NHTSA Complaint #10414634 — 2002 NISSAN PATHFINDER

RECENTLY, OUR 2002 NISSAN PATHFINDER HAD TO HAVE AN ENGINE REPLACED. THE CAUSE WAS A SET OF VERY SMALL BOLTS IN THE BUTTERFLY VALVE ASSEMBLY WHICH IS NOW A PART OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE ENGINE SHOP TECH NOW PERFORMING THE ENGINE REPLACEMENT MENTIONED THAT HE IS SEEING A LOT OF THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH THESE SPECIFIC ENGINES. ALSO, THIS IS THE SECOND 2002 PATHFINDER WE HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO. THE OTHER ONE WAS MY DAUGHTER'S. I AM AN OPERATIONS RESEARCH SYSTEMS ENGINEER AND KNOW THAT THE PROBABILITY OF THIS OCCURRING TO TWO VEHICLES OF THE SAME YEAR WITHIN THE SAME FAMILY; BOTH PURCHASED FROM THE SAME LOCATION IS A PRIME INDICATOR OF A SYSTEMIC ENGINEERING PROBLEM. THE FACTORS ARE THAT THE BOLTS WORK LOOSE AND DROP INTO THE CYLINDERS. IF THEY DO NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE CYLINDER, THEY ARE BLOWN OUT THE EXHAUST. IF THEY DO GET CAUGHT BY THE PISTON, THEY SCRATCH THE WALLS OF THE CYLINDERS ALLOWING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OIL TO BE FORCED INTO THE CHAMBER WHERE IT IGNITES AND IS EXHAUSTED. THE SUBSEQUENT REPAIR IS COSTING $5200. IN BOTH OF THESE SITUATIONS, THE OIL RESERVOIR WAS EMPTIED WITHIN 2-3 DAYS. I KNOW THIS AS I CONSTANTLY CHECK VEHICLE FLUIDS (I WAS AN ARMY OFFICER AND HAD A MOTOR POOL). I CAUGHT A LOW OIL QUANTITY IN BOTH VEHICLES; REFILLED THE RESERVOIR; AND CHECKED IN A FEW DAYS TO FIND THEM NEAR EMPTY AGAIN. I ALSO KNOW THAT HAD THE OIL RUN OUT WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AN ENGINE SEIZING COULD POTENTIALLY OCCUR, CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE AND POTENTIAL SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, ON BOTH VEHICLES, I TOOK THE VEHICLES TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION/REPAIR. THEY SEEMED TO BE UNAWARE OF THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM AND RECOMMENDED A SPECIFIC DIAGNOSTIC ACTION AT A COST OF $2000 THAT ONLY WOULD DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND NOT REPAIR IT. A NON-NISSAN TECH RECOMMENDED THE ENGINE REPLACEMENT GIVEN HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE VEHICLES AND THE RECURRING PROBLEM. I REPORTED THIS SITUATION TO NISSAN MOTOR C *TT