I had a vm from Morely yesterday stating that the 2nd inspection had not been completed yet and that they would reach out to me when it had. I called back and got someone very professional, and he told me the second had been completed... and my 99.5 was un-repariable.

Getting my paperwork together and hope to have this done by month end. Been driving a nice brand new Jeep for 2 mo.
North of Boston,

Our 02 Pathfinder was deemed unrepairable..NADA book value is 7700 Morley offered me 5200 I declined and offered me 6650., I think its repulsive that they are making us negotiate this,when Toyota did a buyback on its Tacomas they gave their customers 150 percent of the retail value! Morley sent me back to Nissan for arbirtration and they told me if I dont accept the 6650 they will come repossess my rental.. I am in utter shock right now. I am calling Massachusetts attorney general in the AM

I own / owned a 2000 pathy. It like many others (1 of 4 at the dealership) has been deemed unrepairable. Morley has contacted me asking for the copies of my title and reg. I was told i would have an offer today and it would be kbb private party. Nada sets the value much higher, go figure. The way i see it my pathy had another 100k left in her and i'm now forced to either drive an unsafe vehicle or take there offer im sure wont be up to my satisfaction. We will all need to pay taxes on another car, dmv fees etc. Be sure to figure that in after you recieve an offer. From the begining i figured the offer would suck and assumed i would be part of the soon to come, class action lawsuit. I'll keep you posted.

My checkup is tomorrow morning. I am sure my QX4 is OK, as I never left CA after I bought it new. My logic behind the buy back price is it should be higher than KBB price. Why? It is Nissan/Infiniti who causes this trouble/potential danger/headache to us customers. Offer at current market value seems reasonable, but many customers (myself too) are not ready to replace with another car; they are forced to do so if it is found unfixable. If they knew there would be a recall a few years later, they would probably have bought other cars instead.

Nissan/Infiniti need to consider their lon-term reputation, don't just save some $ for this recall.

I purchased a Infiniti qx4 acouple years ago. About 2 months ago I was driving my infiniti, in a rush trying to make a tee time at a golf course. My brakes instantly disappeared. I used the emergency brake and swerved out of the way of traffic. I took my infiniti to a local shop and they said my brake line was cut by the frame. I asked him how much a repair would cost, he said nothing because it wasn't worth fixing . brand new tires, all options still work on it, yet i was told to scrap the SUV. two weeks later I received the recall papers from Infiniti (good timing). I called them and the closest infiniti dealer is 400+ miles away. I have a Nissan dealer in town, but no infiniti dealer until you get to Denver, CO. (I live in SD). Infiniti didn't want me to take it to the Nissan dealership, so they picked up my SUV and hauled it to Denver today for free...unsure what they are going to tell me once it gets there. And am slightly curious if they will ship me a replacement vehicle, perhaps a G35 or Nissan 370z would work nicely . My SUV is in great shape, and I never would've expected rust issues underneath. For now, my german shepherd and Golden retreiver are stuck traveling in the back of my Mini Cooper...not ideal.

36 hours later, finally get a call back from Nissan Consumer Affairs, another rep, another contact number. Surprised to hear that Morley has become unresponsive, sounding very frustrated (background noise of several other operators), wasn't in a position to do anything, would contact Morley, and be back in touch Wed the 24th. Not exactly sure why she'd need 5 days to make a call for some answers. Everyone should document their situation, I'm sure the lawyers are gearing up. Don't believe Nissan can keep this out of the national spotlight much longer.

I came back from the dealer. They found nothing at all about corrosion which is what I believe.
Also they showed me a long list of free checkup conclusion, such as exhaust leak, throttle body dirty, left rear shock absorber leaking, power steering fluid contaminated/burnt.

Funny thing is they found brakes at 2mm or less (in red) but in another paragraph they say front brake in passing condition (in green). A complete conflict. I know some are minor some are totally BS.

Sorry about my side track.

