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Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • chilledbillchilledbill Member Posts: 2
    does anybody have any suggestions? the car drives away from the dealership fine, but the same problem reoccurs the next time or two that I drive it. Engine shakes, feels out of tune, and engine light comes on. Same exact symptom.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    You didn't indicate the age of your car - defective tire and front-end alignment problems have a finite period under the new car warranty. If you're certain that you're within the time allotment for these kinds of warranty service, contact Nissan America, complain, and start a case file. If it appears chasing the problem down will be on your nickel, the first thing I'd do would be to have a tire shop re-balance all four wheels AND check for evidence of tread belt shifting by the appearance of the tread grooves when the wheel is spun slowly by hand on the balance machine. Defective tires do happen. (Ask me how I know...;)) The second thing I'd do would be to have an alignment shop check the front and rear wheel alignment and adjust as needed.
  • smallcar1smallcar1 Member Posts: 76
    The coolant was chnaged by a quick lube place with pre-mixed antifreeze and water and a flush machine. I have the car six years and changed the coolant twice. The car has 58K miles, I have it six years and it hadf 37K when I got in, the antifreeze was clear when I got it.
  • gino45gino45 Member Posts: 52
    I have a 98 and changed the antifreeze myself at 80K miles and noticed no rust. I have close to 120K now and still no signs of rust. If your antifreeze mixture is correct and you use a good quality antifreeze, your rad shouldn't rust from the inside. It could be that something has contaminated your coolant. I would flush it and put in at least 50% pure coolant 50% water mixture in it and see if rust reappears in a couple of hundred miles. You can up the coolant mixture to 55-60%, but not more. I suggest that you buy Nissan's long life coolant- just to play it safe.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    "The coolant was chnaged by a quick lube place with pre-mixed antifreeze and water and a flush machine. I have the car six years and changed the coolant twice."

