14th Nov 2007, 12:05

I own a 2003 Altima and the "SES" light came on. Took it to the dealer and learned that I need a new throttle body -- seems that an electronic sensor is built into the body so you have to replace the whole thing --> $180 parts/$270 labor. By the way, I've had the sudden "won't start/completely dead" problem twice -- once they replaced the spark plugs and the second time, the battery.

9th Dec 2007, 11:24

I own a 2003 Altima S and have had the following problem! When I start my vehicle I smell fumes in the cabin. After driving the vehicle my eyes are itchy and I have a headache. I have heard it could be due to the catalytic converter. I am planning to take same into the dealer, but does anyone have any suggestions?

20th Dec 2007, 02:01

Hello"" yes I have a 2003 Altima,. and yes like everyone else., the crank and cam shaft position sensors are giving me problems. I have replaced the camshaft., but can any one tell me were the crank shaft sensor is???

23rd Dec 2007, 14:44

I have a 05 2.5 Altima. This morning I left church, I had the cruise on at 75mph and it lost power for just a second. When I got home I put it in the garage and killed it. 10min later I start it and it would not. After cranking and cranking, it finally started with a engine light. Is this the same problem of 03? jetskiblack@yahoo.com.

29th Jan 2008, 21:06

I have a 2003 Altima 3.5SE, 75K miles, bad cam position sensor like everyone else. Got it diagnosed for free at AutoZone...don't pay someone $85-90 when they'll do it for free!

My question: where is the cam position sensor (this is the "bank 1" sensor)? Can I replace it myself or will I need to buy the sensor and get my mechanic to put it on?

8th Feb 2008, 21:36

All of these Altima problems sound all too familiar. I have a 2002 2.5 and it uses 1 quart of oil and 1 quart of coolant every 350 miles. At 81K, the dealership told me the catalytic converter was bad and they tried to charge me $800 to replace. I replaced it myself finding a used one on the internet. When I took the old one off, the catalyst inside the manifold was gone! I would say ask Nissan if you want to know where it went, but they denied that it was a defect when I took it in a second time. Clearly this is a common problem that Nissan has decided not to address. The car will not start now. I may try the cam sensor, but it will ultimately need a new engine. Do NOT buy a Nissan with a 2.5 - any year. If you have one, sell it now!

8th Apr 2008, 23:50

I have a Nissan Altima 2003... my car one day just turn off completely on me (that happened around 6 or 9 times)... I took it to the mechanic. They changed the Crank Sensor Position... and the car didn't turn off anymore...

But now every time I turn the engine on, it cranks for 3 seconds and then turns on... good thing it always turns on...

Any suggestions how to get rid of the cranking??? please.. reply... I am thinking replacing the CAM sensor will help?? HELP!!! E-mail me to salvador312@yahoo.com

17th Jun 2008, 19:46

I have an 03 Altima. 2 batteries, cam sensor, crank sensor, and now a manifold exhaust. 178000 miles.

I'm a GM technician. It's a car and like any other car it has issues. You should see the recalls on Cadillacs.. or the other option. Buy a bicycle.

25th Jun 2008, 01:02

We also own a 2003 Altima. Up until last week it was a very good car. Not a single problem. I have read the comments and it does seem to remind me of vapor lock... however this should not happen in a fuel injected car. Also the catalytic converter concerns me with sucking broken pieces into the motor. Does any one have any suggestions? I have not seen any cures only complaints. I would like to see a fix. Has anyone got a positive response from a Nissan dealer? This problem seems to have been happening since 2002. (that about 6 years now).

29th Jun 2008, 10:50

We have a 2003 Altima, 2.5 s. Our "check engine" light is still appearing (after we had to replace the engine!) Should we get it computer-scanned? Should we talk to Allen Gellman of CFRB radio? Any feed-back would be appreciated!

29th Jun 2008, 14:10

I recently purchased an '03 Altima 2.5S. When I have the A/C running, a loud noise comes from under the hood when I come to a stop or I am in park. I took it to be serviced at a local repair shop and they said the belts are flapping around and that is what makes the noise. They said they never saw anything like it and called the dealership for advice, which the dealership would not give them. The car does not make the noise, or have the problem when the A/C is off. Any ideas???

28th Jul 2008, 15:31

Everyone please contact Nissan with your complaints 800 377 0237. The first thing you need to do is call Nissan with your VIN number of your car and see if there is any type of recall associated with your car. They will not help you without the VIN number. Then log a complaint about your issue.

I have a 2003 Nissan Altima - your stories on here read all too familiar. My car stopped in traffic several times as well. The service dept stated that the issue is the Crank Shaft Sensor. This part costs $22.99 at AutoZone and yet at the dealership it would be $199.00 to install.

I called to see if there was a recall and there is - the computer needs to be reset on my car - however I can't get that done until I get the Sensor replaced. I think that since so many people are having this issue - and especially if it was a known issue on the 2002 Altima's then Nissan has to know that this is an issue. Now I don't know about you - but if my car had stopped in traffic and gotten run over by a semi about something that is a known defect I'm not going to be very happy. Where I come from that's called a class action lawsuit. The agent I spoke to said that the recalls are usually based off of how many complaints are logged. Sometimes that will cause there to be a look into what is happening.

Please say something through this number. The dealerships are not going to say anything about the amount of money they are making off having to fix and replace peoples sensors - that's how they make their money. Only through calling this number and logging a complaint will there be a change.