NHTSA Complaint #10306785 — 2003 NISSAN MURANO

I DRIVE A 2003 NISSAN MURANO. I BOUGHT IT USED IN 2005, IN THE LAST FEW YEARS I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP (WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY) THAT THE CAR WAS ALMOST STALLING OUT ON ME WHILE IN DRIVE. NISSAN TOLD ME THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND SO NOTHING WAS REPAIRED. IN ON DECEMBER 3, 2009 I WAS LEAVING MY PARKING GARAGE AT WORK AND MY CAR STALLED OUT COMPLETELY; IT THEN TOOK 15 MINUTES BEFORE IT WOULD RE-START. AFTER THAT, I DROVE HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT AND ASSUMED THAT IT WAS JUST BAD GAS OR SOMETHING. TWO WEEKS LATER, I WAS TRAVELING AT 50 MPH WHEN MY CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT WITH MY 7 YEAR-OLD IN THE CAR WITH ME. AFTER THAT, MY SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. I THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC ON 1/21, WHERE HE RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND THAT MY CRANK POSITION SENSOR AND CAM POSITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MY MECHANIC ALSO FOUND THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THE 2003 MURANO FOR THAT REASON, AND HE TOLD ME TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED TO NISSAN SINCE I HAD REPORTED ISSUES WHILE UNDER WARRANTY AND THERE WAS A KNOW RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. I TOWED MY CAR TO NISSAN THAT DAY AND THEY TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE I WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, AND EVEN THOUGH I HAD REPORTED IT PRIOR TO EXPIRATION, THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE PROBLEM. I ALSO ADVISED THEM THAT I WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE RECALL. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT MY VIN WAS OFF BY THE LAST FOUR DIGITS AND BECAUSE OF THAT, AGAIN, THEY WERE NOT OBLIGATED TO FIX IT UNDER THE RECALL OR WARRANTY. I HAVE SINCE HAD THE REPAIR COMPLETED WITH MY MECHANIC, BUT ANOTHER FRIEND OF MINE JUST HAD THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPEN WITH HER 2008 NISSAN (WHICH THEY ALSO REFUSED TO REPAIR UNDER HER WARRANTY). I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED THAT NISSAN DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF IT'S DRIVERS SINCE THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A KNOWN PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT A MAINTENANCE ISSUE, BUT A SAFETY ONE. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO SO THAT INNOCENT PEOPLE DO NOT DIE. *TR