NHTSA Complaint #10853060 — 2007 NISSAN VERSA

IN 2014, MY VERSA'S RF COIL SPRING FRACTURED. A LARGE PIECE OF IT ACTUALLY DETACHED AND FELL ONTO THE ROAD AS THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. I TOOK IT TO A PRIVATE GARAGE AND THE SPRING AND STRUT WERE REPLACED. IN FALL OF 2015 I RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE REGARDING THIS ISSUE. IN JANUARY 2016, I TOOK THE CAR TO CAPITAL NISSAN IN WILMINGTON, NC, WHERE I NOW LIVE, AND I WAS TOLD THAT IN ORDER FOR THE RECALL TO BE COMPLETED, I WOULD NEED TO PURCHASE A NEW RF AND LF STRUT OUT OF POCKET BECAUSE THE EXISTING STRUTS ARE FUSED BY CORROSION TO THE MOUNTS. MOREOVER, I WAS TOLD BY THE NISSAN RECALL CENTER THAT I COULD NOT BE REIMBURSED FOR THE REPAIRS I ALREADY HAD COMPLETED UNTIL I HAD THE RECALL WORK COMPLETED. SO, I AM BEING HELD HOSTAGE BY NISSAN. THEY WON'T MAKE GOOD THE REPAIRS THAT THE RECALL FORCES THEM TO MAKE UNLESS I PAY THEM MORE MONEY AND THEY WON'T REIMBURSE ME FOR REPAIRS ALREADY MADE BY ME THAT WERE NECESSITATED BY THE DEFECT THAT LED TO THE RECALL. THIS DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT TO ME AND I AM APPEALING TO YOU FOR REDRESS. I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME. I DON'T THINK YOUR RECALL WENT FAR ENOUGH, BY THE WAY. LATER IN THE SUMMER OF 2014, THE REPAIR FACILITY TO WHICH I HAD TAKEN THE VERSA FOR THE STRUT WAS INSPECTING MY CAR AND INFORMED ME THAT THE CROSSMEMBER FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, AS WELL AS THE LOWER RIGHT CONTROL ARM, WERE CORRODED TO THE POINT OF FAILURE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT THE WORKMANSHIP ON THIS CAR COULD BE SO SHODDY THAT PARTS WOULD RUST OUT IN SUCH A WHOLESALE FASHION - NOT UNTIL I RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE. THAT REPAIR COST ME AN ADDITIONAL $1600 (ROUGHLY, EXCLUDING TAX). I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH INVOICES FOR THESE REPAIRS, IF IT WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM AND PERHAPS TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT OTHERS' CORROSION-RELATED TROUBLES WITH THE NISSAN VERSA.