    I think you just diagnosed your problem yourself. The quicklube place probably used conventional antifreeze that relies on silicates for corrosin protection because it's CHEAP. These types of antifreeze have to be changed out no later than 30,000 miles or 2 years, whichever comes first, because that's the working life of silicate corrosion protection chemistry. By your account, your coolant was changed out at ~3 year intervals, hence the corrosion problems you're experiencing now. While you had full freeze-up protection during the extra year, you had essentially zero corrosion protection during those extended intervals. As gino45 suggested, have the system chemically flushed and refilled with Nissan Antifreeze. (And for goodness sake, use a radiator shop - the personnel at those places know what they're doing. The same can't always be presumed for the kids working at the quickie lube joints - if they even bother doing everything written up on the service ticket...) The best (and cheapest) way to assure you get the Nissan juice is to go to a Nissan dealer and buy it yourself to present to the radiator shop you choose. (Just make sure the shop doesn't try to charge you for the conventional antifreeze they would've poured into your cooling system.) If you depend on them to get the Nissan juice, they'll add in transportation costs to obtain it - and though their business license allows them to buy it wholesale, you'll never see any of those savings, yourself.
  • wwjcdo55wwjcdo55 Member Posts: 10
    It's me again reporting on my Nissan Altima 06 model. You know the one's with the oil consumption problem. Service manager had me to bring it in for the ( RE) engine swap on 8/1/06 a.m. He took me back to the shop and showed me the engine which had a metal tag with the letter's (re-built) stamped on it. I took down the engine number to be sure this is what i get in the end ! So at 4pm e.s.t. today i called to check on my Altima. A gentleman in the shop said it would be monday before completion. In the beginning i was told that once he started he was not to be interferred with until the job was done. Which was suppose to have been 2 days later. So i get to ride around in A Ford Focus they rented for me when i left my car with them. (Nissan) Beleave me all kinda thoughts have been going thru my head these past few days. But the one that stands out the most i purchased this car 5/27/06 suppose to be a brand new everything so to speak. Now when i go to pick it up i will now have a virtually rebuilt engine which i did not buy in the beginning. The looks of the engine outside look brand spanking new ! Free of anykind of wrench marks and it was just as shinney as the one in the car. I was told by the service manager that the engine to him looked brand new. So i give the okay to install from his opinion. So i guess whenever i finally get to test drive it maybe it will be a smooth running machine or maybe i dont like something about it. And here we go again ! Beleave me i am trying to think positive ! I will report back after my test drive with or without the car. I mean it better be right or i will walk away until i am completely satisfied. I will take the rental back to Enterprise and ask them to take me to the nearest bus station to make the 50 mile trip back home carless if necessary. Dont get me wrong i have heard some great stories over the years of the longevity life of A nissan product. Thats all i wanted when i purchased this vehicle.
  • nissan02nissan02 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 Nissan Altima w/ 59,000 miles on it, and my car is burning oil in between oil changes. Like 2 weeks after I get an oil change, my car has NO OIL in it. I was wondering if anyone knows what the problem could be...
    Thanks... :confuse: Do I have a :lemon: here??
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    Three possibilities come immediately to mind:
    1> The engine is leaking a lot of oil.
    2> The engine is burning a lot of oil.
    3> Some combination of the above.
    An engine with only 59,000 accumulated miles shouldn't normally even be on its second wind yet. That yours is consuming motor oil at such an alarming rate suggests it was either built wrong or with faulty internal parts, or it was driven and/or cared for indifferently after purchase. The root cause of the oil loss could be something as benign as a leaking cam cover or oil pan gasket, or it could be as complex as severe internal wear. There are almost infinite possibilities in between. You probably need to have your engine's problem professionaly diagnosed and dealt with. Best of luck.
  • snowman17fivesnowman17five Member Posts: 1
    when i turn on my ac it makes my cut completely off after driving around for a while
  • wwjcdo55wwjcdo55 Member Posts: 10
    Buy this time anybody following my post on my 06 Nissan S-E. I thought i would have something to say good about what was going down with the engine swap. Called service dept back 8/4 to check on why i had not been called about completion. Rep. Said my case was top priority but engine swap was not completed. Service manager was to busy to talk to me. Called back on 8/5 was told by another REP. that they had not even started on my engine exchange. Come 8/7 i will be at dealership early to stop the whole mess of lie-ing. Now i want dealer buy back only and no more to do with Nissan vehicles. Hope things go my way because of lies from day one until present ! :lemon: May have to enter legal world if things go sour on this matter. I will say no car is perfect but the high amounts we pay for them they should be superior in quality ! I dont understand why Nissan didnt test one of these engine's long enough before allowing the consumer to buy these car's. Especially after the whole problem being they changed manufactor of a certain defective part or part's used in manufactoring these bad engine's.I understand the part was off 1 millimeter and this tiny little problem may end up costing them millions which could be passed on to future Nissan owner's.
  • cam33cam33 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 1994 altima gxe. I have found that on these older model cars, the seals seem to dry rot over time. The heat that the engine puts off does not help matters either. I've had to replace the oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket, cv joint drive boots, and numerous hoses and lines. I guess this is just routine stuff that you have to keep up with.
    I had a problem with the battery going dead too, i come to find out, through trial and error, that the power antena motor was draining the battery. After disconnection of the motor, guess what, no more battery problems. I hope this information helps you.
  • jmaxwell3333jmaxwell3333 Member Posts: 14
    Hi I wrote early in the game about this problem. 1. In CA it does not fall under the lemon law - the dealer has 4 chances to correct problem - there is no difference between replacing a faulty hubcap or a faulty (blown) motor. 2. I took action immediately and contacted the BBB (Better Business Bureau). Results: The BBB handled my case swiftly, I had a new engine installed within 24 hours, case closed. In the meantime, while they were replacing my engine, I advised them of a problem with the passenger side airbag - for my 110lb 14 year old daughter, it illuminates intermittently (meaning, the bag will not deploy). Dealer said, talked to Nissan, there are no rules on weight. I don't allow my daughter in the car. Meanwhile, I lodged a complaint with Nissan and the NHSTA, Nissan will be contacting dealer to have problem resolved, but still, this won't make my car a lemon - go figure, both serious safety issues. I got myself a lawyer, we talked about class action suits, had my court date set, Nissan said take a new motor or the deal is off if we go to court, needless to say, given the lame lemon laws in CA, I would have walked away with nothing. Right now, I am trying to sell this piece of junk and move on with my life. Is interesting just how many defects come with this model-check it out online, it also has brake failure problems and problems that you are sitting in neutral or park, and the car takes on a life of it's own, some guy went through a garage and one room before his car came to a stop. Hope this helps you, just take it up with the BBB and be done with it.
  • unbelievablenyunbelievableny Member Posts: 2
    i own a 1996 altima gxe with an automatic transmission
    Just this morning when i went out to start the car i was not able to shift the car from park to any other gear
    I was able to start the car like normal but the car wouldnt get out of park!
    I actually discovered that that little button on the left hand side of the floor mounted gear selector almost at the top of the gear selector wasnt depressing in!
    Needless to say i was not able to use the car !
    Help!
  • unbelievablenyunbelievableny Member Posts: 2
    Is this a common problem with Nissans altima models of certain years or transmsissions?
    Does anyone know if a service bulliten has been issued/
    Does anyone know if this is a do it yourself repair or howmuch a shiftlockout solonoid would cost
    Is there anyway to bypass this shift solonoid ?
  • smallcar1smallcar1 Member Posts: 76
    If the antenna is sticking I found that if you spray a generous amount of WD-40 in antenna base where the holes are over tshe course of a couple of days the antenna will work work fine. Just make sure to cover the painted surface of the car well before spraying.
  • smallcar1smallcar1 Member Posts: 76
    Fortunately, I have never been a victim of this problem but a while back Consumer Guide listed this as a common problem.
  • plarmstrongplarmstrong Member Posts: 2
    I am sad to say that I also having a problem with my 2006 Nissan Altima also. I purchased the vehicle in March 2006. Last week I was informed that I had an oil leak from the seal in the motor.

