NHTSA Complaint #10140493 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. CAR HAD BEEN IDLING VERY ROUGH AND ENGINE VIBRATION AS WELL AS INTERMITTENT POWER LOSS 24 HOURS PRIOR TO ISSUE. AT TIME OF FAILURE, THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES LOCKED UP WHILE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH ON BUSY HIGHWAY MOUNTAIN PASS. I WAS ALMOST KILLED AS CAR DRIFTED WITH NO CONTROL INTO OTHER TRAFFIC. CAR WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. TOOK CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE MOTOR STARTED SHAKING ON DRIVE BACK TO DEALERSHIP. DEALER FOUND THAT THERE WAS A SCREW LOOSE. THEY FOUND THE SCREW MISSING HAD COME FROM THE POWER VALVE INTAKE IN THE POWER VALVE. THEY HAD TO THE REMOVE THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD TO GET THE SCREW OUT, THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE MANIFOLD INTAKE/VALVE AND CYLINDER #4/ 02 SENSOR/ THE GASKET EXHAUST/GASKET ADAPTER, AND THE GASKET MANIFOLD AS THE SCREW HAD SHOT TROUGH THE ENGINE DESTROYING MOST OF IT. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, BUT ONLY ON SOME 2004 AND 2005 MODELS, NOT MY 2003. THIS PROBLEM IS DOCUMENTED IN OTHER 2002 AND 2003 MODELS ON THIS ODI WEBSITE AND ON INTERNET FORUMS AS PER MY RESEARCH. NISSAN NORTH AMERICA REFUSES TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS IN THE 2002 AND 2003 MODELS AS I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO WORK WITH THEM IN A REASONABLE MANNER. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY FATAL ISSUE AS NOTED IN DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH ENGINES CATCHING ON FIRE OR CAR STALLING AND LOCKING UP IN TRAFFIC. INTERESTED IN PURSUING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. ODI HAS DONE NOTHING TO MAKE CONTACT WITH ME OR OPEN AN INVESTIGATION. PROBLEM STARTED ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2005. *JB