NHTSA Complaint #10618655 — 2006 NISSAN ALTIMA

I WAS TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN MY "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 2-3 MILES FROM MY HIGHWAY EXIT AND LESS THAN 4 MILES FROM MY APARTMENT. A MINUTE OR TWO LATER I HEARD A LOUD THUD FROM MY ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A VEHICLE CAME ALONGSIDE OF MY VEHICLE AND WAVED FOR ME TO PULL OVER, INDICATING THAT MY VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE OR SMOKING. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHICH HAPPENED TO ALSO WITHIN YARDS OF MY EXIT. I EXITED MY VEHICLE AND POPPED MY HOOD AS MY ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS SMOKING. MY ENGINE WAS ON FIRE AND PROCEEDED TO BURN AS I CALLED 911 AND A WRECKER SERVICE. IT APPEARS THAT A CONNECTING ROD WAS LIBERATED AND EXITED THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE BLOCK WHILE I WAS TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS CAUSED CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND OIL VENTING FROM THE ENGINE THAT LANDED ON THE HOT SURFACES IGNITED AND BURNT THE ENGINE HARNESSES, DRIVE SHAFT BOOTS AND OTHER PLASTIC AND RUBBER COMPONENTS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. IT WAS DETERMINED BY A MECHANIC THAT THE PRE-CAT HEADER LOST CATYST MATERIAL AND WAS INGESTED INTO THE ENGINE DURING THE OVERLAP CYCLE OF THE CAM TIMING. THIS DESTROYED THE INTERNAL SURFACES OF THE PISTON CHAMBER, THUS LEADING TO OIL CONSUMPTION AND ENGINE RECIPROCATING COMPONENT FAILURE. GMC/NISSAN DEMAAGD (BATTLE CREEK, MI) WHO HAD SOLD ME THE VEHICLE USED WITH APPROXIMATELY 95,000 MILES ON IT IN AUGUST 2013 (ONLY 10 MONTHS EARLIER) WOULD NOT COVER ANY OF THE REPAIRS AND ESTIMATED $7,000 FOR A NEW ENGINE AND $3,850 FOR A USED ENGINE. I AM EXCEPTIONALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT NISSAN WOULD NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR OF THIS VEHICLE, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY THE RESULT OF A DESIGN FLAW AS THE INTERNET IS FULL OF SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL, MAKE AND YEAR. *TR