Car frame broke while driving!!! Fabrication defect?

[nick333]

Hello everyone...

I'd like to hear your opinion about something, please let me vent out a little bit...

So my 2002 QX4, 150k km, started shaking like crazy on the highway, I couldn't control the steering wheel (during my G road test!!! LOL)

Then I went to the mechanic: I had to bring it to the scrapyard. The frame broke apart so the whole wheel bloc and stuff was shaking.

Rust. The whole frame and the car underneath was 100% rust. IT was literally crumbling away by hitting it with a screw driver, and even with bare hands!!!


I can't believe how a car made by such a great manufacturer, an SUV, a "combat" SUV, which is supposed to be a resilient car...
How such a car literally breaks apart after 14 years.
I have a tiny little Fiat 500 (yes! 0.5 Liters!! less than 10 HP) from 1970 and it still works great.
How can a 30-40-50k car (when bought new), SUV, from one of the best companies, get rusted so bad...

It means that NO CARS from 2002 and older should circulate ever!
Actually, it took time to get that bad. And we don't want a car frame to break while driving. So I'd say it should have been thrown out like 3 years ago, considering oxidation speed.

So, this mean that EVERY CAR after just 11 years should be thrown out.
But it doesn't happen. Even cheap tiny normal city cars, the cheapest cars, run for 15, 20 years, even more!

I wonder if my car was defective, if it can be considered some kind of fabrication defect!

What I mean as "defect" not the breakage itself, but the fact that the car structure rusted completely. Like a poor quality metal or things like that.

I mean cars aren't supposed to be 10 years use vehicles and then throw out... are they?

I can see A LOT of much older car still circulating great around!

What do you think guys?

[cr4west]

Sadly...yes even our beloved QX4's are eventually "throw away"
Due to the economic recession people kept their cars longer than previous years. Our expectations for the vehicle to perform longer when up as well. Corrosion and rust wait for no one. Many fine vehicles fell victim to the "tin worm"
Manufacturer's offer corrosion warranty up to a point but 14 years likely is well beyond what they had in mind.
Exposure to salt and calcium, care and cleaning of the of the body of the car are important factors with service life as well.
There are still many rust free examples of the QX4 around in dry arid areas of the country (mine included) available for reasonable prices. Search using Craig's list or Search Tempest in western desert areas (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho) and you will find QX4's with original paint and NO rust.
I lived in a vehicle high rust area (Lake Ontario area) for years previously and understand your frustration when you can stick your fingers through a steel frame member.
Obsolescence is the way of the world. Bring us the Porsche designed 20 year car!

[Hawairish]

This is largely a 'salt-state' issue, although there are some common rust failures on this particular vehicle. The merits of ownership isn't without the burden of maintenance.

When I hear about rust issues on vehicles, it always reminds me of a buddy who grew up in MT. He would tell me that they wouldn't salt the roads there in the winter because the residents couldn't afford to replace their vehicles due to the accelerated corrosion.

Nonetheless, sorry you had to scrap it. That can't be a good feeling.

[Buzzman]

Wouldn't this problem fall under the strut tower recall program?
Before dragging it off to the junkyard and getting nothing for it, I'd check with the dealership to see if the recall has been performed.
It may be eligible for a buy back. At least you'd get some money back from Nissan/Infiniti for it.

[nick333]

Hey, thank you everyone for your moral support.
Well I had already left it to the junkyard

About the area: I live in Toronto, so you know the weather, and in winter there's tons of salt released on the streets continuously (indeed the Fiat 500 I mentioned is in Italy LOL).

I think whatever I will get for the future, I will have it sprayed every year, when I do the oil change.

[Buzzman]

Sucks that you junked it. Too late to get a buyout.
Speaking of salty winters, I'm in Ottawa, so we have it worse than you.
I've oil sprayed my 2002 Pathy almost every year, and other than some rust around the rear wheel wells, it's still pretty solid, with 306,000 kms.
Go Sens.

[nick333]

Wow that's great! Wow 300k !!!
I'll surely do that on the next car God willing!

I'm thinking electric, 100%..... no hassles... maintenance decreased at least 50%, less parts... not even oil changes!

[JPK Omaha]

Depends on your location. I am in Nebraska. My 2003 Qx4 is rust free and corrosion free top and bottom. The only rust issue I ever had was with the running boards and I was able to get that fixed.

[nick333]

I see, I wonder if spraying with something 2/year would help 100%