NHTSA Complaint #10163230 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

I PURCHASED A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA SEPTEMBER 2004. ON 7/12 I EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE OF RECALL #06V242000. MY VEHICLE STOPPED RUNNING W/O WARNING AT A STOP AT 2:00A.M. THE NISSAN DEALER INDICATED THE COMPUTER FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I TOOK THE CAR HOME ONLY FOR IT TO ONCE AGAIN STOP AS I DEPARTED MY JOB AT 2:00 A.M. I AGAIN TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER WHO KEPT MY CAR FOR THREE DAYS. ONE OF WHICH I WAS CALLED AND ASKED IF MY CAR COULD BE DRIVEN MORE THAN 60 MILES AWAY (THE DEALER HAD TO PICKUP AN ITEM IN ANOTHER STATE) IN ORDER TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM. THE NEXT DAY THE TECHNICIAN AGAIN INDICATED HE COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. UPON HEARING THIS I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS (7/19) OF MY SITUATION AND WAS ADVISED TO CONTACT THE DEALER AND TELL THEM OF RECALL #06V242000. AFTER HAVING DONE THIS, THE NISSAN DEALER INDICATED THEY KNEW NOTHING OF THE RECALL, BUT WOULD CONTACT CONSUMER AFFAIRS AS I REQUESTED. AFTER SPEAKING WITH CONSUMER AFFAIRS THE DEALER THEN INDICATED THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER RECALL #06V242000 WAS IN FACT MY ISSUE AS THE ECM INDICATED NO SUCH THING. FINALLY, I SPOKE WITH THE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER WHO INDICATED THAT NISSAN HAD NOT YET TOLD THE DEALERSHIPS HOW TO HANDLE THE ISSUE OF RECALL #06V24200, AND THEREFORE THE ONLY THING THEY COULD DO IS REPROGRAM THE ECM WITH THE SAME PROGRAM IT CURRENTLY HAS. WITH THAT PORTER NISSAN RELEASED MY VEHICLE BACK TO ME INDICATING I MUST WAIT UNTIL AUGUST 21, 2006 (4 WEEKS) BEFORE I COULD EXPECT CORRECTION TO THE PROBLEM. SINCE HAVING THE CAR IN AGAIN IN MY POSSESSION, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM TWO OF THE THREE DAYS. THIS ISSUE IS FURTHER EXACERBATED AS I HAVE A FAMILY OF FOUR THAT DEPENDS ON THE USE OF THIS VEHICLE AS WELL AS MY JOB REQUIREMENT IF A RELIABLE VEHICLE. FURTHERMORE MY JOB IS APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES FROM MY HOME AND I AM REQUIRED TO STAY THERE UNTIL APPROX. 2:00 A.M. THE HANDLING OF THIS RECALL IS UNACCEPTABLE. *NM