NHTSA Complaint #10493544 — 2005 NISSAN SENTRA

I AM THE FIRST OWNER OF NISSAN SENTRA 1.8S 2005. AT MILEAGE 74,900, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND A NISSAN DEALERSHIP RETRIEVED THE CODE P0303 CYLINDER 3 MISFIRING ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2012. I ALSO NOTICED, THE COOLANT STARTED TO DROP. SPECIFICALLY, FIRST TIME I REPORTED THE COOLANT DROP TO A NISSAN DEALER ON OCTOBER 9, 2012 (AT MILEAGE 75,557) WHO RAN A PRESSURE TEST BUT ASKED TO COME BACK IF I NOTICED THE COOLANT DROP AGAIN. WHEN THE COOLANT DROPPED AGAIN, THE NISSAN DEALER DETECTED A COOLANT LEAK IN NUMBER 3 CYLINDER JANUARY 4, 2013 (AT MILEAGE 76,577) AND REPLACED THE ENGINE GASKETS, THERMOSTAT ASMY, ENGINE OIL AND ALL NECESSARY PARTS NEEDED FOR REPAIRS ON JANUARY 7, 2013. I PAID ALL THE EXPENSES FOR REPAIRS AS NISSAN. I FILED A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT SINCE THERE IS NO RECALL AND THE CAR?S POWERTRAIN WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED, NISSAN WILL NOT REIMBURSE ME THE EXPENSES FOR THE REPAIRS DONE AT THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY THAT I NOTICED THE DROP IN COOLANT AND THE ENGINE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED. I WONDER WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY FREEWAY AND THE CAR ENGINE CEASED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS COMPONENT FAILURE WITH LIFE THREATENING CONSEQUENCES. GIVEN THAT THIS FAILURE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DRIVER OF THE CAR AND CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY NISSAN NEVER RECALLED. AFTER READING FEW ONLINE BULLETIN BOARDS AND COMPLAINTS AT NHTSA (SAFERCAR.GOV), IT APPEARS TO ME THAT IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE MODEL. *TR