2002 Nissan Altima problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (173) · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine (131) · Structure:body (89)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Altima model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
800 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (142)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
window glass warranty information this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
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.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
windshield cracking this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 142 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-01-20 · Fuel System, Gasoline“the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle had failed the state inspection because the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 03v251000 (fuel system, gasoline). the dealer was contacted for recall completion and informed the contact that the recall was not applicable to the vehicle because the contact did not res…”
2025-07-26 · Unknown Or Other“i purchased a 2002 nissan altima from stone’s automotive in somerset, kentucky on [xxx]. i was told by the dealer that the oil pressure light sometimes comes on and he thinks it may have a weak oil pump. a couple of days later, i brought it to the mechanic they use, and at first, they thought it was just the oil pressure sensor or old oil. i had th…”
2024-04-03 · Power Train“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 …”
2022-08-02 · Fuel/Propulsion System“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…”
2022-06-17 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 133,000 mi“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 coo…”
2021-04-19 · Fuel/Propulsion System“took my car to emissions and they printed this paper out of a recall on my car.…”
2021-02-08 · Unknown Or Other · 134,500 mi“doors are locked shut all but one, cannot get them to unlock and when i get them unlocked, they won't latch closed. will not unlock them even when i attempted manually... i need a solution.…”
2020-01-27 · Visibility/Wiper · 251,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan altima. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine would misfire and the oxygen sensor would remain illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. the oxygen sensor was replaced and the oxygen sensor light shut of…”
2019-10-12 · Engine · 95,000 mi“my engine is destroyed because a screw came loose from the throttle body in the plenum, got sucked into an engine cylinder and destroyed that cylinder. this would cost somewhere between $3k to $5k to repair, more than the car is currently worth. in talking to a nissan mechanic and doing online research, this is apparently not an unheard of prob…”
2019-10-10 · Unknown Or Other · 112,000 mi · 💥 crash“2002 nissan altima s was hit on drivers side (t-boned) while making a left turn onto the hwy, driver door and passenger rear door impact at over 55 mph. no air bag deployed. *dt photos attached *jb…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.