    I have decided that I am going to pursue the legal avenue. Check on your state lemon laws. Most laws state that after a reasonable attempt to repair the vehicle with no success that the manufacturer has to repay you for the vehicle.

    Keep me informed.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    "Last week I was informed that I had an oil leak from the seal in the motor. ... I have decided that I am going to pursue the legal avenue."

    So, to date, what "reasonable attempt" have you allowed Nissan to undertake to bring your car into compliance with expected engine operational and reliability parameters?
  • plarmstrongplarmstrong Member Posts: 2
    Well, the seal was ordered from overseas and just arrived this past Tuesday. I have filed complaints with the BBB and NHTSA. I also called corporate Nissan and they told me that they were not willing to replace the vehicle.

    I know that under Lemon Law I have to give them a reasonable attempt to fix the vehicle unless the problem will depreciate the value of the vehicle. So I am trying to 1) wait to hear back from the complaints that I have filed and 2) trying to gather enough evidence that this problem is going to depreciate the value of my vehicle so I can get a complete refund.

    Do you have any suggestions?

    Have you checked out the following website:
    http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerouser?cmd=profile
  • wwjcdo55wwjcdo55 Member Posts: 10
    End of my story concerning the 06 Altima oil consumption problem. I tryed today talking to what they call a regional specialist concerning a BUY BACK. The guy said there would be no buy backs from Nissan concerning my model the Altima-S. Told me the rebuilt engine i got was it. Tryed trading for a Honda or Toyota but was not offered a fair price. So tommorrow i will attempt to get my after market warrenty (a Ford warrenty) changed to a Nissan. I let them sell me a contract in the begining that was only good at the dealership i purchased it at. Without a lot of hassle. Had enough of that. So lets see if i can get 7 good years out of this bucket of bolts without much of a cost to me ! Good luck to all concerned who have read my post ! Hope your luck is as good or better than mind ! So long...wwjcdo55
  • jmaxwell3333jmaxwell3333 Member Posts: 14
    Yes that's too bad...that's what Nissan expect us all to do, sit idly and put up with it, don't you know they extended the warranty to 100k miles? What a great favor they did us. Now just wait until your airbags fail, your car takes on a life of its own, your brakes go on you, the steering is difficult to manage, down to the seat adjuster keeps falling off...all that and more to come and what does Nissan say??? 'suck air and we don't care'. You did everything you could.
  • wwjcdo55wwjcdo55 Member Posts: 10
    Sir, I was referring to the oil consumption problem of the 06 Altima that belonged to me ! Bottom line Nissan is trying to treat us all alike concerning the problem ! You told me what you done and i appreciate it very much ! I realize this issue is a sore subject with ALL parties concerned ! As far as the rest of the problems sir i have not had any that havent been corrected. My new (R-E) engine is purring like a kitty and getting great mileage better than the EPA rated it at ! I'll admit along the path of my post i forgot about my Christian up bringing and the Faith i carry with me this day. When allowing God to help you make good judgement sir the challenge becomes a reality. Now i did purchase some bad after market warrenty but, with God's direction i got it swaped today for the Gold Preferred (a Nissan backed warrenty). It's the best they sell. It cover's many of the things you spoke of plus much much more ! Please dont set in the darkness sir use what God give you ! I used no lawyer or contacted no lemon law person. I finsished up the job with Faith ! After all the wwjcdo mean's what would Jesus Christ do ? Get it ? :)
  • sml1997sml1997 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 03' Altima that I have put a lot of miles on already. Anyhow, I have noticed over the last month that it has begun to run exceptionally loud. When I roll down my window, I hear my engine really loud, especially when I accelerate. It's embarrassing because it sounds like a 78' Volkswagen Bug. What do you all think is the problem? Any help would be appreciated.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    sml1997, without more information, it's virtually impossible to do any more than guess. A "lot of miles" isn't even very informative. How would you rate the noise - a constant drone? Any particular pitch stand out? A "tapping" noise? A "knocking" noise? Is there smoke out the tailpipe? If so, what color - blue, black, or white? Still, given what you did state, the immediate possibilities range from severe engine wear, transmission trouble, and/or one or more worn engine-driven accessories or drive belts to something relatively benign such as loose, bent, or perforated exhaust system components - and probably many other possibilites. You might wanna deliver your car to a dealer or trusted mechanic for an expert opinion. ;)

