2002 Nissan Altima Recalls, Complaints & Specs

5 safety recalls list the 2002 Nissan Altima, and owners have filed 1,047 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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5 safety recalls for the 2002 Nissan Altima

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Engine and engine cooling

   NHTSA 07V527000 Reported November 14, 2007 653,910 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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…

2. Engine and engine cooling

   NHTSA 03V455000 Reported November 17, 2003 630,000 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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). Vehicles involved in a previous recall campaign, 01v357, are also included in this…

3. Tank assembly (fuel system)

   NHTSA 03V251000 Reported July 14, 2003 377,000 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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, vermont,…

   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.

4. Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (engine and engine cooling)

   NHTSA 03V084000 Reported March 11, 2003 338,000 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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…

5. Inflator module (air bags)

   NHTSA 03V061000 Reported February 27, 2003 64,562 vehicles potentially affected NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

   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…

1,047 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2002 Nissan Altima have filed 1,047 complaints with NHTSA; 29 describe a crash and 28 describe a fire. Reports cite 27 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 88,041 miles. Complaints peaked in 2008 with 144 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Engine and engine cooling229
• Engine and engine cooling: engine164
• Engine92
• Structure: body92
• Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system91
• Engine and engine cooling: catalytic convertor69
• Electrical system48
• Engine and engine cooling: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe48

What owners are reporting

“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”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, January 20, 2026 · Fuel system, gasoline

“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 pu”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, July 26, 2025 · Unknown or other

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2002 Nissan Altima. Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Nissan Altima model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Nissan Altima model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 2002 Nissan Altima

Other Nissan models

• Pathfinder7,355 complaints
• Rogue7,322 complaints
• Maxima6,955 complaints
• Murano5,958 complaints
• Sentra5,954 complaints
• Frontier3,357 complaints
• Versa3,325 complaints
• Titan3,264 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.