Hey all my fellow Pathfinder owners!

I just got an update from a Nissan insider on the Pathy/QX4 recall concerning the front strut housing. It's apparently a lot worse than Nissan had first expected, and their now in a bit of a panic mode. None of this has been officially released to the public or pathfinder owners, but Dealers are in the process of being contacted in North America. So here's what I've been told:

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. As well, if your dealer gave you the excuse of "The recall doesn't apply to you because you're not located in the affected regions", you can now tell them to shove it. Nissan has determined that ALL Pathfinders/QX4's are affected, and the year range could be extended all the way back to the first gen R50's.

If the Dealer determines that your car is unsafe for the road, then they must decide if it is deemed fixable or a write off. In the case of it being fixable, Nissan is working on a fix. This fix could POSSIBLY end up being applied to every model whether it needs repairing or not. That is still to be determined. If it is a write off, Nissan will be buying the car from you. To avoid lawsuits, they'll be giving owners "Insurance" value as apposed to "Black Book" value.

Another interesting fact (and this shows just how much Nissan is freaking, but at least they're being pro-active) is that if a Nissan Tech says your vehicle is not affected and is safe to drive, but the Strut housing collapses for example two days later, NISSAN MOTOR CO. will take full responsibility, not the Dealer.

I'll keep everyone updated on here if I receive any more info in the near future. I figured I should share some of the info with everyone on here so we can all watch out for our rides, and ourselves!

-Sean

EDIT by Towncivilian:
Here are the official technical service bulletin PDFs describing the inspection procedure and repair levels:

NTB11-064h R1107 - VOLUNTARY SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN 1996-2004 PATHFINDER IN SALT STATES FRONT STRUT HOUSING CORROSION
ITB11-039h - R1109 VOLUNTARY SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN 1997-2003 QX4 IN SALT STATES FRONT STRUT HOUSING CORROSION
NTB11-066d R1108 - VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 1996-2004 PATHFINDER IN NON SALT STATES FRONT STRUT HOUSING CORROSION

This links are the latest revision, dated December 29, 2013.

See a post by morpheus on NPORA for more information about the specifics of what's gonna happen with repairs and how your vehicle would be deemed unsafe to drive.

Thanks for posting this info, interesting that every R50 (save '96 - I wonder why) could be affected! I'm also a bit confused as to why only the driver's side is affected (or am I wrong here?).

Thanks for the link!

Yeah when I found out that they could be putting all R50's under the notice I was quite surprised. Much bigger than I expected. I have yet to hear if it will end up affecting the Terrano in Japan as well, but they tend to only have cars on their roads for maybe 10 years. Either way, this could be the largest single vehicle model recall in Nissan's history, if not their largest all together.

I'm not sure about the Driver vs. Passenger deal. I was wondering the exact same thing when the original recall was issued, but I guess they know what their doing haha. It is a shame that some Pathfinder and Qx4 owners will be having to put their rides into retirement. I still love my Pathfinder to death, and its coming up on its 11th birthday this year.

I just found out about this recall as I stopped in to the dealer for an oil change. I'm blown away! The dealer was shocked too since I now live in Washington State and I am the only one they've seen with this problem. I have corrosion on both driver and passenger sides. My Path originally came from NJ (I bought it used) and I spent a winter in VT.

I joined this forum in hopes of getting quick answers from you guys. I'm a long time Nissan lover. My Pathy has been to go many great places with me across the country. I'm sad

-Alicia-

I'm not surprised to hear that this is where it's all going.
I may have mentioned this earlier in another post, but a few weeks ago I was at the dealer for some minor work,
and even though they had just started doing these inspections, they had already been forced to take 3 Pathfinders off the road.
I've mentioned this before too, but I've oil sprayed my truck almost yearly, and the under body is still rust free.
I'm a little anal when it comes to rust prevention, so I feel a little vindicated here. My inspection went fine.
On the downside, I do have rust, but it's across the top of my windshield at the roof line. Unfortunately, no rust protection there.
I'm going to get it fixed later this year.
Keep us informed if you hear any more news about this recall.
Thanks.

I took my Pathy back to the dealer and that's where it sits. I'm driving a Juke until they figure out what to do. The Juke is fun, btw.

