RECALL MAY 2011

[coachmorin]

Good evening,

My Infiniti dealer called me today about the rust issue recall. So I went there and sat with him before he inspect the car.(will be done tomorrow)

He showed me the bulletin recall. To say the least, for my case, this is stressfull. The bulletin is stating that if they find issue on the welding and rust around that place, the vehicle will be immmediately taken out of the road. Then Infiniti will call me to make an arrangement if beyond repair. I do have some rust issue with my QX4 and it does not look good.

Anybody went to Infiniti for that recall?

Thanks

[ARKQX33V6]

Where is the rust on that new QX4?

[Towncivilian]

I will be having this done on Thursday and will let you know of my results. There should be little to no corrosion as the vehicle has lived its entire life down South so Nissan will simply apply an anti-corrosion sealant if my VIN is affected. My anecdote isn't useful to you, however.

Please let us know of your results!

[Innovazn]

Going in this wednesday, when i was at the dealership i had a heavy desire to kick in both the representatives head for looking at me like i was some punk kid. F*** sakes i was standing there in full uniform looking clean as ever -.- I now remember why i hardly go there besides picking up parts i dont want to wait for.

[GRNMACHINE]

Waiting for the recall notice. I assume you are talking about the strut support recall?

[InfinitiEric]

Going in this wednesday, when i was at the dealership i had a heavy desire to kick in both the representatives head for looking at me like i was some punk kid. F*** sakes i was standing there in full uniform looking clean as ever -.- I now remember why i hardly go there besides picking up parts i dont want to wait for.

Try heading into a Jaguar/Aston Martin dealership sometime. I was there with my dad when he was looking for a new car and we accidentally broke their fancy-pancy expresso deluxor supreme coffee machine. Then all the greased up salesmen just stared at us and we quietly left.. LOL

[InfinitiEric]

Here's the full details on the 1996-2004 Nissan Pathfinder, 1997-2003 Infiniti QX4 Front Strut Tower Corrosion Voluntary Safety Recall Campaign, straight from Nissan North America's employee portal:

Subject: 1996-2004 Nissan Pathfinder, 1997-2003 Infiniti QX4 Front Strut Tower Corrosion Voluntary Safety Recall Campaign

Attention – Dealer Principals, Sales, Parts and Service Managers

***** Corporate Statement *****
“Nissan will be conducting a Voluntary Safety Recall Campaign to inspect the front strut tower housings on Model Year 1996-2004 Nissan Pathfinder and 1997-2003 Infiniti QX4 vehicles in Canada and states that use heavy concentrations of road salt in the U.S..

In certain rare instances, in areas where heavy concentrations of road salt are used in the winter, the front strut tower housing on the potentially affected vehicles can develop corrosion that may cause weakening of the seams on the edge of the housing and, over time, it may lead to strut tower damage. This may allow portions of the strut tower to come in contact with the steering column. This condition is expected to create a grinding noise and increase the steering effort which should alert the driver to the existence of a problem. However, if this condition is ignored, it could in extreme cases lead to damage to the steering column and potential loss of steering.

Nissan will begin contacting owners of potentially affected vehicles in salt states (Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin) and Canada in mid-May to advise them about this campaign.

Nissan is committed to a high level of customer safety, service and satisfaction and is working with dealers to promptly address this issue.”

***** Campaign Details *****
First, Nissan/Infiniti will alert the owners of potentially affected vehicles in “salt states” and Canada in mid-May to advise them of the issue and to offer an immediate inspection if the customer believes their vehicle is affected by this condition. If necessary, Nissan will arrange to provide an appropriate remedy.

Second, Nissan/Infiniti will issue a second owner notification once the remedy is fully developed advising all owners of the subject vehicles to have their vehicles inspected and remedied. The dealers will inspect the strut housing and if no or only slight surface corrosion is present, an anti-corrosion sealant will be applied. If moderate corrosion is present, resin patches will be applied in addition to the sealant. If there is evidence of more significant corrosion, a metal reinforcement plate will be used to reinforce the strut housing assembly.

In addition to the campaign remedy, and in the interest of customer satisfaction, owners of similar vehicles that are not subject to this recall because they were originally sold in and are registered in states where corrosion causing this issue is unlikely to occur will receive a courtesy notification. Owners of these vehicles will have the option of having their vehicles inspected if the vehicle was operated in one of the salt states listed above for an extended period of time during the winter, or if they are unsure about the ownership history of their vehicle. For those customers wishing to have their vehicles inspected, the strut housing will be inspected and repaired, if necessary, in the same manner as described above.

***** Vehicle Identification *****
SERVICE COMM is not yet activated for this campaign. A campaign update will be sent soon to
advise dealers when this available.

***** Repair Instructions *****
A Voluntary Safety Recall Campaign bulletin including initial inspection instructions and claims information is currently under development. A campaign update will be sent to advise dealers when the bulletin will be available on ASIST and the dealer portal, http://www.nnanet.com.

***** Parts Availability *****
The campaign remedy is being developed. A campaign update will be provided as soon as the remedy plan is finalized.

~~Parts and Service Operations (04/21/11)

[InfinitiEric]

Here's the actual campaign document:
VOLUNTARY SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN 1997 – 2003 QX4 FRONT STRUT HOUSING CORROSION INSPECTION (ITB11-027)

[Innovazn]

After reading the above post and how they will be conducting their inspection, it doesn't seem as thorough as one would expect. If the damage could be that serious, a band aid fix in hopes they could say they did something is kind of a deflective move. I wonder how dealerships can sleep at night....

