NHTSA Complaint #10160720 — 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 AN UN-DATED LETTER FROM NISSAN TELLING OWNERS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND TO MONITOR OIL LEVEL. FURTHER WORD WOULD COME IN 60 DAYS - TWO MONTHS! I WAS TOLD THAT ON JUNE 1 THEY STOPPED SELLING THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. ONE DAY AFTER MY PURCHASE! WE THEN CONTACTED NISSAN WITH THE PHONE NUMBER THAT WAS ON THE LETTER. WE TOLD THEM WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THIS CAR AND GET SOMETHING ELSE OR OUR MONEY BACK. THEY LAUGHED! THE DEALER DID THE SAME, AND GAVE ME A VERY LOW TRADE IN PRICE. WE FEEL THAT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO MONITOR THE OIL ON A BRAND NEW CAR. WE BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR ITS RELIABILITY AFTER WE HAD LEMON LAW PROBLEMS WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. IT LOOKS LIKE WE GOT ANOTHER LEMON! WE HAD THIS CAR FOR LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AND UNDER 600 MILES AND DO-NOT FEEL SAFE. THEY HAVE ALREADY MADE AN ADMISSION OF THIS PROBLEM IN THEIR LETTER ABOUT MONITORING THE OIL WHICH COULD RESULT IN ENGINE FIRES IF NOT PROPERLY MAINTAINED. AS A CONSUMER BUYING A NEW CAR I SHOULD NOT BE BURDENED BY THIS PROBLEM BETWEEN RECOMMENDED OIL CHANGES AND BE EXPOSED TO POSSIBLE INJURY OR DEATH. THIS WAS OUR FIRST NISSAN PURCHASE AND NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE DEALERSHIP MADE US FEEL VERY POORLY ABOUT THEM. I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH MY PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN IT. I DO NOT WANT MY FAMILY OR MYSELF IN AN UNSAFE VEHICLE AND WE DO NOT FEEL SAFE AT ALL! AND I HAVE TO WAIT 60 DAYS FOR SOME SORT OF ACTION! WHY SHOULD WE WAIT FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN, AN ENGINE FIRE OR ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE? TO MAKE ME A SATISFIED CUSTOMER TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK AND REPLACE IT OR REFUND ME! *JB