only?inspection performed rec engine assy and cat related parts A/C low pressure hose?cust states veh losing coolant and has a miss ck diag and chck out time only?cust states veh has coolant leak and miss1.00 inspection veh for coolant leak but found no visible leak. Misfire found inspected plugs and found they're fouled out and have corrosion type substance on them?veh poss burning coolant. Inspected cat and found is coming apart. Rec engine cat and related parts cust declined repairs? note has replaced O2sensors, spark plugs. I asked the service rep why Nissan wouldn't pay for this if this was obviously a design problem. She simply responded by saying that all they would do is the work but I would have to pay for everything. They told me to contact Nissan headquarters if I had a complaint. It doesn't seem that many of my fellow Altima owner"S have had much luck with that. Nissan be responsible. Lives may depend it.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

Pre catalytic converter failure. Converter comes apart, gets sucked into the engine, and causes engine damage. Contacted Nissan and was told mine was an isolated incident. Nothing done to correct problem.

- Winchester, CA, USA