Nissan Altima 2002–2006
3rd generation (L31)
NHTSA data through 13 August 20265,161 complaints, 4,056 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 4,056
- Median of reported failures
- 86,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Engine and its cooling system (33.0%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 55,000 and 116,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Nissan Altima 2002–2006 · 4,056 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 5,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 224 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 85 complaints (2.1%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 20,000
- 25%
- 55,000
- Median
- 86,000
- 75%
- 116,000
- 90%
- 148,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5,000 | 223 | 5.5% |
| 5,000–10,000 | 63 | 1.6% |
| 10,000–15,000 | 58 | 1.4% |
| 15,000–20,000 | 59 | 1.5% |
| 20,000–25,000 | 52 | 1.3% |
| 25,000–30,000 | 37 | 0.9% |
| 30,000–35,000 | 95 | 2.3% |
| 35,000–40,000 | 63 | 1.6% |
| 40,000–45,000 | 92 | 2.3% |
| 45,000–50,000 | 114 | 2.8% |
| 50,000–55,000 | 135 | 3.3% |
| 55,000–60,000 | 124 | 3.1% |
| 60,000–65,000 | 148 | 3.6% |
| 65,000–70,000 | 160 | 3.9% |
| 70,000–75,000 | 177 | 4.4% |
| 75,000–80,000 | 164 | 4.0% |
| 80,000–85,000 | 174 | 4.3% |
| 85,000–90,000 | 224 | 5.5% |
| 90,000–95,000 | 203 | 5.0% |
| 95,000–100,000 | 193 | 4.8% |
| 100,000–105,000 | 180 | 4.4% |
| 105,000–110,000 | 121 | 3.0% |
| 110,000–115,000 | 138 | 3.4% |
| 115,000–120,000 | 119 | 2.9% |
| 120,000–125,000 | 123 | 3.0% |
| 125,000–130,000 | 97 | 2.4% |
| 130,000–135,000 | 118 | 2.9% |
| 135,000–140,000 | 77 | 1.9% |
| 140,000–145,000 | 72 | 1.8% |
| 145,000–150,000 | 72 | 1.8% |
| 150,000–155,000 | 80 | 2.0% |
| 155,000–160,000 | 32 | 0.8% |
| 160,000–165,000 | 32 | 0.8% |
| 165,000–170,000 | 37 | 0.9% |
| 170,000–175,000 | 35 | 0.9% |
| 175,000–180,000 | 21 | 0.5% |
| 180,000–185,000 | 26 | 0.6% |
| 185,000–190,000 | 11 | 0.3% |
| 190,000–195,000 | 12 | 0.3% |
| 195,000–200,000 | 10 | 0.2% |
| 200,000+ | 85 | 2.1% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 5,161 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002–2006 Nissan Altima, and 4,056 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 55,000 and 116,000 miles. The median is 86,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are the engine and its cooling system (33.0% of complaints, typically around 80,000 miles), body structure (17.0% of complaints, typically around 102,000 miles), the engine (10.6% of complaints, typically around 109,000 miles).
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2002–2006 Nissan Altima last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2002–2006 Nissan Altima were filed by 86,000 miles and 90% by 148,000 miles — figures drawn from 4,056 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
85 reports (2.1%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Altima reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2002–2006 Altima: the 3-minute check
Generated from 4,056 mileage-tagged complaints, 3 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check engine (2.5l qr25de) on 2002–2006 cars. Pre-catalyst substrate breaks down and ceramic particles are drawn back into the cylinders through the exhaust valves, scoring bores and causing runaway oil consumption and eventual engine failure. Nissan extended…
- Check engine (2.5l qr25de) on 2002–2004 cars. Head gasket failure, often after the pre-cat/oil-consumption sequence above.
- Check engine management on 2002–2006 cars. Crankshaft position sensor and camshaft position sensor failures causing stall-while-driving; a large NHTSA complaint cluster.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 55,000 and 116,000 miles, with a median of 86,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the engine and its cooling system and body structure are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The engine and its cooling system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 80,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Nissan Altima 2002–2006
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Transmission and driveline291 reports61,00032,000–101,000Transmission and driveline: 291 reports, median 61,000 miles, middle half 32,000 to 101,000 miles.
