NHTSA Complaint #10193827 — 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA

2002 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 BEGAN TO CHUG VIOLENTLY WHILE BEING DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE NEXT EXIT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. SHUT OFF THE CAR, AND RESTARTED TO EXAMINE THE ENGINE WHILE IDLING, NOTICING AN INTERMITTENT SHUDDERING OF THE ENGINE. DROVE THE CAR A FEW MILES TO MY DESTINATION, AND IT STALLED SEVERAL TIMES. AFTER THE LAST STALL O THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FINALLY CAME ON. HAD IT TOWED THE NEXT MORNING TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALERSHIP. AFTER RUNNING THE CODE, THEY IMMEDIATELY WENT TO WORK ON THE POWER VALVE. BOTH SCREWS HAD COME LOOSE FROM THE METAL PLATE IN THE POWER VALVE, AND THE SCREWS HAD GONE THROUGH THE ENGINE CRUSHED THE SPARK PLUG IN CYLINDER #1, AND THEY MADE THEIR WAY INTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE SCREWS, THE PLATE IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, THE EXHAUST AND ADAPTER GASKETS, AND THE SPARK PLUG. THERE IS CURRENTLY A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM ON 2004 AND 2005 ALTIMAS, THOUGH NOT ON 2002 AND 2003 MODELS, WHICH SHARE THE SAME ENGINE. THIS PROBLEM IS DOCUMENTED IN OTHER 2002 AND 2003 MODELS ON THIS ODI WEBSITE AND ON VARIOUS INTERNET FORUMS.*AK