| Zorbon |
2 weeks ago, a mini0hurricane hit Kuwait... I was out...nothing happened during the hurricane itself...but while I was driving back home, i went into a road that was about 2 ft high with water.......I thought my Murano could handle it...It didn't. I ended up getting about 1-2 inches of water inside...It seemed that the carpetting was spitting out water...
However, my real problem is that while I was driving in the water, my seat belt felt like it blew up...It retracted so quickly and forcefully, I felt it almost crushed my chest, and I could smell the chemical residue of the airbag, although it didn't come out...(Airbag light on dashboard stayed on )..It's as if I had a collision...
I took it to the dealership...They first said the water must have come from the bottom...a hole in the chasis probably caused by driving over some sharp rock or so...and that there is no way it can come from the doors, as the doors are air tights.
They took out the carpetting and investigated teh whole chasis...No holes..
So they changed their story and said it much have come from the doors, and that they are air tight, but not water tight...
It's gonna cost me in excess of $1500 to get the seatbelts and airbag sensor replaced...
I spoke with the maintenance manager and tried to convince him that it must be a flaw, because that amount of water should not have gone into an SUV in the first place...
Plus, the seat belt system and wiring should be insulated...
I also stated/threatened that I will escallate this as high up in Nissan as it would go...
He said he will get back to me...
So I want your advice fellow Murano owners/enthusiasts..
What do you think? |
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| TheGymKid |
| Good luck with that.. the esculating part. I bought a new Maxima, and it never drove right... pulled to the side. I had it back there 3 or 4 times, they said never felt it, it's me. I brought it to another dealer, they said, YES we feel it, we'll try to fix it... couldn't. I brought it back again to them, they still coudln't fix. Sorry was the best I got... I said it's brand new, I can't drive this, I hate driving it... ended up esculating... they hardly called me back, referred me to another dealer, just Okayed me... no offer to replace or seriously try to fix. I got the run around. I sold the car two years later with 10,000 miles because I hardly drove it, only for work when i had to. Nissan Customer Service is USELESS. USELESS...and I"m sure almost everyone here will back me up when I say they aren't there for their clients once they sell the car. Sorry bro. |
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| Eric L. |
What happened was the water triggered your seat belt pretensioners (they draw the seat belt tight in the event of a collision, much more forcefully than when the seatbelt normally locks).
I think you kind of voided any warranty repairs by driving through such deep water. 2 feet is very deep, and I would never take a vehicle with water higher than the seals on the door.
Your dealer is also feeding you a load of hot air with the comment about "airtight" vs "watertight" - the difference between the two is so miniscule that if air cannot get in, moisture should also not be able to get in (we are talking about sizes on the molecular level here). That said, I doubt any car short of say a dedicated off road vehicle like a Range Rover or Land Cruiser can fjord deep water like that and remain "watertight." To give you an idea of what "off road" vehicles are capable of, the Land Rover LR2 is rated to cross 20" of water, and the height adjustable suspension LR3 is rated for 28" of water. Clearly the Murano cannot safely wade 24" of water!
You might be able to claim this on your auto insurance. |
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| mgthe3 |
Yes, insurance is your best bet.
Something folks don't think about with high water is their wheel bearings. Because of my 4x4 past, I can tell you that experianced off roaders will quickly tell you to NOT submurge your wheel bearings.
Of course, you can do it if you drive straight home and repack all of your bearings. |
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