I purchased my 2000 Pathfinder LE new in late 1999, I received my recall letter several weeks ago and scheduled an inspection last Thursday at my local Nissan dealer. My fiance had been complaining about a noise in the front driver side and instability while braking from higher speeds. I no sooner than dropped off my vehicle and walked to work before I received a call from my Nissan Service Manager (who BTW is a good friend of mine and one of my most loyal customers) to tell me that my Pathfinder is deemed unrepairable! My Service Manager filled the paperwork before noon that day, hooked me up with a loaner 2011 Altima SE indefinitely, and received a call from Morley with my case number later that day. Morley inspected my car on Saturday, confirmed it unrepairable and both I and my local Nissan dealer was notified on Tuesday to fax over my Title and registration. My guy at Nissan said they were ready to offer me a settlement. On my fax cover letter I asked to be notified of receipt which I was not, I followed up the next day via email requesting confirmation which I did not receive either. I called Morley yesterday only to get a automated response asking for me to leave a message with my case number and they would return my call, again no response. I contacted my local Nissan Service Manager again yesterday to have him call Morley and check on the status of my claim, he was informed that Morley did not receive my fax, so I sent it again. My guy at Nissan said he would follow up again on Monday to make sure they have all my paper work in order. I'm expecting a generous offer in a timely manner to buy back my 100k mile Pathfinder for the hassle I've already been put through, let alone being forced to purchase a new vehicle, pay the sales tax, license and registration. I'll keep you posted on how things develop with Morley.

VQPathy01 wrote: The current recall could be retracted, and another recall issued within the next couple of months. This means that if the dealer has inspected your car and given it the KO, it's going to have to go back.

I wrote a while back (when this recall thing got started), that my Pathfinder was the first one to be inspected at my dealership.
It passed with no problems. I thought that was the end of it.
I was back there last week for an oil change (they have a quicky drive through lube change facility),
and the Service Advisor came over and told me I'll be getting a call within a week to have me bring it back.
Apparently the parameters have changed, and they want to do the inspection again.
I don't know if that's good or bad though.
At least 3 Pathfinders are sitting in their parking lot after being pulled off the road.
Apparently, they wanted to take a fourth one, but the owner refused to give it up, and drove it away, even though it was unsafe.
It certainly appears that Nissan has a huge problem on their hands with this issue.
I haven't seen anything yet in the papers or the media on this recall, but it will probably be a matter of time before this thing gets out.
Watch the s*** hit the fan then. It's gonna be interesting.
I'll post another update after my next inspection. (if it's interesting).
Cheers.

Update:

After not hearing from Morley about the result of yet another inspection with new Nissan's technical guideline, I called Morley.
They said they don't know the results or if the inspection took place and told me to call the dealer directly.
I called my dealer, and the person said my car was not fixable :-(
He told me that Nissan's so backed up it could take another 2 weeks before I hear anything from Nissan. He also said even dealers don't get respond that quickly and he now got 8 unfixable Pathfinders sitting in his lot.

What's the amount Nissan's offering? And has anyone received actual $?

If a non-fixable car is in dealer's lot, will Nissan be responsible for the transportation during the down time? For those customers who do not have other car to drive, it is a real headache.

Yes, they do provide a free rental while it sits there. I am still waiting on Morley

I know my Pathfinder has issues. My Strut tower already broke away from the frame and was resting on the mastercylinder. My wifes uncle put everything back where it should be and welded braces in place. This all happened before I received the recall notice. I'm sure if I take it in they will keep it and then give me a small amount of money as a buyout. I don't really want to buy another vehicle right now. I'm holding out to see what Nissan does and see if they step up to the plate to take care of their customer.

TCOUGHLAN wrote:Our 02 Pathfinder was deemed unrepairable..NADA book value is 7700 Morley offered me 5200 I declined and offered me 6650., I think its repulsive that they are making us negotiate this,when Toyota did a buyback on its Tacomas they gave their customers 150 percent of the retail value! Morley sent me back to Nissan for arbirtration and they told me if I dont accept the 6650 they will come repossess my rental.. I am in utter shock right now. I am calling Massachusetts attorney general in the AM

Hey TCOUGHLAN, how did you make out with the MA AG? Was it any help? Did they offer any valuable advice?

I'm also in MA. My 2001 Pathfinder was deemed unrepairable by dealer once, and then after Morley inspector asked them to re-inspect using a new technical guideline, the dealer re-inspected and confirmed unrepairable, and now I wait to hear from Morley (or Nissan?)....could be several weeks, I'm told.

