NHTSA Complaint #10177755 — 2001 NISSAN ALTIMA

IN NOVEMBER 2006, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED (NISSAN ALTIMA 2001) AND I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC FOR SERVICE. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A MISFIRE CONDITION IN ONE OF THE ENGINE CYLINDERS. CONSEQUENTLY, THE HEAD GASKET AND VARIOUS ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED. HOWEVER, A DAY AFTER GETTING THIS FIXED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. IT APPEARS THAT THE REAL PROBLEM WAS WITH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET, WHICH IS AN EXPENSIVE AND LABOR INTENSIVE JOB. AFTER SEARCHING THE WEB, I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH NISSAN ALTIMAS MADE AROUND 2001. FOR EXAMPLE, SEE THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/NISSAN/ALTIMA/2000/ENGINE/INTAKE_MANIFOLD_GASKET_LEAK_CAR_SHAKES.SHTML COMMON TO NEARLY ALL CASES (EVEN THOSE BROUGHT TO NISSAN DEALERS) IS IT TYPICALLY TAKES MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO REALIZE THAT THE TRUE PROBLEM IS A FAULTY INTAKE GASKET. BEFORE GETTING IT FIXED THE ENGINE WAS BEGINNING TO GET SHAKY, ESPECIALLY AT IDLE SPEED. *JB