- Electrical system371 reports68,00041,000–112,000Electrical system: 371 reports, median 68,000 miles, middle half 41,000 to 112,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system1,704 reports80,00055,000–100,000Engine and its cooling system: 1,704 reports, median 80,000 miles, middle half 55,000 to 100,000 miles.
- Airbag system167 reports80,00050,000–118,000Airbag system: 167 reports, median 80,000 miles, middle half 50,000 to 118,000 miles.
- Body structure878 reports102,00081,000–130,000Body structure: 878 reports, median 102,000 miles, middle half 81,000 to 130,000 miles.
- Engine546 reports109,00081,000–146,000Engine: 546 reports, median 109,000 miles, middle half 81,000 to 146,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise181 reports109,00081,000–140,000Problems owners could not categorise: 181 reports, median 109,000 miles, middle half 81,000 to 140,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and its cooling system | 1,704 | 33.0% | 80,000 | 55,000–100,000 |
| Body structure | 878 | 17.0% | 102,000 | 81,000–130,000 |
| Engine | 546 | 10.6% | 109,000 | 81,000–146,000 |
| Electrical system | 371 | 7.2% | 68,000 | 41,000–112,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 291 | 5.6% | 61,000 | 32,000–101,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 181 | 3.5% | 109,000 | 81,000–140,000 |
| Airbag system | 167 | 3.2% | 80,000 | 50,000–118,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 136 | 2.6% | 74,000 | 40,000–109,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 103 | 2.0% | 30,000 | 16,000–80,000 |
| Fuel system | 91 | 1.8% | 57,000 | 18,000–87,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Nissan Altima 2002–2006 · 4,056 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 27% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 53% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 77% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 98%: the remaining 2.1% of reports (85) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
27% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 55,000–100,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 41,000–112,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 32,000–101,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 50,000–118,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Body structure — middle half 81,000–130,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 81,000–146,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 81,000–140,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
53% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 55,000–100,000 mi
- Body structure — middle half 81,000–130,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 81,000–146,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 41,000–112,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 32,000–101,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 81,000–140,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 50,000–118,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
77% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine and its cooling system — median 80,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 68,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 61,000 mi
- Airbag system — median 80,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Body structure — middle half 81,000–130,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 81,000–146,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 81,000–140,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 86,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 33.0% of complaints (1,704 reports, 1,429 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 80,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 55,000 and 100,000 miles.
A single system taking 33.0% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
Body structure accounts for 17.0% of complaints (878 reports, 715 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 102,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 81,000 and 130,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 10.6% of complaints (546 reports, 455 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 109,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 81,000 and 146,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 7.2% of complaints (371 reports, 276 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 68,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 41,000 and 112,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 5.6% of complaints (291 reports, 236 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 61,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 32,000 and 101,000 miles.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 3.5% of complaints (181 reports, 113 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 109,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 81,000 and 140,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2005 model year drew the most — 1,364 complaints — while 2004 drew the fewest at 334. The median year sits at 1,099.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 5,161 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 249 (4.8%)
- Fires
- 105
- Injury reports
- 194
- Fatality reports
- 2
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine (2.5l Qr25de) 2002–2006
Pre-catalyst substrate breaks down and ceramic particles are drawn back into the cylinders through the exhaust valves, scoring bores and causing runaway oil consumption and eventual engine failure. Nissan extended emissions warranty coverage on affected cars.
Engine (2.5l Qr25de) 2002–2004
Head gasket failure, often after the pre-cat/oil-consumption sequence above.
Engine Management 2002–2006
Crankshaft position sensor and camshaft position sensor failures causing stall-while-driving; a large NHTSA complaint cluster.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1,321 | 1,005 |
| 2003 | 1,099 | 881 |
| 2004 | 334 | 267 |
| 2005 | 1,364 | 1,105 |
| 2006 | 1,043 | 798 |
What owners reported
At any speed, my speedometer shows a different speed than my actual speed. My actual speed has been verified by radar, gps, mile markers and traveling along side another vehicle with an accurate speedometer (based on gps and radar). Where my speedometer is showing less than my actual speed, i am subject to make mental…
2002 · 17 miles · Throttle and speed control
the contact owns a 2002 Nissan Altima. The air conditioning system will not circulate heat. Also after service the oil and antifreeze levels depletes prematurely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and she was advised that the catalytic converter and the engine coil needed to be replaced. A representative from the…
2002 · 21 miles · Engine and its cooling system
Built from 4,056 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page