Here is a letter that I sent to Nissan Consumer Affairs. They offered NO assistance whatsoever. I really wish that there was a CAR FACTS Report that was available to see how many condensers have been replaced on Nissans as I feel that they play the road debris game when they have an inferior part (condenser). The condenser should be mounted so that rocks or debris will not hit it. I still have my condenser and three (3) years later I am still angry about this:

Carlos Ghosn, President, and CEO Nissan North America, Inc. 1 Nissan Way Franklin, TN 37067 May 7, 2009 Dear Mr. Ghosn: Nissan Altima Coupe 1N4AL24E98C102149 I am writing this letter to voice my disappointment with my car as well as Nissan North America and their dealerships and service centers. I have had issues with Nissan (not the car per se….the original dealership and service issues) up until recently. The sales process (after-sale) was difficult and I decided not to go back there due to incompetence on the Finance department and management at Jim Keras Nissan. I am including my faxes from that fiasco. I have been getting routine maintenance done at Wolfchase Nissan and took my car there after I noticed over a month ago that I was only getting hot air when I turned the A/C on. I had not used the A/C since this past fall. The weather turned cooler so I did not need to use the A/C again until a few weeks ago and the problem was still there. I ended up going to AutoZone (04/24/09) where they were puzzled as to where the problem was and suggested that I go to the dealer. I took my car to Wolfchase Nissan where I routinely have maintenance done and I was told that more than likely a rock hit my condenser causing it to leak. My car has 42k miles and is out of warranty. I called Nissan Customer Service for assistance since I feel that the problem could have more than likely occurred in the warranty period and due to the fact, I have never had to repair an A/C on a car (only maintenance). Nissan took over a week (supposedly reviewing my case) to get back to me. Ms. Alma (?...not sure of what she was saying/phone #866-799-1690 x 1471) called me Tuesday, May 5, 2009 (previously called May 1st and left a message for me to call her and said that if I did not reach her that she would call back the following Tuesday) and said that Nissan could not assist based on the facts. What facts? I feel that this is a bunch of baloney about a rock hitting the condenser and if that is the case why was the car engineered in a matter that a rock cold damage a vital component. This is an excerpt from another Nissan owner online: I have a 2007 2.5S Altima and recently I noticed my air conditioning is not producing any cold air. I brought the car to the dealership and they pumped some freon in it and a dye to see where the leak is coming from. After driving it for about a week the dealership is still unable to find the leak so I have to go back in a couple of days.

The dealership was quick to warn me that if a stone hit a component of the AC that it would not be covered by the warranty. Of course, I'm very upset that I have this problem only two years into owning the car. I maintain my car at the dealership and I will be devastated if this is a non-warranty issue.

Am I the only one experiencing this problem? One of my biggest problems is the fact that I do not believe that Nissan is taking responsibility for their inferior parts and /or workmanship as well as not standing behind their product. Believe me when I say this that I truly would not have asked for help if I believed that I had done something. July 2007: Two weeks after I bought my car, a rock hit the windshield and it cracked. I called my insurance company and had them expedite service to replace t he glass, I paid my deductible ($100.00). October, 2007: I scraped the engine cover. I took my car in and had the cover replaced and paid the charges. February, 2008: I hit my driver mirror on my garage. I had it repaired and paid my deductible ($500.00) BTW: October 15, 2008, I replaced a battery on this car (31,060 miles: charged ½ price) **For the record, I still believe that the A/C failed while it was in warranty and had the service techs checked anything on the car (except for obvious deficiencies), the air conditioner would have been diagnosed during the warranty period. In addition, one of your representatives called me somewhere during the week of May 1st and asked if I had ever had another Nissan product. I told her no. I am not sure if that was part of the decision-making process..….to see if I was a loyal customer. Well, I do remember, my ex-husband and I did own a ’93 Nissan Quest for whatever that has to do with anything. The one thing that I remember most about the Quest was that one day I stopped to get gas and I leaned against the rear panel near the gas door and the panel went into the side of the car….A play car/van would not have given that much. Again, I understand the difference in abuse, wear and tear, and premature failure. I also know what facts are. I want to know what yours are.

Sincerely,

Mala Taylor-Jones enc. (Pertinent documentation)

Purchased the car new in July. In September I noticed that the A/C was no longer working. Took the car to the dealer and I was told that the condenser had a hole in it that was caused by a rock hitting it. Since it was caused by a road hazard, it was not covered by the warranty. Has anyone else had this problem? Why would Nissan build a car and not protect the condenser or any other part from something as simple as a rock. The funny thing is that currently the Altima commercial on TV shows it going off road and calling it durable. They must have cleared all the rocks before filming the commercial. Also concerned because what else is not protected from normal objects that we commonly find on our roads.