My rear cargo door cracked spontaneously?

[JMO612]

I have a 2004 Murano with just over 100K on it and it is awesome! However, I just realized there is about a 3" crack on rear cargo door on the driver side about 1/3 of the way up. It starts just right of the driver side tail light moving diagonally to the right. Nothing was lodged in the tail gate nor was the cargo area over-packed with the door forced shut, so I cannot imagine why this would happen. Has anyone ever seen this or heard of this happening? I talked with a local Nissan dealer and the service manager said he has never seen this and suggested there had to be something in the way of the door when it closed to cause the flex in the door and subsequently the crack. I know that didn't happen which is why I am perplexed? I would like to think the door could handle that happening had it actually happened. What is the cargo door made of and how would anyone suggest I fix it? I talked with a local body shop and they estimate it at over $700 for the "proper" repair. My wife just had a baby (which is why we traded the Maxima for the Murano) and that repair isn't in the cards. Any suggestions?

[Pilgrim]

I believe it's a Fiberglass door, and those can crack....although I am surprised it did. $700 doesn't seem excessive for a repair and repaint.

If you can't afford to fix it I suggest stop-drilling a hole at the end of the crack to keep the crack from extending any farther. This may not be intuitive, but it's the only way I know of to stop such a crack from traveling across the material.

If you do that, DO NOT use silicone sealer on the crack and hole, use a latex caulk. Silicone will create problems for the eventual repair by messing up the paint.

[njjoe]

JM-

That is a new one. I do not recall ever reading about a cracked liftgate.

If at all possible, please post a photo of your liftgate.

Has the crack grown since you first discovered it?

The liftgate is a plastic skin covering a metal frame. I am not even sure if the plastic skin is repairable. WorldPartsExpress.com lists the plastic skin and metal frame as a single component for $634.

A less expensive option would be to source the liftgate from a salvage yard. Installation is fairly straight-forward but you still are looking at several hundred dollars.

-njjoe

[JMO612]

I think I attached these images correctly. I taped the crack to avoid getting moisture in it. It has snowed here in MN a couple times now I don't want anymore damage to occur.

[Pilgrim]

Is that crack in the class, or the liftgate? What color is the liftgate? I can't tell where on the liftgate the problem is - the photos are great for detail, but I can't tell where the crack is. Can you provide a description or a wider shot?

If it's in the material of the liftgate, what I would consider doing is to drill about a 1/4-inch hole at the end of the crack to keep it from spreading. Cracks are caused by stress, and they tend to keep moving. Drilling a hole at the end of the crack spreads the stress around a circle and tends to stop the crack at that point.

Here's an article on stop-drilling: http://www.mechanicsupport.com/metal_fatigue_crack.html

After drilling, I'd use either a clear or appropriate colored latex (not silicone) caulk to seal the hole and crack, not tape. Tape doesn't work well to seal out moisture, it leaves a nasty residue and looks nasty.

You might want to stop at a body shop if you know one and run my idea past them - many of them are willing to share advice.

[JMO612]

The pics are rotated incorrectly and don't really show where the crack is. It is in the lift gate and not the glass. The crack is about 1/3 of the way up on the driver side just to the right (about half-way up) of the driver side tail light. I know the tape looks terrible, but it was only to keep out moisture temporarily. I found the crack when we were out of town and just before we got snow. I figured it was better than nothing.

I will try to drill a hole to stop the crack and find some latex adhesive to fill it. I may as well try to do it myself cause if I mess it up the end result would be the same as if I just took it in to the body shop.

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by JMO612

The pics are rotated incorrectly and don't really show where the crack is. It is in the lift gate and not the glass. The crack is about 1/3 of the way up on the driver side just to the right (about half-way up) of the driver side tail light. I know the tape looks terrible, but it was only to keep out moisture temporarily. I found the crack when we were out of town and just before we got snow. I figured it was better than nothing.

Makes perfect sense!!

I will try to drill a hole to stop the crack and find some latex adhesive to fill it. I may as well try to do it myself cause if I mess it up the end result would be the same as if I just took it in to the body shop.

I agree. Might as well give it a try, and the price is right.