NHTSA Complaint #10682979 — 2010 NISSAN VERSA

HEARD NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. WENT TO DEALERSHIP. CAR IS 4.5 YEARS OLD...NOT EVEN PAID OFF YET BUT ABOUT 4,000 MILES OVER WARRANTY. I WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR ALMOST 31/2 HOURS. THEY HAD TO DISMANTLE MY WHOLE ENGINE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I WAS EVEN CHARGED AN HOUR OF LABOR BECAUSE IT TOOK THEM SO LONG TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE NOISE WAS. FINALLY, THE SERVICE MANAGER, CAME OUT TO SPEAK TO ME. APPARENTLY THEY HAD DISCOVERED "PISTON SLAP" IN TWO OF MY CYLINDERS. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO "FIX" THE PROBLEM OTHER THAN REPLACING THE ENGINE. HE SAID HE DID AN ESTIMATE ON THE PARTS AS BETWEEN THREE TO FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS....PLUS LABOR. THE MANAGER WAS VERY SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS ME AS I CRIED. HE EXPLAINED THAT SOMETIMES WITH VEHICLES YOU GET LUCKY (MY LAST VEHICLE, A CHEVY, LASTED OVER 10 YEARS....PROBABLY WOULD STILL BE RUNNING IF I HAD NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT) BUT IN THIS SITUATION I JUST DIDN'T LUCK OUT. I ASKED HOW LONG THE VEHICLE WOULD CONTINUE TO RUN. HE SAID HE COULDN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION; HE COULDN'T PREDICT THE LIFE LEFT IN MY VEHICLE. IT WAS LIKE HE SAID MY CAR WAS JUST DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. NO ANSWERS. I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP IN TEARS. I CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS TO FIX THIS--THE CAR PROBABLY ISN'T EVEN WORTH THAT MUCH AT THIS POINT. NOW, EVERY DAY, I'M SCARED TO DRIVE MY OWN CAR. WHAT IF IT BREAKS DOWN WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION? WHAT IF THE ENGINE BLOWS UP? THIS IS A MECHANICAL DEFECT IN THE CAR. NOTHING I DID WRONG AS A CONSUMER/OWNER. THIS SHOULD BE COVERED. *TR