Nissan to halt sales of some Altimas and Sentras due to oil consumption problem
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Nissan Motors has told dealers to stop selling some 2006 Altima and Sentra SE-R models due to a problem with excessive oil consumption. The affected vehicles, built during the first five months of this year, could eventually run low on oil which can result in catastrophic engine damage, or even fires. Up to 100,000 vehicles are thought to be affected, and so far there have been 215 complaints of oil consumption and 17 reports of fires. The majority of the reported problems are said to have occurred in rental fleets.
Nissan is recommending that owners check their oil on a regular basis, which is good advice for anybody, regardless of what brand they drive. Given the most vehicles don't consume any oil between changes, though, we can see how this problem can catch less-than-attentive owners by surprise.
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Howard Kerr 9:46AM (6/03/2006)
While it's good that Nissan has caught this, what will be telling is how the company resolves this at the dealership level. Will many (or any?) dealers try to dismiss this as "normal" or will they be directed by the company to offer vocal customers some serious compensation?
Doesn't the Frontier also use the 2.5 liter engine, or have they gotten too heavy for a four cylinder?
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Rene Curry 9:59AM (6/03/2006)
As Howard indicated, this story is all about how Nissan handles this situation. I agree.
It doesn't help that all the automakers have reduced the oil capacity in their engines. It doesn't take much loss of oil to create a problem or create excess wear. So presently running engines may be equivalent to other engines at twice or three times the mileage. The wear problem could manifest itself further down the road.
So they should extend the warranties on these vehicles if they want to do the right thing.
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Steve Shin 11:34AM (6/03/2006)
As an owner of 2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R, I wanted to throw in my 2 cents. This oil consumption issue has been an ongoing problem for well over 3 years with this engine. The culprit is the catalytic converter in the stock exhaust manifold, which sits very close to the engine. This precat has been documented to break apart into fine pieces that get sucked back into the combustion chamber, scorching the cylinder walls and causing oil consumption. While there has been an official recall in place for years, the procedure has been proven ineffective as more than a few owners still report precat failure after the recall.
What is so incredible about the QR25DE engine debacle is that Nissan has been unable to find an effective and final solution since the introduction of this engine back in 2002. Now the situation has reached the point where sales have been suspended and powertrain warranties extended for '06 models. This still leaves owners of '02-'05 model Altimas and Sentras dealing with the problem.
It would not be an exaggeration to state that the QR25DE has been an absolute engineering nightmare for Nissan, especially when compared to the relatively flawless performance of the renowned VQ35DE engine found in many other models.
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Ebm14 11:57AM (6/03/2006)
That is what happens when a Japanese company builds cars in Mexico and the U.S.
It is a proven fact that Nissan can't build cars here.
Goshen your a pecker head! Bring over the freakin NOTE, CUBE and X-Trial already.
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John Cressy 12:44PM (6/03/2006)
So the article leaves it up to the public to figure out which engine we are talking about. Of course we all know which one it is. So not only did the Altima have a cheap French Whorehouse interior but, an engine to match. I guess French Quality is finaly rubbing off on the Japanese. I had a 1992 Sentra 1.6. Sold it and it now has 183,000 on it. My brother said he just changed the starter which the dealer warned me might go back in 2001.
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Jim 1:02PM (6/03/2006)
I'm currently going thru a serious safety issue with Nissan/Infiniti and they are doing extremely poorly at resolving it. I would be very concerned if I owned an Altima or Sentra - and its shocking Nissan/Infiniti waited until 17 reported engine fires to start to address this problem (by stopping sales, not by warning owners).
In late January I purchased my first Nissan/Infiniti vehicle - I left the BMW family. I've had an ongoing life threatening problem (car slams on brakes on freeway and comes to a stop, car accelerates towards other cars and attempt to rear-end them, other systems in car go out without warning while driving - all documented on hours of video) with my now 4 month old vehicle. Just yesterday Infiniti refused to buy it back and is forcing me to take the car BACK into service so they can keep it for 3 weeks (already had it for 8 days total). I wanted a comparable loaner SUV - Infiniti Consumer Affairs yesterday told me I could drive my other car, my BMW for the 3 weeks. No offers of compensation for my monthly payment, No extension of warranty for all the miles being placed on my car during the continued repair attempts, No concern for the safety of me, my family, or others on the street.
This type of behavior from the Manufacturer isn't acceptable and it's putting Nissan/Infiniti owners at risk due to faulty products. I'm ashamed to be an Infiniti owner right now.
Jim
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dave 1:27PM (6/03/2006)
#4, it's a design flaw, not a production flaw. thank god for the idiots that give great reviews to nissan. just got rid of my 04 maxima, got a great price, hope the car doesn't show all the problems to the new owner til i can move out of state. what a rattle trap, pos.
