NHTSA Complaint #10562227 — 2009 NISSAN TITAN

WEATHER CONDITIONS RAPIDLY CHANGED FROM DRY PAVEMENT TO SNOW COVERED ROADS. DOING ABOUT 20 MPH I TRIED TO ENGAGE MY 4WD HI. ALL I HEARD WAS A SLIGHT GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE REAR CAB OF MY TRUCK. THE 4WD SYSTEM WOULD NOT ENGAGE. SO I PULLED OVER THEN TRIED TO TURN ON THE 4WD. NO NOISES AND THE 4WD INDICATOR LIGHT TURNED ON AS USUAL. GO TO DRIVE OFF THINKING THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED AND REALIZED THAT NOT ALL WHEELS WERE ENGAGED.(REAR OF TRUCK SPUN OUT) PULLED OVER ONCE AGAIN AND LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING LOOSE. NOTICED THE FRONT DRIVER HALF SHAFT TO BE DISENGAGED FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL.THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE IT COULD HAVE CAUSED MY FRONT WHEEL TO LOCK UP AND LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ALSO COULD HAVE CAUSED A SEVERE ACCIDENT. NO WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON. THE ONLY LIGHT THAT TURNED ON WAS THE 4WD ILLUMINATION SHOWING THE 4WD WAS ENGAGED AND WORKING. IF I WAS TO CONTINUE THINKING THAT THE 4WD WAS WORKING IT COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS INJURIES TO MYSELF AND OTHERS. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE. I FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL IN THE NISSAN TITAN. MY VEHICLE HAS 65400 MILES ON IT. ONLY 5400 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY THE PARTS THAT FAIL IN THIS CASE IS CALLED A C CLIP (HOLDS THE HALF SHAFT IN DIFFERENTIAL). THE PART NUMBERS FOR THE NEW DIFFERENTIAL ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES CURRENTLY INSTALLED. THIS LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND SHOULD RESOLVE ANY COST THAT THIS REPAIR WILL CAUSE. *TR