NHTSA Complaint #10471844 — 2013 NISSAN ALTIMA

I BOUGHT A NEW 2013 ALTIMA 2.5 SL ON 7/26/12, WITH 104 MILES ON IT SINCE IT WAS DELIVERED FROM ANOTHER DEALER. ON 7/29/12 A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE OWNER'S MANUAL SAID THAT POSSIBLY THE GAS CAP WAS NOT TIGHT. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. MANUAL SAID THAT IF THE LIGHT WAS NOT FLASHING, THEN IT WOULD CLEAR AFTER A FEW TRIPS. IT DID NOT CLEAR, SO I DROVE 25 MILES TO DEALER 8/3/12 FOR THEM TO TEST. THEY SAID IT WAS A BAD CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND WOULD BE REPLACED THE NEXT DAY. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED AND SAID THAT WHEN THEY REMOVED THE CONVERTER THAT ITS CONTENTS SPILLED ON THE SHOP FLOOR; AND THAT THEIR CONTACTS WITH NISSAN WAS THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED ON OTHERS AND THUS THE ENGINE HAD BEEN RUINED AND THAT NISSAN WOULD REPLACE THE ENGINE. I STATED THAT I DID NOT WANT A REPLACED ENGINE BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE REQUIRED DISASSEMBLY AND REASSEMBLY INVOLVED, ESPECIALLY WITH A CAR ONLY A FEW DAYS OLD AND HAVING DRIVEN ONLY APPROXIMATELY 160 MILES. I HAD PAID FOR A NEW CAR AND WANTED A COMPLETELY NEW CAR AS A REPLACEMENT. I HAVE FILED A CASE WITH NISSAN, BUT SO FAR THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT SAY THAT THEY ARE REVIEWING THE SITUATION. THE SELLING DEALER HAS BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE, SAID THAT THEY AGREE WITH ME AND HAVE STATED THAT THEY HAVE ALSO CONTACTED NISSAN ON MY BEHALF AND REQUESTED THAT A NEW REPLACEMENT BE PROVIDED. SINCE NISSAN HAS SEEN THIS SITUATION ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, THEY WERE AWARE THAT THEY HAD FAULTY CATALYTIC CONVERTERS AND THAT CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WAS THE RESULT. THESE ARE NOT CARS WITH SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES USE AND SEVERAL MONTHS OLD; BUT RATHER MINE WAS LESS THAN A WEEK OLD. NISSAN SHOULD NOT GIVE THE BUYING CUSTOMERS THE RUN-A-ROUND, BUT DO THE PROPER THING AND REPLACE THE CARS WITH NEW ONES LIKE WE PAID FOR. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY SOLD QUALITY PRODUCTS AND HAD A REPUTATION FOR GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE. *TR