2002 Nissan Altima consumer reviews

I bought this car used in 2006, with 84,500 miles, now it has 298,500 miles, the car doesnt burn any oil, has never broken down, and from the research ive done, i have not had the oil motor cat issue. The key word is maintance and im very strict, this car is driven , I plan to drive it to the 500k mark and retire her. I can trust it going on long distances. pretty much all ive done while ive owned this car was change the oil and routine maintance. It doesnt handle any worse than any used car ive owned

The 3.5L is a very good engine. I have one with over 150K and runs like new with a lot of power and no problems what so ever. The 2.5L motor is JUNK but the 3.5 engine was the motor of the year for many years and there is a reason for it. I love this engine so much that I just purchased another car with the same motor Infiniti G35.

2002 4 clylinder Altimas have known engine issues. Since I hit 100K miles, I replaced O2 sensors, cat converter, and just blew a head gasket. My mechanic said Nissan knows about the issue and there are numerous bulletins about it. It's an obvious defect but they will not own up to it. Don't buy a used 2002 Altima. You will regret it. Search the internet, you will see I'm not the only one.

I originally bought the car in fall 2005 with 50k. After 10 days later the check engine light came up, took it back to dealership, they said it was fine, put some oil in it and away i go. 1 month later, light comes on again, and took it to a different mechanic and was told i had NO OIL!! Mind you i only drove 30 miles at most. No leaks were found. Nissan denies any issues on the Engine or the Catalyst. After 3 years i can no longer handle the way Nissan treats their customers by ignoring thousands of people's similar complaints. I traded it for a Honda Civic and could never be more happier. Sure its not as smooth as the Altima, but at least i know my engine will last more than 3 years. Good Riddance!@

I bought this car in 2006. It had 50000 miles on it. I had a 1995 Nissan Altima prior to this car and it is still running today. I was excited to get this car. Sadly, my problems with this car started in January 2009 at just over 100000 miles (warranty just ran out). First, the car has failed emissions both years I have had it because of the check engine light, which by the way comes on frequently. The most recent time it was due to a $600 sensor needing to be replaced. The trouble didn't stop there. The air conditioner stopped working *$1000* in repairs. The transmission is also starting to malfunction. Lastly, the wheel barrens in the back are also going to need to be replaced. Ended up trading it in for a Toyota (my first). Ended up with only 1/2 of what I still owed on it.....

I bought this car used without doing much research. A few days after purchasing it, the "service engine soon" light came on. According to Nissan I needed a new motor which will cost me 5k. They had a recall on it a few years back, and they "supposedly" fixed the motor, when obviously they did not.

This car is really clean. It's even cleaner than the one I have. it looks good to me so far. I would highly recommend it.

I bought this car brand new in 2002 and it was touted as "car of the year" by many so-called experts. Within 10K miles the shocks failed all the way around, about 2k miles later, my extremely talented independent mechanic warned me about a bad gasket @ lower end of engine which was allowing oil to leak into the exhaust. Nissan denied it. Several thousand miles later the xx engine lite came on. Eventually it was traced by Nissan to the oil leak and said the catalytic converter was fried because of the oil leak. Nissan fessed up to knowing about this widespread problem and even posted a "voluntary" recall on their website. The kicker is that they refused to pay 1 dime toward the repairs. I dumped the car after owning it for only 1 year and lost 50% of its value. Never will I deal with Nissan again. Buy a Toyota if u want quality not Nissan Junk!

I have the 2002 2.5S which I got with 70k miles on it. I wasn't sure of the 2.5 engine, but it has lots of power when I need it. The interior is laid out nice, instruments easy to read. The radio controls are on the steering wheel. The trip function also is handy and gives the latest MPG figures. The trunk is big, rear seats fold down to carry bigger things. Gas tank is 20 gallons which provides a 400 mile range easily. My MPG has been between 22.8 and 25.4 figuring it out the old fashioned way. The ride is a little rough on bumpy roads, other than that, I'd recommend it to anyone.

This is the 2nd Altima I have owned. The first was a 1994 model. The body style of the 02 Altima is impressive, as is the interior. Although I have had excellent service, there have been a significant number of recalls. However, I believe this to be normal with a change in body style and the mechanics/changes that go with it. The car is comfortable to drive, provides great handling, has easy to read gages, and for the size of the vehicle appears to provide sufficient MPG with sufficient power from the 2.5 liter engine. The only complaint that I may have is the amount of road noise and a particularly annoying "thump" from the right rear which has been there from the time of purchase. Would I buy another Altima? You bet. I will put it up against the Nissan Maxima my wife drives, any time.... for a lot less money to purchase. Overall, a good and dependable car.