NHTSA Complaint #10230250 — 2004 NISSAN ALTIMA

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 2.5 LITRE NISSAN ALTIMA ON HIGHWAY ABOUT 60 MPH I FELT AN ABRUPT JERK LIKE NOISE IN THE TRANSMISSION, ALMOST EVEN LIKE A MISFIRE OF SOME SORT. ALL I KNOW IS THAT IT WAS ODD AND DID NOT SEEM RIGHT. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING, MY "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND HAS STAYED ON. WHILE MY CAR DID NOT STALL OR IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN, IT WAS HARD TO CRANK AFTER SHUTTING DOWN. I HAD DIFFICULTY CLIMBING HILLS AS THE CAR LACKED THE POWER AND DIFFICULTY SHIFTING DOWN. IN TROUBLESHOOTING THIS PROBLEM, I IMMEDIATELY CHECKED THE GAS CAP. THIS DID NOT SOLVE MY PROBLEM. I TOOK IT INTO THE MECHANIC. HE HAS HAD MY CAR FOR TWO DAYS. HE FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR AND HE SAID IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET TO FOR REPAIR AS WELL AS HAVING PROBLEMS REMOVING IT. I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A BILL FOR THIS REPAIR BUT WITH THE LABOR INVOLVED TO REMOVE THIS SENSOR, IT WON'T BE CHEAP. WHY ON EARTH ARE MANUFACTURERS PUTTING PARTS INTO PLACES THAT ARE DIFFICULT AND COSTLY TO REPAIR. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE AVERAGE "JOE" WHO LIKES TO WORK ON HIS OWN CAR, CAN'T EVEN DO THIS ONE! NOW, THE OTHER LUDICROUS PROBLEM IS THAT NISSAN APPEARS TO NOT HAVE INCLUDED THE 2004 NISSAN 2.5 ALTIMA IN THE "RECALL" CAMPAIGN FOR THIS FAULTY SENSOR. THAT SPELLS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND COMPLAINTS TO MY ATTORNEY GENERAL AND BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. THERE IS NO WAY, THAT I OR ANYONE HAVING BOUGHT A 2004 NISSAN 2.5 ALTIMA SHOULD HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDEN OF COSTS INVOLVED INTO THIS ONGOING ISSUE WITH THE CRANKSHAFT SENSORS. *TR