NHTSA Complaint #10064564 — 2000 NISSAN SENTRA

I BROUGHT MY 2000 NISSAN SENTRA GXE TO SEARS AUTO CENTER FOR NEW TIRES ON SATURDAY MORNING. WHEN THE MECHANIC ASKED IF MY CAR NEEDED AN OIL CHANGE, I SAID SURE. WHEN I RETURNED TO PICK UP MY VEHICLE, THE MECHANIC HANDED ME TWO PIECES, THE PLASTIC "O" RING AND A BIT OF STEM FROM MY DIPSTICK, AND TOLD ME THAT THE REST OF MY DIPSTICK HAD SLID DOWN ABOUT SIX INCHES INTO THE TUBE. BECAUSE PLASTIC WAS STILL ON ONE END, HE COULD NOT GET THE STICK OUT AND SENT ME TO MY NISSAN DEALER. THE MECHANIC AT NISSAN SEEMED SURPRISED AT WHAT HE SAW. I ASKED HIM WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE WITHOUT MY TELLING HIM WHAT SEARS HAD SAID. THE NISSAN MECHANIC AND THE SEARS MECHANIC CONCURRED: NOT ONLY WAS GETTING THE DIPSTICK OUT GOING TO BE A PROBLEM, BUT AS IT BOUNCED AROUND IN THE TUBE, IT COULD DRIVE ITS WAY THROUGH MY OIL PAN AND BUST MY CRANKSHAFT OR CAUSE THE OIL TO BACK OVER THE ENGINE. EITHER WAY, THE PROSPECT IS DIM. HOW MUCH TO GET THE DIPSTICK OUT? DUE TO NISSAN'S DESIGN, THE MECHANIC SAID THAT PART OF MY ENGINE WAS IN THE WAY OF THE OIL PAN AND THE LABOR ALONE WOULD COST $300, AN EXORBITANT SUM FOR SOMEONE'S STUPIDITY. WHAT HAPPENED TO METAL DIPSTICKS? WHEN I CONTACTED NISSAN HEADQUARTERS ABOUT THIS, I WAS TOLD THAT MY WARRANTY PERIOD WAS OVER. I WAS VERY UPSET AT THIS NEWS CONSIDERING THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT MANIFEST WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD! PLASTIC TAKES A BIT OF TIME TO BE HEAT-DAMAGED AND SNAP LIKE THAT, BUT WHEN SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO THE ENGINE MANIFOLD...WELL, DUH! RIGHT NOW, I AM STUCK WITH A BROKEN DIPSTICK, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT MAKE MY CAR A FIRE-BREATHING DEATH TRAP. APPARENTLY MY GRIPE WITH NISSAN IS NOT ISOLATED--JUST CHECK OUT THE GRIPED FROM THIS WEBSITE, ALSO ATTACHED BELOW. HTTP://WWW.BROOMEMAN.COM/MT/ARCHIVES/001156.HTML HELP! I DON'T THINK THIS SHOULD BE MY PROBLEM, BUT NISSAN DOESN'T THINK SO. *JB