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Good luck to you, Sara
Fred Standish - Director of Corporate Communications
Nissan North America, Inc
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin, TN 37067-5003
800-647-7261
Lanae Burton
Executive Specialist - (Works for Fred Standish)
I emailed Fred Standish directly and Lanae was the person that responded and was assigned my case from start to finish. I think my Dad may still have the email and phone numbers for these two, so let me check and I will shoot them to you. If you mail a letter to Fred, he will respond by having Ms. Burton contact you directly. The initial response will be a flat denial of all accountability, but the more tenacious and organized you are with documenting the facts of your case, diplomatically, you know non-threatening, other than the threat of legal action...the more they will want you gone so bad they will pay you. I got the first $8,000 on my own with Lanae's help, and then I got a Lemon Law Lawyer that got me the other $5,000. Nissan didn't even care that they had already paid me AND replaced my engine and cats on their dime...because they'd have had to pay me well over $80,000 if they had decided to go to court and lost...so another $5,000 was nothing. It took a year, and my Nissan sat, with the new engine and cats, parked the whole time, and I bought a Toyota instead. I will work on the email addresses and phone numbers for you but do keep me posted.
Good luck,
Sara
Hope this helps!
My car is pinging at 1300, 1500, and 1700 rpm under light load at around 40mph after the head gasket. Only happened when the engine is hot (10 minutes drive) and worse when the weather is hot with AC on. Using 93 octane gas reduces the pinging intensity. Re-manufactured MAF from Autozone doesn't help either. :confuse: MIL p0171 (runs too lean) never comeback since the MAF was cleaned. http://www.flickr.com/photos/39740540@N05/3655762299/ The spark plugs after 12k miles with oil consumption 0.5 quart/1k miles.
I filed a formal complaint with Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov; click on “consumer protection” then click on “file a complaint” the click on FTC Complaint Assistant” then answer all questions. The form will start out with question about identity theft but keep going because you will get to part to file complaint against Nissan North America.
Now, this website: autosafety.org does provide a place for you to check the box if you desire a class action lawsuit. Go the website the click on “file a complaint” then fill out the questionnaire. You will need your vehicles VIN number.
I also file a formal complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nhtsa.dot.gov. This one is important because the more people file complaints the more they will see a need to force Nissan to conduct a recall. Most definitely, make sure you show if the vehicle caught fire or caused a hazardous traffic situation such as stopping suddenly without warning.
I went one step further and file a complaint against National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because they keep record of all complaints on a particular vehicle and there are currently 196 pages of complaints regarding the 2002 Altima and the engine problems and nothing has been done. I mailed a letter complaint to U. S. Dept. of Transportation because NHTSA under their jurisdiction.
If we follow through then I am sure something will be done but if we chose to just complaint on websites with each other – well – we obviously can’t help each other.
Now, this website: autosafety.org does provide a place for you to check the box if you desire a class action lawsuit. Go the website the click on “file a complaint” then fill out the questionnaire. You will need your vehicles VIN number.
I also file a formal complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nhtsa.dot.gov. This one is important because the more people file complaints the more they will see a need to force Nissan to conduct a recall. Most definitely, make sure you show if the vehicle caught fire or caused a hazardous traffic situation such as stopping suddenly without warning.
I went one step further and file a complaint against National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because they keep record of all complaints on a particular vehicle and there are currently 196 pages of complaints regarding the 2002 Altima and the engine problems and nothing has been done. I mailed a letter complaint to U. S. Dept. of Transportation because NHTSA under their jurisdiction.
If we follow through then I am sure something will be done but if we chose to just complaint on website with each other – well – we obviously can’t help each other.
Yes, I followed the instructions per the Hayes manual and the alldatadiy site. When doing major work on any modern vehicle, the computer should be unplugged to protect it, due to all the sensor wires that are taken loose and reconnected. There is a possibility of a static electricity charge getting into the computer if it is not disconnected. Disconnecting the computer is for its own protection. If it is not protected, it can cause a problem like you are having, or many other problems.
#2 - The spark plug seems to look ok. A lean condition or miss as you descibe could be caused by many different things, computer, MAF, injectors, air leak, vacuum leak, throttle body, head gasket leak, ignition timing, or several of the different sensors.
E.D. in Sunny Florida
Is there any way to clean the combustion chamber without removing the head?
Answer - You could try a couple of things.
First you can use a fuel system cleaner or fuel injector cleaner additive that is added to your fuel tank. This may help a little. This should be done on a regular basis anyway, at least at every oil change
Second, you can run a small quantity of water through the engine for a short time, while running the engine in Park at about 2000 to 3000 rpm. You can introduce the water into the engine by removing the small hose that plugs into the top of the rubber air tube that runs from the MAF to the throttle body. Place a small funnel into the hole, have a container of water ready, start the engine, have an assistant sit behind the wheel and control the throttle, keeping the rpm at 2000 to 3000 rpm in park and parking brake on, while you slowly pour a small steady stream of water into the funnel, listening to the engine. The engine should continue to run ok, if it starts to choke, stop the water until it recovers, then start again with a smaller stream of water. This may help remove some of the loose carbon that causes the pinging.
