NHTSA Complaint #10576091 — 2005 NISSAN TITAN

I FIRST FELT AND HEARD A LOUD CLANKING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR END WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT. APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS LATER I FELT IT AGAIN WHILE ENTERING THE ON RAMP TO A FREEWAY GOING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH. I PULLED OVER AND INSPECTED THE REAR END OF MY TRUCK AND FOUND NO VISIBLE DAMAGE OR LEAKING OF FLUIDS. I GOT BACK IN MY TRUCK AND STARTED TO ACCELERATE AND IMMEDIATELY FELT AND HEARD THE CLANKING NOISE AGAIN. I THEN DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP WHICH FORTUNATELY WAS ONLY TWO MILES AWAY. THE NISSAN SERVICE DEPARTMENT DID AN INSPECTION AND DETERMINE THE GEARS IN DIFFERENTIAL WERE BINDING. THE NISSAN TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHY A DIFFERENTIAL WITH ONLY 53,000 MILES THAT WAS MAINTAINED AS WELL AS MINE WAS WOULD FAIL. THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP HAS PERFORMED ALL THE MAINTENANCE ON MY TRUCK AND ARE WELL AWARE OF HOW WELL ITS MAINTAINED. THEY SUGGESTED ITS A DEFECT AND RECOMMENDED I SPEAK WITH NISSAN USA DIRECTLY IN HOPES OF THEM COVERING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL ON MY TRUCK. I SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NISSAN USA AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT BECAUSE MY TRUCK IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THE DEFECTIVE DIFFERENTIAL ITS NOT GOING TO BE COVERED. THE WORST PART IS THAT THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL. I HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE REAR AXLE. THIS IS A COST OF (AXLE) $3500.00 +( LABOR) $1000.00. LETS NOT FORGET TAXES ALSO. NISSAN IS AWARE OF THE DEFECTIVE DIFFERENTIALS AND IS COUNTING ON PEOPLE TO NOT MAKE THE EFFORT TO BRING THIS ISSUE TO LIGHT. PLEASE HELP MAKE A CHANGE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT BY THIS DEFECT. *TR