NHTSA Complaint #10231342 — 2003 NISSAN SENTRA

CAR STARTED IDLING ROUGH, SKIPPING. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WAS FLASHING. FOUND A DAMAGED SPARK PLUG, THE GAP HAD BEEN SMASHED SHUT AND COULD SEE WHERE SOMETHING WAS POUNDING ON THE PLUG REPEATEDLY. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT ABOUT THE BUTTERFLY (POWER VALVE) ISSUE OF THE ASSEMBLY FALLING INTO THE 2.5L ENGINES. USING AN EXTENDABLE MAGNET I WAS ABLE TO COLLECT ALL OF THE PIECES OF THE BUTTERFLY ASSEMBLY AND EXTRACT THEM FROM THE ENGINE. ONE OF THE SCREWS WAS UNRECOGNIZABLE, LOOKED LIKE A BRASS BB FROM A BB GUN BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN SMASHED UP SO BAD. THE BUTTERFLY ITSELF WAS ALSO DAMAGED AROUND THE EDGES. I WENT TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO SEE ABOUT ORDERING A NEW BUTTERFLY ASSEMBLY AND THEY INFORMED ME OF THE RECALL FOR THESE ENGINES IN THE 04-05 SENTRA SPEC V'S. THEY RECOMMENDED I TALK TO THE SERVICE DEPT ABOUT HAVING IT REPAIRED BY NISSAN UNDER RECALL. NISSAN SERVICE LOOKED UP MY VIN # AND DISCOVERED THAT 03 MODELS DID NOT HAVE A RECALL FOR THE BUTTERFLY SCREWS BUT A NEW ENGINE WAS RECENTLY REPLACED FOR THE PRECAT RECALL ISSUE ONLY 20,000 MILES AGO.. THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I CALL CORPORATE AND FILE A CLAIM REGARDING THE BUTTERFLY SCREW PROBLEM SINCE THEY HAD JUST RECENTLY WORKED ON THE ENGINE AND SHOULD HAVE TIGHTENED THOSE SCREWS. SO I DID. I PAID $150.00 TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP, THEY WAIVED THE $96 DIAGNOSTIC AND CONFIRMED THAT THE BUTTERFLY SCREWS DID DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. IT TOOK ABOUT 3 MONTHS OF GETTING ESCALATED UP THE CORPORATE NISSAN PYRAMID. FINALLY I MADE IT TO THE TOP JUST TO BE DENIED. THEY SAID THAT MY VEHICLE WAS 5,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THE RECALL WAS NOT FOR 03 MODELS ONLY 04-05. HOWEVER IT IS THE SAME EXACT ENGINE, SO I DON'T KNOW WHY 03 IS NOT COVERED. THE FACT THAT I HAD ONLY PUT 20,000 ON THE NEW ENGINE THAT THEY INSTALLED DIDN'T SEEM TO MATTER TO THEM. I AM NO ROCKET SCIENTIST BUT I AM PRETTY SURE A 4 CYL ENGINE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RUN FOR MORE THAT 20,000 MILES. *TR