A lawsuit claiming Nissan's automatic emergency braking (AEB) system has dangerous defects will continue in court
following a U.S. District Court judge tossing out the automaker's motion to dismiss. AEB systems monitor the road and can apply the brakes if the system detects a collision is imminnent. But according to the lawsuit, Nissan's AEB detects items that aren't there and can randomly bring the car to a screeching halt.…
Nissan has been hit with another lawsuit for their forward emergency braking system
that detects objects that aren’t really there. Instead of protecting drivers, system creates perfect conditions for rear-end and side crashes. A safety feature that actually causes crashes? Talk about awwwkward.…
Does Nissan's automatic emergency braking (AEB) system have a defective radar?
A California lawsuit says malfunctions in the system create random emergency braking situations when the radar detects objects that aren’t really there.
The owner's manuals for many of the vehicles admit the automatic emergency braking systems do "not function in all driving, traffic, weather and road conditions.” But the plaintiff says the manual leaves out the part about how the systems can cause vehicles to suddenly stop even when no objects are in the driving lane.
It’s scary to think that a safety system might actually create more crash scenarios than it prevents.
I have some choice words for Nissan’s anti-lock brake actuator pump.
And yes, I realize that is an odd thing to say, but hear me out. The pump leaks brake fluid onto internal circuit boards which starts fires. And it’s been a problem more than once.
Nissan is even worried enough to ask owners of the 2015-2017 Murano, 2016-2017 Maxima, 2017-2018 Pathfinder and the 2017 Infiniti QX60 vehicles to park their cars outside and away from things you wouldn’t like to see turned to ash.
Maybe I should direct my choice words at Nissan instead.
Nissan owners are tired of their timing chains whining, buzzing, ticking, and knocking their engines apart.
In the case of Kobe Falco, et. al., v. Nissan North America, Inc., and Nissan Motor Company, LTD., the plaintiffs say they were forced to pay for expensive timing chain repairs which happened to fall ever-so-conveniently just outside of Nissan's warranty period. Earlier this year, the class-action was certified by a judge.
So now Nissan has brought together their best engineers and a top-notch legal team to come up with their defense –– ok, our timing chains are noisy, but they're not a safety defect.
"According to the automaker, there has never been anything defective about the timing chain systems and the most that owners can show is that the timing chains make noise, not that the systems are a safety risk. Nissan says the plaintiffs admit no crashes are attributed to the timing chains, even though the majority of the vehicles have been in service more than 10 years."
So the case will attempt to answer are Nissan's timing chains just loud and annoying? Or are they loud, annoying, and potentially dangerous?
The vehicles named in the suit all use the same uniform timing chain system: the 2004-2008 Maxima, 2004-2009 Quest, 2004-2006 Altima (VQ35 engine), 2005-2007 Pathfinder, 2004-2007 Xterra, and the 2005-2007 Frontier (VQ49 engine).
The steering wheel lock nightmare is over (well, at least for some).
Years of complaints and countless warranty claims have finally forced Nissan's hand as the automaker announced they will issue a service campaign for 243,000 vehicles with ESCL problems. Service campaign, recall, banana ... whatever you want to call it, Nissan.
The campaign is only for the 2009-2010 Altima, Altima Coupe, Altima Hybrid, and Maxima cars. They all come equipped with ESCLs that lock the steering wheel when the cars are parked and turned off.
Nissan says a manufacturing issue caused the ESCL to malfunction after the car had been turned off. Up until now, the owner's only option was to replace the part which cost, on average, around $1000 with parts and labor.
Nissan will replace the ESCL with an electronic steering column box. If you've already paid for repairs, Nissan will reimburse you with the proper proof. Additional service campagin info is available on CarComplaints.com.
Heads up, Nissan owners! The sunroof in your vehicle might soon be coming down in a thousand little pieces.
A lawsuit alleges that all of Nissan's factory-installed sunroofs (panoramic or otherwise) can explode without warning. This includes any vehicle since 2008.
"Plaintiff Janelle Horne says she was riding with her husband and four kids in a leased Infiniti QX80 when the sunroof exploded like a shotgun, causing Mr. Horne to pull off the highway and see shards of glass everywhere.
Yikes, that'll get your attention. Hopefully this lawsuit means Nissan will start paying attention too.
The lawsuit only includes residents of California at this time, but similar lawsuits may be filed nationwide based on its results.
Have you ignored a dashboard warning light? I wouldn't blame you.