E.D. in Sunny Florida
************
I have a significant problem. My son purchased a 2002 Nissan Altima with 98,000 miles from a Nissan Dealer off e-Bay in February 2009. Even though the car was sold to us "AS-IS", the dealer was sure to tell us what a great car it was and the only reason they were selling it on e-Bay was because they could not obtain financing for a 2002 vehicle with so many miles. Okay, I accept that. We test drove the car and it was in superior condition. The performance was excellent in every way and we bought the car for $5,250 cash (my son is 17 and had been saving for this car since he was 12).
We drove the car home and immediately changed the oil. The honeymoon was over after two weeks when my son took his car into the local mechanic to rotate tires. A routine check of the oil showed it was 2 quarts low. Naturally, we thought the quick-lube place screwed up and we simply topped it off with more oil. After two more weeks, we checked the oil again... it was another 2 quarts low. There was no visual evidence of burning (smoke) and the car passed through NJ emissions inspection without incident... So what the heck??!!??
Our mechanic told us that this problem could be significant, but that there was no way to tell unless the unit was put through an expensive wet-dry compression test. Anyway, we just kept putting oil in the car and assumed that would be the standard (I did it with my Rambler for years)... But the problem got worse. Smoke was beginning to billow from the exhaust. The day before the engine blew out, I took the car to a local Nissan dealer to run a full computer diagnostic evaluation... That's when I got the news that both the engine and catalytic converter needed replacement. Even though the CAT was replaced/serviced under recall from Nissan a few years ago. The cost to me would be over $7,000.00
Here is the problem (and a simple Google of 2002 Altima Engine Problems will turn up hundreds, if not thousands of similar stories). Nissan issued a recall for a faulty sensor within the Altima's catalytic converter. Our Altima was taken by the previous owner in for service under recall shortly after it was issued. This sensor allowed for damage to the catalytic converter, which in turn damaged the piston rings in the engines causing excessive oil burning and ultimately complete engine failure. In cases where Nissan "reprogrammed" the sensor, nothing was done to address the CAT damage and what it was doing to the engine. In other cases, they replaced the CAT, but the engines were already burining oil and headed for doom. The damaged engines, in turn, damaged the new CAT... This is the situation I find myself in now after putting only 4,000 miles on the car since February. Bad CAT, shot engine and Nissan Consumer Affairs telling me "Sorry, it's out of warranty and there is nothing we can do"... The recall should have been for both CAT and engine replacement, but who in their right mind would assume Nissan to do this for tens of thousands of cars. All they did was put a quick patch on a festering wound and waited to address individual complaints as they arose, which is infinately cheaper than doing the right thing in the first place.
My sons dream was crushed and Nissan says "tough luck, kid". The car sits dead in our driveway providing a daily reminder of what scum car manufacturers like Nissan can be.
I would recommend that each and every one of you that has been screwed by Nissan to spread the word and tell everyone that you can about this blog and encourage them to read it, This needs to be headline news. Read it from the begining, about all the people who have been so dissapointed and/or devestated by the Nissan Altima, people who wanted to destroy their Altimas or push them off a cliff, or worst. I just can't say enough about how bad these cars are, and how negligent the Nissan Company is to leave so many of their customers stranded with no hope. What they have done should be a crime, and they should pay back their customers dearly for it.
E.D. in Sunny Florida
I currently own 2002 Altima, 2007 Altima (drives like a dream) and 2008 BMW 525I and I came in here to find a solution to how to fix that damn 2002 vehicle and not all the whining about how bad Nissan is since that's ABSOLUTELY FALSE. 2009 Nissan Altima is Consumer Report's, Consumer Digest's and JD Power's TOP PICK not mentioning other Nissan/Infiniti products. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with that car. If that was a "lemon" car there is such a thing called "Lemon Law" and you can try to get the money for your car under it's umbrella.
B.S.Chicago,IL.
P.S. I just got my money back from Sony after fighting with them for over 2 years over faulty Sony Plazma TV. No more Sony for me? I don't think so..I love them. Welcome to the real world.
...and talking about cheaper labor....if it's so true I wonder why Nissan is doing so great since Ghosn took over? All those Nissans: Versa,Rogue,Altima.....number one cars according to Consumer Reports and Consumer Digest and million other awards for Murano, Xterra,Titan, 370Z, GT-R etc. etc. And if not for all those changes tens of thousands US WORKERS employed by Nissan would be unemployed.
