RoadVitals

1993 Nissan Altima Engine Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Engine reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
16
Latest Jan 10, 2005
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
13%
of 122 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1993 Nissan Altima submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 16 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming engine

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Engine
Filed Jan 10, 2005

WHEN DRIVING IN COLD WEATHER VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
10107104
Incident
Dec 13, 2004
Mileage
35,000 mi
Engine
Filed Nov 17, 2000

CONSUMER NOTICED OIL SPOTS IN PARKING LOT, AND IT GOT WORSE AND WORSE. TOOK VEHICLE TO MECHANIC OIL PAN WAS WORN OUT, AND OIL WAS JUST RUNNING OUT FROM BACK OF IT.*AK

NHTSA ID
875157
Incident
Oct 1, 2000
Engine
Filed Oct 3, 2000

OIL LEAK DEVELOPED AT ENGINE TIMING COVER. ESTIMATE TO REPAIR OVER $2000. MANUFACTURER CONTACTED BUT DENIED THERE WERE ANY OPEN SERVICE BULLETINS ON THIS PROBEM AND DECLINED ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIR DESPITE THERE BEING A BULLETIN NUMBER NTB95058A ON THIS EXACT PROBLEM IN THE NHTSA DATABASE.*AK

NHTSA ID
733383
Incident
Oct 2, 2000
Heating & air conditioningElectricalEngine
Filed Sep 12, 2000

ENGINE MISS AND STALLING DUE TO THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR FAILURE. *MJS

NHTSA ID
554550
Incident
Oct 21, 1999
Engine
Filed Jun 22, 2000

VEHICLE WAS LEAKING OIL FROM THE BOTTOM. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR REPAIRS, AND TECHNICIAN SAID THAT ENGINE TIMING COVER WAS DEFECTIVE. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK *ML

NHTSA ID
864103
Incident
Jun 20, 2000
Engine
Filed May 9, 2000

THE TIMING COVER GASKET FAILED AND IS LEAKING OIL, TSB IS ISSUED CONCERNING THIS FAILURE. *MJS

NHTSA ID
783603
Driver assistanceEngine
Filed Jan 29, 2000

PROBLEM STARTING VEHICLE, IT WOULD IDLE ERRATICALLY AND VERY LOW, SOMETIMES IT WOULDN'T START AT ALL. THEN WHILE DRIVING THE CAR LOST POWER AND CAUGHT VERY ERRATICLLY MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL MY SPEED. SEVERAL WEBSITES IDENTIFY THE CRANK ANGLE SENSOR

NHTSA ID
718045
Incident
Jan 21, 2000
Engine
Filed Nov 8, 1999

THE EXHAUST SYSTEM HAS FAILED US TWICE ONCE WHEN WE FIRST GOT THE CAR FOR NO REASON IT HAPPENED ON OR AROUND 09/1997 AND THEN AGAIN 10/1999 THE TAIL PIPE KEEPS BREAKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON.

NHTSA ID
714505
Incident
Nov 8, 1999
Engine
Filed Jun 3, 1999

THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START RIGHT AWAY, USUALLY IT TAKES ABOUT 30 MINUTES - 1 HOUR TO START. VEHICLE WILL ALSO STALL/SHUT DOWN INTERMITENTLY. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM ,CLAIMS THAT THE VEHICLE IS NORMAL. *AK

NHTSA ID
837877
Engine
Filed Jan 19, 1999

THIS PROBLEM BEGAN WITH THE CAR STALLING AT STOP SIGNS. THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURED THE CAR STALLED OUT AND RAN REALLY ROUGH. THERE WAS LOTS OF WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM THE EXHAUST. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THOMAS NISSAN AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY PUT THE CAR ON THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND THE PROBLEM WAS THE SPARK PLUGS. THEY CHANGED THE PLUGS AND THE CAR DIDN'T STALL ANY LONGER BUT IT RAN SORT OF JERKY. IT PROGRESSED FROM THERE TO STALLING AT EACH AND EVERY STOP. IT SOON BEGAN TO STALL WHEN EVER I SLOWED TO MAKE A TURN. WE TOOK IT IN TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED, CHANGED THE FUEL FILTER, AND THE PLUGS. AFTER THIS WORK WAS COMPLETED THE CAR DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET AND HAD TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE STREET. AT THIS POINT WE REPLACED THE OXYGEN SENSOR AND THE CAR RAN OKAY. WE HEADED FOR HOME ONLY TO HAVE THE CAR DIE COMPLETELY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEN IT DIED I WAS DOING ABOUT 65MPH. THE PERFORMANCE DETERIORATED TO THE POINT THAT IT WILL NO LONGER START AT ALL. I HAD THE DISTRUBITOR REPLACED AT THE ADVICE OF A MECHANIC AND THIS DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. SO IF ANYONE OUT THERE KNOWS HOW TO SOLVE THIS RIDDLE OR HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW THEY HANDLED THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID
702358
Incident
Oct 24, 1998
Engine
Filed Dec 31, 1998

EXTERIOR PARTS - EXHAUST SYSTEM, T-BAR - RUSTED AND COMPANY CLAIMS THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES OR REPLACEMENT OF PARTS. CAR WAS BOUGHT WITH A 6-YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY AND COMPANY WAS CONTACTED BEFORE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND THEY CLAIM THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE. EXHAUST SYSTEM WAS REPLACED AND T-BAR MUST NOW BE REPLACED DUE TO FAILURE OF PART. MECHANICS STATE THAT T-BAR AREA WAS NEVER PROPERLY RUST-PROOFED BY MANUFACTURER. THIS PIECE SUPPORTS THE ENGINE MOUNT AND RADIATOR, WHEN DELEAR WAS VISITED THEY STATED THAT COMPANY WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE. A PHONE CALL AND LETTER WERE SENT TO COMPANY AND COMPANY REPLIED IT WAS NOT THEIR BUSINESS. CAR RADIO HAD TO REPLACED DUE TO A VOLUME CONTROL DEFECT, COMPANY ONCE AGAIN STATED NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.

NHTSA ID
701769
Incident
Mar 12, 1998
Engine
Filed Oct 5, 1998

COOLING FAN BLADE HIT THE RADIATOR AND PUT A HOLE IN IT, RADIATOR WAS RUNNING HOT, ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. DEALER CONTACTED, AND STATED THE SAME PROBLEM AS DEFECT. *AK

NHTSA ID
828553
Incident
Jul 1, 1996
Driver assistanceElectricalEngine+1 more
Filed Apr 15, 1998

HORN/CRUISE CONTROL/ENGINE MOUNTS AND TRANSAXLE FAILED.

NHTSA ID
534325
Engine
Filed Jun 2, 1997

DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH, VEHICLE SUDDENLY DIED OUT; HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER; THEY COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. TRIED TO RESTART & DID NOT START IMMEDIATELY, FINALLY STARTED & THEN DIED OUT AGAIN. AT DEALER'S. *AK

NHTSA ID
812675
Incident
May 23, 1997
Engine
Filed May 29, 1997

VEHICLE STALLS OUT WITH NO WARNING WHEN COMING FROM ANY STOP POSITION INTO A TURNING POSITION. *AK

NHTSA ID
812570
Engine
Filed Dec 14, 1995

VEHICLE IS LEAKING MOTOR OIL BECAUSE OF DEFECTIVE O-RINGS. TT

NHTSA ID
976587
Incident
Dec 14, 1995

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Driver assistance34Airbags19Seat belts19Visibility8Electrical8Fuel system8

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .