Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
5/31/2015 at about 9:40 pm. There were lines of cars leaving starfire sports in tukwila, wa off of 405 exit 1 because of adult recreational soccer games and the washington state high lchool boys lacrosse championships. When exiting starfire, it was my turn at the stop sign, so I proceeded. After I proceeded, the big black vehicle waiting at the stop sign across from me with the license plate aqg6472 started to turn into me. I slammed on my breaks. He slammed on his breaks and then stared at me. He almost collided with me. He is a blonde-haired skinny high school age boy, and there were 2-3 other high school boys as passengers. All passengers stuck their middle fingers out the window and he got out of the car and taunted me. The line of cars all were beeping at him. He then drove on, continuing to taunt me. He left starfire and entered 405 north, as did I. I was still behind him. …
" Takata recall " . The car has been giving engine problems but I did not know what it was until I searched it online and I am having the same problem as many complaint on the recall website. The engine while on slow drive or when on a full stop it shuts down without any warning. It has happened to me a couple of times once I was on a highway but there was traffic and my car shut down. Another time I was at a regular city road and I was driving slow looking for parking and the car shut down but thankfully the car behind me was far and I turned my blinkers on, but thankfully no crashes as of yet. Many other times it has shut down on red lights, stop signs anywhere that it has been slow motion. Recently after so long of having these troubles, my car will take forever to turn on. It starts but it makes a weird noise from the engine and it shuts down. …
OK 3 or 2 week after I brought the car it start running hot the it start to get to the point when it do run hot and I hit the gas the car want go it was like I was trying to make the car go fast but it was going slow so I took it back to the place I brought it from and he didn't do much so I found a mechanic and he ran at test on me and told me that it was some recalls on part of my car and the person head it before me didn't get it done like the cam sensor ,crank sensor and my catalytic converter and a time thing the I took it back to the place I brought it from he said he can do nothing and someone told me to turn to you all so what can I do I put to much money in to it to get it fix I change the water pump the holes and the thermostat so what should I do please help....
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. On several occasions, while driving, the engine stalled. The contact had to restart the vehicle while the accelerator pedal was applied. Also, while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle would hesitate to gain speed and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 213,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle independently decreased in speed and would not accelerate over 5 MPH. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
My car won't accelerate beyond 20 MPH, then engine would stall while in drive gear. Took it to my mechanic who turned off the engine service light which allowed me to accelerate to normal speed. However, the engine keeps stalling while I'm driving. I nearly had several accidents while driving on the street and exiting the freeway. Luckily I can notice the engine failing before it completely shut down so I hit my hazard lights each time to avoid accident and notify motorists behind me something is wrong. Several times car had to swerved suddenly around me to avoid rear ending my car. Then yesterday when my engine stalled while pulling out of a parking lot my engine stalled again and the steering wheels locked which almost caused my car to roll straight into a brick wall. …
2002 Nissan Altima 2.5s, while driving on the expressway the Altima just cut off completely. The steering locked not giving me time to pull over off the road. This has happened 5 times. Twice at high speed and 2 times at low speed and once stopped at a traffic light. I have read many complaints about this same problem and actually spoke to one driver with the same exact car with the same problem. That driver took the car in, and was told by the dealer that they couldn't find anything wrong. I will be taking my car to dealer at a rate of $110.00 to have it checked . Someone should recall all these cars for the safety of the owners and their passengers. This is a serious problem for so many people to complain about, not including the one's that have not taken out time to voice their complaints. Please inform me of any recalls involving this matter. …
At any speed, my speedometer shows a different speed than my actual speed. My actual speed has been verified by radar, GPS, mile markers and traveling along side another vehicle with an accurate speedometer (based on GPS and radar). Where my speedometer is showing less than my actual speed, I am subject to make mental adjustments to increase my speed to actually travel the desired speed. When I get in another car that has an accurate speedometer, by habit, I tend to increase my speed in that car, subjecting me to possible fines for speeding. Note: the tires are the original tires and this problem existed from the time I bought this car. I contacted Nissan about this and they said that as long as the speedometer is accurate to within 10%, it's within specs. That implies that if my speedometer reads 70 MPH and my actual speed is 77, Nissan is fine with that! …
Tl*-the contact stated that on 03/03/07 while driving the 2002 Nissan Altima at 65 MPH she noticed that the speed was decreasing. She continued to press the accelerator and the vehicle continued to lose power. The contact pulled the vehicle to side of the road and tried to restart the vehicle. The vehicle wouldn't start. The contact called to have the vehicle towed, and it was towed to hill top service station, where the mechanic was able to start the vehicle. The contact stated that they informed her to get to the nearest Nissan dealer. The vehicle was towed again to koeppell Nissan in jackson heights queens, ny. The vehicle was still at the dealership, and that they had to order a part which helped to circulate air to the cooling system. The contact stated that she had nothing but problems since she purchased this vehicle in 2002, and had all repair order for the vehicle. …
On 6/27/2013 I was driving about 30 MPH per hour. The car engine shuts off abruptly and I loss all power to the car. I was stuck and the cars behind me almost hit me from behind. I put the hazards on and tried to start the car. I sat for about 5 minutes, put the car in neutral and it started then shut off again. In previous years I had to start the car in neutral but it never shut off while in motion until today,6/27/2013 and the service soon engine light came on and also the TCS, slip. I am now seeing that there is a recall. Can you please help me to get Nissan to fix this problem because this is a hazard and there is a recall. Thank you. …
Acceleration complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2002 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2002 Nissan Altima, 2% of the model year's 1,047 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Nissan Altima acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2002 Nissan Altima, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Nissan Altima acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 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.