NHTSA Complaint #10256024 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

I BROUGHT MY 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA INTO COUNTYLINE NISSAN IN MIDDLEBURY, CT; THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM. IT WAS 5-02-08 AND I HAD 58,294 MILES ON IT, I TOLD THEM I HEARD A KNOCKING SOUND IN THE ENGINE IN SECOND AND THIRD GEAR, I ALSO TOLD THEM IT SOUNDED AS IF THE ENGINE BOGGED DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING UP HILLS. I EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT MY WARRANTY WAS GOING BE UP AT 60,000 MILES AND WANTED THEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE WARRANTY WAS UP. I ALSO TOLD THEM THAT WHILE THEY HAD MY CAR TO DO AN OIL CHANGE. WHEN I WENT TO PICK UP MY CAR LATER THAT DAY THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE MY CONCERN, MEANING THAT THEY COULD NOT HEAR THE NOTICEABLY OBVIOUS SOUND THE ENGINE HAD BEEN MAKING. I ASSURED THEM THAT I DEFINITELY HEARD A NOISE AND THAT MY CAR WAS ACTING WEIRD , THEY ASSURED ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, THEY GAVE ME MY OIL CHANGE AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. ON 9-21-08 AT APPROX. 61,174 THE FAINT KNOCKING I HEARD SUDDENLY TURNED INTO A LOUD BANGING IN MY ENGINE. I STOPPED MY CAR AND NOT KNOWING WHAT ELSE TO DO CHECKED MY OIL. THERE WAS NOT A DROP IN IT, AFTER I HAD JUST HAD MY OIL CHANGED NOT EVEN THREE THOUSAND MILES EARLIER, I KNEW IT HAD TO BE THE DEALERSHIPS FAULT. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 9-22-08 AND TOLD THEM OF THE PROBLEM, THEY SAID THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT AND CALL ME BACK. A FEW HOURS LATER I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE MANAGER, HE TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND IT WOULD COSTS $4,500. I TOLD HIM I WOULD NOT BE PAYING THAT BECAUSE IT WAS THERE FAULT AND THEY NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING TO FIX IT. HE SAID THE ONLY THING HE COULD DO WAS REPLACE THE ENGINE FOR $4,500. I THEN HAD MY CAR TOWED TO MY HOUSE, I LOOKED INTO MY OPTIONS AND NEEDED A CAR ASAP SO I HAD ANOTHER SHOP REPLACE THE ENGINE FOR A LITTLE CHEAPER. I CALLED NISSAN CORP. AND TOLD THEM OF THE SITUATION THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T HELP ME. I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF SIMILAR SITUATIONS AND I HAVE ALSO FOUND A RECALL ON THE SAME ENGINE IN CANADA. *TR