# Pending Recall



## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

Subject: 2002-2003 Altima/2002 Sentra 2.5 liter exhaust recall campaign. 
Nissan is announcing a voluntary safety recall campaign ralated to model year 2002-2003 Altima and model year 2002 Sentra vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine to correct conditions that could lead to a fire. 
*****Condition / Nissan Action***** 
For 2002 and 2003 model year Altima vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine, the exhaust pipe hanger pin may catch debris from the road which could be ignited by contact with the main catalyst. 

To correct this condition, the protrudeing portion of the exhaust pipe hanger pin will be removed. 

In addition, for 2002 model year Altima and Sentra vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine. certain engine operating conditions may cause the pre-catalyst to overheat and damage the catalyst substrate. if substrate particles enter the combustion chamber, they may score the cylinder walls, resulting in increased oil consumption. If the engine oil level is not checked on a periodic basis as specified in the owner's manual and drops below the low level, and the driver continues to operate the vehicle ignoring noticeable engine noise, engine damage may occure which could result in a fire. 

Nissan is now developing plan to address the pre-catalyst on model year 2002 Altimas and Sentra vehicles equipped with 2.5 liter engine. In addition to the corrective action, in order to reduce the risk of fire in the event of improper maintenance that could result in oil spillage, heat shield(s) will be installed on the pre-catalyst and exhaust tube. 

This campaign affects approximately 268,000 Nissan Altima and Sentra vehicles equipped with the 2.5 liter engine in the United States. 
*****Owner notification***** 

Nissan expects to start to notify owners in late May. The parts required to complete the repair on retailed vehicles are expected to be available at that time. 

If customers have any further questions, call 1-800-NISSAN-1. 

its for the all important cause of oil consumption


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## SentraXERacer (Oct 7, 2002)

Does this still apply if you have an aftermarket exhaust?


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

I'm sure if you have a header and catback, no recall for you.


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## lljes1 (Dec 27, 2002)

but you should still go back to stock, get them to change the part or modify whatever they are going to do. then go back to aftermarket. this way, when you are ready to sell the car, you have had everything taken care of. you don't want this happening to someone else.


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## Guest (Apr 9, 2003)

maybe he will sell it modified though, and then it shoudn't really matter?


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## Guest (Apr 10, 2003)

This sounds like a lot to do about very little. The fact that this is a "voluntary" recall makes me believe that Nissan is convinced this is an isolated problem with a very low occurance. You can bet if this happened much, and Nissan had to worry about liability, the recall would not be voluntary...


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## no1d (Apr 12, 2003)

*does this*

does this problem apply to the 2003 se-r spec v in canada?


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## BlackSpec02 (Apr 12, 2003)

Will I get a notice of this recall if I bought my car used? ...I bought it with the factory warranty etc. from an authorized nissan dealer....


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## ScarCrow28 (May 14, 2002)

*Re: Re: Pending Recall*



bgriffey said:


> *This sounds like a lot to do about very little. The fact that this is a "voluntary" recall makes me believe that Nissan is convinced this is an isolated problem with a very low occurance. You can bet if this happened much, and Nissan had to worry about liability, the recall would not be voluntary... *



you know how many "incidents" have to be reported, or the amount of probable chance of them occuring, before a car company is willing to put out the big $$ to fix these problems free of charge to the customer?


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

BlackSpec02 said:


> *Will I get a notice of this recall if I bought my car used? ...I bought it with the factory warranty etc. from an authorized nissan dealer.... *


You shouldn't wait for the notice. Contact your dealer. However, they use your registration information to notify you, so yes, you'd get the notice.


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## jmbernard73 (Apr 27, 2003)

i talked to my dealer and there is no recall to their knowledge


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## Guest (May 28, 2003)

they are still working onthe fix according to the 1800number.

we should be getting letters soon


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## Nssnman (Apr 2, 2003)

z24 said:


> *they are still working onthe fix according to the 1800number.
> 
> we should be getting letters soon *


 I was wandering what happen,
Nissan must still be working out the details.


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## GregV (Apr 30, 2002)

Here is what I received today. Sorry for the caps, that's the way it comes:

DATE: JULY 29, 2003
0FROM : PARTS AND SERVICE OPERATIONS
0SUBJECT: 2002-03 ALTIMA/2002-04 SENTRA 2.5 LITER ENG. EXHAUST CAMPAIGN
0
ATTENTION - DEALER PRINCIPALS, SALES, PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGERS

THIS IS AN UPDATE TO PREVIOUS COMMUNICATIONS RELATED TO THIS CAMPAIGN.
ADDITIONAL VEHICLES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE CAMPAIGN AND THERE ARE NOW 5
PNC CODES RELATED TO THIS CAMPAIGN BASED ON MODEL, MODEL YEAR AND THE
SPECIFIC REPAIR REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE CAMPAIGN.

