NHTSA Complaint #11283016 — 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA

MY WIFE DRIVES OUR 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S TO WORK ON 3RD SHIFT AND ON HER LUNCH BREAK GOES TO HER CAR AND TAKES A NAP WITH THE CAR RUNNING AND WAS COMPLAINING TO ME FOR A MONTH OR MORE THAT SHE HAS THIS SMELL IN HER CAR LIKE A "GAS SMELL" AND ALSO WAS COMPLAINING OF BEING TIRED AND NAUSEOUS WHEN I SPOKE WITH HER ABOUT IT. I NOTICED HER CAR WAS ABNORMALLY LOUDER WHEN SHE STARTED IT AT HOME AND IT HAD NOT BEEN RUN THAT DAY. I HAVE DETERMINED THAT THIS IS FROM A CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND MY WIFE AND I ARE VERY LUCKY SHE WAS NOT KILLED FROM THE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING SHE WAS RECEIVING WHILE SITTING IN HER CAR WHILE IT WAS IDLING ON HER BREAK. THE EXHAUST FUMES WERE BEING BROUGHT INTO THE CAB OF HER CAR FROM THE CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLD, THRU THE VENTS FROM THE OUTSIDE HVAC AIR DUCTS UNDER THE HOOD IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I NEVER COULD SMELL A "GAS SMELL" WHICH I ASSUMED SHE MEANT GASOLINE OR POSSIBLY A COOLANT SMELL FROM A LEAKING HEATER CORE AND SO I BLEW IT OFF UNTIL I MYSELF HAD TO USE THE CAR AND I QUICKLY REALIZED IT WAS AN EXHAUST GAS SMELL SHE WAS SMELLING AND IT NEARLY CAUSED ME TO BECOME UNCONSCIOUS WHILE DRIVING AT WHICH TIME I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND RETURNED HOME WITH THE CAR. I RESEARCHED THIS SAME EXHAUST GAS LEAK WITH THIS CAR AND IT IS NOT UNCOMMON BUT HAS YET TO TRIGGER A RECALL . MOST LIKELY DUE TO NO ONE BEING KILLED FROM THE CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AND THANK GOD MY WIFE WAS NOT THE FIRST. I WILL BE ORDERING A COMPLETE EXHAUST SYSTEM NEW FOR REPAIRS AS TO NOT MISS ANY UNSEEN ISSUES WITH THE CAR HAVING 101,000 MILES . I DO EXPECT COMPLETE REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE BILL FROM NISSAN .