NHTSA Complaint #10409271 — 2004 NISSAN SENTRA

ON 6/10/11 WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 NISSAN SENTRA 1.8L, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR LOST POWER. I COULD NOT GO NO FASTER THAN 30 MPH. I PULLED OVER AND HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THEY SAID THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING INTERNALLY INTO THE #3 CYLINDER AND THAT THE SPARK PLUGS WERE UNREMOVABLE. THEY SAID THAT ONE OF SPARK PLUGS WERE FUSED INSIDE THE CYLINDER. THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED AT THE SAME DEALER IN APRIL 2010. AT A COST OF $1002.08 THEY REPLACED THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AND VALVE COVER GASKET. I COULD NOT AFFORD THE EXTRA $800.00 TO FIX THE SPARK PLUG PROBLEM. THERE WAS NO WARNING BEFORE THIS HAPPENED OTHER THAN THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON AT THE SAME TIME THE CAR LOST POWER. I WAS DRIVING ON A STATE HIGHWAY GOING 55 MPH WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I HAVE READ ON HERE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE HEAD GASKET PROBLEM AND CARS LOSING POWER. MY SENTRA HAS 128,900 MILES ON IT WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. I KEEP MY OIL CHANGED EVERY 3 MONTHS AND KEEP UP WITH THE GENERAL MAINTENANCE ON MY CAR. SINCE THIS HAPPENED ALL OF A SUDDEN I DO BELIEVE THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE HERE. IF I HAD BEEN IN THE INTERSTATE (WHICH I WOULD HAVE BEEN IF THIS HAPPENED 20 MILES LATER) I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OVER OR AVOID AN ACCIDENT. *TR