***** CONDITION/NISSAN ACTION *****

ON SOME 2002-2003 ALTIMA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.5 LITER ENGINE,
THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THE EXHAUST PIPE HANGER PIN MAY CATCH DEBRIS FROM
THE ROAD THAT COULD BE IGNITED BY CONTACT WITH THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER
AND CAUSE A FIRE. IN ADDITION, ON BOTH THE 2002-2003 ALTIMA AND THE
2002-2004 SENTRA EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.5 LITER ENGINE, THERE IS A
POSSIBILITY THAT CERTAIN ENGINE OPERATING CONDITIONS MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO
THE PRE-CATALYST. MATERIAL FROM INSIDE A DAMAGED PRE-CATALYST COULD
ENTER THE ENGINE AND RESULT IN INCREASED OIL CONSUMPTION. IF THE ENGINE
OIL LEVEL IS NOT CHECKED ON A PERIODIC BASIS AND DROPS BELOW THE LOW
LEVEL, AND THE DRIVER CONTINUES TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE IGNORING
NOTICEABLE ENGINE NOISE, ENGINE DAMAGE MAY OCCUR WHICH COULD RESULT IN A
FIRE.

IN ORDER TO PREVENT THESE INCIDENTS FROM OCCURRING, NISSAN HAS INITIATED
A VOLUNTARY SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN TO SHORTEN THE EXHAUST PIPE HANGER
PIN, ON VEHICLES SO EQUIPPED. ON AFFECTED VEHICLES, NISSAN WILL
REPROGRAM THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE TO PREVENT ANY FUTURE DAMAGE TO
THE PRE-CATALYST AND INSTALL HEAT SHIELDS ON CERTAIN COMPONENTS OF THE
EXHAUST SYSTEM ON VEHICLES THAT DO NOT ALREADY HAVE THEM. THESE REPAIRS
WILL BE COMPLETED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER FOR PARTS OR LABOR. THIS
CAMPAIGN AFFECTS APPROXIMATELY 360,500 NISSAN ALTIMA AND SENTRA VEHICLES
IN THE UNITED STATES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.5 LITER ENGINE.

***** OWNER NOTIFICATION *****

NISSAN WILL START TO NOTIFY AFFECTED ALTIMA AND SENTRA OWNERS ON JULY
31, 2003. UPON RECEIPT OF THE CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION LETTER, CUSTOMERS
WILL BE REQUESTED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THEIR SERVICING NISSAN
DEALER AND HAVE THE CAMPAIGN REPAIR COMPLETED.

***** TECHNICAL PROCEDURES *****

TEN (10) COPIES OF RECALL CAMPAIGN BULLETIN NTB03-070 ALTIMA AND SENTRA
QR25DE ENGINE EXHAUST PIPE HANGER PIN AND PRE-CATALYST VOLUNTARY SAFETY
RECALL CAMPAIGN ARE BEING SENT TO YOUR SERVICE MANAGER. THE BULLETIN
ADDRESSES THE SPECIFIC INSPECTION AND REPAIR PROCEDURES, PARTS
REQUIREMENTS, SPECIAL TOOL REQUIREMENTS AND RELATED CAMPAIGN CLAIM
INFORMATION. THE BULLETIN ALSO INCLUDES SPECIAL CUSTOMER HANDLING
PROCEDURES AND INFORMATION REGARDING VEHICLES HAVING ENGINE AND/OR
EXHAUST SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS

***** OVERVIEW OF INSPECTION/REPAIR PROCESS *****

THE FOLLOWING PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF THE CAMPAIGN INSPECTION/REPAIR
PROCESS:

EXHAUST PIPE HANGER PIN:

- THE EXHAUST PIPE HANGER PIN IS SHORTENED ON 2002-03 ALTIMAS, EXCEPT
THOSE THAT WERE ALREADY REPAIRED. THIS REPAIR IS NOT NECESSARY ON SENTRA
VEHICLES.

ECM REPROGRAMMING / PRE-CATALYST / EXHAUST HEAT SHIELDS:

- ECM REPROGRAMMING IS REQUIRED TO PREVENT FUTURE DAMAGE TO THE
PRE-CATALYST. A SPECIAL REPROGRAMMING CARD IS AVAILABLE THAT CONTAINS
ECM REPROGRAMMING DATA FOR ALL MODELS/ENGINE/TRANSMISSION CONFIGURATIONS
AFFECTED BY THIS CAMPAIGN.

