NHTSA Complaint #10062565 — 2004 NISSAN FRONTIER

BRAND NEW VEHICLE ON WAY HOME AFTER PURCHASE STARTED TO SHIMMY AND SHAKE AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 60-80 MPH ON OPEN HIGHWAY. THIS WAS DISTRACTING FOR DRIVER AND MADE THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO HOLD STEADY TRACKING DOWN ROAD. THIS WAS REPORTED TO DEALER WITHIN 48 HOURS. DEALER RE-BALANCED FRONT TIRES. THE SAME DRIVING PERFORMANCE PROBLEM STILL OCCURRED AND UNUSUALLY AFTER DRIVING VEHICLE 5-10 MILES CONTINUAL DISTANCE. I DRIVE 47 MILES TO WORK DAILY ON INTERSTATE 95 IN NORTH CAROLINA, AND AFTER A FEW MILES THIS SHAKING STARTS HAPPENING AT VARING SPEEDS ABOVE 60 MPH. THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO OCCASSIONALLY DART FROM SIDE TO SIDE WHILE TRYING TO TRACK NORMALLY DOWN THE ROAD. DEALER SAYS THE ALINMENT IS NOT OUT. I PIONTED OUT TO THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT THE BACK RIGHT TIRE WAS IN FACT FEATHERING ON THE OUTSIDE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN RETURNED TO DEALER (LUMBERTON NISSAN) 3 TIMES, AND THE LAST VISIT THEY REMOVED NEWS TIRES WHICH THEY HAD REPLACED- WIHTOUT RESULTS- AND RAN THEM ON A MACHINE AT THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP. THEY DID FIND THAT PARTICULAR TIRE TO BE OUT AND REPLACED IT. THE VEHICLE STILL SHAKES AND HAS A HIGH SPEED VIBRATION. THIS ADVERSELY AFFECTS THE VEHICLES SAFE OPERATION ON THE OPEN HIGHWAY. THE DEALERSHIP DOESN'T WANT TO CONTINUE TRYING TO TRACK DOWN THE PROBLEM OF THE VEHICLE, SO I HAVE CONTACTED NISSAN CORP., OFFICES AND FILED A COMPLAINT ON THE VEHICLE AND REQUESTED TODAY TO RETURN THE UNIT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I FEEL THAT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS VEHICLE IS A SAFETY HAZARD RESULTING FROM A DEFECT IN THE DRIVE TRAIN OF THE VEHICLE. TO AVOID A FOURTH VISIT THE DEALER (WHICH N.C. LEMON LAW STATES) THEY WOULD BE OBLIGATED TO REFUND OR REPLACE THE THE UNIT. I CONTEND TAHT MY V4 FRONTIER TRUCK EITHER HAST A PROBLEM INTERNALLY IN THE DRIVE TRAIN, OR BECAUSE IT IS BUILT ON A LIGHTER FRAME, IT CANNOT PERFORM SAFELY AS MARKETED DUE TO DANGEROUSLY MISS-MATCHED COMPONENT SUSPENSION SYSTEM, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY A DESIGN DEFECT ON THE PART OF NISSAN. *AK