NHTSA Complaint #10220669 — 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS IN OCTOBER, 2007 MY 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA WOULD STALL OUT WHILE DRIVING. THIS OCCURRED MAINLY ON THE INTERSTATE CAUSING A INSTANTANEOUS SLOWING DOWN OF THE VEHICLE, WHERE VEHICLES BEHIND ME WOULD COME VERY CLOSE TO HITTING THE REAR OF MY CAR. OTHER TIMES THE CAR WOULD STALL COMPLETELY AT LOW SPEEDS, LOOSING POWER TO THE STEERING AND BRAKES PUTTING MYSELF IN A SITUATION HARMFUL TO THOSE STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. THE STALL OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING TO MYSELF OR OTHERS AROUND ME, CREATING A SERIOUS SAFETY-RELATED PROBLEM. I RESEARCHED & FOUND SAFETY-RELATED RECALLS FOR THE '02, '03, '04 MODELS BUT NOT 2005. MY VEHICLE HAD 41,000 MILES ON IT WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THERE WAS NO RECALL YET FOR THE 2005 MODEL ALTHOUGH I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEMS THE OTHER RECALLS IDENTIFIED. THE SERVICE PERSONNEL CALLED ME AFTER MY CAR WAS LOOKED AT AND ADVISED THAT THE CAM SHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND THE CRANK SHAFT POSITION SENSOR HAD FAILED DUE TO EXPERIENCING HOT CONDITIONS & THE SOLDER HOLDING THEM IN PLACE MELTED (AGAIN CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUSLY ISSUED TSBS AND RECALLS). I PLEADED, THIS SHOULD BE UNDER A RECALL, BOTH WITH NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND WITH VICTORY NISSAN FROM WHOM I PURCHASED THE ALTIMA. I WAS LEFT PAYING THE FEE MYSELF. THE RECALL FOR THE 2005 MODEL WAS ISSUED IN DECEMBER 2007 AND I AM TRYING TO GET A REFUND FOR HAVING TO PAY FOR REPAIRS THAT NISSAN IDENTIFIED AS SAFETY-RELATED. THE RECALL LISTS REPROGRAMMING OF THE ECM, WHICH NEEDED TO BE COMPLETED, SINCE THE ECM WOULD LOOSE COMMUNICATION WITH THE TCM. HOWEVER THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE IN COMMUNICATION STEMMED FROM THE FAILURE OF THE POSITION SENSORS. I FEEL LET DOWN AND UPSET THAT NISSAN CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THESE PROBLEMS WITH THEIR 2.5 LITER ENGINES IN YEARS SUBSEQUENT TO ISSUED RECALLS AND FAILED TO NOTIFY CURRENT OWNERS OF THE SAFETY-RELATED PROBLEMS. I AM ALSO UPSET THAT NISSAN DOES NOT ADMIT THE CRANK POSITION AND CAM POSITION SENSORS PLAYED PART IN THE STALLING. *TR