NHTSA Complaint #11061510 — 2007 NISSAN MURANO

BEGINNING ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO I NOTICED SOME UNUSUAL NOISE AND MOVEMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT WHILE DRIVING. THE PROBLEM WORSENED QUICKLY, MAKING A CRUNCHING METAL NOISE AND BECOMING INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE DURING DRIVING WITH THE LEFT REAR OF THE SEAT MOVING UP AND DOWN. IT NOW MOVES WITH ONLY SLIGHT MANUAL PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SEAT. UPON INVESTIGATING THE STRUCTURE UNDER THE SEAT, I FOUND A SUPPORT BRACKET WELD HAS COMPLETELY SEPARATED. THE DRASTIC MOVEMENT OF THE SEAT SEEMS DANGEROUS, SLIGHTLY CHANGING THE DRIVERS POSITION BEHIND THE WHEEL, POSSIBLY ALTERING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, THE POSITION BEHIND THE AIRBAG, AND CERTAINLY AFFECTING RESTRAINT IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. ONLINE RESEARCH SHOWS MANY, MANY SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THIS BRACKET WELD, BUT NISSAN HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. THIS POOR QUALITY PART FAILED, COULD RESULT IN DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH, BUT WILL REQUIRE ME TO PAY $1100 TO FIX.