Sorry to hear that. I'm really curious to see what Nissan will provide in terms of repair or compensation... I'm also curious to see whether the recall will be expanded to include *all* 96-04 R50s as mentioned above, and some sort of preventative fix applied... hopefully we'll get some more info soon.

can someone provide some more in depth info on what exactly is going on... I read the recall, but have no idea what to look for...

My dealer checked it out and said no problem... but if its a rust/corrosion issue i have my doubts after seeing what the northeast winters/salt have done to previous vehicles...

edit: nevermind i clicked the link a couple posts up --- will check my vehicle in the morning...

look at the inside/outside wheel well for 4 spot welds, if the bottom 1 or 2 spot welds are not a spot but a rusted mess with no welds at that point the car is considered junk

Take the intake filter housing off the left fender, raise it up out of the way, the area below and the steering shaft if not touching any part of the fender your good. But if the steering shaft is riding on any metal part of the fender your vehicle is junk.

That is all Nissan is interested in, but look at the rear canister, remove the 3 bolts and watch all the rust fall out of there, Nissan not interested.

Look at both fenders by opening the doors and look closely, more rust, Nissan not interested.

Have you got running boards, take a closer look at attachments, rust, Nissan not interested.

If you undercoat at least every other year your car should be OK, but check the areas mentioned my undercoat-er will now do the job a bit better

I took mine in yesterday after Infiniti sent me a letter. They checked in the parking lot and only took about 20min. They said everything looked ok

One thing that I did notice was on the letter it says that "if no corrosion or only minor surface corrosion is present, an anti-corrosion sealant will be applied." I don't think they applied this on my vehicle...should I go back?

Early June, my wife noticed a vibration in the driver's side front end of a 2000 Pathfinder. I checked it and thought strut tower bearing. Brought it to our local shop, told it was rusted, a frame issue, so I brought it to my body shop, where they said it was unsafe and not to drive it. Thoroughly dejected, body and drivetrain were still good shape, hoped to get several more years out of it, but we were forced buy another vehicle and transfer the registration, leaving the pathfinder on the side of our driveway until we could decide on a course of action. 3 weeks after, in early JULY we receive the recall notice for the problem ! Visit our local dealer, they had no option for getting it towed in for an inspection, to try Nissan. Called Nissan, operator was totally scripted and unhelpful, offered no solution, other than tow it myself and save the bill. Got it into my dealer, where they gave it Last Rites, no surprise, and opted for a rental (no fun going from a Pathfinder to a Sentra, btw) while the conversation shifted back to Nissan. Week and a half without response, I call back, get the same unresponsive operator, script still says they're working on the overall situation but no solutions have been arrived at. Except, at my dealer, another Pathfinder was determined to be undriveable and the owner already offered a buy back. Told Nissan my complaint would be escalated to FTC and AG, which it was, and 2 days later heard from Morley Vehicle Services in Michigan, who have been retained to deal with the situation. They're gathering documentation and sending their own inspectors to the dealers. Interesting to note, after a quick search of the company, they appear to have a new "client" and 4 months ago needed to rapidly construct an additional 36,000 sq ft building. I'll try to keep any further developments posted here.

hey Pinwin: I presume you are still our moderator. At the moment, there are like 4 or 5 threads on this recall thing on the go. Is there any way to magically merge these threads into one super thread? Just asking.

I am going in tomorrow for the inspection. She doesn't look to bad, here's to hoping for the best.

Inspection was done and deemed repairable. They are ordering the kit and will call me when it is ready. Nissan dealer said it is a two day repair, I'll be in a free loaner for then.

Yes, mine got fixed. It has a shiny DuPont spray inside the wheel wells now.

Arenea74 wrote:Yes, mine got fixed. It has a shiny DuPont spray inside the wheel wells now.

Could you post Before/After photos of the fix?

qx403 wrote:Inspection was done and deemed repairable. They are ordering the kit and will call me when it is ready. Nissan dealer said it is a two day repair, I'll be in a free loaner for then.

What kind of Kit is it? I though dealers should already have had these kits ready.

Any warranty after the repairs?

