NHTSA Complaint #10593964 — 2002 NISSAN ALTIMA

PURCHASED CAR USED FROM NISSAN DEALER IN 2005 WITH 33,936 MILES ON IT. ALTHOUGH I LIVE IN THE MIDWEST AND AM EXPOSED TO ROAD SALT, I VERY SELDOM DRIVE MY CAR IN THE WINTER, IF AT ALL. FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS I'VE NOTICED "ORANGE" SPOTS ON THE GARAGE FLOOR WHERE I PARK. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUID LEAK, HOWEVER, WHEN MY HUSBAND WENT TO CHANGE THE OIL WE NOTICED A HOLE, 3-4" IN DIAMETER, ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR BOARD, WHERE THE OPENER FOR THE FUEL COMPARTMENT IS LOCATED. UPON FURTHER EXAMINATION, WE OBSERVED A RUSTED AREA APPROXIMATELY 2FT X 1FT WAITING TO BREAK THROUGH. NOW, IF THIS IS NOT A SAFETY HAZARD I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. I CURRENTLY HAVE A RAG STUCK IN THE HOLE TO AVOID ANY ROAD DEBRIS FROM HITTING ME AND FUMES FROM ENTERING THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE I DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2005 MODEL YEAR, BUT MINE IS A 2002. THIS MAY INDICATE NISSAN HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO SELL THIS DEFECTIVE PRODUCT FOR A MUCH LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. I HAVE OWNED SEVERAL VEHICLES OVER MY LIFETIME, WHICH I KEEP AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, AND HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED A SITUATION LIKE THIS. IT'S BEEN MY UNDERSTANDING THAT AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS HAD REMEDIED THIS PROBLEM YEARS AGO ! PLEASE, SOMEONE, MAKE NISSAN ACCOUNTABLE ! *TR