NHTSA Complaint #10552567 — 2013 NISSAN ALTIMA

AS MANY HAVE ALREADY DESCRIBED, WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE CAR EMITS A HIGH PITCH NOISE. THIS NOISE WAS NOT PRESENT WHEN TEST DRIVING THE CAR AND APPARENTLY ONLY BEGINS TO MANIFEST ITSELF AFTER HAVING BEEN DRIVEN A FEW HUNDRED MILES. WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO FIX IT, WE TEST DROVE A BRAND NEW CAR ON THE LOT TO COMPARE THE NOISE, AND IT DID NOT MAKE THIS NOISE. ON MY FIRST ATTEMPT TO FIX THE NOISE I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A BULLETIN TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM BUT ULTIMATELY THE BULLETIN DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE. WE TRIED AGAIN.IT APPEARS THAT IT IS THE BRACKET WHICH IS HOLDING THE PUMP IN PLACE THAT IS CAUSING THE NOISE. WHEN THE MECHANIC REMOVED THE BRACKET, THE NOISE DISAPPEARED. THE BRACKET NEEDED TO BE PUT BACK FOR SAFETY REASONS BUT AS SOON AS WE DID, THE NOISE REAPPEARED. THE MECHANIC ULTIMATELY DID SOMETHING THAT REDUCED THE NOISE AND I WAS HAPPY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE NOISE RETURNED AND WHEN I BROUGHT IT BACK, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING TO DO. A REGIONAL PERSON WAS GOING TO BE AT THE DEALERSHIP THE FOLLOWING WEEK AND I WAS ASKED TO BRING MY CAR BACK FOR HIS ASSESSMENT. HIS ASSESSMENT WAS THAT THE NOISE WAS NORMAL. NISSAN DEEMS THE NOISE NORMAL BECAUSE ALL THE CARS ARE PRODUCING THE NOISE? THAT MAKES IT NORMAL??? THE NOISE IS UNACCEPTABLE AND HAD IT PRESENTED ITSELF DURING THE DRIVE, I WOULD NEVER HAVE BOUGHT IT. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TURN ON MY RADIO AT A HIGH VOLUME IN ORDER NOT TO HEAR THE HIGH PITCH NOISE. IT'S EMBARRASSING WHEN I HAVE PASSENGERS IN THE CAR WHO ASK ME WHAT THE NOISE IS? I COMPLAINED TO NISSAN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION (THAT'S A JOKE) WHO IS TELLING ME THAT IF THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THAT THERE IS NOTHING TO FIX, THEN THERE IS NO PROBLEM.THE MECHANIC SAID THAT MINE IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE AND THAT OTHERS HAVE BROUGHT THEIR CAR IN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. CORPORATE IS TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS.THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! *TR