NHTSA Complaint #10525589 — 2008 NISSAN QUEST

ON JUNE 26TH 2013 THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TOTAL LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING AND THERE WAS A CORRESPONDING STRONG ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL. FORTUNATELY THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE COAST OFF THE MAIN ROAD AND THE FAMILY WAS ABLE TO EXIT SAFELY. NO FIRE STARTED BUT CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. CAR WAS TOWED TO NISSAN WHERE THEY IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS THE GROUND BATTERY CABLE BEING PULLED OFF THE TRANSMISSION MOUNTING POINT. THE BATTERY CABLE WAS REPLACED WITH A MODIFIED DESIGN THAT PREVENTS THIS FROM OCCURRING, THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE GROUND WIRE BREAKING WAS $2,871 WHICH INCLUDED THE GROUND WIRE, 6 IGNITION COILS, ECM, IPDM AND LABOR. THERE IS A TSB NTB06-075 FOR QUEST MODELS 2004-2007, HOWEVER THE 2008 HAD THE SAME DESIGN AS INDICATED IN THE TSB. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN AT ST CHARLES NISSAN AS RECENTLY AS 6 WEEKS EARLIER AND THE 27-POINT NISSAN INSPECTION HAD BEEN PERFORMED WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO INCLUDED THE BATTERY CABLE. NO ISSUES WERE FOUND WITH THE BATTERY CABLE SO EITHER THE INSPECTION WAS NOT THOROUGH OR THERE WAS CATASTROPHIC WIRE FAILURE CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE DRIVETRAIN MOVEMENT. THE VEHICLE SMELLED LIKE IT COULD HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHICH IT UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT. LOSING ALL POWER INSTANTANEOUSLY WITHOUT ANY PRIOR SYMPTOMS OR SERVICE ENGINE LIGHTS IS CONCERNING FOR THIS COULD HAVE JUST AS EASILY HAPPENED IN AN INTERSECTION OR WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SAFELY ABLE TO AVOID OTHER VEHICLES. THE DAMAGED PARTS HAVE BEEN RETAINED IN CASE NHTSA WOULD LIKE TO INSPECT. *TR