What kind of Kit is it? I though dealers should already have had these kits ready.

I don't know what the kit is. That's what the dealer told me that they were waiting on. I live on the west coast now so maybe that's why they didn't have them in stock.

I didn't ask about a warranty or guarantee. Good question. I don't have any "before" pictures but I had quite a bit of rust and scabbing up in there and it looked like most of the pictures I've seen here. I can see if I can get good pictures of what they did.

2 weeks+, no contact, yesterday Nissan sent a generic email survey to rate their Consumer Affairs. How many others are still waiting for a response ?

zentiques wrote:2 weeks+, no contact, yesterday Nissan sent a generic email survey to rate their Consumer Affairs. How many others are still waiting for a response ?

I brought mine in the first week of the recall and they said they didn't have the kits yet, still no contact from them.

It's been a week now and I still haven't heard from the dealer, I'll call them on Monday. They said they don't have any in stock, so they had to order it. I'll also ask about any other warranties.

Following up on our story, now been almost 3 weeks since contact from Morley Vehicle Services, retained by Nissan to conduct inspections at dealers with retained vehicles. Our 99.5 Pathfinder was deemed unsafe by our mechanic, by our body shop, local Nissan service department, and now today, finally, by Morley's independent inspector. They called this morning with an update, but no other info, that they were working on a buy back offer. Haven't found the definitive answer to what guidelines they'll be using, others have speculated Black Book, Kelly retail, or insurance value. Would be nice to recover our expenses from the start of this ordeal, considering all the time lost dealing with the situation, several tow calls, and having to purchase a replacement. Stay tuned.

I HAVE A 2003...SAME DEAL, CAR HAS BEEN AT DEALERSHIP FOR 2 WEEKS!!! GETTING RUN A ROUND FROM NISSAN CORP. NOBODY HAS BEEN OUT TO LOOK AT CAR FROM MORLEY. I AM IN A RENTAL, CALLLING THEM EVERYDAY, THEY DONT SEEM TO HAVE ANY TYPE OF HANDLE ON IT YET. JUST DONT WANT TO GET STUCK WITH RENTAL COST......FYI THE DEALERSHIPS ARE NOT WARRANTYING THE REPAIR OR OFFERING ANY TYPE OF GUARANTEE- AT LEAST THIS IS WHAT MY DEALER TOLD ME. I HAVE A "STAGE 4" REPAIR....

I contacted my dealer askin gabout the extended recall. Their system was down and will let me know later. Meanwhile I could not find anything about the recall extension. All I could find is recalls back sometime in April, which is the 'original' recall not including California and some other states.

Anyone has a link that I can tell my dealer to look at? Thanks.

My Nissan Pathfinder 1999.5 has been at dealsership for a MONTH now. Company called Morley called me about 2 weeks after I took my car to the dealer and gathered documentations on my car. Their update/communication is not great so I've been calling them to get the information on my car. After a month and supposedly had their inspector check my car, I still don't know the fate of my car. When I called Morley yesterday, the latest news was that Nissan has a new technical inspection guideline and they will be asking the dealer to perform it to decide whether the car can be repaired or not.

Has anyone gotten better response from Nissan Consumer Affairs or Morley on the recall situation? It's been a frustrating month (and counting).

First of all...thnx to everyone for the information. Here's my situation.

I started feeling some vibration in the front end of my 2000 Pathfinder (165K miles, 140K I put on myself in the past 9 yrs). I brought it to my mechanic in late June to have him take a peak. I knew right away there was a major issue when he elected to request I "come down to take a look at this" rather than communicate his diagnosis to me over the phone. When I got there her showed me the rusty hole in my wheel well (almost 12 inches in diameter). He said he couldn't fix it, and wasn't sure if it was repairable...period. he also instructed I drive it home, and park it in my garage until I figure out my next steps.

