NHTSA Complaint #10160470 — 2006 NISSAN ALTIMA

WE PURCHASED A NEW NISSAN 2006 ALTIMA 2.5 ON 05/31/06. TWO DAYS LATER, JUNE 2ND, IT WAS ON THE NEWS THAT NISSAN TOLD THEIR DEALERS TO STOP SELLING THIS CAR DUE TO ENGINE FIRES AND EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. WITHIN A WEEK WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM NISSAN TELLING OWNERS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND TO MONITOR OIL LEVEL. WE THEN CONTACTED NISSAN WITH THE PHONE NUMBER THAT WAS ON THIS LETTER. WE TOLD THEM WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THIS CAR AND PAY THE DIFFERENCE FOR THE V-6 MODEL. THEY LAUGHED! WE FEEL THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO MONITOR THE OIL ON A BRAND NEW CAR. WE BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR MY WIFE TO COMMUTE TO SCHOOL WE HAVE HAD THIS CAR FOR 22 DAYS AND DO-NOT FEEL SAFE. THEY HAVE ALREADY MADE AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS PROBLEM IN THEIR LETTER ABOUT MONITORING THE OIL WHICH COULD BE THE RESULT OF ENGINE FIRES IF NOT PROPERLY MAINTAINED. AS A CONSUMER BUYING A NEW CAR YOU SHOULD NOT BE BURDENED BY THIS PROBLEM BETWEEN RECOMMENDED OIL CHANGES, THIS WAS OUR FIRST NISSAN PURCHASE AND NISSAN HEADQUARTERS MADE US FEEL VERY POORLY ABOUT THEM. I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH MY PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE AND NOT SAFE AT ALL, WHY SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN, AN ENGINE FIRE OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THIS BEFORE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE TO MAKE ME A SATISFIED CUSTOMER. *NM