    (By the way - when's the last time you checked your engine and automatic transmission oil levels?)
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    It sound like your IAC valve is malfunctioning.
  • golfrjgolfrj Member Posts: 4
    Hello All, I too am an owner of an 06 Altima with the
    oil consumption problems, unfortunately I am losing my
    confidence in Nissan to handle these problems in a timely
    manner..
    I received the first letter (early June)asking us to check the oil every 700 miles and they would inform us
    within 60 days of their solution, here it is mid August
    and NO word from Nissan, I realize NHTSA ordered a recall
    in late June but upon calling corporate Nissan they still
    have no idea of what their intentions are (just keep checking your oil, and take it to the dealer for an oil consumption test)..
    What I would like to know has ANYONE received anything from Nissan other than their FIRST letter??
    Thanks for your time, Golfrj
  • jmaxwell3333jmaxwell3333 Member Posts: 14
    ..not a thing because I stayed on it, and filed with BBB and got action...check out the thread...but waiting to fill up the oil and top up the gas is ludicrous at best and should not be tolerated, but of course, that's just my opinion..good luck
  • ivan9329ivan9329 Member Posts: 3
  • ivan9329ivan9329 Member Posts: 3
    :( My nissan altima wont go past 2.5rpm's. it sounds like it tries to but it wont.also at times when i reach a red light or a stop sign, the engine dies. does anyoone have any help....
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    Are you sure you didn't mean 2,500 rpm? ;)
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    --"...but waiting to fill up the oil and top up the gas is ludicrous at best and should not be tolerated..."--

    Just a hypothetical question to chew on, but what would be your thoughts after boarding a budget trans-oceanic flight and see a notice stitched onto the seat back ahead of you that states, "Budja-Lines prides itself on reducing costs wherever possible to deliver the lowest airfares in the industry. To that end our latest maintenance procedures have been streamlined to check the lubricating oil levels in our airplane engines twice per year. Welcome aboard and enjoy your flight!"
  • ivan9329ivan9329 Member Posts: 3
    :confuse: yes...that exactly what i meant...sorry...any help you can offer would be greatly apreciated...
  • herk01herk01 Member Posts: 1
    Sounds very familiar, I too am on my third visit to the dealer with my '02 Altima for stalling issues and they hook it up to the computer and everything is fine. I want them to replace the crack shaft sensors again but thus far they won't. Any developments withe your since July
  • jmachojmacho Member Posts: 1
    I have a 98 Altima which I purchased recently. Upon purchase, I did a major tune up replacing the cap, rotor, plugs, wires, and fuel filter which were all original.

    My problem is a real puzzler- The car exhibits an occasional hesitation- usually very brief and it appears to occur traveling at highway speeds only after driving for an hour or so. Occurs in both dry or wet weather and very infrequently up until a recent trip. I do not notice any hesitation while driving around town. Car starts and runs fine with no idle or acceleration problem. This weekend while driving in the rain after 1 hour the hesitation became much worse with bucking that continued until we stopped for lunch. Did not see any drop on the tach and no CE light. After 1/2 hour stop (still raining) got back into traffic and I did not notice any hesitation for the remander 1/2 hour drive home. Again- noticed at highway speeds- usually after an hour or so, appears to occur more so while going up a hill (with or without any downshifting from the auto trans) and until recently very infrequently- any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I did reseat everything and the cap looked OK
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    Did you replace the spark plugs when you did the tune up? If not, you need to do that.The minor hesitation may be caused by some or one minor vacumm leak. If there aren't any vacumm leaks, check the fuel pressure when the car hesitates.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hi,

    I've moved a couple of posts over to the topic created especially to discuss Altima engine failures and oil burning issues:

    Here's your link, for those of you looking for your posts.