My father in-law suggested I contact the dealership to see if there was an outstanding recall, he referenced a fried of his who has the "entire frame" of his Toyota Tacoma replaced for free under a recall. I contacted Nissan and to my delight was instructed the issue may be part of a recall campaign. I was instructed to drop it off at a local Nissan dealership. Over 2 weeks after this, I got a call from the dealership and they confirmed the assumption that this was associated to the recall, and I would be contacted by the Nissan mfg regarding next steps. A few days later, I was contacted by Morley Assoc. and some paperwork was requested of me (reg., drivers license, etc.). I followed up w/ them two weeks later (now the beginning of August) for an update regarding status, and they said they has an inspection planned to confirm the dealership's diagnosis.

I received a call on Friday from Morley stating the vehicle was not able to be repaired, and they would need me to send a copy of my title and registration so they can begin to create an "offer". I'm trying to get a feel for what they will come back to me with. I'm hoping it is "retail" for the vehicle, and not "trade-in" value. Now begins my research regarding what is fair compensation.

Here's my argument thus far:

- My mechanic stated this condition had most likely been "dangerous" for some time...probably over 6 months. I never received a recall stmt, and believe they were not mailed until April or May. My wife had been driving my children around in this vehicle daily. I am not happy with that.
- I also own a 2005 pathfinder (not part of this recall), and I will NEVER buy another Nissan and I am not fairly compensated...and then some.
- I heard the Tacoma owners I referenced earlier we compensated 150% of retail value for the vehicle they were not able to repair as part of that recall.

If there is anyone out there who has made it this far, or even farther, in this process please post your results. I'd like as information as possible to support my next conversation with Nissan.

WOW, I'm completely surprised at what I'm reading, I had no idea about this recall, I never received any kind of notice! Possibly because my 2004 QX4 is not in one of the states listed?

I live in California, but I think my QX4 was originally sold in New Mexico (I think).
Am I completely not affected by this recall? (I hope not, I like my QX4)

Also, how come the recall only affects those vehicles sold in states with snow/salt, what If someone in California moves to the West Coast, won't they too now be possibly at risk? Or were models sold on the west coast built different from those sold on the east coast?......Some clarification please.

It would be awesome if someone could make a video showing how to inspect our trucks at home for rust.

The strangest thing, I swear, I kept looking at my fenders lately, and noticing rust around the outside seals. I think they are called seals(the rubbery type material around the fender that is painted the same color as the car). It's rusting. I have been working on my truck all weekend, and for some odd reason "rust, rust, rust" kept coming into my head, like a greater power was trying to tell me something. Then I find this site, and suddenly read about this rust recall.

Anyway, should those of us in California be worried? Will Nissan still spray the rust protector for all owners, even those not in the states listed? I don't want to risk my life because of rust! I just read the recall notice online, and it says the steering wheel can detach, you lose steering, and crash. Oh god that sounds horrible, I want to make sure my vehicle is safe!

I contacted Infiniti customer service center, and below is the Infiniti email I received today:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A review of our records indicates that the vehicle with the vehicle serial number listed above is involved in the recall as follows:

OPEN R1110 QX4 CORROS NONSALT ITB11-041

Please contact your Infiniti dealership for an appointment to have the recall repairs performed on your vehicle. These repairs are free of charge to you.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be of service.

Sincerely,

Infiniti



Alicia
Consumer Affairs Representative
Infiniti
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I forwarded the above email to my dealer in the afternoon and still waiting for their response. Will call them tomorrow to schedule a time.

My 03 Pathfinder has been deemed unfixable as well. I was told by morley that it will omst likely be repurchased. Has anyone had an offer yet?

Looks like there's at least 3 or 4 of us here that Morley has confirmed unsafe and waiting for offers. Last time I heard from them was 10 days ago, I'll press them tomorrow for more info. Surprising how quiet this story has been in the media, curious how many others are in this situation, or worse, still driving unsafe vehicles and not aware. **UPDATE** the issue is obviously escalating to the point where Morley has now instituted an automated answering system for you to leave a case number and they'll get back to you. A couple weeks ago, you could call and directly speak with someone. Probably getting an ear full. **UPDATE 2** Decided to try Nissan Consumer Affairs for an answer. Like starting all over, had to provide more info, recieved "another" file number, I now have a growing collection, 2 from Nissan, one from Morley. Collect 'em, trade 'em..... Waiting to see who gets back first, Nissan or Morley. Be interesting to see if they show up with 2 different offers.