The Used Car Index

2003 Nissan Altima problems

NHTSA lists 883 complaints for the 2003 Nissan Altima, 41 of them mention a crash and 13 mention a fire. 22 complaints mention an injury, with 25 injuries and 2 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as NISSAN ALTIMA.

At a glance

Complaints
883
With crash
41
With fire
13
With injury (complaints)
22
Injuries
25
Deaths
2
Recalls
4
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
630,000
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
101

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The required sales year is missing.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING45051.0%
STRUCTURE12614.3%
ENGINE11713.3%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM8910.1%
POWER TRAIN343.9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL333.7%
AIR BAGS283.2%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE283.2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER252.8%
EQUIPMENT171.9%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGENGINE111
STRUCTUREBODY97
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGEXHAUST SYSTEM81
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGCOOLING SYSTEM25
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION17
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMIGNITION9
STRUCTUREFRAME AND MEMBERS9
AIR BAGSFRONTAL8
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINEDELIVERY5
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINESTORAGE5

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags: This model year has not been tagged.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

4 recalls.

06V242000

Date: 2006-07-07. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Defect: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 2.5L ENGINE, THE CRANK ANGLE SENSOR IS AFFECTED BY TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS. UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS, THESE VARIATIONS IN TEMPERATURE CAN BE LARGE ENOUGH TO CAUSE A BRIEF INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL OUTPUT FROM THE SENSOR.

Consequence: IF THE INTERRUPTION IN THE SIGNAL FROM THE SENSOR IS SO BRIEF THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) LOGIC DOES NOT HAVE TIME TO DIAGNOSE THE CONDITION, THE ENGINE MAY STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AT A LOW SPEED INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ECM FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 21, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

03V455000

Date: 2003-11-17. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Defect: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR CAM POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS. (excerpt)

Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" WARNING LIGHT TO COME ON, CREATE A NO START CONDITION, CAUSE REDUCED ENGINE POWER, OR CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING WITHOUT WARNING DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. (excerpt)

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(S), AND IN SOME CASES, THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR(S). VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS NEW CAMPAIGN. THE REPLACEMENT SENSORS USED IN THAT CAMPAIGN ARE ALSO AFFECTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

03V251000

Date: 2003-07-14. Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE.

Defect: ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, IOWA, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KANSAS, MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NORTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. AT EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES, MOISTURE (excerpt)

Consequence: THIS CAN PREVENT THE SUPPLY OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING. (excerpt)

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SCREEN AT THE SUCTION OPENING OF THE FUEL PUMP TO PREVENT ICE CRYSTALS FROM BLOCKING THE OPENING. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-333-0829. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

03V084000

Date: 2003-03-11. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Defect: ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.5 LITER ENGINE, THE EXHAUST PIPE HANGER PIN MAY CATCH DEBRIS FROM THE ROAD THAT COULD BE IGNITED BY CONTACT WITH THE MAIN CATALYST. ALSO ON 2002 ALTIMA AND SENTRA VEHICLES, CERTAIN ENGINE OPERATING CONDITIONS MAY CAUSE THE PRE-CATALYST TO OVERHEAT AND DAMAGE THE CATALYST SUBSTRATE. (excerpt)

Consequence: EITHER OF THESE TWO CONDITIONS COULD RESULT IN A FIRE. (excerpt)

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE PROTRUDING PORTION OF THE EXHAUST PIPE HANGER PIN. IN ADDITION TO THE CORRECTIVE ACTION, IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE IN THE EVENT OF POOR OR IMPROPER MAINTENANCE THAT COULD RESULT IN OIL SPILLAGE, HEAT SHIELD(S) WILL BE INSTALLED ON THE PRE-CATALYST AND EXHAUST TUBE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEA (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 investigations; 0 open.

RQ06001

Opened: 2006-02-22. Closed: 2006-07-18.

ENGINE STALL - CRANK POSITION SENSOR

ON JUNE 28, 2006 NISSAN SUBMITTED TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA) A PART 573 REPORT ADVISING THAT CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003 NISSAN SENTRA AND NISSAN ALTIMA SEDANS EQUIPPED WITH 2.5L ENGINES WOULD BE RECALLED TO REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM). THE RECALL IS IDENTIFIED BY NHTSA RECALL NO. 06V242. THE SUBJECT POPULATIONS OF THE RECALL ARE 14,587 NISSAN SENTR

Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Linked campaign numbers: 06V242000, 07V527000.

Manufacturer communications

101 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
STRUCTURE16
EQUIPMENT15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING14
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM13
SUSPENSION9
VISIBILITY9
EXTERIOR LIGHTING6
STEERING5

11031704

Date: 2026-04-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement a Certification Labela or a VIN Plate/Labela may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be

11031705

Date: 2026-04-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement a Certification Labela or a VIN Plate/Labela may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be

11004962

Date: 2024-05-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11001191

Date: 2024-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11001194

Date: 2024-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

11001201

Date: 2024-04-30. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: VISIBILITY/WIPER.

WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

10246436

Date: 2023-11-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2002-2006 ALTIMA AND 2004-2008 MAXIMA; FLOOR PAN Voluntary Service Campaign ID # PC926 is no longer active. A A A? Repair orders opened after this bulletinA?A A s published date are no longer eligible for reimbursement under Campaign ID # PC926. A A A? Discard all p

10246452

Date: 2023-11-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Expiration Notification - Maxima/Altima Floor Pan ***** Dealer Announcement ***** On October 28, 2022, in connection with the court-approved settlement of class action litigation filed in Missouri, Nissan launched a Voluntary Service Campaign (VSC) on 36,858 specific model year 2002-2006 Nissan

10243708

Date: 2023-09-21. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STEERING.

DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

10239062

Date: 2023-06-16. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or severe personal injury, do not directly spray Silicone-based lubricant or

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
ALTIMA883

Same model, other years

All model years | All Nissan models

Other Nissan models, 2003

Sources

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