NHTSA Complaint #10284184 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

THE CAR STARTED USING OIL AROUND 30K. I NOTICED THAT I HAD TO ADD SOME BETWEEN OIL CHANGES THIS BECAME WORSE OVER TIME AND AROUND 79K IT BECAME BAD AS IN MY WIFE CALLED ME ABOUT THE ENGINE OIL WARNING LIGHT COMING ON WHEN SHE WAS FAR AWAY FROM HOME, WE HAD TO START CHECKING THE OIL EVERY DAY. THE VEHICLE HAD ALWAYS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND WE GOT OVER 170K OUT OF OUR LAST ALTIMA BEFORE WE BOUGHT THIS ONE, THAT ONE NEVER USED OIL? I DID SOME RESEARCH ON-LINE AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE PRE-CAT BREAKING DOWN AND BEING DRAWN IN THROUGH THE EGR CAUSING FAILURE OF THE ENGINE. WE TOOK THE CAR TO NISSAN AND HAD IT CHECKED AND SURE ENOUGH THAT IS WHAT WAS WRONG WITH OURS ALSO. WE HAD EXCEEDED THE MILEAGE FOR REPLACEMENT BY A FEW THOUSAND MILES. HAD WE'D BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS POSSIBLE PROBLEM YEARS AGO, THAT WOULD HAVE EXPLAINED OUR OIL CONSUMPTION AND WE COULD HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM RESOLVED BY NISSAN. WE FULLY INTENDED TO PURCHASE ANOTHER NEW ALTIMA IN THE NEAR FUTURE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN OUR THIRD. I RELY ON THE VEHICLE MY WIFE DRIVES AS SHE ALSO TRANSPORTS OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND IF SHE HADN'T CALLED AND ASKED ABOUT THE RED LIGHT ON THE DASH, I BELIEVE THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE SEIZED AND LEFT HER STRANDED WITH MY FAMILY SEVERAL HOURS AWAY FROM HOME POSSIBLY PUTTING THEM IN DANGER. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS, OR WORSE, ARE NEEDED TO ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM?? IS NISSAN HOPING THIS WILL JUST GO AWAY??. IF AN EMISSIONS COMPONENT FAILURE IS PROVEN TO CAUSE PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE ISN'T IT THE MANUFACTURERS RESPONSIBILITY TO CORRECT IT OTHER THAN REDUCING THE TIME THE EGR IS OPEN TO LESSEN THE AMOUNT OF DEFECTIVE CATALYST DRAWN IN THE ENGINE. IN MY OPINION A WAY TO DELAY FAILURE OF THE ENGINE UNTIL THE FED 80K WARRANTY EXPIRES FOR THE CAT, THAT?S ALL THE PREVIOUS RECALL DID. ALSO THE TSB IS DECEPTIVE IT STARTS WITH THE EXTERNAL CONVERTER SHIELD THEN MUCH LATER MENTIONS INTERNAL CAT FAILURE, WERE THEY HIDING IT? SOUNDS LIKE TWO SEPARATE ISSUES TO ME. *TR