Nissan Recalled Due to Rust

If you drive a Nissan Pathfinder or Infiniti Q4, you may want to enter the VIN into the form on SaferCar.gov to see if it’s subject to recall. Nissan has issued a voluntary recall of Nissan Pathfinders in the model years 1996 to 2004 because of front strut housing corrosion caused by road salt. Some drivers have also reported damage to their steering. Nissan’s recall bulletin introduces the problem this way:

Nissan is conducting a voluntary safety recall campaign on certain model year 1996 – 2004 Pathfinder vehicles that are currently registered in States where heavy concentrations of road salt are used in the winter to inspect for corrosion, and if necessary repair the front strut housing panels.

New Hampshire, of course, is one of the affected states. Nissanpathfinders.net sheds a little more light on what’s going on with the strut housing corrosion, and mentions that the Infiniti Q4 is affected, as well:

…the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation receiving 35 reports alleging a corrosion-related failure of the driver’s-side front strut tower. In 18 of the reports there were allegations that failures impacted the vehicles steering, including five that reported the steering “shaft” or “column” broke resulting in a loss of steering. …Nissan investigated an incident resulting in the loss of steering of a 2001 Pathfinder in Canada. In the last two months, Nissan collected several vehicles and shipped them to Japan for investigation. Nissan also purchased and evaluated several vehicles in the United States. Nissan said salt and water can enter an assembly location hole in the upper strut housing, causing water to collect at the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly. Over time, this snow/water and salt may result in corrosion of the strut tower housing in some vehicles. Based on duplication testing, Nissan said it expects this condition may create a grinding noise and in some increase in the steering effort, though the vehicle would remain drivable. If this is ignored, in extreme cases, the steering column shaft may break and could result in a crash. Dealers will inspect the strut housing and if no corrosion or only minor surface corrosion is present, an anti-corrosion sealant will be applied. If moderate corrosion is present, resin patches will be applied in addition to the sealant. If there is evidence of more significant corrosion, a metal reinforcement plate will be used to reinforce the strut housing assembly. In rare instances where it is impossible to repair the vehicle, Nissan will “provide an appropriate remedy.”

So if you have an SUV that’s covered by the recall, and it’s rotting out in the areas mentioned above, bring it to a Nissan dealer and they’ll repair the damage. If it hasn’t rotted out yet, your Nissan dealer will apply rustproofing to those specific parts. You’ll still be on your own for all the other parts, so you might want to get the whole undercarriage rustproofed before you end up having to replace them on your own dime. Bottom line: it looks like rustproofing is the answer. It’s available in New Hampshire from The Rust Stop Pros.

Here is the first part of our 2017 workshop series.
What’s covered in this video; Part 1
1) introduction into NH Oil Undercoating® Oil-based Rustproofing
2) surface preparation and inspection
3) the science behind Oil-based Rustproofing ( how it works )
4) equipment and maintenance
Covered in next video Part 2; Application