NHTSA Complaint #10324344 — 2003 NISSAN ALTIMA

DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR BEGAN TO 'HESITATE" AND I WAS LOSING 'POWER/SPEED" . GOT OFF FREEWAY AND A "RATTLE" TYPE NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE BAY. THE MUFFLER SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS "SPUTTERING". DROVE VIA CITY STREETS AT 20 MPG - 40 MPG TOWARDS A REPAIR FACILITY ( ALL THE WHILE FEELING AS THOUGH THE CAR WAS GOING TO DIE) AND 20 MINUTES LATER THE "ENGINE LIGHT" CAME ON. PULLED OVER AND HAD CAR TOWED THE LAST 4 MILES TO THE REPAIR FACILITY. FIRST DIAGNOSIS WAS A "FOREIGN MATTER" HIT THE #1PLUG AND CLOSED THE GAP. THE PLUG WAS REGAPPED AND INSTALLED. CAR SEEMED FINE , BUT 2 DAYS LATER THE SAME SYMPTOMS HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE AGAIN. PULLED OVER AND DROVE TO REPAIR FACILITY WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2002 THRU 2005 ALTIMAS HAVE. THE BUTTERFLY VALVES SCREWS HAD COME LOOSE AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE SCREWS. RAN A MAGNET IN THAT AREA BUT PULLED NOTHING. TECH THINKS IT MAY HAVE BLOWN OUT OF THE EXHAUST IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY. SO THE FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED WAS PROBABLY A SCREW HITTING THE PLUG AND CLOSING THE GAP AND THE SECOND TIME WAS BECAUSE OF THE MISSING SCREW/SCREWS NOT LETTING THE VALVE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THE INTAKE PLENUM WAS REMOVED AND THE SECONDARY BUTTERFLY PLATES WERE INSPECTED. THE #1 PLATE LODGED BY INTAKE VALVE AND 2 PLATE SCREWS WERE MISSING(PASSED INTO CYLINDER #1), ALL 4 PLATES WERE REPLACED AND ALL SCREWS SECURED WITH RED LOCTITE THREAD LOCKER, TOTAL COST FOR FIRST REPAIR WAS $200 WHICH INCLUDED DECARB SERVICE(BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT "LOOSE CARBON" HITTING THE PLUG CLOSED THE GAP). THE SECOND TIME TO CURE THE ACTUAL CAUSE WAS $460.87 WHICH INCLUDED REPLACING A GASKET ALSO. *TR