NHTSA Complaint #10418124 — 2011 NISSAN JUKE

VEHICLE INVOLVED: 2011 NISSAN JUKE SL AND HAS 4,192 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, WE RAN OVER SOME DEBRIS WHICH PUNCTURED THE GAS TANK, CAUSING ALL OF THE GAS TO BEGIN POURING OUT OF THE TANK. WE HAD JUST FILLED UP THE 11.8 GALLON FUEL TANK AND HAD NO IDEA THE FUEL WAS LEAKING UNTIL WE PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY APPROX. FIVE MILES LATER. WE CALLED THE FIRE DEPT. FOR FEAR OF THE CAR EXPLODING IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE SHOCKED THERE WAS NOTHING PROTECTING THE FUEL TANK FROM ROAD DEBRIS BOUNCING UP AND PUNCHING A HOLE INTO IT. I FEEL THIS IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. THE GAS TANK SHOULDN'T BE SITTING OUT SO EXPOSED. NISSAN HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THE MURANO FOR WHICH THEY ORDERED A SAFETY RECALL TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. THEY SHOULD DO THE SAME WITH THE JUKE. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND NISSAN CORPORATION HAS SHOWN NOT A CARE FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO MY WIFE AND I, CLAIMING IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT WE RAN OVER SOMETHING IN THE ROAD. THE REALITY IS SOME THINGS ARE UNAVOIDABLE TO RUN OVER AND THE GAS TANK SHOULDN'T BE SO EASILY RUPTURED AND POSITIONED WITH NO TYPE OF PROTECTIVE PLATE IN THE WAY. THE REPAIR BILL WAS $863.04 TO PUT IN A NEW GAS TANK. MY WIFE IS NOW TERRIFIED OF DRIVING THE CAR FOR FEAR OF BEING BLOWN UP AND WANTS TO GET RID OF IT. *TR