I have a 2000 SE which was condemned my Morley. Last year I actually had the strut repaired for over $1000 with a welded piece of steel. My car has been at the Nissan dealer since mid June and I have been driving a nice rental for no charge. Today Morley made me an offer of 3900 which he raised to 4700 when I told him it was too low. I will not accept an offer until I get reimbursed for the strut repair and all of the other improvements I have made this year ($3500). The problem is Morley said Nissan Consumer Affairs will handle the reinbursement and when I call Nissan they say Morley is responsible. Everyone I have spoken to at Nissan is totally clueless. I also told Nissan they need to give me a great deal on a new Nissan with great financing or I will not accept any offer. Tomorrow I am calling the NY attorney General for guidance...will keep everyone posted

MAD2000 wrote:I have a 2000 SE which was condemned my Morley. Last year I actually had the strut repaired for over $1000 with a welded piece of steel. My car has been at the Nissan dealer since mid June and I have been driving a nice rental for no charge. Today Morley made me an offer of 3900 which he raised to 4700 when I told him it was too low. I will not accept an offer until I get reimbursed for the strut repair and all of the other improvements I have made this year ($3500). The problem is Morley said Nissan Consumer Affairs will handle the reinbursement and when I call Nissan they say Morley is responsible. Everyone I have spoken to at Nissan is totally clueless. I also told Nissan they need to give me a great deal on a new Nissan with great financing or I will not accept any offer. Tomorrow I am calling the NY attorney General for guidance...will keep everyone posted

what was your blue book value for retail / excellent condition?

They told me my car was fair condition but would upgrade to Good condition. I have 181k miles on the car. The excellent private party value (KBB) is $5130.

Thanks - that is not acceptable...I think they have to do more since most of us are not ready to sell our car, the least they can do is give excellent value +

Just to add to the above comments -- decided to get a oil change and then ..

8/16 -- Brought my 2000 w/ 137k miles --Pathfinder to the Nissan dealership in Tewksbury MA - and experienced the same as the others posted here. They deemed my car "unsafe to drive" -- and took it ...plates and all. They sent me to Enterprise rental down the street for a rental "comparable" to my Pathfinder. However all Enterprise had - was a Kia "Soul" but said I could exchange that for a SUV when they got one in.

8/23 I received a message to call this number : 877 477 2292 and assigned me a Case #

8/24 ( Today ) I called above # was connected to "Erica" who informed me pretty much what everyone has said:

- they will send a 3rd party to inspect the vehicle
- if again deemed unrepairable, that Nisson will buy back the car ( which it is - I saw it myself by slipping under the car and actually SEEING the rust area that has a giant HOLE that exposed the strut )

I explained that I have 4 expensive practically new Michlin tires - not to mention last year sunk $2600 into replacing belts and brakes ect thinking I was going to have this car for a long time .. the rep asked if this was done after Jan of this year. I told her no it was fall of last year so I could get through this winter.

She told me once the car has been inspected and IF deemed not repairable ( which they will buy it back ) to call 800 647 7261 to discuss the extras I mentioned like tires.

I informed her that the dealership told me that they have customers that like me, lost their car - and they are still driving rentals since May. Erica said "there was a high concentration of people then - but now the system is moving a lot more quickly. "

So that's all I have now-

All I know is I CAN NOT AFFORD to buy another car !! I NEEDED THIS car to Last .. and I did everything I could to take care of it so it WOULD last. I even chose the car, after tons or research -based on the the reputation that it could easily get up to the 200k plus range in milage. This car ran perfectly ! I am so frustrated !!!

I've had my 1998 Pathfinder with 250,000 miles sitting at the dealer since last week, and they finally got around to inspecting it today. When I showed my non-Nissan mechanic the recall notice I got last month, he said that was definitely one of the affected areas on my truck but that it was unsafe to drive because of all the rust.

The dealer's mechanic called me today and said that after going through the proscribed steps given in the Nissan service bulletin, my problem is fixable. He said it only needs a bracket kit, and he's ordered it. He said I also need a new strut on the driver's side and should get one for the other side as well. (I also need a left axle boot, but that one I knew about.) He's going to give me some estimates on what the struts (and boot) will cost.

Okay, so I'm wondering:

1. What is a bracket kit and what does that do? Is it part of the strut tower, whatever that is? There's all sorts of rust inside the wheel well and on parts I can see from there. Will this bracket kit fix that?

2. It sounds like they only looked at the strut tower and steering column. Is that sufficient? Do I need to get them to look at other parts to make a determination? It sounds like they just went by the exact instructions from Nissan for the strut tower recall only and didn't look at any other rusted parts.

