NHTSA Complaint #11299157 — 2001 NISSAN PATHFINDER

IN APRIL 2019, I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 55 MPH TOWING A SMALL TRAILER IN THE RIGHT MOST LANE OF A 3 LANE HIGHWAY. AS I APPROACHED A HILL, THE PATHFINDER SUDDENLY SMELLED LIKED SOMETHING WAS ON FIRE AND THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I MANAGED TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY AND COAST TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER. THE BURNING SMELL LASTED ABOUT 5 MINUTES, BUT I COULD NOT TELL WHERE THE SOURCE WAS AT THE TIME. I RAN SEVERAL DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, INCLUDING ECU CODES, BUT DID NOT FIND ANYTHING INDICATIVE OF A PROBLEM OF THIS NATURE. IN JANUARY 2020, I ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE AFTER REPLACING SEVERAL WORN OUT DRIVETRAIN COMPONENTS (CLUTCH, ENGINE, RADIATOR, ENGINE GASKETS) AND FOUND THAT IT WOULD NOT START. I FOUND A BURNED OUT FUSE TO THE ECCS2, 10 AMP CIRCUIT. I REPLACED THE FUSE AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE DASHBOARD EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ON OR RUNNING AT THE TIME. AGAIN THE SMOKE LASTED SEVERAL MINUTES. THIS TIME I WAS ABLE TO SEE SMOKE COMING FROM THE COMPUTER CASING OF THE VEHICLE'S ECU. I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY IMMEDIATELY AND REMOVED THE ECU FROM THE VEHICLE. I DISCOVERED A BURNED CHIP INSIDE. AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF RESEARCH, I WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE AND LEARN THAT THIS HAPPENS TO MANY OTHER MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES OF SIMILAR YEAR MODEL. THE CAUSE IS ALWAYS THE SAME - THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE SEALS FAIL, THEN WATER GETS INSIDE THE ELECTRIC IACV MOTOR AND WHEN THE ECU TRIES TO COMPENSATE FOR THE IACV FAILURE, IT OVERLOADS THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND SHORTS OUT THIS PARTICULAR CHIP. SOME PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED SPENDING SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HAVE NISSAN REPLACE PARTS AND REPAIR THEIR ECU AS THESE VEHICLES ARE NOW OUT OF WARRANTY.