2003 Nissan Altima 2.5 from North America
Summary:
GIGANTIC paperweight!!!
Faults:
Headlights: RECALL.
Fuel Filter: RECALL.
Exhaust Clip: RECALL.
ECM (Computer) : RECALL.
General Comments:
There are currently 4 recalls on this vehicle. However, I am going to mention just one here. Nissan actually took care of the others.
There's a problem with the on-board computer that creates situations where the car may stall & lose all power with no notice. This happened the other day as I was making a left hand turn & crossing traffic. If not for the other drivers being alert & coming to a stop, there would have been a collision for sure. In fact, the point of impact would have been adjacent to where my 19 month old daughter was riding in her car seat.
In order to avoid a potential lawsuit, you would think that Nissan North America would want to do ANYTHING it could to resolve this issue. However, since I live in Germany, this is not the case. After spending a week calling 1-800-NISSAN-1 and being transferred to about 6 various people I finally got an answer.
After explaining to these folks that I was stationed in Germany they told me I have to wait until I return to the U.S. to have the car repaired. It seems the software & a "SPECIAL TOOL" are required to complete the repair.
Seeing as how I will be in Germany for another 6-18 months, this is a HUGE problem. To this point, Nissan refuses to assist me any further.
Is there anybody else that is living in Germany (or anywhere else overseas) and has had this issue?
I smell "class-action" in the air!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 9th November, 2006
20th Nov 2006, 22:00
I bought a certified pre-owned 2003 Nissan Altima 2.5 L. in December 2004. In July 2005, the check engine light came on and the call started stalling out. I took it to a Nissan dealer in Ontario, Ca. They said the problem was a sensor and they fixed it.
Seven days later, my car started stalling out on the Freeway and the check engine light came on again. I took it back to the dealer and I was told that there was a crack in the intake manifold. It took several days to repair. Thank goodness I purchased an extended service warranty.
A year later, the check engine light came on again and it felt like the car was going to stall out. This time, the service man at the dealership told me they could find nothing wrong with the vehicle.
On 10/23/06 (4 months after the last incident), the same thing happened. This time I was told that the problems stemmed from a recall and the electronic control module was reprogrammed. However, Nissan charged me for the repair. I had to argue with the service man, call Nissan Consumer Affairs and speak the the Supervisor of the service department before I was told I would be reimbursed.
Three weeks later, the same thing happened. I took the car back and was told that my engine needed to be replaced. I'm still under warranty, but the service tech was trying to ask me for all my maintenance receipts (as if implying that maybe my negligence caused the vehicle to have problems). I asked what happened to my engine and it turns out that they found engine coolant mixed with the oil. They THINK that there may be a problem with the head casket. I'm still waiting to find out how that happened. At this point I don't know if the dealership is going to harras me about payment, or if they are finally going to take responsibility for a defective vehicle.
Add to all of this terrible customer service. I can't believe Nissan has the gall to blame the customer for their defective vehicles. I will never purchase another vehicle from Nissan ever again.