I was once charged $100 to turn off a light because my stupid gas cap was loose. But Nissan is pleading – if you see a warning light in certain vehicles you need to park your car and walk away because of fire risks.
"Nissan is recalling more than 120,000 cars and SUVs to repair brake fluid leaks that may cause circuit boards to catch on fire. Worldwide, the automaker says about 134,000 are recalled, including almost 11,000 in Canada."
Anyone else getting the feeling there's a major issue with Nissan's Occupant Classification System (OCS)?
For roughly the 103rd time – ok, 4th – Nissan is recalling their defective OCS. And this one is a doozy at 3.8 million vehicles.
"Nissan says the occupant classification systems in the front passenger seats can turn off because the systems classify an adult as a child or classify a seat as empty even if an adult is in the seat."
That will disable the airbags for someone who really needs it.
"Nissan says in the case of a child classification, the system is designed to illuminate the airbag light indicating the airbag is turned off. However, if the initial classification is “empty seat,” the light will not illuminate and there is no indication that the airbag is suppressed."
Does any part of this thing work?
My sentiments exactly
Nissan has been accused of covering up the OCS issue and issuing repairs that didn't work in a lawsuit.
Nissan's Occupant Classification System (OCS) has been the subject of two recalls in the past couple years, but a lawsuit says the fixes aren't working.
Plaintiff Matthew Senci filed the proposed class-action lawsuit that alleges the vehicles have occupant classification system software that can incorrectly classify a front passenger seat as empty when it's occupied by an adult passenger.
The error can cause the airbag to deactivate and fail to deploy in a crash and the lawsuit alleges Nissan has known about the problem since at least 2012 due to complaints and warranty claims.
The first "limited" recall was in February 2013, but the fix was ineffective. A second, larger recall was announced in March 2014, but once again the lawsuit says the fix didn't do diddly.
The lawsuit, Matthew Senci v. Nissan North America, Inc., accuses the automaker of unfair and deceptive acts and seeks damages for the decreased value of the cars.
ing chain lawsuit filed in New York accuses Nissan of manufacturing defective timing chain systems, with issues in the chain tensioner, guides, and shoes. Five lead plaintiffs claim the Nissan vehicles have timing chain systems prone to early failure that can cause a huge expense for repairs. The plaintiffs claim failure of the timing chain can cause extensive damage to the car, including to the catalytic converter and destruction of the engine.
The class-action is currently only for current and former Nissan owners (and lessees) who live in New York, Florida, Maryland, and New Jersey. However, this could lay the groundwork for other states.
Loose and busted timing chains are a longtime nightmare for many 2004-2010 Nissan owners. When not properly tensioned, timing chains can cause everything from engine rattles, to misfiring, and eventually catastrophic engine failure.
The lawsuit alleges that Nissan has known about the issue since at least 2004 when they issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) to their dealerships. Additionally, the automaker is accused of ignoring the defect until the systems fall out of the warranty period.
The plaintiffs in Vincent Chiarelli, Philip Dragonetti, Michele Maszon, Todd Maszon and Chris Santimauro vs. Nissan North America Inc. and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. are represented by Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C.
Last month we learned that a whopping 35–40 million vehicles will need to be recalled because of Takata airbag inflators.
Yikes, remember when 3 million vehicles seemed like a big number? The massive expansion includes Nissan who has announced a recall expansion of 226,000 vehicles. They had previously recalled 480,000.
Nissan is part of a massive 3-million vehicle recall for explosive, unstable airbag inflators manufactured by Takata.
To be clear, when an airbag deploys there's always going to be a miniature explosion to make the inflation possible. But that explosion is controlled. In the case of Takata, the propellant used to make that explosion can deteriorate over time and cause dangerous –– possibly deadly –– issues when the airbag deploys:
"Takata said the propellant wafers produced at a plant in Moses Lake, Washington, between April 13, 2000 and September 11, 2002, may have been produced with an inadequate compaction force. The propellant could deteriorate over time and cause too much combustion, which could cause the body of the inflator to rupture during air bag deployment."
When that inflator canister ruptures, metal shards can shoot out into the cabin. Most of the recalls are expected to begin in May, 2013.
The best way to find out what's wrong with a vehicle is from the people who drive them. Not only do owner complaints help us rank vehicles by reliability, but they're often used to spark class-action lawsuits and warranty extensions. Plus, they're a great way to vent.
