NHTSA Complaint #11436073 — 2015 NISSAN SENTRA

On Saturday, 25 SEP 2021, my wife and I departed San Clemente, CA, at 3:30 AM enroute to Idaho Falls, ID. We were driving my son and daughter-in-law’s 2015 Nissan Sentra with approximately 62,000 miles on the odometer. The car contained my wife and me along with 2 suitcases. At approximately 5:00 AM we approached the Cajun Pass, heading north on I15 North, going 70mph with the cruise control engaged. The crest of Cajun pass is approximately 3800 ft and the base of the pass is approximately 1100 ft, thus a rise of 2700 feet in a relatively short distance. As the 2015 Nissan Sentra began to ascend the Cajun Pass, the engine RPMs raised to 3700 RPM, but then the cruise control disengaged and the car lost power. I merged to the right into the Truck Lane and could only go 30-35 mph. Additionally, the engine RPMs would oscillate between 3700-3900, even though my foot maintained a steady pressure on the gas pedal. After we reached the top of Cajun Pass, I15 North actually descends and the2015 Nissan Sentra could then again be driven at 70-75 mph. For the remainder of trip on I15 North from Cajun Pass to Idaho Falls, there are approximately 10 steep grades where Trucking Lanes are provided. In each and every of those cases, the 2015 Nissan Sentra exhibited the exact symptoms it exhibited on Cajun Pass – the car lost power, could only be driven at 30-35 mph, and the engine RPMs oscillated between 3700-3900 RPM, even though the speed was constant and the gas pedal was depressed with the same pressure. There are literally dozens of additional hills between Cajun Pass and Idaho Falls on I15 North where the grade was not steep enough to warrant a Truck Lane, but there is still a considerable hill. In each and every one of those hills, the 2015 Nissan Sentra was only able to achieve a speed of 50-55 mph, even though the posted speed limit is generally 75 or 80mph. The car was unsafe to drive because most cars on I15 North are going 80-85 mph, which is 30-35 mph faster