2003 NISSAN SENTRA Complaints

MY 2003 NISSAN SENTRA WAS REAR-ENDED BY A DRIVER TRAVELLING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH. THE REAR SEAT VIRTUALLY COLLAPSED AND IF THERE WERE ANYONE SITTING THERE THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. MY WIFE AND I WERE SITTING IN THE FRONT SEATS. SHE SPENT A WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL WITH HEAD INJURIES AND I SPENT TWO DAYS. WHY AREN'T CARS TESTED FOR REAR IMPACT, SIMILAR TO OUR ACCIDENT, INSTEAD OF ONLY FRONT AND SIDE IMPACT?*AK

I CURRENTLY DRIVE A 2003 NISSAN SENTRA GXE, 1.8L 4CYL. CAR. (PURCHASED IN OR AROUND APRIL 2003 FROM UNIVERSAL NISSAN) ALMOST A YEAR AFTER BUY THE SENTRA I NOTICED THAT THE CAR WOULDN'T START OR IF IT DID START IT WOULD TAKE A WHILE TO START...MEANING I WOULD HAVE TO HOLD DOWN THE KEY WHILE IT TRIES TO CRANK ITSELF ON. I DO THIS ALL THE TIME & AT TIMES WHEN I FINALLY GET THE CAR TO START 3 TO 5 SECONDS WILL GO BY AND THE CAR WILL TURN OFF & I HAVE TO RESTART IT. SO I TOOK THE CAR INTO NISSAN OR ORANGE, CA AND THEY TOTALLY BLEW ME OFF, TELLING ME THAT THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE I DIDN'T NOTICED IF THE ENGIN LIGHT COME ON. WHICH LEADS ME HERE TODAY. MY CAR IS GETTING WORST...I NOTICED A NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID #03V455000, NISSAN RECALL #R3022 AND A NUMBER FOR NISSAN I CALL NISSAN (JAN. 26, 2005) AND I'M TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR MY CAR BECAUSE I DRIVE A 1.8L 4 CYL CAR AND NOT THE CAR THEY HAVE ON THEIR RECALL LIST WHICH IS 2.5L 4CYL. THE GUY ONLY MAKES A FILE FOR ME AND UPDATES MY ADDRESS. THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP ME EXCEPT UPDATE MY PERSONAL INFORMATION. I TELL THE REP. THAT I NOTICED ON ANOTHER WEBSITE THAT MY CAR MAKE AND MODEL WAS AFFECTED BY THE RECALL AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN RESEACH IT. THE INFORMATION WAS FOUND ON WWW.ALLDATA.COM TSB NUMBER 03-124 ISSUED DECEMBER 2003 - SAFETY RECALL - TSB TITLE RECALL- ENGIN SENSOR REPLACEMENT FOR 2003 NISSAN SENTRA 1.8L 4 CYL CARS. I MEAN IT'S THE SAME TYPE OF RECALL THAT'S ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP.*AK

CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND IT HIT A TREE. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER WAS NOT INJURED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY.*AK *TC

I BOUGHT MY CAR IN MAY OF 2004. SINCE THEN, THE INTERIOR DASH LIGHTS, TAIL LIGHTS AND VARIOUS FUSES HAVE BLOWN AT LEAST 3 TIMES EACH. LIGHTS WERE REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG THAT THEY COULD FIND, AND THEY HAD REPLACED THE FUSES. THE VERY NEXT DAY, THE SAME FUSES BLEW AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THERE WERE NO "OPEN RECALLS" ON MY CAR. IT IS A 2003 NISSAN SENTRA SE-R. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 29000 MILES. THIS ACTUALLY BLEW MY ENGINE, WHICH DEALERSHIP RELACED. THE FUSE PROBLEM IS STILL PERSISTENT.

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT ON JUNE 25, 2004. A LADY REAR-ENDED ME AND AS A RESULT MY ENTIRE BACK SEAT CAME LOOSE. MY CAR IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE TRUNK FROM THE INTERIOR SO THE BACKSEAT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO COME LOOSE. THIS IS A HUGE CONCERN OF MINE SEEING AS THOUGH I HAVE A SMALL CHILD THAT HAS BEEN RIDING IN THE BACKSEAT AND FORTUNATELY WAS NOT IN THE CAR THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. I PURCHASED MY CAR IN MAY 2003 WITH LESS THAN 100 MILES ON IT. SO FAR I AM BEING TOLD THAT THE SEAT WILL BE "FIXED", BUT I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR ANY LONGER.*AK

