NHTSA Complaint #10182993 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

MY WIFE'S 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA DIED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. SHE HAD TO GET OUT AND PUSH THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH MY 8 YEAR SON TRYING TO STEER THE CAR. THEN THE CAR WOULD NOT START. WHEN I ARRIVED I GOT THE CAR STARTED AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE IT TO THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP SINCE THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT WAS ON. WHILE CROSSING THE INTERSECTION TO GET INTO THE DEALERSHIP PARKING LOT, THE CAR DIED ON ME. I HAD ENOUGH SPEED TO COAST THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND UP TO ENTRANCE TO THE PARKING LOT. THE NEXT DAY THE SERVICE ADVISOR FOR THE DEALERSHIP CALLS ME AND TELLS ME THE CAR NEED 2 RECALLS ( ONE OF WHICH I KNEW ABOUT -HEADLIGHTS, THE OTHER WAS TO REPROGRAM THE ECM. THEY WOULD HAVE TO ALSO REPLACE THE CAM & CRANK SENSORS FOR $213 WHICH OF COURSE WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. WE HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR 3.5 YEARS AND IT HAS 33,174 MILES ON IT. AFTER READING THAT THE RECALL INVOLVING THE ECM REPROGRAM WAS TO REPAIR A PROBLEM THAT COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STOP RUNNING DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM BETWEEN THE CRANK ANGLE SENSOR AND THE ECM - ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. IT STATED THAT THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT COULD COME ON, THE ENGINE STOPS RUNNING WHILE DRIVING AND THAT THIS COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING! I CALLED 1-800-NISSAN1 AND LOGGED MY COMPLAINT THAT MY WIFE (OR MYSELF) COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND THE VERY LEAST THAT NISSAN COULD DO WAS COVER THE REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. I RECEIVED A CALL BACK FROM SOME KIND OF ENGINEER TYPE GUY WHO GAVE ME THE 20 MINUTE TECHNICAL VERSION OF WHY NISSAN WAS SORRY BUT TOUGH CRAP ON US COVERING THIS. I DEMANDED TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE ELSE AND WAS GIVEN YOUR WEB ADDRESS. I STILL SAY NISSAN KNEW THIS WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD HAVE MADE A STRONGER ANNOUNCEMENT SOONER TO GET THIS CORRECTED. THEY SHOULD BE ON THE HOOK HERE NOT ME!! *NM