[DAiNiUS]

Very interesting coachmorin especially since you are also in QC. I'm curious to see what your dealership will find. By looking at InfinitiEric's post I'd believe that very few cars will be affected by this recall. I see some seriously rusted Pathfinders and QX4s on the road which probably never saw rustproofing in their lives - those might be affected. If, however, you take care of your car then this is a non issue.

I wonder what the dealers will do if the car is not repairable? Pay the average market price?

[asnorton44]

I am taking my Q to the dealership this afternoon Ill see what they say.

[Innovazn]

Very interesting coachmorin especially since you are also in QC. I'm curious to see what your dealership will find. By looking at InfinitiEric's post I'd believe that very few cars will be affected by this recall. I see some seriously rusted Pathfinders and QX4s on the road which probably never saw rustproofing in their lives - those might be affected. If, however, you take care of your car then this is a non issue.

I wonder what the dealers will do if the car is not repairable? Pay the average market price?

or better yet... A BRAND NEW CUSTOM MADE R50 OF YOUR CHOICE OF COLOUR OPTIONS AND BOOSTED ENGINE :o


who are we kidding... thatll only happen in the perfect world.....

[asnorton44]

Just got back from dealer, didn't have any problems. 176k Indiana car.

[coachmorin]

Went there this PM. Finally car was fine everywhere they checked. Some rust do exist, but not as bad as the pics shown.

I thought it was going to be way worst than it is, since my side steps are falling apart.

[Innovazn]

Checked in with dealer earlier in the AM, they checked it, said i was in the clear. Theres lots of rush under my rig (i know that for a fact) but apparantly it hasnt affected my strut housing. They did a "courtesy" car wash if you could even call it that -.- the thing came out dirtier then it was when it went in!!

[Towncivilian]

My service adviser said my VIN is not affected yet. I'll post if anything changes about that in the future. I will still take a glance soon, but I'm expecting either very little or no rust.

[Buzzman]

Just dropped off my '02 Pathfinder this evening at the dealer for some minor work. They actually mentioned the recall to me (I didn't ask), and said mine would be the first one they are doing. The Service Adviser actually sounded excited. I'll let you know how it went.

[SBK03SE]

Just bought my 03 Pathy, should I just drive into any dealer and ask?
With my ML I was already registered at the dealership.

[Towncivilian]

Just bought my 03 Pathy, should I just drive into any dealer and ask?
With my ML I was already registered at the dealership.

Yep, you can also call a local dealership and tell them your VIN.

[InfinitiEric]

I can also look it up using SERVICE-COMM if you personal message me your VIN#.

[Buzzman]

Just dropped off my '02 Pathfinder this evening at the dealer for some minor work. They actually mentioned the recall to me (I didn't ask), and said mine would be the first one they are doing. The Service Adviser actually sounded excited. I'll let you know how it went.

Picked up the truck today. They did the recall inspection, and it was rather anti climactic. Verdict: Nothing wrong. Apparently they had seven techs go over my truck, practicing on how to do the inspection. Cool.
Being in a snow belt, I oil spray my truck every year, and this has proven to be the saviour in this case. The suspension is still rust free. I'm happy about that.
Cheers.

[fibertech]

I brought my 01 in and they told me it was unsafe to drive and would not let me take the vehicle back. The strut tower is collapsed into the steering shaft and there is a 4 inch separation where the spot welds are. I guess you other guys got lucky! not me though... No more pathy.

[miamiheat3332]

Thats crazy, do you have any pics? How were you driving it if it was collapsed????,

Im glad i take extremely good care of my cars. Pays off, im not even taking it to the dealer for the fact of i had no rust there, maybe a little surface rust, and my shocks/struts/springs were done 2 years ago, and i also coated the whole underbody with rubberized undercoating spray so my underbody looks brand new.

[Innovazn]

I brought my 01 in and they told me it was unsafe to drive and would not let me take the vehicle back. The strut tower is collapsed into the steering shaft and there is a 4 inch separation where the spot welds are. I guess you other guys got lucky! not me though... No more pathy.

i demand to know what they gave you as a replacement vehicle

[Densetsu]

I brought my 01 in and they told me it was unsafe to drive and would not let me take the vehicle back. The strut tower is collapsed into the steering shaft and there is a 4 inch separation where the spot welds are. I guess you other guys got lucky! not me though... No more pathy.

I, too, am amazingly curious what kind of compensation is given. At the very least, a rental vehicle and market value. If they try to do something like give you credit for a new Nissan vehicle instead... I'd go insane.

Hell, I guess I'd go insane with a rental vehicle and market value. I really can't see how this can go down good for you unless they throw a curveball and give you a new R51 or something.

[patqx4]

they checked my truck and said it was in good shape and gave it back. they knew nothing about the anti corrosion sealant.
the only thing I got out of it was a free wash and vaccuum.

[Towncivilian]

they checked my truck and said it was in good shape and gave it back. they knew nothing about the anti corrosion sealant.
the only thing I got out of it was a free wash and vaccuum.

I would guess that only the VINs affected get some sort of sealant? But then again, nobody whose VIN was affected has said anything about sealant. Perhaps the media was misreporting about a sealant, since even the official documentation posted above says nothing about it.

[fibertech]

I do have pics. I will put them up if I can find them. Also the rental company gave me an Altima for now. I haven't heard from Nissan yet so i can't even b**** at them yet..........

[Innovazn]

I do have pics. I will put them up if I can find them. Also the rental company gave me an Altima for now. I haven't heard from Nissan yet so i can't even b**** at them yet..........

thats when you go after them and demand an update. cuz i mean if they havent been able to pull anything out their a$$ within 2 days they are definitely trying to brush it under the carpet. that or completely unorganized

[coachmorin]

dealer called me back today. They said some rust was suspicious according to pics sent to Infiniti even if the car is driveable. Dealer stated that Infiniti will contact me to explain the next step.