NHTSA Complaint #10419449 — 2004 NISSAN MURANO

MY 2004 NISSAN MURANO SE JUST RECENTLY PASSED 115,000 MILES. I HAVE BEEN NOTICING A LACK OF POWER, SOME ODD/VARIOUS NOISES AND JUST RECENTLY SAW A PUFF OF SMOKE OUT OF THE EXHAUST. SHORTLY AFTER, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD THE CODE VERIFIED AT ADVANCE AUTO. CATALYTIC SYSTEM FAILURE ON ONE OF THE BANKS. THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IS EXTREMELY COMMON WITH NISSAN VEHICLES UTILIZING THE VQ ENGINE AND TYPICALLY RESULTS IN BACKFLOW OF CATALYST MATERIAL INTO THE ENGINE WHICH IN TURN CAUSES CATASTROPHIC FAILURE TO THE PISTONS AND PISTON RINGS. REPLACEMENT OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS IS HIGHLY DIFFICULT AND GENERALLY COSTS AROUND $2,500 AT A DEALER. PARTS ALONE WILL COST IN EXCESS OF $600 FOR AFTERMARKET AND $1,600 FOR OEM. THIS ISSUE GENERALLY HAPPENS BETWEEN 80K AND 120K MILES ON ALMOST EVERY ALTIMA, MAXIMA AND MURANO AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE FORUMS IN WHICH VARIOUS OWNERS DISCUSS THIS MATTER IN GRAVE DETAIL. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF IF THIS WILL HAPPEN TO THESE VEHICLES, IT IS A MATTER OF WHEN. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE 1.5 YEARS AGO AND STILL OWE MUTLTIPLE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON IT. THIS IS RIDICULOUS... *TR