Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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).
I was driving home with my husband and 3 grandchildren after having dinner noticed smoke and exited the road way to find there was a fire under hood, the inside of car filled up with smoke before we could exit, we called 911 and they responded, they said it was caused from an electrical fire was all we were told, they towed the car away with out any investigation, was wondering if any recalls have caused this? The car is at lauzons towing in malone ny, all we could think of at the time was to get the children out of the cold and off the highway then to seek what had caused this. Im writing in hopes to maybe get some answers as to what could have caused this. Hoping to hear back from someone soon on this matter. Thank you[redacted]
On or about jan. 20, 2006 while driving my vehicles' check engine light would come on and then the vehicle would cut off. We took it took it to fontana Nissan for repairs. The car was returned to us on jan. 28, 2006. Maybe 2 - 3 hrs. After getting the vehicle, we were driving to l.a. Area and the check engine light came on again. We called the service mgr. At fontana Nissan and he said to bring it back and they would look at it on the following mon. Well, we never made it back because while we were in route home (fontana) I lost control of the car while it was shutting off on the 91 fwy. To the 605 interchange. After the crash, the car was towed and the insurance company repaired the external damages (body work) but the internal was not fixed. Then in June 2006 while driving home, the car cut off again. Fontana Nissan said it was the battery. So we purchased a battery. …
Tl contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact attempted to tap the brakes but the vehicle just accelerated faster. The vehicle jumped over a ditch and finally landed in a canal. The contact suffered severe injuries including open wounds, fractured ribs, two cracked disks, head injury and incidents of loosing consciousness. A police report was filed. The vehicle was totaled. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000. Updated evoq 07/20/10. The vehicle was inspected and the consumer was informed by the technician he found an electric crossover connection between the brake and accelerator pedals and May have been computer related. Updated 11/23/10. Updated 12/07/10. Updated 12/21/10 updated 12/30/10 updated 01/10/11. Updated 01/12/11. …
Car began to idle roughly and was hard to start. Replaced oxygen sensors which did not cure symptoms. Was told that the 2 pre-cats (catalytic converters) needed replaced. Motor mounts also recommended. Replaced and problem persisted. Hard to start, runs rough now shutting down while driving. Ran codes myself with OBD-ii tool and found crankshaft and camshaft position sensors to be faulty. I heard of a recall for this very issue; even described my symptoms exactly. Even though my year model and car was recalled the Nissan of fort worth service desk told me my VIN # was not covered. My car has the exact same engine as all of the other nissans made in this year range and the same faulty crankshaft and camshaft sensors but for some unknown reason mine are not covered by this. How is this even possible. …
Car stalled two times within 20 minutes when slowing car down to make a turn. Meineke and paul miller Nissan of fairfield, ct identified that parts 23731-al61a (crankshaft/camshaft sensor) and 23731-6j90b (camshaft position sensor) need to be replaced. These sensors were part a recall for the same make, year and model of car that I own. Nissan n.a. Claims that my VIN was not a part of the recall. 630,000+ vehicles were affected by this recall but my vehicle does not apply. On line complaints suggests that the exact same complaint keeps recurring but Nissan has not expanded there VIN registry to include all cars that are affected. Spoke with Nissan n.a. Case expediter who stated my vehicle VIN was not on the affected list although my complaint was the same as those vehicles on the list. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving low speeds. In addition, the service engine soon light constantly illuminated. The contact was able to get the vehicle operational after manually restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ECM, crank cam position sensor, and cam position sensor malfunctioned and needed to be reprogrammed and replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was made aware of NHTSA campaign number: 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000. Updated 02/23/16; break down happening daily andservice engine light to come up updated 04/24/18
I note some Nissan altimas havr recalls on camsensor and speedsensonsor. This vehicle has same problems. Vehicle shuts off on the road cam sensor was changed but was good for a couple years does the same mechanic says faulty plastic clip. Also vehicle gets stuck in low gear while driving and the car will have to be pulled iver restarted to get it to reset otherwise car will run in low gear at high rpms.. I noticed recalls on the Nissan Altima for for these sensors. However not this model according to the dealer.
Everything I have had to replace/repair on this car is linked to recalls, but Nissan is denying this & refusing to help. They said my vehicle was not part of any recalls but everything that's failing is related. It has died on me in the middle of highway traffic w/ my child in the car several times. This car is defective & no one from Nissan is concerned!!!! Butterfly screw/valve issues, cam/crank shaft issues--related to engine cooling, high oil consumption; alternator failing; oil leaking
On several instances the engine cuts off while driving. Major safety concern. Eventually, the check engine light came on. Took vehicle to dealer, and dealer informed me of recall campaign to reprogram the ECM. Also, they found error codes p0725 and p0335. They told me that I had to replace my crank shaft position sensor (at my cost -- this was not part of the recall). After the dealer completed the recall work, the car still stalled that very day on the way home. Took the car to my neighborhood mechanic who replaced the crankshaft position sensor. Check engine light was cleared by mechanic and has not lit up again, however, the vehicle has stalled while driving again. This sounds very similar to the symptoms which LED to the recall of the 2002 Nissan Altima's. My car was manufactured in December 2002, but was not included in the 2002 recall. …
In January 2006 I began experiencing stalling episodes with my Nissan Altima 2003 while driving the car would without warning stall. This occurred more than once and twice happened on my way to work on i95. The dealer was not able to identify the issue until feb 2007 (in the meantime I drove this unsafe car). In feb 2006 a sensor was replaced that had been causing the problem. I paid close to $2,000 in unnecessary repairs and was charged for a rental car. I found today that Nissan is officially reporting my 2006 issue as a recall. While I'm very thankful that I was not seriously injured or had a car crash that resulted in anyone else being hurt by the unidentified recall at the time of my experience I would like to receive compensation for the funds that I paid and I'm not sure how you place a price tag on the car stalling several times and 2 of those times being on 195. …
Electrical complaints in other Altima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Nissan Altima?
NHTSA has 89 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Nissan Altima, 10% of the model year's 883 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Nissan Altima electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 2 fires and 2 injuries to electrical system 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.