[Michael Mullock]

Don't want to burst any bubbles here, but the pictures I see here are of a rusting issue with a control arm. Nowhere am I seeing frame sections rusted.

Rusting is so prevalent that there is insurance just for that. BTW, for Nissan. it's good for 5 years, unlimited miles, common coverage offered for most of the cars on their list.

New Car Rust & Corrosion Warranty Guide (unhaggle.com)

Seeing that the part rusted is an external part, painted with a different process than the whole-body frame corrosion dip, it's actually considered a consumable part. Yes, Nissan has different paint specs for consumable parts. Parts that Nissan know from history that will possibly fail before the life of the vehicle are not given the same treatment. Only the body frame has to last until the vehicle's EOL, which is now rated for 10 years/250K miles.

MM, I know that you're frustrated, I would be too. But from experience, you're going in the wrong direction. You're wasting money sending the part out for analysis.

As a former mechanic, it is a mechanic's duty to report any issue that can potentially affect the drivability. It's up to the vehicle owner at that point if they want the issue resolved. If the issue is severe enough, the garage can prevent the owner from driving the vehicle off the premises, requiring the owner to get a tow truck to remove it.

You were failed in this aspect. If you have copies of receipts of when work was done that would have involved that area, then you have a good chance for some legal recourse.

With these receipts and pictures, you can go to a lawyer and claim "Negligence of Duty.". In other words, the dealer/garage failed to notify you of a seriously potentially dangerous driving situation. The lawyer might send the part out for analysis, but more than likely will subpoena the dealer/garage for the work records, revealing the mechanics who worked on the car in that area who can than be disposed on the condition when they worked on it.

Nissan will never let it get that far. They will settle as soon as they get the request for the work records, if they were the ones that worked on car in that area within the last year. If it was an independent garage, then they can also be sued, but insist that Nissan perform the repairs as part of the settlement. Settlement should include getting the vehicle back to a drivability state, refund any money out of pocket since it started and your lawyer's fees.

If you go this route, expect it to take a while, but the chances greatly increase that you'll get some satisfaction down the road as opposed to the route you're headed.

Good luck.

Have a good day.

Outstanding advice, will keep you updated. MM

 

[PaulDay]

Outstanding advice, will keep you updated. MM

Here, have a little more ammo:

Nissan maintenance service checklist

• Replace engine oil and filter.
• Rotate tires.
• Inspect axle & suspension parts.
• Inspect brake lines and cables.
• Inspect brake pads, rotors, drums & linings.

This is supposed to be done every time a vehicle is put on the lift. Checked and signed by the mechanic.

There should have been a note on the last workorder stating a rusting issue with the rear control arm. If not, then they didn't do their service checklist and lied about when it they signed off.

If it's there, and you signed off when picking up the car, then it will be on you.

This is why it's important for a lawyer to get the full records and go from there.

Again, good luck.

Have a good day.

 

[Michael Mullock]

Here, have a little more ammo:

Nissan maintenance service checklist

• Replace engine oil and filter.
• Rotate tires.
• Inspect axle & suspension parts.
• Inspect brake lines and cables.
• Inspect brake pads, rotors, drums & linings.

This is supposed to be done every time a vehicle is put on the lift. Checked and signed by the mechanic.

There should have been a note on the last workorder stating a rusting issue with the rear control arm. If not, then they didn't do their service checklist and lied about when it they signed off.

If it's there, and you signed off when picking up the car, then it will be on you.

This is why it's important for a lawyer to get the full records and go from there.

Again, good luck.

Have a good day.

Thanks again

 

[chidog]

Maybe this is only a suspension rust out failure. But there are many other instances of unibody frame rust outs as well. I would bet this car may have a problem with that in some area, since this was as bad as it is. Everything I have said still applies. If it is such a know problem then maybe they should have used stainless steel, if they don't know how to preserve the steel they did use.
Hasn't this been happening on Muranos since the beginning? No bubbles have been burst, just another bubble created.

 

[Michael Mullock]

Thanks again

I took your advice and sent this to Nissan;

A Nissan Technical Specialist conducted a detailed inspection of the vehicle and found no evidence of a product problem, failure, or malfunction that may have caused or contributed to the incident.
Based on our inspection of the vehicle and the available information, Nissan North America, Inc. finds no basis on which to offer financial assistance in this matter at this time. If you have not already done so, please refer this matter to your insurance company.

Thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to review your concern.
Sincerely,

Incident Investigation

Actually as luck would have it, Piazza Nissan of Ardmore, on 08/02/2022 did some work on vehicle VIN No.: JN8AZ1MW4DW301652. The work required the car to be put on a lift and the charge was for $1238.50.

On the Invoice 236055, Item B , Health Check, MPI, "Perform Nissan’s 27 point vehicle inspection." Nissan’s Complimentary Multi-Point Inspection (CMPI). There are six categories to the CMPI.
The third category is titled UNDER VEHICLE. The first item is Rear Shocks/Rear Subframe/ Suspension.

No notice either in writing or verbally was given to me advising me of the catastrophic deterioration in that area. The Nissan factory trained mechanics could not see any problems.
I left the agency in total comfort that my vehicle was roadworthy, repaired and inspected by Nissan.

We move forward to your letter of February 27. "A Nissan Technical Specialist conducted a detailed inspection of the vehicle and found no evidence of a product problem,
failure, or malfunction that may have caused or contributed to the incident.”

So we are to believe that two teams of factory trained specialists on two occasions, seven months apart, could see no problem. Well Jeff, I think that is the problem.
How is a consumer supposed to know about a major problem with the safety of a Nissan Murano, when two crack teams of Nissan repair specialists did not notice. Please explain to me how that is possible.

Not trusting Nissan, I had the car towed away to an independent shop that had no problem recognizing the product problem, failure and catastrophic malfunction.

 

[Pilgrim]

Actually as luck would have it, Piazza Nissan of Ardmore, on 08/02/2022 did some work on vehicle VIN No.: JN8AZ1MW4DW301652. The work required the car to be put on a lift and the charge was for $1238.50.

On the Invoice 236055, Item B , Health Check, MPI, "Perform Nissan’s 27 point vehicle inspection." Nissan’s Complimentary Multi-Point Inspection (CMPI). There are six categories to the CMPI.
The third category is titled UNDER VEHICLE. The first item is Rear Shocks/Rear Subframe/ Suspension.

No notice either in writing or verbally was given to me advising me of the catastrophic deterioration in that area. The Nissan factory trained mechanics could not see any problems.
I left the agency in total comfort that my vehicle was roadworthy, repaired and inspected by Nissan.

Well then, your recourse is against the dealer who didn't perform the work you paid for and notify you of the failing suspension member. They're the ones to pursue.

 

[PaulDay]

So we are to believe that two teams of factory trained specialists on two occasions, seven months apart, could see no problem. Well Jeff, I think that is the problem.
How is a consumer supposed to know about a major problem with the safety of a Nissan Murano, when two crack teams of Nissan repair specialists did not notice. Please explain to me how that is possible.

Well, the first one lied about doing the inspection when he was doing the work on the car. This is a failing of the service manager for not reinforcing their 27-point inspection. Dealerships make their money on repairs, so making a mechanic go thru a check list will usually find problems like this on an older car, generating more income for the dealership.

The second one is addressing it from a point of view that this is a normal consumable part and up to the owner to repair. It's just not being said that you should have been notified the last time the car was on the lift of the deteriorating control arm. That is something that they're hoping won't come up, along with proof that the inspection was not done.

Whenever you bring your car to a dealership for servicing, the worst thing is just dropping it off and picking it up. It's just a big black hole to the owner what was really done and not done. You have to rely on what's on the paper.

Make an appointment, plan on staying while having the car serviced if possible. If there's a window overlooking the bay area, plan on staying there and watching your car while it's being worked on. Word will get around and the mechanic will be put on notice that they're being observed. For all they know, you could be someone from an agency looking for issues, kind of like an undercover shopper or fraud investigator.

I actually had a service manager come over to the window where I was watching cats being installed on my 2003 Murano and try to distract me away over to their free coffee bar. I wasn't having it and a few minutes later, there was a little discussion between several mechanics and the service manager. The guy working on my car left and another mechanic took over. When finished and getting the key, I asked why the change in mechanics in the middle of the job. Oh, the mechanic was sick and sent home. My feeling was he was the shop screwup and they didn't want to take the chance on him doing something wrong while being observed.

Have a good day.

 

[Pilgrim]

After some reflection, I bet that service guys HATE having to go to customers and tell them their Pootmobile's rear suspension doodad is rusty and needs to be replaced. All too many customers would assume they're being screwed into replacing parts without need. I'm fortunate that the shop I use goes out of their way to let you know about any item that could need work. They're smart enough to realize that they get some additional work out of that. But I am used to evaluating what they tell me and saying "thanks but no" to items that aren't urgent or important. I can replace a cabin filter or fan belt myself. More important, I have enough automotive knowledge that I can evaluate what they tell me. Knowing the basics of cars is important even if you don't work on them.