ON MAY 15, TRAVELING TOGETHER ON A SIDE STREET AT 30-35 MPH, MY WIFE INADVERTENTLY TAPPED THE SHIFTER. THE TRANSMISSION IMMEDIATELY WENT FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL. THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE DANGER AT THAT TIME AS THERE WAS NO CAR BEHIND ME, AND I WAS TRAVELING FAIRLY SLOWLY. I MOVED THE SHIFTER BACK INTO DRIVE AND CONTINUED HOME. THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS EVENT, THE MORE WORRIED I BECAME. SUPPOSING I HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT 70 MPH, IN THE PASSING LANE, WITH A TRUCK BEARING DOWN ON MY REAR? IF THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL, IT WOULD IMMEDIATELY BEGIN A DRASTIC SLOWDOWN, AND NO BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD COME ON! BY THE TIME I GOT IT BACK INTO GEAR AND THE TRUCK DRIVER FIGURED OUT I WAS STOPPING DEAD IN FRONT OF HIM, HIS TRUCK COULD LITERALLY BE ON TOP OF MY CAR. ON MAY 19, I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AT THE DEALERSHIP. PRIOR TO THAT I HELD A TEST AND FOUND THAT I COULD ALSO MOVE THE CAR FROM NEUTRAL INTO DRIVE WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BUTTON! THE DANGER IN THIS IS OBVIOUS, ESPECIALLY FOR ANY OWNER WITH SMALL CHILDREN. I TOLD THE SERVICE ADVISOR THE ENTIRE STORY, AND MY CONCERNS WERE ADDED TO THE WORK ORDER. WHEN MY CAR WAS RETURNED, I WAS TOLD THIS IS THE WAY THE CAR IS DESIGNED. I HAVE THIS IN WRITING ON THE WORK ORDER. I WENT TO THE NISSAN WEB-SITE AND TOLD CUSTOMER SERVICE ABOUT MY PROBLEM. THEIR ANSWER WAS THEY DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TECHNICAL INFORMATION AND I SHOULD CALL OR VISIT YOUR LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I ALSO HAVE THIS E-MAIL SAVED. A MANUFACTURER DESIGNS A TRANSMISSION WHICH WOULD ALLOW A LIGHT TAP ON THE SHIFTER TO RESULT IN MOVING FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL AND VICE VERSA? AND THEN, WHEN CONFRONTED WITH A DANGEROUS SITUATION, SAYS, WELL, THATS THE WAY IT IS! THIS NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BEFORE A TRAGEDY OCCURS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER RESTARTED VEHICLE, WAS ABLE AND DROVE IT TO DEALER. MECHANIC PLACED THE VEHICLE ON THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE, AND THE MACHINE FLASHED UP A CODE FROM THE COMPUTER, REPLACEMENT OF A VALVE WAS NEEDED. THE MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT WARRANTY EXPIRED. DRIVER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THAT THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED MORE THAN ONCE, AND THE PROBLEM STILL HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH CONSUMER T-BONED ANOTHER VEHICLE DUE TO THE OTHER VEHICLE NOT STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER TRIED TO RESTART VEHICLE BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. *AK

1) I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT--THE FRIST CAR AT THE LIGHT--ON A TWO LANE DIVIVED HIGHTWAY IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GEREN I ACCLELRATED AND THE CAR TOOK OFF LIKE IT WAS IN OVERDRIVE. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE CAR DID A 360 DEGREE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE ROTATION. THE PASSENGER SIDE HIT THE MEDIAN AND DEFLATED BOTH THE FRONT AND REAR TIRERS. THE CAR NEVER STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO WOBBLE OVER TO THE RIGHT LANE AND EXIT THE HIGHWAY ON TO A DIRT ROAD WHICH WAS THE ENTRANCE TO A COOK COUNTY FOREST PRESERVE. I RAN INTO A STEEL GATE WHICH WAS ACROSS TTHE ROAD AS THE FOREST PRESERVE WAS CLOSED. I SUSPECT BECAUSE TWO OF MY TIRES WERE DEFLATED, MY BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING. 2) ACTUALLY, I WAS TAKING MY CAR TO WOODFIELD NISSAN FOR SERVICE WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. WHEN I TRIED TO TURN ON THE AIR-CONDITIONING, THE KNOB (WHICH GOES FROM BLUE--COOL-- TO RED--HEAT--WAS NOT WORKING. USUALLY THE KNOB SUCH TURNS SMOOTHLY, BUT THIS TIME, THERE WAS A GRATING SENSATION AND THE COOLING SYSTEM DID NOT TURN ON. THE HEAT COULD NOT BE TURNED OFF AND THE COOLING SYSTEM COULD NOT BE TURNED ON. WHETHER THIS PROBLEM CAUSED THE OTHER EVENT IS HARD TO SAY, BUT I FAVOR A "CAUSE AND EVENT" EXPLANATION. 3) THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO MY CAR. MY INSURANCE COMPANY AUTHORIZED ABOUT $7,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE. MY CAR IS STILL AT WOODFIELD NISSAN BODY SHOP AWAITING PARTS WHICH HAVE BEEN ON BACK ORDER SINCE ABOUT MARCH 22. I HAVE ASKED JOHN AT THE BODY SHOP TO MAKE SURE THAT HE HAS THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT LOOK AT MY ORIGINAL AIR-CONDITIONING PROBLEM, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN UNTIL THE BODY SHOP IS FINISHED WITH THE CAR. INCIDENTALLY, I RECEIVED A A NOTICE OF A RECALL FROM FEGUS NISSAN IN EARLY JAN. OF THIS YEAR (RECALL CODE: R3022). I TOOK MY CAR TO WOODFIELD AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS "NO OUTSTANDING CAMPAIGNS." I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE REASON FOR THIS RECALL.