NHTSA Complaint #10513675 — 2004 NISSAN SENTRA

I PURCHASED A USED NISSAN SENTRA SER SPEC-V, FROM A PRIVATE PARTY ON 5/8/13. I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH, ABOUT 6 MILES DOWN THE FREEWAY, FROM WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR, WHEN THE ENGINE DIED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND STOP, WHILE SMOKE FLOWED OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CAR WAS TOWED 25 MILES TO A MECHANIC I TRUST. THE GEARS IN THE COUNTER BALANCER ASSEMBLY BLEW APART, CLOGGING AN OIL SCREEN, NOT ALLOWING OIL TO THE CYLINDERS, AND THREW A ROD. I MENTIONED I HAD HEARD ABOUT ISSUES WITH THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS ON THESE CARS, AND REPLACED IT AS WELL. $2428.90, PLUS A $200 TOW. ON 5/13/13, I WENT TO A LOCAL NISSAN DEALER TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON MY CAR, AND WAS TOLD NOT FOR MY VIN NUMBERS. I GOT THE CAR BACK ON 5/23, AND HAVE DRIVEN IT LESS THAN 100 MILES WHEN ON 5/26/13, GOING 40 MPH, IT SUDDENLY DIED AGAIN. I COST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STOPPED. NO LIGHTS CAME ON OR ANY SIGNS OF THE PROBLEM. I TRIED 6-8 TIMES TO START IT. I GOT OUT AND OPENED THE HOOD TO SEE IF ANYTHING LOOKED FUNNY,WENT BACK AGAIN TO START IT AND IT TURNED RIGHT ON. THE ODOMETER IS 55,571. I LOOK ON THIS WEBSITE AND SEE 100 OTHER COMPLAINTS OF SENTRAS RANDOMLY SHUTTING OFF. THIS PROBLEM IS UNACCEPTABLE, NEXT TIME MY CAR DIES, THERE MIGHT NOT BE A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER TO, OR WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND BRAKES, I AM LIKELY HIT SOMEONE. *TR