Most common 2002 Nissan Altima problems
Share of the 1,047 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Nissan Altima complaints by model year
Best Altima years: 2022, 2025, 2023. Years to avoid: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2009, 2002. Compare all years →
2002 Nissan Altima recalls (5)
Engine and engine cooling
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crankshaft position sensor can overheat causing a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the ECM free of charge. Certain my 2006 altimas which have been previously remedied under recall campaign 06V223 (Nissan r0606) are not included in this recall since the reprogramming for 06V223…
Engine and engine cooling
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the crank position sensors. Camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s).
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
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,…
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.
Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
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.
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…
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
On certain vehicles, the electrical connector for the driver air bag May come loose. If the connector comes loose, the supplemental air bag warning light flashes intermittently.
Remedy: Dealers will install a retaining clip on the clock spring electrical connector. Owner notification began April 21, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2002 Nissan Altima:
Engine compartment fires
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation on October 18, 2002 based on three reports indicating that the engine compartment in model year (my) 2002 Nissan altima vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine caught on fire without any warning to the driver while the vehicle was driven at highway speeds.one non-burn related injury was reported as a result of the complainant exiting the vehicle…
What 2002 Nissan Altima owners say
Engine & cooling all 682 →
The contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle hesitated to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 03V455000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
I've owned my 2002 Nissan for about 6 months now the previous owner informed me prior to purchase about issues she was having and the reason she was selling the car, explain to me that her friend who has worked on cars 20+ yrs felt if cause could be found it was repairable but seems luck she had is now the luck I'm having. I have a couple ppl look over the car under hood and run diagnostics but nothing can be found.. I can't afford to junk the car my income budget is tight and doesn't allow much wiggle room to purchase a new ride a friend told me about the NHTSA website so we went exploring entering my VIN number comes back no recalls but looking over the recalls for saying make and model and year of my vehicle there's 12 to 15 recalls on it from headlights which I'm is an issue to engine stalls to catalyst issues but yet I'm told that no because we're done on my vehicle I know I'm not …
Body & structure all 128 →
My dad recently informed me that he saw a story on the news about Nissan Altima's and rusted out floorboards. Sure enough, my floorboards on the driver and passenger sides are in bad shape. Especially the driver side. The car looks like new otherwise. I am the original owner and have taken my car to state line Nissan for all maintenance. Nobody there ever told me that this was happening under my car. I looked online and found quite a few Nissan Altima owners with the same problem. Some of the complaints go back 5 years. It is clear that Nissan knows about this design flaw and wants to avoid a costly recall. I went to hendrick collision center in merriam kansas who are in the Nissan network for repairs. It will take 10 days and cost $3,232.38. I then took the car to santa fe body inc. Which is an independent body shop. …
After hearing a scraping noise, while pulling out of a driveway, it was discovered that a 6-inch section (approx.) of metal was hanging from the undercarriage of the front passenger side of the vehicle. After looking at the area, it became clear that the floor pan under the front passenger side of the vehicle was corroded/rusted/rotted. After calling my local Nissan dealership, I was directed to Nissan corporate, who then passed me along to a regional consumer affairs rep. The bulletin number provided by that rep was ntb15-059 (floor pan repair). I was told that they knew of others also having this problem, but they said there was nothing they could do and that I should call around for repair estimates. After getting several estimates, it was discovered that the floor pan under the front driver side was even more rotted out than the passenger side. …
Electrical system all 77 →
I've owned my 2002 Nissan for about 6 months now the previous owner informed me prior to purchase about issues she was having and the reason she was selling the car, explain to me that her friend who has worked on cars 20+ yrs felt if cause could be found it was repairable but seems luck she had is now the luck I'm having. I have a couple ppl look over the car under hood and run diagnostics but nothing can be found.. I can't afford to junk the car my income budget is tight and doesn't allow much wiggle room to purchase a new ride a friend told me about the NHTSA website so we went exploring entering my VIN number comes back no recalls but looking over the recalls for saying make and model and year of my vehicle there's 12 to 15 recalls on it from headlights which I'm is an issue to engine stalls to catalyst issues but yet I'm told that no because we're done on my vehicle I know I'm not …
first, I started to notice my car would loose power while driving, over a couple months, it started to stall and/or completely shut off while driving at low speeds or at red lights! When this first stared happening, the car would immediately fire back up when cranked, after about a month of this, I noticed, I could not drive at or above 45mph or it would shut down, or drive for more than 15 minutes and it would shut off...AND NOT START AGAIN! It would crank, but not start, I would have to wait 30 minutes or more and then it would start right up! This is dangerous due to the immediate- no- warning shut off, whenever and wherever! I've almost caused multi car pile up! Not to mention my kids in the back seat and on the interstate! We could have been slammed into, and pushed down the interstate and over into other lanes! There's a recall on 2002 Nissan Altimas for THIS VERY ISSUE!!! …
2002 Nissan Altima engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 19 / 24 / 21 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Nissan Altima a good car?
Based on 1,047 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2002 Altima rates avoid: 2.1× as many complaints as a typical year of the Altima at the same age. It is one of the Altima years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 Nissan Altima?
The engine & cooling — 682 complaints, 65% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the body & structure (128) and electrical system (77).
How many recalls does the 2002 Nissan Altima have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2002 Nissan Altima, the most recent from November 14, 2007 (engine and engine cooling). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Nissan Altima?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2022, 2025 and 2023. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2009 and 2002. See the full Nissan Altima years comparison.
At what mileage do 2002 Nissan Altima problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 88,000 miles; 18% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.