NHTSA Complaint #10817401 — 2010 NISSAN VERSA

WHILE PULLING OUT OF A GAS STATION, I WAS TURNING RIGHT ONTO A ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 20MPH WHEN I HEARD A LOUD POP NEAR THE FRONT RIGHT OF THE CAR. THE CAR WOULD SHIFT TOWARDS THE RIGHT WHEN BREAKING. I DIDN'T INITIALLY SEE ANYTHING WRONG AND HAD TO CONTINUE DRIVING IT. WHEN WE CALLED LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIPS, THEY WANTED TOO MUCH TO JUST SIMPLY PUT TUE CAR UP ON A LIFT TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. TOOK IT TO A SMALL LOCAL SHOP, AND HAD IT PUT ON A LIFT. THE SUBFRAME HAD A BUSHING BREAK AND SEPARATE FROM THE MAIN BODY OF THE CAR, CAUSING THE WHOLE SUBFRAME TO MOVE FREELY. AFTER HAVING HAD REMOVED THE SUBFRAME, IT SHOWED ENOUGH CORROSIVE RUST THAT IT APPEARED TO COME OFF OF A CAR THAT SAT UP IN NORTHERN STATES FOR WAY TOO LONG, BEEN DRIVEN ON SALT ROADS, OR EXPOSED TO SALT FOR APPROXIMATELY 15-20 YEARS. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR, AND HAVE NEVER LEFT THE STATE OF FLORIDA IN THE FIVE YEARS I'VE OWNED IT. I BOUGHT THE CAR WITH ONLY 8 MI ON IT AND THE PART FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 117,000MI. NISSAN REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING WHEN I CALLED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP, HOWEVER THIS RUST DID NOT JUST SHOW UP IN THE LAST 17,000MI PAST MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP, AND TWO OTHER SHOPS HAVE HAD TO DO OIL CHANGES, AND NOT ONCE WAS THIS ISSUE BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION. IT DID NOT JUST SHOW UP OVERNIGHT, AND IN NO WAY WITHIN THE LAST 17-20,000 MI.