HERE IS ALITTLE READ FOR YOU... In 2001 Brazilian-born Carlos Ghosn became the first non-Japanese person to head a major Japanese automobile-manufacturing corporation. As the president and chief executive officer of Nissan Motor Company, he broke the traditional Japanese business models that had stifled the automaker's growth. Within two years Ghosn had led the faltering company into a period of revival, breaking a ten-year string of losses or tiny profits. By the end of the first quarter of 2003, Nissan turned a profit of more than $4 billion. Involving himself in all aspects of the company, from designing to test driving, Ghosn made himself an icon for Japanese business culture by the middle of his second year in office.
Within months of his arrival Ghosn had laid bare a plan that would not only revolutionize the way business was done at Nissan but challenge some of the basic assumptions that lay at the heart of Japanese business methods. By shutting down plants, laying off workers, and severing ties with underperforming suppliers, Ghosn demonstrated that radical measures could be effective in changing the conservative Japanese business system. He expected the process of making Nissan profitable to take three years; it took only two.
Ghosn also changed the look of Nissan's line of automobiles. The leading Japanese automakers, Honda and Toyota, historically were cautious about altering the appearance of their cars. In contrast, Ghosn, according to Alex Taylor in Fortune, took risks by making over almost one-third of Nissan's product line within a couple of years. "Ghosn wants Nissan to stand for passionate innovation," said Taylor, "and insists that new products satisfy an unmet customer need" (July 21, 2003). The executive's record, the Fortune contributor concluded, seemed to forecast great things for the companies he headed
Jophish.
P.S. The service department at this family owned dealership gets an A+, a pleasure to work with.
so don't panic yet.
The 2002-2003 pre-cat failure is the biggest issue but no "REAL RECALL" has been done. Voluntary recalls like power valve screws is only good for 04-05 model because 02-03 is not under warranty anymore even they have excactly same design and some of 02-03 owner got their engine destroyed by those screws.
Crankshaft and Camshaft Position sensor is still problematic. It turns out the design was bad (plastic shield), and now Nissan have the revised version with aluminum shield. But, you will never get the free recall twice. You have to pay to get the revised sensors after the failure of the first recall. Many of 02-03 VQ35DE engine have timing chain guide and tensioner premature failure (cost $1500) and bad MAF ($600 part # 22680-8j000). MAF from maxima and G35 with part #22680-AM600 is the best replacement that will not fail again.
Nissan Service is Real :lemon: . After 6 years/60k miles all 02 have bad engine mount, struts, pre-cat, tie rod end, MAF (3.5L model) and may be head gasket.
and no, not all 02 nissan altima's have bad engine mounts, struts, precat tie rod ends, or maf sensors.
the most important lesson here is don't cheap out on your warranty. people who are willing to spend 20k on a car but wont invest another 1000 on a warranty to protect their investment for 10 yrs or 100k miles are asking for problems. Its a stupid way to reduce your payment by $16 or so. and one I've never understood.
every ford and chevy I've ever owned was more or less shot at about 120k.
on the other hand, I had a VW Golf that lasted over 300k miles. But don't think your going to find a lot of mechanics that will say VW builds a good car.
The point? there is no point. every manufacture of cars has built a lemon or two in their day. the engine sludging problems in the Camry was at least as common as the converter problems in the atlima. probably worse. ditto the transmission issues with the accord a few years back.
Thats not to say the 3rd gen altima, actually the newly minted QR25DE engine didn't have some issues and problems. But it doesn't mean Nissan is building junk. and neither does a dozen or so people bitching on an internet message board.
I agree with you 100%. People usually don't go out and try to spread good words about you when you do something nice...but they will try to spread bad words about you every chance they have when you do something bad. :sick:
I wish to thank all on this cite for their positive and helpful postings, KEEP AT IT, and for the condescending wind bag who implied that I "cheaped out" or was in the disgruntled VERY small fraction of the sample, GET A LIFE.
Jophish
I found this, and other forums, when I came home. I have an appt with my local mechanic tommorrow. My question: Because I have yet to experience any of the oil problems usually associated with the "coolant/head gasket/precat" issue, is it possible that I got lucky and my engine hasn't been damaged by the precat debris? Does this put me in any more favorable a position(long term) than those who are losing 1 qt of oil every 1000 miles?
My wife and I are moving from NJ to NC next week! I really don't have the $ or time to deal with this. Is there any way to reasonably estimate how long I can live with the problem as is? As I stated, currently the only symptom is a rough idle for about 10 seconds when I start it cold (usually only the morning).