3. What is the liability of the dealer and/or Nissan if my truck crashes due to some kind of rust problem now that they've declared it safe to drive?

4. Am I way off base here or am I justified in still having concerns over this? I love my truck and hoped to have it for more years. As I saw someone else say, I'm not ready to buy a new vehicle nor can I afford to right now.

Thanks for any help.

Hello all,

I am a new 2000 QX4 owner (91,000 miles)...just bought the car yesterday, and figured I'd join a forum for some info and help. Then saw THIS recall post!!
I didnt see anything on the Internet regarding this issue whatsoever when I was researching the QX4 and Pathfinder! I bought the car for the reliability, but now it may be "inoperable". I'm crossing my fingers it can be deamed repairable if anything IS wrong.
My QX4 drives fine from what I can tell...had her on the HWY at 70...no problems. I do live in WI, and the car was purchased in IL. I will inspect the vehicle today, and post the results.
However...I am wondering if I have to wait for the recall notice to be sent to me in the mail, or can/should I just take it into a Nissan/Infiniti Dealer for inspection?
Thanks for the help on this. I do appreciate it.
Take care!

You can take the vehicle to any dealer, they will inspect it. However, you should inspect it yourself first for obvious reasons. See this post for Nissan's own recall document - this will tell you how to perform the inspection as Nissan would.

Towncivilian wrote:You can take the vehicle to any dealer, they will inspect it. However, you should inspect it yourself first for obvious reasons. See this post for Nissan's own recall document - this will tell you how to perform the inspection as Nissan would.

Thank you so much for the help and advice with this. I really appreciate it.
I'll let you all know what happens.

Get ready cause this has been a nightmare...the day my car died and had to be towed...I got the recall card. That sounds good right? I thought so too... It is unfixable and the strut breaking snapped my brake line and was against my steering wheel.
I took tons of phone calls and over a month for them to call saying they would offer book price of 2500.00 for a vehicle i paid 7k for in 2007 and put almost 2500.00 into it since... Morley has the attitude if you don't like the offer - decline it - we need to know today - and told me to call Nissan consumer affairs, which I did and they told me to call morley... I can't afford to just lose a car or buy another one... Can they do this? Just force you to take whatever? I have a call into a consumer attorney.

poys97 wrote:Get ready cause this has been a nightmare...the day my car died and had to be towed...I got the recall card. That sounds good right? I thought so too... It is unfixable and the strut breaking snapped my brake line and was against my steering wheel.
I took tons of phone calls and over a month for them to call saying they would offer book price of 2500.00 for a vehicle i paid 7k for in 2007 and put almost 2500.00 into it since... Morley has the attitude if you don't like the offer - decline it - we need to know today - and told me to call Nissan consumer affairs, which I did and they told me to call morley... I can't afford to just lose a car or buy another one... Can they do this? Just force you to take whatever? I have a call into a consumer attorney.

This is unreal...nightmare is an understatement! I just bought this car yesterday...if Nissan knew of the issues back in April or so, why are they allowing dealerships across the country to continue to still have them on their lots before getting checked out!? Thats insane!
Well...I just hope nothing is wrong with mine. I will let you all know what happens. I am going to take pictures of the wheel wells, and of the steering column, and hopefully I can post the results to everyone.
I will be calling Nissan as well when I get home, and post those results as well.
Thanks to everyone who has posted their experience and advice...it REALLY helps ALL of us.
Wish me luck...sounds like I'm gonna need a lot of it!

Took my 01 245,000kms to the dealer today it has a metal plate bolted to the frame section that goes into the strut tower which is holding the strut tower where it should be with sheet metal screws kinda a band aid, I checked the frame with a body hammer and alot of the structure turns to dust when you tap on it I hope the verdict is its not a keeper I'll know tomorrow. I don't really want to replace my vehicle yet but seeing how bad this rot problem is I don't even want the thing back. I,ll try and post some pics soon
Cheers

