Nissan 350Z Investigations
2 ODI actions on file.
- EAEA07005CLOSEDOpened 4/3/2007WHEEL SEPARATION DUE TO SPOKE FRACTUREWHEELS
ALL OF THE WHEEL SEPARATION INCIDENTS IDENTIFIED IN EA07-005 HAVE INVOLVED WHEELS SUBJECTED TO AFTERMARKET CHROMING IN CALIFORNIA.METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS OF AFTERMARKET CHROMED WHEELS OBTAINED FROM INCIDENT VEHICLES SHOWED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN MATERIAL PROPERTIES THAT CAN INCREASE THE CHANCE OF STRUCTURAL FAILURE.NISSAN HAS ISSUED SEVERAL COMMUNICATIONS TO DEALERS, BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER ODI'S INVESTIGATION BEGAN WITH PE06-050, WARNING AGAINST THE PRACTICE OF CHROMING WHEELS.NISSAN HAS ADVISED ODI THAT IT WILL BE SENDING ANOTHER COMMUNICATION THIS YEAR THAT REPEATS THE WARNINGS AGAINST AFTERMARKET CHROMING. NO DEFECT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT NISSAN WHEELS.THERE HAVE BEEN NO WHEEL SEPARATION INCIDENTS INVOLVING THOSE WHEELS AND THEY PASSED THE SAE RADIAL FATIGUE, CORNERING AND SIDE IMPACT TESTS CONDUCTED BY VRTC.WHILE THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW COMPLAINTS, WARRANTY CLAIMS AND SURVEY RESPONSES INDICATING CRACKS IN ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT WHEELS, THEY ARE FEW IN NUMBER, OFTEN EXHIBIT EVIDENCE OF IMPACT DAMAGE AND MAY SOMETIMES INVOLVE CRACKS IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS OF THE WHEEL.AT THIS TIME, IN VIEW OF THE LIMITED INCIDENCE OF THE CRACKS AND THE FACT THAT THE CRACKS DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE PROGRESSED, FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES ON THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE WHEELS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED.SEE DOCUMENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CLOSING RESUME.
- PEPE06050CLOSEDOpened 11/9/2006WHEEL FAILUREWHEELS:HUBCAP/COVER
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED PE06-050 BASED ON TWO CONSUMER COMPLAINTS ALLEGING INCIDENTS OF WHEEL SEPARATION WHILE DRIVING DUE TO SPOKE FRACTURE.ONE OF THE INCIDENTS RESULTED IN A CRASH AND SERIOUS INJURY WHEN THE SEPARATED WHEEL STRUCK A CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER ON A MOTORCYCLE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. DURING PE06-050, ODI DETERMINED THAT BOTH INCIDENTS OF WHEEL SEPARATION INVOLVED NISSAN WHEELS THAT WERE SUBJECTED TO AN AFTERMARKET RE-CHROMING PROCESS.BOTH INCIDENTS OCCURRED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.INFORMATION PROVIDED BY NISSAN SHOWED THAT PROBLEMS WITH RE-CHROMED WHEELS WERE CONCENTRATED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN CALIFORNIA.NISSAN HAS ISSUED DEALER BULLETINS, MOST RECENTLY IN AUGUST 2006, WARNING AGAINST RE-CHROMING WHEELS BECAUSE THE PROCESS MAY DAMAGE WHEELS.NISSAN ALSO SUBMITTED COMPLAINTS AND WARRANTY CLAIMS CONCERNING CRACKED SPOKES IN ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT NISSAN ALLOY WHEELS.THESE CLAIMS AND COMPLAINTS WERE NOT CONCENTRATED IN ANY PARTICULAR GEOGRAPHIC REGION, BUT WERE FEW IN NUMBER.ACCORDING TO NISSAN, MOST OE ALLOY WHEELS WITH CRACKED SPOKES CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO IMPACT DAMAGE. THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA07-005) TO FURTHER ASSESS THE CAUSES OF SPOKE CRACKING IN ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT NISSAN WHEELS AND IN WHEELS SUBJECTED TO RE-CHROMING AND TO ASSESS THE RISK OF ADDITIONAL WHEEL SEPARATIONS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.