At any rate, that might - just might - be a reason it wasn't brought up. But if the rust was severs (and it clearly was) then there is no excuse for not reporting it. They didn't do their job.

 

[Michael Mullock]

After some reflection, I bet that service guys HATE having to go to customers and tell them their Pootmobile's rear suspension doodad is rusty and needs to be replaced. All too many customers would assume they're being screwed into replacing parts without need. I'm fortunate that the shop I use goes out of their way to let you know about any item that could need work. They're smart enough to realize that they get some additional work out of that. But I am used to evaluating what they tell me and saying "thanks but no" to items that aren't urgent or important. I can replace a cabin filter or fan belt myself. More important, I have enough automotive knowledge that I can evaluate what they tell me. Knowing the basics of cars is important even if you don't work on them.

At any rate, that might - just might - be a reason it wasn't brought up. But if the rust was severs (and it clearly was) then there is no excuse for not reporting it. They didn't do their job.

Thank you Pilgrim. I naively thought that Nissan would be concerned about the danger to their other customers. They are not.

 

[Pilgrim]

Thank you Pilgrim. I naively thought that Nissan would be concerned about the danger to their other customers. They are not.

In a legal sense, that's probably irrelevant to your situation. What I think matters (and perhaps might be actionable) is the faulty work of the dealership's service department.

The larger issue is noble and all that - but the rubber meets the road where you can find fault, and IMO that's the dealer, not Nissan.

 

[PaulDay]

Actually as luck would have it, Piazza Nissan of Ardmore, on 08/02/2022 did some work on vehicle VIN No.: JN8AZ1MW4DW301652. The work required the car to be put on a lift and the charge was for $1238.50.

On the Invoice 236055, Item B , Health Check, MPI, "Perform Nissan’s 27 point vehicle inspection." Nissan’s Complimentary Multi-Point Inspection (CMPI). There are six categories to the CMPI.
The third category is titled UNDER VEHICLE. The first item is Rear Shocks/Rear Subframe/ Suspension.

I was talking with a friend of mine, a retired corp. lawyer that I've requested help from in the past. He was looking at your issue from Nissan's point of view and how they'd react.

The first question that he had was: "What was the miles between 8/02/22 when serviced by Nissan and when it failed."

The less the miles, the better. If it's under 1k, then it's a no brainer that the check list was not performed.

Several take-aways from his conversation.

First, Nissan as a corporation will involve legal as soon as they get a official "Notice of Discovery" from a lawyer. Needed from them will the tech's signoff, any written/video pertaining to the 27-point inspection training.

Guess what, Universal Nissan has a training video used for new techs. It's posted on YouTube!

Nissan Service: Multi Point Inspection - YouTube

2:35 - 2:40 First tech states that the other tech was doing an underbody inspection. You can see the other tech moving from the back towards the front driver's side suspension and starting to check it with a light wand.

If your tech had inspected the rear suspension in this manner, then he would have surely seen the excessively rusted suspension part and should have checked the inspection report with that information so it could be passed to the customer.

Second is that all that is really needed to win is the "Notice of Discover" letter sent asking for the tech's signoff, written/video of training, and any shop camera surveillance video pertaining to your vehicle's repair.

With the letter also describing the danger of failure at highway speeds, possibly causing the vehicle to overturn and flip causing serious injury to the occupants, and photos of the rusted part and failure. Also, that you as the owner rely on the dealer to be truthful with their inspection report to notify you of any potential driving safety issues.

After research on their part, they will probably see it as a no-win situation and offer a settlement.

Third, the thing about a tech required to report imminent failure of a part that can cause a car to lose control and crash? Seems that it's stood up in court, even though there no written law. In other words, there's been case precedent resolving this issue.

He said any lawyer can write up a letter in this manner for a flat fee, usually about $500, with the understanding that they will be called if it comes to legal action.

Take everything written here at face value. As he said, no two cases are the same, similar, but still different. But he did say, from his understanding of it, it seems to be a good case in your favor if handled right.

Good luck.

Have a good day.

 

[Michael Mullock]

I was talking with a friend of mine, a retired corp. lawyer that I've requested help from in the past. He was looking at your issue from Nissan's point of view and how they'd react.

The first question that he had was: "What was the miles between 8/02/22 when serviced by Nissan and when it failed."

