Problems · by component
2003 Nissan Altima structure problems
126 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2003 Nissan Altima cite structure, 14% of all 883 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
126
14% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the structure
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2003 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being repaired at an independent mechanic, the mechanic informed the contact that there was rusting on the front driver’s side floor pan. The contact also noticed that the front driver’s side floorboard was soft to the touch and a fuel odor was detected while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.”
“MY EXHAUST SYSTEM IS TO LOW THAT IT HITS EVERY BUMP EVEN WHEN DRIVING SLOW ,WHEN THEY LIFTED THE CAR UNDERNEATH THE CAR THERE'S A YELLOW MARK FROM ALL THE SPEED BUMPS .ALSO THE DOOR HANDLES FROM THE DRIVERS N PASSENGER SNAP OFF WHEN I TRY TO ENTER MY VEHICLE .THE SHOCKS DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS WHY THE CAR IS SO LOW .”
“HAD TO REPLACE FRONT PASSENGER FLOOR PAN BECAUSE THERE WAS A HOLE ABOUT 15 INCHES LONG AND 5 INCHES WIDE DUE TO RUST. MY FRONT SUBFRAME IS COMPLETELY RUSTED AT THIS POINT. RUST IS EXPECTED IN NEW YORK DUE TO SALT, BUT AFTER TALKING WITH NISSAN THEY SAID THEY HAVE NOT HEARD ANYONE ELSE HAVING ISSUES DESPITE THOUSANDS OF HITS ON A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH ABOUT RUST ISSUES FOR NISSANS.”
“TAKTA RECALL. HELLO, I HAVE PURCHASED A NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S 2003. MY ENTIRE CAREXTREMELY SHAKES FROM THE MOMENT I START MY CAR UNTIL I TURN IT OFF. WHEN I'M DRIVING THE CAR , THE CAR AT TIMES DRIVES LIKE IT'S GOING TO FAIL. MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN DRIVING, THE CAR WOULD STOPPED OPEREATING PROPERLY. WHEN MY CAR IS TURNED ON GAS/FUEL LIKE FUMES THROUGH THE VENTILATION SYSTEM AND THROUGHOUT MY VEHICAL MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO BREATHE AT TIMES. THE DOOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE, OUT OF KNKWHERE SHIFTED TO WHERE I CAN'T SHUT MY DOOR COMPLETELY. THE DOOR SENSOR LIGHT STAYS ON WHEN I TURN MY CAR OFF AND IT DRAINS MY BATTERY BECAUSE MY DOOR DOESN'T SHUT COMPLETELY, AND THE DOOR SENSOR STAYS ON. ALSO, OUT OF KNOWWHERE THE GAS TANK DOOR, HAS SHIFTED OUT OF KNOW WHERE TO WHERE I CAN'T SHUT THE GASOLINE DOOR COMPLETELY. ALSO, MY CAR"A WINDSHIELDS GETS VERY FOGGY RAPIDLY AFTER I CLEAN THEM, MAKING VISIBILTY DIFFICULT.”
“TOOK CAR FOR MO MANDATED SAFETY INSPECTION. CAR FAILED INSPECTION DUE TO FLOOR PAN BEING RUSTED ALL THE WAY THRU. WHEN PASSENGER SEAT CARPET WAS MOVED, YOU COULD SEE THE ROADWAY THRU THE FLOOR FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. AFFECTED AREA WAS APPROX 24"X9". COST OVER $1000 TO REPLACE AFFECTED AREA.”
“PURCHASED A 2003 ALTIMA, 1 OWNER CAR FOR MY 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. AFTER HAVING CAR FOR ABOUT 9 MONTHS NOTICED METAL RUSTED MATERIAL IN THE DRIVEWAY UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. INSPECTED AND FOUND A HOLE THE SIZE OF MY FIST GOING ALL THE WAY THROUGH. ENDED UP REPLACING MOST ALL OF THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR PAN DUE TO A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. IF NOT FOR THE CARPET THE PASSENGER COULD HAVE PLACED THEIR FOOT THROUGH THE AREA. HAVE TALKED TO OTHERS AT BODY SHOPS AND FOUND THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ALTIMA FROM 2003-2006. NOT A CHEAP FIX EITHER.”
Showing 6 of 126 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.