Will gladly answer any cooking or food related questions in return
We also had the problem of the engine miss on the cold start, had the leaking head gasket problem. I wrote all about this in messages from #98 on 12/06/2007 to message #125 on 12/24/2007. I had to tear the engine apart, remove the head, get the head rebuilt at the machine shop, put in new head gasket and put it all back together. It is still running fine now. I was told by the machine shop that it is not uncommon for the engine head to warp on these engines, causing the engine head gasket to blow. The engine head was warped out ot specs, so thay had to mill it flat. They checked all the valves and said it was ok now, with no cracks or leaks.
So I would suggest you read up on all of this and get your engine head gasket replaced. At the same time have your intake manifold power valve screws glued permanently in place and get the precat hollowed out. Having the precat hollowed out will require the you put on the O2 Cheater on the second O2 sensor (the one at the botteom of the precat). This O2 Cheater will keep the check engine light from coming on. Go to message #232, dated 03/13/2008, to find the O2 Cheater. It only costs $5. There is a link in the message that will take you to all the information and pictures about it.
Everything you need to know about these problems is here in this forum, all you have to do is look.
Note: To others on this forum. I am not on here for the purpose of complaining about Nissan, I am simply stating the facts on what I have experienced and giving my opinions on them. What has happened to me concerning the 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5S has been very upsetting, and has cost me much time, effort and money, and I would not wish this on anyone. But I have read of many on here and on other websites that have the same frustrating problems. So I think it fitting to give others fair warning of possible empending problems. They may not get the same problems, but the possiblity is definitely there. I am not a chronic complainer, I have many good things to say about vehicles that are really worthy of praise. I just call them as I see them. That is this mechanics opinion.
Good luck,
E.D. in Sunny Florida
I appreciate all you have written, and read all of your, and the other, posts. That is why I did not ask what could be done to fix it. I asked 3 questions which I hoped would give me an idea of how far gone my car was, since I had no burnibg oil.
In any case, my mechanic did some work, and we'll see how it goes
Here are your answers in a nutshell:
1. Q. "Because I have yet to experience any of the oil problems usually associated with the "coolant/head gasket/precat" issue, is it possible that I got lucky and my engine hasn't been damaged by the precat debris?"
A. Yes. You do NOT have the problem yet. but I would suggest that you monitor your oil level very closely. Once the damage starts, it can advance quickly.
2. Q. "Does this put me in any more favorable a position (long term) than those who are losing 1 qt of oil every 1000 miles?"
A. Yes more favorable, but watch out for the problem by checking the engine oil level frequently..
3. Q. "I really don't have the $ or time to deal with this. Is there any way to reasonably estimate how long I can live with the problem as is?"
A. It depends on which problem that you are talking about.
The leaking head gasket problem should be addressed as soon as possible, because you already have that problem, and it will only get worse. It can cause the engine to overheat, and eventually ruin your engine. The head gasket can not heal itself. The engine head will have to be sent to a machine shop to have the head surface milled flat. You can temporarily help to repair (1 to 3 months) the leaking head gasket problem by putting a half a jar of BARS LEAKS PELLETIZED HEAVY DUTY RADIATOR STOP LEAK (available at any local automotive parts house) into the radiator. This will seal the head gasket leak for a while. 1/2 bottle should be more than enough to temporarily fix the problem. Do not put more than 1/2 bottle into the radiator, as you do not want to clog the cooling system. Keep the extra half bottle of Bar's Leak in the trunk, in case you need to add a little more, Add no more than a tablespoon at any one time. I think the cost of replacing the head gasket is about $1600 to $2000, depending on where you go. I did the job myself and the machine shop work and parts cost me $533 and I used 48 hours labor (working slowly and carefully), Maybe you could try that and save $1000 to $1500, if so inclined
If you are talking about the oil burning/precat issue problem, don't worry about it yet, as it has not happened to you, just keep a very close eye on the oil level, and write down any oil you have to add. A good engine should be able to go at least 2500 miles or longer before needing a quart of 10W-30 oil. I recommend that you use only FULL synthetic motor oil in the engine, such as Mobil One or Valvoline Super Syn & use a quality oil filter by Mobil One or Purolator Pure One.
Only use the cheap oil if the engine starts sucking down (burning) a quart of engine oil every week, because if the engine starts using that much oil, the engine is toast anyway.
Good Luck,
E.D. in Sunny Florida
I will be calling my NJ mechanic on Monday to see if he has any insight, but I don't think I can afford to take it to a mechanic down here just yet( last time had to get 2 new tires and a water pump and thermostat in addition to the sealant and precat drilling- total about $800). I will continue to update.
I am hoping for the best.
I fixed my head gasket in ALL Tune and Lube for $1200 total ($890 tear down+ $310 machine shop work ). The engine works fine for more than 18k miles/15 months even with 0.5 quarts/1k miles oil consumption. Remember to check "Struts, passenger and rear side engine mounts, and outer tie rod, timing chain tensioner (1 second rattle in cold start)" before you decide to fix or sell it.