- THE EXHAUST PRE-CATALYST WILL BE TESTED TO DETERMINE IF THE
PRE-CATALYST NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.

- THE EXHAUST PRE-CATALYST WILL BE INSPECTED TO DETERMINE IF MORE
EXTENSIVE REPAIRS ARE NEEDED THAT, FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF VEHICLES, MAY
INCLUDE ENGINE REPLACEMENT.

- INSTALLATION OF HEAT SHIELDS ON THE EXHAUST SYSTEM IS REQUIRED.

A MORE DETAILED "REPAIR FLOW CHART" DEPICTING THE SEQUENCE OF THE
INSPECTION/REPAIR PROCEDURES IS INCLUDED IN THE SERVICE PROCEDURE
SECTION OF THE RECALL CAMPAIGN BULLETIN.

***** ECM REPROGRAMMING CARD *****

A SPECIAL ECM REPROGRAMMING CARD IS BEING SUPPLIED TO FACILITATE THIS
CAMPAIGN REPAIR. THE CARD CONTAINS THE 18 DIFFERENT ECM PROGRAMS THAT
ARE REQUIRED BASED ON SPECIFIC MODEL/MODEL YEAR/EQUIPMENT OPTIONS FOR
THE VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS CAMPAIGN.
INITIAL SUPPLIES OF HEAT SHIELD KITS (P/N A6590-8J025 FOR 2002 ALTIMA,
P/N A6590-8J026 FOR 2003 ALTIMA, P/N A6590-8J027 FOR 2002 SENTRA AND P/N
A6590-8J028 FOR 2003 SENTRA) AND EXHAUST GASKETS (P/N 20695-8J010) ARE
BEING SHIPPED TO YOUR DEALERSHIP. YOU CAN EXPECT TO RECEIVE 5 TO 20 OF
EACH ALTIMA HEAT SHIELD KITS BASED ON THE SIZE OF YOUR DEALERSHIP AND 2
SENTRA HEAT SHIELD KITS, ONE FOR EACH MODEL YEAR. FOR EACH HEAT SHIELD
KIT, YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EQUIVALENT NUMBER OF EXHAUST GASKETS.

DUE TO LIMITED SUPPLIES, THE SENTRA HEAT SHIELD KITS ARE TEMPORARILY ON
PARTS SALES RESTRICTION AND ADDITIONAL SENTRA KITS MUST BE ORDERED
THROUGH YOUR IN-HOUSE PARTS REPRESENTATIVE (IHPR).

ALL OTHER PARTS MAY BE ORDERED THROUGH THE NORMAL PARTS ORDERING
PROCESS. PLEASE REFER TO THE PARTS INFORMATION SECTION OF THE RECALL
CAMPAIGN BULLETIN FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF PARTS THAT MAY BE REQUIRED FOR
THIS CAMPAIGN REPAIR.

***** SPECIAL TOOLS *****

A THREAD REPAIR KIT DESIGNED TO ASSIST WITH THE REMOVAL OF BROKEN
SCREWS, IF ANY, ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS BEING SHIPPED TO YOUR
DEALERSHIP.

****** ENGINE/EXHAUST MODIFICATIONS *****

CUSTOMERS ARE BEING INFORMED VIA THE OWNER LETTER THAT, IF A VEHICLE HAS
A MODIFIED ENGINE OR EXHAUST SYSTEM, THEY MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME
COSTS THAT WILL ALLOW THE CAMPAIGN REPAIRS TO BE PERFORMED. PLEASE
REFER TO THE NOTE IN THE ATTACHED OWNER LETTER AND ALSO THE INFORMATION
REGARDING ENGINE & EXHAUST SYSTEM MODIFICATION(S) SECTION OF THE RECALL
CAMPAIGN BULLETIN FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*

YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE SAFETY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF NISSAN
ALTIMA AND SENTRA OWNERS IS APPRECIATED. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR
NEED ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR NISSAN DEALER PARTS
AND SERVICE MANAGER (DPSM).

