NHTSA Complaint #10251221 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

MY CAR DIED OUT WHILE STUCK IN TRAFFIC. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, TURNED IT OFF & TRIED TO START IT BACK UP ONLY FOR IT TO SHUT OFF AGAIN. I TRIED A SECOND TIME, AND AGAIN IT SHUT OFF. ON THE THIRD TRY I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD & PARK & LEFT THE CAR ON, ONLY FOR IT TO SHUT OFF AGAIN. I LET THE CAR SIT, SHUT OFF, TO LET IT COOL OFF. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME SAFELY, BUT ONLY STAYING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD, HOPING THAT IT WOULDN'T IDLE OFF & DIE OUT. I CALLED CORPORATE NISSAN THE NEXT DAY & EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT AN OPEN RECALL ON REPROGRAMMING OF THE ECM EXISTED ON MY CAR & THAT WAS THE REASON WHY MY CAR WAS SHUTTING OFF. I TOOK THE CAR ON THURSDAY, 11/6/08 TO A NISSAN DEALER & HAD THE ECM REPLACED. AFTER THE RECALL, I NOTICED THAT MY CAR TOOK A WHILE TO ACCELERATE AND THAT THE RPM GAUGE WAS QUICKLY SHIFTING BACK & FORTH. ON SATURDAY, 12/6/08, MY CAR DIED OUT AGAIN IN TRAFFIC. I CALLED CORPORATE NISSAN & TOLD THEM THAT THE REPROGRAMMING OF THE ECM DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM BECAUSE MY CAR IS STILL DYING OUT. THE CAR ONLY HAS 52,000 MILES ON IT & HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEMS. THE CAR HAS BEEN MAINTENANCE WITH THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, MY CAR IS NOT THE ONLY CAR WHICH HAS EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED. APPARENTLY THE CRANK SENSOR IS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THE SENSOR ISN'T SENDING THE SIGNAL TO THE ECM. NISSAN HAS ONLY RECALLED THE ECM BECAUSE THE RECALLING OF THE SENSOR COSTS TOO MUCH TO RECALL. IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE TO DRIVE & THEN TO SUDDENLY HAVE THE CAR SHUT OFF. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN NISSAN. IT'S A WORLD-WIDE KNOWN BRAND YET THEIR CARS ARE FAILING AT ABOUT 50,000 MILES. IF AFTER THE ECM IS REPROGRAMMED, AND THE SENSORS ARE REPLACED, SOME CARS ARE STILL DYING & NISSAN RECOMMENDS NEW ENGINES. A CAR AT 60,000 DOES NOT NEED A NEW ENGINE. ENGINES ARE DESIGNED TO LAST AT LEAST 100,000 MILES NOT COMPLETELY DIE OUT. *TR