The less the miles, the better. If it's under 1k, then it's a no brainer that the check list was not performed.

Several take-aways from his conversation.

First, Nissan as a corporation will involve legal as soon as they get a official "Notice of Discovery" from a lawyer. Needed from them will the tech's signoff, any written/video pertaining to the 27-point inspection training.

Guess what, Universal Nissan has a training video used for new techs. It's posted on YouTube!

Nissan Service: Multi Point Inspection - YouTube

2:35 - 2:40 First tech states that the other tech was doing an underbody inspection. You can see the other tech moving from the back towards the front driver's side suspension and starting to check it with a light wand.

If your tech had inspected the rear suspension in this manner, then he would have surely seen the excessively rusted suspension part and should have checked the inspection report with that information so it could be passed to the customer.

Second is that all that is really needed to win is the "Notice of Discover" letter sent asking for the tech's signoff, written/video of training, and any shop camera surveillance video pertaining to your vehicle's repair.

With the letter also describing the danger of failure at highway speeds, possibly causing the vehicle to overturn and flip causing serious injury to the occupants, and photos of the rusted part and failure. Also, that you as the owner rely on the dealer to be truthful with their inspection report to notify you of any potential driving safety issues.

After research on their part, they will probably see it as a no-win situation and offer a settlement.

Third, the thing about a tech required to report imminent failure of a part that can cause a car to lose control and crash? Seems that it's stood up in court, even though there no written law. In other words, there's been case precedent resolving this issue.

He said any lawyer can write up a letter in this manner for a flat fee, usually about $500, with the understanding that they will be called if it comes to legal action.

Take everything written here at face value. As he said, no two cases are the same, similar, but still different. But he did say, from his understanding of it, it seems to be a good case in your favor if handled right.

Good luck.

Have a good day.

Paul Day, thanks so much. The advice and information I am getting on this site is exceptional. Hats off to all of you. Obviously, I am concerned about my vehicle and what happened to me, but I am appalled at the irresponsibility and the cavalier attitude of PIAZZA NISSAN and the Nissan Motor Company. I survived the catastrophic failure of the left suspension. Others will not or have not been so lucky. The indifference by Nissan is simply appalling . My vehicle will be dismantled next week. The agency performing the work will be providing full documentation. After I examine the parts, they will be sent to a specialist forensic laboratory that does materials testing and nondestructive testing.

My last inspection by Piazza Nissan prior to the failure was in August 2022. We have had no snow or ice in this area up to the time of the failure. Common sense suggests that my case is not a singular event. I will be reporting on the findings and would highly recommend those with a similar Nissan Murano, have their rear suspension carefully reviewed by their Nissan inspection shop. Of course I will cooperate with others who are affected. Be Well.

 

[chidog]

Please keep us informed on the findings of the inspection. I hope they do an indepth inspection of other areas that could be prone to rusting as well as the original problem. Make sure they explain the reason for that rust out (poor anti rust treatment / inferior materials etc.) and also have them explain what would have prevented that from occurring. There is no excuse for that happening period. Maybe those components should be immersed in a zinc plating solution and then painted, I don't know for sure. I do know those parts should be treated like they are to be used in a marine environment, the question is how would they be made or protected if they were to be used on an aircraft carrier deck environment?

All those cars should have a safety recall right now. And no Nissan crying about it being an old (10 years) car. There are thousands of aircraft flying that are many times older than that. When there is a problem on an aircraft a fix is done. If these car makers don't want expensive law suits or recalls, then just simply do it the correct way the first time. When will they learn?
Like others say this is a dealer problem, and it is also a manufacturing problem. Simple stuff, any engineer knows steel will rust, and rust alot in a salt environment, and is why this is also a manufacturing issue.

 

[Pilgrim]

Age isn't always the issue. Look at the Tabata recalls that are ongoing with cars that are 15+ years old.

 

[Michael Mullock]

Please keep us informed on the findings of the inspection. I hope they do an indepth inspection of other areas that could be prone to rusting as well as the original problem. Make sure they explain the reason for that rust out (poor anti rust treatment / inferior materials etc.) and also have them explain what would have prevented that from occurring. There is no excuse for that happening period. Maybe those components should be immersed in a zinc plating solution and then painted, I don't know for sure. I do know those parts should be treated like they are to be used in a marine environment, the question is how would they be made or protected if they were to be used on an aircraft carrier deck environment?

