2003 Nissan Altima Cruise Control Problems

Your car's crankshaft and camshaft sensors may be faulty, which can affect engine performance and speed control. These sensors help your engine run properly, and if they're not working correctly, you might notice issues with how your car drives. Fixing this will likely involve replacing one or both of these sensors.

OWNER OF A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. ON 2/18/2016, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A CAR WASH IN LINDEN, NJ. WHEN THE CAR WASH WAS COMPLETED, I PUT MY VEHICLE ON DRIVE AND PROCEEDED SLOWLY TOWARDS THE CAR WASH EMPLOYEES AS THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO STAY ON MY LEFT SIDE, AS THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS ON THE RIGHT SIDE. WHILE I STILL HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES, AND AS THE EMPLOYEE PLACED THE TOWEL TO DRY OUT MY VEHICLE, MY VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO JOLT TWICE WHILE I STILL HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES AND IMMEDIATELY UNINTENDED ACCELERATING AT A HIGH SPEED. SMOKE STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE FRONT HOOD AND AIR BAG CAME OUT. I HAD TO CONTROL THE STEERING WHEEL NOT TO HIT ANY ONE AS THERE WERE SEVERAL PARKED VEHICLES AND PEOPLE VACUUMING/CLEANING THEIR VEHICLES. NOT SURE HOW MANY PARKED VEHICLES WERE HIT AND MY VEHICLE HIT A PARKED SUV. AMBULANCE AND POLICE ARRIVED. I WAS IN SHOCKED, SURPRISED AND CRIED AND TOLD THE POLICE ABOUT MY VEHICLE UNINTENDED ACCELERATED SO QUICKLY WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHILE MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKES. ALL I KEPT SAYING IS OH MY GOD, HOW COULD MY VEHICLE UNINTENDED ACCELERATED WHILE I STILL HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES. WERE THERE ANY RECALLS? I TOLD THE OFFICER THAT MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKES AND THE MORE I PRESSED ON THE BRAKES, THE FASTER MY VEHICLE UNINTENDED ACCELERATED AT A HIGH SPEED WITH NO CONTROL OF STOPPING. THERE WERE NO INDICATOR LIGHTS. MY VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AND TAKEN AWAY BY THE TOW TRUCK. I HAD INJURIES SWOLLEN/BRUISED ON MY KNEES, ANKLES, HEAD, NECK, SHOULD, HANDS AND BACK. POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AND NOT AVAILABLE AS THIS TAKES A COUPLE OF DAYS. SEE ALSO ODI 10956663. *DSY

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN NEUTRAL AT A CAR WASH, IT ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AND REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND EMITTED SMOKE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,000. ..UPDATED 04/13/17*BF *CN

I PURCHASED A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA WITH 106,000. AS IS NO WARRANTY. WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH IT BLEW THE HEAD AND NEEDED A NEW ENGINE WHICH I PAID FOR OUT OF POCKET. THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPLACED THE ENIGINE WITH A NEW CRATE ENGINE ONCE AGAIN THE CAR LASTED ABOUT 3 WEEKS BEFORE IT WAS SMOKING SO BAD AND WILL ONLY DRIVE AT IDLE SPEED.. I DONT THINK THE PLACE I BOUGHT IT HAS A VERY GOOD MECHANIC AND I REALLY WOULD RATHER TAKE IT TO A NISSAN DEALER.. BUT I DONT WANT TO PAY FOR ANOTHER ENGINE I FEEL LIKE IVE ALREADY BOUGHT THE CAR TWICE.

LIKE MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS, MY CAR STALLED ON HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH SPEED AND STALLS AT INTERSECTIONS AND LOW SPEEDS OR WILL NOT START. I CAN'T BELIEVE NISSAN OR NHTSA HAS NOT GOT SERIOUS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I CHECKED YOUR DATABASE AND FOUND FOLLOWING COMPLIANT NUMBERS WITH SAME ISSUE OF ALTIMAS STALLING DUE TO CRANK OR CAM SENSOR FAILURE. (ODI ID NUMBERS: 10416743, 10384742,10370526,10342438,10332467, 10318898, 10318045, 10314479, 10283487, 10278805, ..... AND MANY MORE). I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. I AM SURE THERE ARE MY ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS THAT DID NOT GET REPORTED DUE TO THIS MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT COULD LEAD TO MANY DEATHS. I HOPE NHTSA LOOKS INTO THIS AND GET IT FIXED. *TR

