NHTSA Complaint #10261472 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

I OWN A 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5L. THIS CAR IS AFFECTED BY RECALL # NTB03-070C, POTENTIAL ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. THIS RECALL HAS BEEN MODIFIED SEVERAL TIMES. THE "FLASH" PROGRAMMING ALONE HAS BEEN MODIFIED BY NISSAN SIX TIMES. THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED ON MY VEHICLE IN 2004, UNDER CAMPAIGN ID R3007. THIS WAS THE FIRST VERSION OF THE RECALL AND PROGRAMMING RELEASED BY NISSAN. THE RECALL "CORRECTS" A PROBLEM OF TOO MUCH RAW FUEL BEING DUMPED INTO THE PRECATALYST ON DECELERATION. THIS EXTRA FUEL IN THE CATALYST CAUSES DETERIORATION OF THE PRECATALYST CAUSING IT TO FAIL, CLOG UP, AND RELEASE CATALYST SUBSTRATE INTO THE MOTOR (IT GETS SUCKED BACK INTO COMBUSTION CHAMBER ON DECELERATION) ONCE THE CATALYST PARTICLES ARE SUCKED INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, THE CYLINDER WALLS ARE SCORED, CAUSING SIGNIFICANT OIL CONSUMPTION. YOU CAN VERIFY ALL OF THIS BY REVIEWING THE RECALL. MY CAR HAS BEEN IMPECCABLY MAINTAINED. I AM ASE MASTER L1 CERTIFIED. THE CAR HAS SUFFERED THIS EXACT LOSS. THE PRECATALYST HAS FAILED AND IS PLUGGED UP, THE CATALYST SUBSTRATE WAS SUCKED INTO THE MOTOR SCORING THE CYLINDER WALLS, AND THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STARTED BURNING OIL. I TOOK MY CAR TO NISSAN OF MCKINNEY, TX FOR CONFIRMATION AND RECALL WORK. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THE RECALL WORK HAD BEEN DONE BY TROPHY NISSAN IN 2004. I SPOKE TO NISSAN NORTH AMERICA. THEY INFORMED ME THAT SINCE THE RECALL WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED, MY CAR WAS NO LONGER ELIGIBLE TO BE FIXED UNDER THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE SAME FAILURE FOR WHICH NISSAN ISSUED THE RECALL. I TOLD NISSAN NORTH AMERICA THAT OBVIOUSLY IF THE FIRST VERSION OF SOFTWARE THAT THEY ISSUED UNDER CAMPAIGN ID R 3007 WAS SUFFICIENT, THEN THEY WOULD NOT HAVE CHANGED THE "FLASH" SIX TIMES. THEY DID NOT AGREE WITH ME. I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT THE FIX THAT NISSAN NORTH AMERICA IS PERFORMING REGARDING THIS RECALL IS NOT SUFFICIENT. I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST A HEARING WITH THE NHTSA TO PROVE MY CASE. *TR