All those cars should have a safety recall right now. And no Nissan crying about it being an old (10 years) car. There are thousands of aircraft flying that are many times older than that. When there is a problem on an aircraft a fix is done. If these car makers don't want expensive law suits or recalls, then just simply do it the correct way the first time. When will they learn?
Like others say this is a dealer problem, and it is also a manufacturing problem. Simple stuff, any engineer knows steel will rust, and rust alot in a salt environment, and is why this is also a manufacturing issue.

I will share my experience and get to the bottom (Pun intended ) of this. On vehicle aging, the average age of all US vehicles is 12 year. Half the cars on US roads are over 12 years old. With that in mind, perhaps Nissan inspection standards should be ramped up as their cars age. Nissan has to be aware of this, if not before, they obviously are now. All the Nissan mechanics know the inspection process is flawed as the procedures do not cover an in depth look of the rear suspension.

Chidog makes a good point about air frames. When I enlisted in the USAF at 17 (now 60 years ago) we were flying B52's. They are still flying them. Can you imagine any aircraft builder ignoring fallen wings? Another example is your house. You certainly expect the foundation to outlast the roof, windows and appliances.
When a building inspector examines a house, the first issue is the foundation.

The suspension is the foundation of an auto mobile. 65 mph is an average speed on our interstates. Imagine a teenager or inexperienced driver facing a catastrophic failure of the suspension. I was lucky. So was Nissan, but if they think for one delusional minute the only way to determine the highway worthiness of their cars, they are in for a shock.

 

[chidog]

Hey MM, I just did a search on this site here. And there is plenty of cases of this happening. How are they getting away with this? I sure hope you open that can of worms.
They should be forced to fix this on all the cars. Again do it right the first time and this won't happen. This is well known in the first gens and you mean its still an issue in a 2013?
Why? Its almost similar to inferior parts in the CVT transmissions.
So what would happen if someone did something that was meant to cause a persons car to crash, at some point in the future? What would that be called?
Since this is so well known for years, you would think by now this is considered something done on purpose.


There are more than this below.

Rusted subframe part name?

Does anyone know the name of this cracked / rusted part? Its attached to the rear tie rod. The Other side is still intact but just as rusted. The rear wheels seem to be angled inwards....

www.nissanmurano.org

2009 Nissan Murano with a rusted subframe

Hello, everyone, I have a 2009 AWD Nissan Murano SL with 112k miles on it that's in very good condition with one major issue: I found out yesterday that the rear cradle is extremely rusted, and the subframe has sheared in two where it connects to one of the control arms for the rear driver's...

www.nissanmurano.org

Murano "Subframe" (K-Frame) Catastrophic Failure

2006 Murano SL AWD, 155000 miles, Rear "Subframe", "K-Frame" or "Cross member" (Nissan part number for mine is: 55400-CC00A. OEM part from Nissan: $1100.00. Labor Est. $1700.00). Well known issue and well documented, complete failure, due to rusting from the inside out and breaking in half...

www.nissanmurano.org

Rusted rear subframe.

My son had the same problem with his Murano 2007 SE. While driving 55 mph he suddenly couldn't steer properly. Luckily he was able to get off the highway. Had car towed to repair shop and mechanic said he had never seen a frame rust that bad. He filed a road hazard claim with his insurance...

www.nissanmurano.org

 

[Michael Mullock]

Hey MM, I just did a search on this site here. And there is plenty of cases of this happening. How are they getting away with this? I sure hope you open that can of worms.
They should be forced to fix this on all the cars. Again do it right the first time and this won't happen. This is well known in the first gens and you mean its still an issue in a 2013?
Why? Its almost similar to inferior parts in the CVT transmissions.
So what would happen if someone did something that was meant to cause a persons car to crash, at some point in the future? What would that be called?
Since this is so well known for years, you would think by now this is considered something done on purpose.


There are more than this below.

Rusted subframe part name?

Does anyone know the name of this cracked / rusted part? Its attached to the rear tie rod. The Other side is still intact but just as rusted. The rear wheels seem to be angled inwards....

www.nissanmurano.org

2009 Nissan Murano with a rusted subframe

Hello, everyone, I have a 2009 AWD Nissan Murano SL with 112k miles on it that's in very good condition with one major issue: I found out yesterday that the rear cradle is extremely rusted, and the subframe has sheared in two where it connects to one of the control arms for the rear driver's...

www.nissanmurano.org

Murano "Subframe" (K-Frame) Catastrophic Failure

2006 Murano SL AWD, 155000 miles, Rear "Subframe", "K-Frame" or "Cross member" (Nissan part number for mine is: 55400-CC00A. OEM part from Nissan: $1100.00. Labor Est. $1700.00). Well known issue and well documented, complete failure, due to rusting from the inside out and breaking in half...

www.nissanmurano.org

Rusted rear subframe.

