NHTSA Complaint #11649223 — 2011 NISSAN ARMADA

The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that one day, upon exiting the vehicle with the engine running, there was heavy black smoke coming from the front passenger’s seat. The contact alerted the business at her location about the failure and obtained buckets of water to assist the contact. The contact used a knife to cut out parts of the seat and poured water directly on the smoke. Once the Fire Department arrived at the scene, the smoke was extinguished, and the vehicle was inspected to ensure that there was no presence of a fire. No injuries were reported. The contact was not informed if a fire report was filed. The contact stated that the driver’s side seat warmer was activated at the time of the failure; however, the passenger’s side seat was not occupied, and the seat warmer should not have been activated. Despite the failure, the contact resumed normal operation of the vehicle. The contact called the dealer and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired; however, the front passenger’s seat was removed from the vehicle. The failure mileage was 200,000.