NHTSA Complaint #10169970 — 2004 NISSAN SENTRA

PLEASE REFER TO NISSAN CAMPAIGN I.D. # P5202. I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN SENTRA SE-R SPEC V. AT THE END OF AUGUST MY CAR DEVELOPED STALLING AND THEN OUTRIGHT CYLINDER (1) FAILURE. SPARK PLUG WAS REMOVED AND FOUND TO BE EXTREMELY PITTED AND GROUND STRAP WAS HAMMERED CLOSED. REPLACED PLUG, VACUUMED CYLINDER AND CAR RAN FINE FOR TWO WEEKS. THE SAME PROBLEM DEVELOPED ON THE WAY TO WORK AND SPARK PLUGS WERE REMOVED AND A SECOND CYLINDER WAS FOUND TO HAVE IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS. THE PRIVATE MECHANIC I USE ADVISED ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS ENGINE (REF. ABOVE). I THEN DROVE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALER WHERE THEY VERIFIED THAT THE POWER VALVE WAS MISSING TWO OF EIGHT SCREWS AND THIS WAS THE MOST PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE CYLINDER FAILURES. FILED CLAIM WITH NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS INFORMED BY REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE THAT MY VIN DID NOT FALL INTO THE VIN RECALL RANGE AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT HONOR THE RECALL ON MY ENGINE. AS SUCH, NONE OF THE RECALL TROUBLESHOOTING WAS PERFORMED ON MY ENGINE. I FEEL THAT MY EXPENSES SHOULD BE REIMBURSED AND, IF REQUIRED, MY ENGINE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE SINCE I HAVE ALREADY SUFFERED FROM THE FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL. I'M SURE THAT THE SERVICE LIFE OF THE PISTONS, VALVES, CYLINDER WALLS, AND ENGINE HEAD ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAILED SPARK PLUGS HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED DUE TO THE POUNDING THEY TOOK FROM THE STEEL POWER VALVE SCREWS. I BELIEVE THAT NISSAN KNOWS THAT THEY HAVE THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM WITH OTHER VIN 2.5 LITER ENGINES AND ARE REFUSING TO FIX THEM BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO ACCEPT CORPORATE LIABILITY FOR A KNOWN DEFECT IN EVEN MORE OF THEIR ENGINES. I HAVE WRITTEN TO CARLOS GHOSEN AND GIVEN NISSAN AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND WITH NO RESULTS TO DATE. PLEASE HELP ME OBTAIN THE SAME RIGHTS AND BENEFITS OF OTHER NISSAN OWNERS WHO FELL UNDER THE PROTECTION OF RECALL CAMPAIGN P5202. THANK YOU. *JB