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Tony 1:41PM (6/03/2006)
#6, Sounds like a lemon and a potential class action lawsuit or public relations disaster. I have been considering a Maxima or G35 but now I am going to pass after seeing so many post like these. Doesn't the government require quicker response to protect the public from vehicles with real and serious safety defects? The last thing I was is for a car to stop in front of me while Im driving 70 and talking to my wife. Just knowing that could happen should have Infiniti worried to protect their image. That does it for me, no Nissan or Infiniti cars in my future.
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Gardiner Westbound 4:32PM (6/03/2006)
My mechanic told me to avoid Nissan products because of design and quality issues, costly replacement parts, and arbitrary warranty administration. I'm glad I took his advice.
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Greg 11:53PM (6/03/2006)
I won't buy a Nissan or Infiniti myself. The reason? Renault, the company that has a controlling interest in Nissan, has a factory in Iran. I can't boycott Renault here in the U.S., so I boycott Nissan and Infiniti.
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Reinhart 12:43AM (6/04/2006)
Well, at least that's better than what DaimlerChrysler did with people who had troubles with the 2.7L V6.
What did DC do about problems with oil sludge formation of that particular engine: absolutely nothing. - Reinhart
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Kotse 3:32AM (6/04/2006)
And I thought VW with the longitudiunal 1.8T sludge fiasco had it worst...
What goes around comes around.
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John Cressy 1:35PM (6/04/2006)
Toyota had the sludge problem in the 3.0 V6 also. You don't even hear about it.
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dr 1:08AM (6/05/2006)
Some people have mentioned they won't by Maxima's or G35's because of this issue...remember this is for the 4-cynlinder not the V6 which has won awards for the last 11 years...
Also remember Lexus has a sludge/engine issue with the ES, Honda has it's V6 transmission issue they haven't fixed in over 5 years, Toyota and their steering problem (just announced)... Many cars have had issues...the story is whether or not they last a long time and serve the purpose you purchased the car for... Personally Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Chrysler, etc. are all pretty good companies...all of them have issues but overall pretty good...
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Poe 9:19AM (6/05/2006)
Hey Nissan... your Renault is showing.
I've owned four Nissans over the past 15 years or so - and have had very good experiences with all of them, but I will not buy any Nissan/Infiniti built since the Renault merger. Consider me a lost customer.
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leland grant 11:40AM (6/05/2006)
we own a 2002 altima-2.5s- we have had the recalls performed [ headlight replacements, fuel tank filters, speed sensor, catalytic converter, and the rear subframe-- all done quickly, and for free-- 70K miles -- getting 26mpg city. suburban; and 30-32 mpg hiway -- quiet and smooth a fairly fast -- I will buy another in a few years -- but I want to get at least 150K miles from this one - and it still doesn't use any oil-- i use ONLY Mobil 1 5w-30w since the second change-- and I do change it every 3750 to 4500 miles -- But!1 I do not like the cheap plastic center console -- not sturdy enough --
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Poe 10:02AM (6/06/2006)
"we own a 2002 altima-2.5s- we have had the recalls performed [ headlight replacements, fuel tank filters, speed sensor, catalytic converter, and the rear subframe-- all done quickly, and for free-- 70K miles"
...as compared to my Pre-Goshn-era '99 Altima SE 5-speed - which has had ZERO recalls and has been absolutely bulletproof for over 110K miles (and counting). Not one single problem. Nothing. At all. Still runs/rides like new... not even a rattle. Still returning about 32 MPG hwy.
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NEBTEK2002 10:46AM (6/06/2006)
Some more of that "superior Japanese quality.
What is the oil consumption in my "POS Ford Ranger" with 104,000 miles? ZERO!
What is my "worst GM POS ever made" Pontiac Aztek with 48,000 miles' oil consumption? ZERO!
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William 12:07AM (6/07/2006)
the quality is bad. Attitudes to customer is the worst.
I have NISSAN ALTIMA 2006 2.5S. After 700 miles, the engin is replaced with this issue. ALthough there was no cost to me, I want a new with no reparing record othe replaced engine.
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nissan guy 2:46PM (6/07/2006)
#6. It sounds like you may have a vehicle with adaptive (intelligent) cruise control. It is a laser based system that will automatically apply throttle or brakes based on the user-set following distance.
Is there a chance that you are confusing this with your safety issue? I comes only loaded FX45 and QX56 SUV's. You can tell if you have it by the icon of the vehicle with 3 bars behind it (different following distances). Please discuss this with you dealer.
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