Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Nissan Altima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being repaired at an independent mechanic, the mechanic informed the contact that there was rusting on the front driver's side floor pan. The contact also noticed that the front driver's side floorboard was soft to the touch and a fuel odor was detected while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Takta recall. Hello, I have purchased a Nissan Altima 2.5 s 2003. My entire carextremely shakes from the moment I start my car until I turn it off. When I'm driving the car , the car at times drives like it's going to fail. Multiple times when driving, the car would stopped opereating properly. When my car is turned on gas/fuel like fumes through the ventilation system and throughout my vehical making it difficult to breathe at times. The door on the driver side, out of knkwhere shifted to where I can't shut my door completely. The door sensor light stays on when I turn my car off and it drains my battery because my door doesn't shut completely, and the door sensor stays on. Also, out of knowwhere the gas tank door, has shifted out of know where to where I can't shut the gasoline door completely. …
On March 17, 2015 my mechanic discovered front floorboards rusted through from inside vehicle. I can put my fist through one of the holes. The rusted floorboards are a safety issue. This is a design issue well-known to Nissan and previously reported to NHTSA by other Nissan Altima owners. Cost to repair is over $3,000. My Nissan Altima is low mileage and has been well-maintained. It has been garaged and is otherwise in great condition. I cannot in all good conscience donate this vehicle to charity and certainly will get a greatly reduced trade-in value from any buy foolish enough to buy this Nissan. I reported the problem to Nissan, but received no reply. I plan to join a class-action suit against Nissan and also ask the NHTSA to issue a recall that forces Nissan to remedy to problem or compensate me for my loss of value.
I had to replace the steering at 84000 miles because the steering had a knocking sound everytime you turn it left or right,or when you go over a bump,,,,it was very slack and eventually it felt as though it would fall out at anytime.....was advised at the dealership that it needed to be replaced no explanation could have been given . This was done yesterday 08/22/2013. Now there is a very huge rust hole on the passenger side under the car ...this car is 10yrs old with 84000 miles and I take very good care of my car..I bought it in 2006 with about 25000 miles. The hole is about twelve inches by six inches. The lighting is so poor most times at night I always have to use myhigh beam ....worst car I ever had...there were so many other problems I have had with it . This car spent many weeks at the dealership. ..
I took my car for inspection and found out that there was a hole in the bottom of my floor board. I had to have this repaired in order to pass inspection. My car is garage kept and I only have 67,000 miles on my car as of today's date. My mechanic told me to purchase a new car within the next year. This car is in excellent condition except for this problem. I thought I would be able to get a decent amount for a trade but who would want this car. Until today I thought I just got a bad car but watching the "today" I know this is wide spread. Can I get reimbursed for my costs?
Purchased a 2003 Altima, 1 owner car for my 16 year old daughter. After having car for about 9 months noticed metal rusted material in the driveway under the passenger side of the car. Inspected and found a hole the size of my fist going all the way through. Ended up replacing most all of the passenger side floor pan due to a major safety issue. If not for the carpet the passenger could have placed their foot through the area. Have talked to others at body shops and found this is a problem with the Altima from 2003-2006. Not a cheap fix either.
I am the original owner of a 2003 Altima. Recently I was notified while getting my tires rotated that I have a large hole rusting thru the bottom of my car in the front passenger floor. The affected area is roughly 18" long x 10" wide. This is a huge safety concern as no one ever looks under the car to check for rust. Luckily no injury occurred but it's just an accident waiting to happen. How many injuries or worse yet deaths will need to occur before a recall is issued. Clearly there is a problem yet Nissan is neglecting to act upon it.
The floor boards rotted out, just found out about it, give it a few more months. I can become fred flintstone and start pushing my car around when the camshaft/crankshaft sensor goes out again. Both sensors have been replaced and still had not corrected the problem. Brought the car in today and was told there are no recalls for your car. That's interesting when you can't go anywhere and you are sitting at a light with traffic behind you. That's were meet the flintstones comes in, using foot power to move the car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed a piece of the frame hanging down underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the front and passenger side frame were completely rusted and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 45,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the floor boards were rusted to the point of deterioration. The contact was able to further inspect the vehicle and upon taking it to an independent mechanic for routine servicing it was determined that the floor boards prematurely rusted and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 77,900.
Body complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2003 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 126 complaints about the body & structure of the 2003 Nissan Altima, 14% of the model year's 883 complaints. The component named most often is body (94 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Nissan Altima body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2003 Nissan Altima, though it has 4 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 2003 Nissan Altima body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 110,000 miles, and 1% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.