NHTSA Complaint #10138489 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

1) THE POWER VALVE SCREWS LOCATED IN THE ENGINE INTAKE VALVE ON MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S HAVE STARTED TO COME LOOSE, CAUSING POWER LOSS IN THE ENGINE. ONE OF THE POWER VALVE SCREWS ACTUALLY CAME LOOSE AND WAS SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE, DAMAGING THE CYLINDERS, THUS RUINING THE ENGINE. THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, O2 SENSOR AND OTHER COMPONENTS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT HAVE BEEN DAMAGED ALSO. THIS HAS RESULTED IN SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE, ANYWHERE BETWEEN $1500 TO $7500+ WORTH OF DAMAGE. 2) THE FAILURE IS THAT THESE POWER VALVE SCREWS HAVE COME LOOSE AND STARTED BEING SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE CAUSING HIGH DOLLAR VALUE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. MORE IMPORTANT IS THAT THE LOSS OF POWER AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENGINE DURING DRIVING ALMOST CAUSED A FATAL CRASH THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN MY DEATH AND THE DEATH OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS ON THE HIGHWAY. ADDITIONALLY, EXHAUST IS ESCAPING THE ENGINE AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE THE POWER VALVE SCREW, AFTER BEING SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE AND CAUSING DAMAGE, WENT INTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND CRACKED IT. EXHAUST FUMES WERE LEAKING FROM THE CRACK IN THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD POLLUTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND CAUSING ME PERSONAL DAMAGE FROM THE FUMES AND OTHER COMPLICATIONS. NISSAN NORTH AMERICA IS ALREADY AWARE OF THIS EXACT ISSUE IN THEIR 2004 AND 2005 NISSAN ALTIMAS WITH THE SAME ENGINE AS MINE, WHICH IS THE 2.5S ENGINE. THEY ARE IN THE MIDST OF CONDUCTING A SERVICE RECALL RELATED TO THIS ISSUE. HOWEVER, THEY ARE NOT ADDRESSING THE ISSUE IN MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA. 3) NISSAN HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE. MY DEALER, WOODMEN NISSAN OF COLORADO SPRINGS HAS WORKED TO COMMUNICATE WITH NISSAN NORTH AMERICA TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND ADD THE 2003 MODEL TO THE RECALL. HOWEVER, NISSAN NORTH AMERICA HAS DECLINED BOTH MY AND THE DEALERSHIPS REQUEST TO ADDRESS THIS COSTLY AND SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS/FATAL FLAW IN THE AUTOMOBILE. *JB