NHTSA Complaint #10161062 — 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA

I BOUGHT AN '02 NISSAN ALTIMA IN JAN. 2002. IN 2003 I HAD RECALL WORK PERFORMED FOR THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM (CAT CONVERTER DEFECT) AND AT THE TIME I COMPLAINED THAT MY VEHICLE WENT THROUGH EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE OIL CHANGED REGULARLY. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY INSPECTED MY VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT MY CAR DID NOT NEED ANY REPAIRS AND THAT THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED. AT 97,167 MILES I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT WAS RUNNING ROUGH AND MY WARRANTY WAS ABOUT TO EXPIRE. ALSO ADVISED THEM THAT I HEARD WATER RUNNING BEHIND THE DASH AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ALL I NEEDED WAS A TUNE-UP DUE TO THE MILEAGE BUT OTHER THAN THAT MY CAR WAS GREAT. AT 100,460 MILES MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND FLOODED SEVERAL TIMES. HAD TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD START THE CAR JUST FINE AND THAT I HAD FLOODED THE VEHICLE. AGAIN RECOMMENDED TUNE-UP AND REPLACING SPARK PLUGS. (I HAD JUST REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS MYSELF) NEXT THING I KNOW...MY CAR WON'T RUN AND SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. HAD TOWED TO INDEPENDENT AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND ADVISED ME THAT MY ENGINE WAS BLOWN AND NEEDED REPLACED DUE TO CAT CONVERTER. I MADE THE DEALERSHIP TOW THE CAR TO THEM AND THEY INFORMED ME OF THE SAME AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $5000 FOR A NEW ENGINE. THE SERVICE MGR. TOLD ME THAT NISSAN KNOWS THAT THIS WILL OCCUR,AND THAT WHEN THEY CONTACTED THE NISSAN REP THEY DECLINED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE DUE TO THE MILEAGE. I CALLED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND GOT A TOTAL RUN AROUND AND TOLD ME THAT MY MILEAGE WAS TOO HIGH AND THEY HAVE HAD NO OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE. BULL!!! NISSAN MUST BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS AND FIX THE PROBLEM. I AM PAYING FOR A CAR THAT HAS BEEN SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP BACK LOT FOR 3 MONTHS!!! I AM CONTACTING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND MAKING MY VOICE HEARD AND OTHERS NEED TO VOICE AS WELL BECAUSE NISSAN IS TRYING TO SWEEP THIS UNDER THE CARPET....NOT ANYMORE. *NM