My son had the same problem with his Murano 2007 SE. While driving 55 mph he suddenly couldn't steer properly. Luckily he was able to get off the highway. Had car towed to repair shop and mechanic said he had never seen a frame rust that bad. He filed a road hazard claim with his insurance...

www.nissanmurano.org

There must be a data base of injuries and fatalities of Nissan Murano owners who "Lost Control". I was fortunate as I was driving on an incline at aprox 30 mph and was able to bull bull the car off to to the right side of the road. I called the police and they sent out a patrol car who pulled behind be to protect my six. We backed it off to the verge out of traffic. Backing the car up, the broken wheel returned to 90 degrees and we got it off the road. The moment that I tried to move forward, the wheel collapsed again. The police officer said he never saw anything like this. I have the incident report number. Anyone driving such a defective Murano, involved in entering or leaving a highway at speed, would lose all control of the car.

Hydrogen embrittlement is the likely cause.
High-strength carbon steel and low alloy steels are the alloys most vulnerable to hydrogen embrittlement. Steels with an ultimate tensile strength of less than 1000 MPa or hardness of less than 30 HRC are not generally considered susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. (Another example can be found in the article Hydrogen Embrittlement Issues with Zinc: New Guidance Discussed .)
Hydrogen enters and diffuses through a metal surface at ambient or elevated temperatures. This can occur during various manufacturing and assembly operations or operational use—anywhere that the metal comes into contact with atomic or molecular hydrogen. An Introduction to Hydrogen Embrittlement

 

[Michael Mullock]

There must be a data base of injuries and fatalities of Nissan Murano owners who "Lost Control". I was fortunate as I was driving on an incline at aprox 30 mph and was able to bull bull the car off to to the right side of the road. I called the police and they sent out a patrol car who pulled behind be to protect my six. We backed it off to the verge out of traffic. Backing the car up, the broken wheel returned to 90 degrees and we got it off the road. The moment that I tried to move forward, the wheel collapsed again. The police officer said he never saw anything like this. I have the incident report number. Anyone driving such a defective Murano, involved in entering or leaving a highway at speed, would lose all control of the car.

Hydrogen embrittlement is the likely cause.
High-strength carbon steel and low alloy steels are the alloys most vulnerable to hydrogen embrittlement. Steels with an ultimate tensile strength of less than 1000 MPa or hardness of less than 30 HRC are not generally considered susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. (Another example can be found in the article Hydrogen Embrittlement Issues with Zinc: New Guidance Discussed .)
Hydrogen enters and diffuses through a metal surface at ambient or elevated temperatures. This can occur during various manufacturing and assembly operations or operational use—anywhere that the metal comes into contact with atomic or molecular hydrogen. An Introduction to Hydrogen Embrittlement

from the same article:"Processes that can lead to hydrogen embrittlement include phosphating, acid pickling, electroplating and arc welding. During these processes, there is a possibility of absorption of hydrogen by the material. For example, during arc welding, hydrogen is released from moisture (for example in the coating of the welding electrodes; to minimize this, special low-hydrogen electrodes are used for welding high-strength steels)."

 

[chidog]

Could be some of it, though mostly its a loss of material thickness over time and then over stress of the material that is too thin for the load, and or pitting that then causes a stress riser, allowing for fatigue cracking to start and slowly progress into that failure. The ultimate problem is the lack of corrosion protection on the material allowing the part's material to corrode (rust), and flake away and reducing the gauge of the steel to a thinner and less strong structure. As well as the pitting described and associated stress riser.

 

[mylilelar]

Should have been spotted long ago during normal car maintenance.

Go after the people who worked on the car and didn't bother to tell you that there was a very obvious rust issue developing with the suspension. A mechanic has a duty to report developing issues like this. If the owner choses to ignore the issue, than this is what happens.

This is a common failure of all autos driven where salt is used on the roads and regular undercarriage inspections aren't performed. I've seen plenty of this in all makes and models.

Have a good day.

View attachment 56306

This is why I have a 93 Mazda 4x4 for skiing. 30 years no salt issue and they use magnesium chloride here. I park the Murano in the Winter and just use it in emergencies. After going to a conference in Illinois several years ago, it seemed like no cars were over 7 years old. That is a huge amount of rust and it's amazing no one caught it or if they even cared.