NISSAN PARTS AND SERVICE OPERATIONS
07/29/2003
-CC: NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
SOUTHWEST REGION
ALL NISSANNET DEALERS


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

GregV said:


> ****** ENGINE/EXHAUST MODIFICATIONS *****
> 
> CUSTOMERS ARE BEING INFORMED VIA THE OWNER LETTER THAT, IF A VEHICLE HAS A MODIFIED ENGINE OR EXHAUST SYSTEM, THEY MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME COSTS THAT WILL ALLOW THE CAMPAIGN REPAIRS TO BE PERFORMED. PLEASE REFER TO THE NOTE IN THE ATTACHED OWNER LETTER AND ALSO THE INFORMATION REGARDING ENGINE & EXHAUST SYSTEM MODIFICATION(S) SECTION OF THE RECALL CAMPAIGN BULLETIN FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *


That actually seems fair. Well depending on the cost.


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## BlackSpec02 (Apr 12, 2003)

Hmm... kind of curious about the ECU thing... i've heard the pre-cat damage is done from hard driving, etc. So would the ECU alterations hinder performance in any way to acheive safety?


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## Nssnman (Apr 2, 2003)

You know...eventually they'll have sensors on the bottom of your
seat, so when you fart the emission light will come on and you will
have to evacuate the vehicle immediately!!!


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## alserpatch (Aug 3, 2003)

well i hear they are going to richen the fuel system the problem with the cat is when the motor is running lean saveing fuel is when it over heats and starts to break down so( more fuel more power) and less miles per gallon at least i hope thats how it will work out im like you i didnt buy the car for gas miledge i bought it for performance


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## alserpatch (Aug 3, 2003)

ii too am in the recall with the 04 and am told by my dealer i should be getting the upgrade for the ecu the aug 11-15 ill let you now how things go (ces) light on since new


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

alserpatch said:


> *well i hear they are going to richen the fuel system the problem with the cat is when the motor is running lean saveing fuel is when it over heats and starts to break down so( more fuel more power) and less miles per gallon at least i hope thats how it will work out im like you i didnt buy the car for gas miledge i bought it for performance *


The reverse is true. The engine will be leaned out, the richness is killing the cat, not the other way around.

This will increase high end power and mileage.


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## Jtspecv2002 (Nov 14, 2002)

well i wonder since i have a custom made cat back there is no way for me to go back to stock on the exhaust part. but i also have a cai will this affect the pre cat test? should i go back to the stock intake? has any one taken their spec with cai installed?


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

You'll be fine with the CAI, it has nothing to do with the recall, same with the cat-back.


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## whumpny (Sep 6, 2003)

Whew. The VIN on my 04 Spec missed the recall VIN range but 120 cars. 

Thank God.

Now as long as we keep invading Middle Eastern countries to keep fuel costs down, I'm good.


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## XterraXtreme (Oct 17, 2003)

My '03 SER has been done... our nissan dealer had our car for over a day and said it was the most involved one they had seen yet. Althought exactly what they did is not clear to me I know they had to change my oil, remove my alternator and several other parts to perform the recall. I was not having any driveability problems with my car however the recall was a cause of concern for me since our SER transports our two children full time. But I had heard from other on other posts that they were getting new engines... so I dunno exactly what is going on... and I am not too sure that its over yet for us.


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## SilverBullitt03 (Apr 18, 2003)

*took it in today*

My 03 took about 2 hours to complete. The Ecu was reprogrammed, heat shield installed, and oil was changed. Shoot they even washed my car and put some armor all on the tires. Car runs a little stronger on the bottom end just putting around town. I ill have to see if gas mileage has increased any.


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

The 2.5 was running a bit rich, causing the main CAT to burn up, and break apart. Some of these pieces were recirculating back into the engine, causing cylinder wall scoring, oil burning and possibly blown engines. The remap brings down the fuel mixture a bit, cooling the exhaust gases, and adding a tiny amount of power. The heat shields help keep the main cat cooler even still.

The oil change was done to check for gas in the oil, or CAT pieces. The Altenator was removed to take off the exhaust manifold to visually inspect it, and put on the heat shields.


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## SilverBullitt03 (Apr 18, 2003)

ok update month later:

Car seems to run just the same and the gas mileage is the same. The one thing that I did notice after chewing up a honda on the interstate and some +4G tach readings for a few mins, when I stopped to fuel up the cat wasn't crackling away nor a smell that used to be present after ripping on the car. I think the computer program is great, I didnt approve of the idiot scratching the &^% out of my sticker on the ac compressor. I hate people touching my car, I would have done it myself if they would have let me, I have the certs to back it. Not a fan of warranty!


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## Guest (Nov 24, 2003)

This actually happened to me. My catalyst burned out and my engine was replaced. Everybody needs to get their cars checked. 

I am glad. I bought the car used with 30,000 miles on it. And now I have a brand new engine.


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