    Nissan Engine Failures

    Mr. Shiftright
    Host
  • valvvalv Member Posts: 10
    I am terrified. Last week I bought a brand new '06 2.5 S. Reading all this info about recalls, and already having my car in the shop. Yes! 3 days after taking a delivery I discovered a water in the trunk, in the jack storage compartment that was heavily leaking down on the ground. I took pictures and brought to the dealership. Three days later - no word. I guess I'll give it another 2-3 days before calling a lawyer and pushing for either refund or replacement.
    Regarding your phrase regarding overcoming "bad car dealer": I don't believe (no offense) there is a "good car dealer". I had an internet quotes on hand and they still tryed to get me. Good thing I do my home work before shopping. I actually walked out two dealerships because both salesmen and the manager were liars. :mad:
  • joshuasjoshuas Member Posts: 1
    Looks like God never directed you to a dictionary though!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I have no idea what Jesus would do, but I will have to start deleting posts unless people make an effort to remain civil in their discourse.
  • jdebardejdebarde Member Posts: 1
    I have the same exact problem with my car, about 4 months ago and I had to have the fuel injector replaced that cost me 500.00 plus, now after 4 months the problem has happened again. Now I am going to have to take it back to the shop again, but when that same excat thimg happened it was my fuel injector.
  • atma97atma97 Member Posts: 47
    97 Altima GXE, 282K miles. Still have original engine, transmission and starter. Love to zoom around Chicago town.
  • kibesjkibesj Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem with an 02. Have you found a solution yet?
  • carfanatic007carfanatic007 Member Posts: 267
    I traded in my 2003 Nissan Altima SE for a Honda Civic SI a few weeks ago. I hated getting rid of the SE, because I loved driving it. However, I did have some annoying problems. 1. Gas sensor valve went after 3 months, replaced under warranty with free loaner. 2. Had to replace the front struts (both sides) 3 times! Why is that? I never had a car that I even had to replace struts on before. I only had 24,000 miles on the car at the time. Also, while the VQ engine was powerful and smooth at low RPM, passing while at speed seemed to stress out the engine for some reason. Also, the interior plastics and center arm rest were low quality. Anyone who owns one will agree with me on that. Nissan needs to improve quality control.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    Weren't you aware of the interior plastics issue before you signed the purchase contract?
  • bob1223plusbob1223plus Member Posts: 2
    Hi;
    I just bought a 96' Nissan Altima Recently. I fount out that sometimes my speedo needle won't move only if I kept on press the button to reset the milleage then it started to move, or only if I go up to 40 MPH then the speedo moved. Can someone tell me what's wrong with my car and how can I fix it? Or how much will it be to fix this problem? Thanks for your help.
  • atma97atma97 Member Posts: 47
    I had this problem with my Infiniti I35 last year. Dealer replaced window motor and it has been working normal ever since.
  • bob1223plusbob1223plus Member Posts: 2
    how much did you pay for it?
  • atma97atma97 Member Posts: 47
    Replacement under warranty - car was at 57K miles. The job description on the receipt likes this: "C/S driver side window goes up and drops down 1/4 of the way. Driver side window motor failing. Replaced Driver side window motor". I guess you should call a couple Nissan dealers and ask them specifically about the job of replacing window motor. They will give you a quote for labor and part. Hope this will help.
  • altimajuicealtimajuice Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Altima SE and I've had the same problem. It began a few months ago with an occasional "check engine" light, but only recently began idling very rough. It's gotten worse and worse by the day and finally got to the point that my car began dying when stopping suddenly, or making turns at low speeds. I've been trying to figure this out for a while and then I saw your message. I like to think that I can fix things on my own, so I never took mine to the shop because it's warranty is no longer active and I don't want to pay the outrageous amounts of money that a most shops would want to charge. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to check the mass airflow sensor, and if it works, I owe you one hell of a, "thank-you!". I'll be in touch.
  • juliababejuliababe Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2002 2.5s and you wouldnt believe that as we speak I'm having the Head of the motor taken off becuase of excessive oil loss. I have 120,000 miles but its because I drive alot. But what are miles when it comes to a nissan, so you think. Well about 2 weeks ago I had a Air Mass Flow Meter replaced, 500.00 not covered. Well the next week I look and see that there was no oil on the dip stick, not even close to an oil change yet. Well I went and had the oil done and the next day I was low 2qts. When I started the car there was tons of white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Well the antifreze was fine. Im telling you right now, it seems everyone i talk to does not see any oil on the ground, its internal. That means when the time comes for you it will mean taking the head off and looking inside the motor. They seem to think its a lower engine problem, pistons, rings. They dont think its simple like the head gasket. I think Im gonna be replacing the engine. Im sick!!!!! I called Nissan and of course they said nothing. We need to have more people complain because this is a major issue with there cars, especially with that year. I will let you know what the verdict is, but in the meantime keep a close eye on the level because its internal and it will burn the motor out. I will keep in touch.
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