IDLE ON CAR STARTED TO BE ERRATIC. WOULD GO UP TO 1800 RPMS DOWN TO 700 RPM..TOOK CAR FOR REPAIR WAS TO THE THROTTLE BAD ASSEMBLY NEEDED REPLACED. THE CAR WAS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. WE WERE CONCERNED THAT IN THE SNOW THIS COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH FORWARD ACCELERATION. DRY CONDITIONS AS WELL ...CAR ONLY HAD 64,000 MILES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 35 MPH, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESPOND WHEN DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WITHIN A FEW MOMENTS AFTER SITTING IDLE, THE VEHICLE BECAME RESPONSIVE TO THE DEPRESSED ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED, HOWEVER THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SECOND DEALER BUT THEY TOO, COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,364 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN THE VEHICLE. WHILE TRAVELING LESS THAN 2 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, IT SUDDENLY LUNGED FORWARD AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT WAS UNINJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALER FOR REPAIR, WHICH WAS COVERED UNDER HIS INSURANCE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 33,094.

2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. IDLE FLUCTUATION FROM 1000 TO 2000 RPM. ALSO, AUTOMOBILE SURGES FROM 1500 TO 2000 WHILE DRIVING. WHILE IN AUTOMATIC MODE 1 IT WILL BUCK FORWARD. THE AUTO IN MY OPINION ISN'T SAFE I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INDICATES HIGH IDLE. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE CAR REPAIRED. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 45,000 MILES, MY CRUISE CONTROL SET BUTTON POPPED OFF MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY (OVER 36,000), IT WOULD COST $92.00 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE PART. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN ON A FAIRLY NEW CAR. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A SATURN 1996 SL2 AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON FALLING OFF. I FEEL THIS IS FLIMSY WORKMANSHIP AND THE NISSAN CORPORATION SHOULD PAY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE STALLED AND OPERATED AT A REDUCED SPEED. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE SENSOR TWICE. *AK UPDATED 1/25/2006 - THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER AND WOULD NOT GO OVER 5 MPH. THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY AND KNOCK SENSOR. *NM

DT: WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WHEN PUSHING ON THE GAS PEDAL VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, AND IT DOES THIS WHEN TRYING TO PRECEDE ON FROM A STOP LIGHT. IT MIGHT GO 2-3 MPH. THIS FIRST STARTED HAPPENING AROUND SEPTEMBER 1, 2004 AND THIS HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY. THERE WAS NO FORE WARNING AND THERE WAS NO NOISE. *AK *JB

DT: THE THROTTLE BODY CONTROL OPERATED POORLY. THE VEHICLE STARTED BUT IT DID NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP, THEY DID NOT KNOW WHY THIS WAS HAPPENING. THE PROBLEM STARTED IN MAY, THEY WERE ABLE TO JIGGLE THE THROTTLE, AND IT WOULD START WORKING, BUT IT PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE. CURRENTLY, IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER STATED THERE WERE FOUR ON BACK ORDER AT THE DEALERSHIP.*AK

WE PURCHASED A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 3.5 ON 12/2002. ON 7/16/04 THE CAR WOULDN'T CRANK UNTIL THE THIRD TRY. AFTER STARTING HE WOULDN'T GO BUT 15 MPH. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEIR DIAGNOSIS WAS THE THROTTLE CHAMBER WAS DEFECTIVE. IT HAS BEEN TWO WEEKS NOW AND THE PART HAS NOT COME IN BECAUSE THEIR TELLING ME ITS ON BACK ORDER. CALLED AND TALKED TO SEVERAL SERVICE GUYS AND REQUESTED A LOANER CAR UNTIL MY CAR GOT FIXED. WE DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE REPLIED ALL THE GUYS. SO I CALLED THE GM MANAGER AND LEFT A MESSAGE, HE CALLED BACK AND SAID HE WOULD CHECK ON A LOANER AND CALL ME BACK IN THE AM OF 7/30/04 BY 9AM. HE TOOK TO LONG SO I CALLED HIM AT 934AM WENT TO VOICE MAIL.*AK

WHILE PARKING, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A PARKED CAR. NO INJURIES REPORTED. *AK *SC

WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHEN THE DRIVER WAS BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO HIT A GATE. THE CONSUMER MADE CONTACT WITH THE DEALERSHIP ON TWO OCCASIONS BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. PLEASE ADD ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *NLM

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED AND ACCELERATED TOWARDS TRAFFIC. THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL TO STOP. THE DEALER KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR 6 DAYS BUT COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK *SCC *NLM