NHTSA Complaint #10883804 — 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS DRIVING ONE THE INTERSTATE OR HIGHWAY AT 55-70 MPH. THE CAR WILL DECELERATE AND SLOWLY LOSE SPEED. I CAN SLAM THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS IN VERY HOT WEATHER. IT ALWAYS HAPPENS IN MOTION, AND SOMETIMES ON A HILL. IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO BE REAR-ENDED WHILE HAULING CHILDREN IN MY VEHICLE. IF I STOP THE CAR AND WAIT ABOUT 10 MINUTES, I CAN START IT UP AND CONTINUE ON GOING 300 OR MORE MILES BEFORE IT MAY HAPPEN AGAIN. THIS HAD HAPPENED ABOUT 4 TIMES IN THE LAST 4-5 MONTHS, BUT NOW IT IS OCCURRING MORE FREQUENTLY. THERE WAS NO ENGINE LIGHT AND IT WAS NOT GIVING A CODE. I TOOK IT TO EAST TENNESSEE NISSAN IN MORRISTOWN, TN, WHO COULD NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM BUT SAID SIMILAR CARS ARE EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION ISSUES. I TOOK IT TO A LICENSED TRANSMISSION SHOP WHO COULD NOT GET A CODE. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP SAID IT COULD BE A PROBLEM STARTING WITH THE VALVE BODY OF THE TRANSMISSION AS HE HAS SEEN AS MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE 2011-2012 MODELS AS THE EARLIER MODELS THAT GOT EXTENDED WARRANTIES. BOTH PLACES SAID THEY COULD NOT GIVE A GUARANTEED FIX BECAUSE IT IS NOT SHOWING THEM A PROBLEM. YESTERDAY, THE PROBLEM OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES ON OUR WAY HOME FROM VACATION, ALMOST GETTING US HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK. FINALLY, AFTER 6 RESTARTS YESTERDAY, THE CAR IS SHOWING CODE P0744, WHICH IS TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH INTERMITTENT WHICH WE HAVE BEEN TOLD IS THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE DANGER THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED.