NHTSA Complaint #10219332 — 2005 NISSAN SENTRA

VEHICLE 62,861 MILES. ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED. JANUARY 26, 2008 I DROVE VEHICLE 25 MILES FROM MY HOME. THE CAR SAT FOR 4 HOURS. ON RESTART GOT NO HEAT. TEMPERATURE GAUGE IN THE NORMAL RANGE. DROVE 10 MILES WHEN THE HEAT GAUGE SPIKED HIGH, STOPPED. ENGINE TEMP BACK TO NORMAL, AND I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. OPENED HOOD NO STEAM VISIBLE. EASED RADIATOR CAP OFF, COULD SEE COOLANT IN RADIATOR STARTED ENGINE BACK UP TO SEE WHERE THE WATER LEVEL WOULD DROP TOO. ADDED 4 OZ. NO STEAM COMING FROM ENGINE OR RADIATOR. SERVICE SOON LIGHT NOW LIT. ENGINE RAN SMOOTHLY. TRIED TO DETERMINE WHAT WAS WRONG. SUSPECTED NO WATER FLOW THROUGH HEATER. DETERMINED WATER FLOW OUT OF THE RADIATOR, NO STEAM, HAD A SERVICE SOON LIGHT, AND ENGINE HAD A SLIGHT MISS AT STARTUP THAT CLEARED AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF RUNNING. I TOOK THE NISSAN TO BREEDEN'S AUTO REPAIR. BREEDEN'S DETERMINED ENGINE HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET, AND A MISS IN NO. 2 CYLINDER. THE NISSAN'S ENGINE WAS REPAIRED. BREEDEN'S MECHANICS TOLD ME THE FOLLOWING: NISSAN HAD 4 OR 5 (SERVICE) NOTICES ON FAILED HEAD GASKET WITH CYLINDER NUMBER 2 MISS FOR THE 2005 1.8 SENTRA, HOWEVER NO RECALL EXISTS; ENGINE COOLANT AND RADIATOR WERE CLEAN; NEW TYPE HEAD BOLTS WERE REQUIRED WITH THE GASKET REPLACEMENT AND REQUIRED 60 FOOT-POUNDS OF TORQUE; THAT WHEN REMOVING THE HEAD THEY FOUND THE REAR BOLTS TO BE MUCH LOOSER THAN THE FRONT BOLTS (NOT THE REQUIRED TORQUE); AND THEY FOUND NO OTHER REASON TO EXPLAIN HEAD GASKET FAILURE. THE 1.8 NISSAN ENGINE HEAD GASKET SHOULD NOT FAIL ON A WELL MAINTAINED, NON-ABUSED ENGINE WITH 62K MILES. I BELIEVE NISSAN HAD INDICATIONS THAT SOME OF THEIR 1.8 ENGINES HAD A PROBLEM BLOWING HEAD GASKETS BECAUSE OF THE NOTICES. I SUSPECT NISSAN ATTRIBUTED THESE RECORDED FAILURES TO HEAD BOLT TORQUE, AND I WONDER WHY NO RECALL NOTICE WAS FORTHCOMING. NISSAN GAVE A NEGATIVE RESPONSE ON FEBRUARY 28, 2008. *TR