NHTSA Complaint #10161915 — 2006 NISSAN ALTIMA

ON 5/20/2006, I PURCHASED A 2006 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE WAITING FOR THE PAPERWORK TO BE COMPLETED, MY HUSBAND NOTICED A BOARD ON THE WALL FOR A CONTEST. OUR SALESPERSON TOLD US THEN THAT NISSAN WAS HAVING A DEALER CONTEST FOR ALTIMA'S. AT THE SAME TIME, NISSAN WAS VERY HEAVILY ADVERTISING ON TV A "SPECIAL" LEASE PRICE FOR THE ATLIMA'S. 2 WEEKS LATER, BEFORE RECEIVING ANY LETTER FROM NISSAN, A COLLEAGUE SENT ME THE LINK FOR THE DETROIT FREE PRESS, SO THAT I COULD READ THE ARTICLE ABOUT NISSAN ALTIMA'S BEING PULLED FROM THE MARKET BECAUSE OF OIL PROBLEMS, WHICH WERE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS. I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT I WAS DEFRAUDED BY NISSAN (AND PERHAPS THE DEALER) BY THIS SALE. NO ONE CAN MAKE ME BELIEVE THAT NISSAN DIDN'T DO THIS CONTEST ON PURPOSE IN ORDER TO MOVE AS MANY CARS AS POSSIBLE OFF THE DEALER LOTS. THE 200+ INCIDENCES OF OIL PROBLEMS AND THE LESSER INCIDENCES OF FIRES DID NOT ALL OCCUR WITHIN THE TWO WEEKS BETWEEN THE TIME I BOUGHT MY CAR AND SALES WERE HALTED. I HAVE ALREADY HAD ONE OCCURRENCE WHERE I HAD TO ADD OIL. I THEN HAD TO WAIT 4 DAYS FOR THE DEALER TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE CAR. IRONICALLY, WHEN THE CAR WAS RETURNED THE PAPERWORK DID NOT SHOW ANY RECORD OF MY ADDING OIL (EVEN THOUGH I TOLD 3 SEPARATE PEOPLE AT THE DEALERSHIP). IT DID SAY THAT THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE TO ADD OIL. I DRIVE THIS CAR EVERY DAY BACK AND FORTH TO WORK. TO MATTERS WORSE, I ALSO TRANSPORT MY HUSBAND, WHO IS RECOVERING FROM A 5-ORGAN TRANSPLANT, TO HIS DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS TWICE A WEEK, WHICH ARE OVER AN HOUR AWAY. SHOULD WE HAVE A FIRE, AND NEED TO GET OUT OF THE CAR QUICKLY, MY HUSBAND WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO SO. THIS WAS MY FIRST NISSAN. IT IS MY LAST. *NM