Were to begin? First of all THANK YOU all for the feedback. It seems that my nightmare is just beginning. Have a 2001 Pathfinder LE with about 107,000 miles. Found a hole in the back of wheel well on the passenger's side. Researched online and found the recall info.
8/19 Contacted dealer, was told that there were several stages. Explained to her that my issue "appeared" to be the passenger, because there were no holes on the driver's side. Was told that the main concern was the driver's side, but Nissan has decided to repair the passenger as part of the recall. Also, she noted that this particular dealer had inspected about 100 vehicles and had 1 deemed unrepairable and the owner was working with Nissan on a buyback.
8/23 Received call from dealer indicated that vehicle is unrepairable. Was told that the driver's side was worse than passenger. She said they took the tires off and put the vehicle on the lift to find a huge hole that was not visible from the outside. Said that we would get a call from Morley and that we could pickup a rental from Enterprise at $30/day allowance. (On a side note, I recently had a rental car where I had a $30/day allowance (insurance claim) with Enterprise and was given a KIA Rio.) Told the dealer that I was not driving a compact when I had an SUV. She contacted the rental company and told me that a full size was reserved.
8/24 Received call from Morley agent. Gave claim # and said it would be at least 2 weeks before an inspector could get out to the dealer to see if it is repairable. Caller was short, to the point and would not answer any questions.
8/25 Went to dealership, scheduled appt for next week to see the vehicle on the lift without the tires for my own satisfaction.
8/25 Went to Enterprise and was given a Chevy Equinox (SUV) initially reserved for 30 days. FYI, anybody who needs a rental should be put in a comparable, and no less than a full size.
(I personally know 2 others in the same situation at 2 other dealer's and still waiting - they were given loaner's which were both 2011 Altima's).

I'm thinking that if Nissan doesn't get serious with its offers this will end up with class action.

My position is similar to another individual's that I read earlier. I bought this vehicle used in July 2006 with about 53K for about $15K. I bought this vehicle for safety (had a 2yr old at the time, and because previous known experiences (inlaws had a 1987 - 260K+ miles and a 1996 - 270K+ miles). Based on past experience I figured, planned and BUDGETED on not having to buy another vehicle for a longtime. Therefore, planned on no car payment for a long time either (btw, I previously owned a 94 Altima GXE - sold it at 175K and currently own a 2005 Altima that I bought new in May 2005- I think I've been pretty LOYAL to Nissan). I spent a good chunk of $$$ on new tires a year ago and almost $1k for an o2 sensor and a catalytic converter just to pass inspection last September. This issue is the result of a design flaw by Nissan. I guess my question is "what should the company be responsible for?" Will update as any new info comes up.

I got a call from the dealer this afternoon and to my surprise they are fixing this mess and they told me they need the truck for monday as well. When I went to the dealer to get a rental I looked at the repair, its s*** at best theres a stamped sheetmetal plate (probally 16 - 18 ga) that bolts into the wheelwell and the fist sized hole that is in the "frame" section of the unibody was patched with F,n fiberglass mat and resin I have no doubt in my mind that the structure is comprimised in this truck and fiberglass is not the solution for this. This looks like a band aid solution that looks pretty when the customer looks in the wheelwell. Anywayse I dont think I'll be putting my 5 month old son in this truck ever again which sucks because this is the whole reason I own an suv. I will be calling Nissan head office next week to pitch my b****.
Cheers

Update to my Morley offer. I actually had two people from Nissan Consumer affairs call me. They said all pathfinder recall owners will be getting info in the mail on how to get reimbursed for other expenses( They would not tell me if that includes all repairs I have made in the past year to the car as well as the strut repair). Again I told them I will not accept any offer from Morley until I know what Nissan will do to make this right. I need a reliable car and cannot afford a car payment. This made me realize that Morley needs to give me the cost of replacing my 2000 Pathfinder which is $6650, almost 2000 more than their last offer. I have a feeling this will go on for a long time. I think Nissan needs to rethink how much money they are paying for us to drive rental cars. Make us an incredible offer on a new (or used)pathfinder and they will not lose loyal customers. I am surprised this had not made the news....

Update: I had my qx4 shipped to Denver....they contacted me this wk and told me that my SUV was deemed unrepairable. I asked about a possible rental vehicle. Infiniti called me back today and told me i can go rent a vehicle and they will pay $30 per day for it, but I have to pay the cost upfront and they will reimburse me. Unfortunately, unless I know how long I will be needing this rental, most cost 50+ on a daily basis. were you all given rentals to use at the dealership? I don't know how long it will take to get this settlement taken care of, and I can't swing $900 a month in vehicle rental without knowing I will get reimbursed soon. This whole situation is a real headache, but I definitely could use some advice from anyone.