jaak-

I think you are giving NISSANUSA too much credit. You are being overly optimistic if you think Nissan took this action because a single (or even a few) Murano had an incident and caught fire. I am just speculating, but I bet there had to be hundreds of punctured tanks in addition to numerous lawsuits in order for Nissan to initiate this recall. They are not that consumer-friendly that they would issue a recall after just a handful of incidents.

But then again, maybe you are right on target and I am just overly pessimistic when it comes to NissanUSA.

-njjoe

 

Took the MO into the dealer yesterday for another free oil change and inquired about this. The tech said that it's going to be coming out in a Recall and that they haven't received the offical notice yet, so they couldn't do anything. He's got my name and phone number though and they said they would call once it was offically out there for it to be done.

Just FYI.

 

I had my MO at the delarship yesterday to get the steering wheel aligned and have the front lic plate holder installed. The car was aligned but the steering wheel was off by a few degrees. Since my MO is a new 05 with only 500 miles I inquired about the alternator recall. When I picked up my MO at the end of the day they told me the alternator was not affected by the recall but there was a gas tank shield recall. So they went ahead and installed the new shields. They look like they are all plastic and are quite ugly. I will take some pics tonight if anyone is interested. With regards to the alternator, how to I determin if it really is affected by the recall or not?

Pacmo

 

Do a search and you will find affected VINs for the recall.

Please post pictures of the fuel shield... I'm curious.

 

Pacmo-

If your MO came off the boat in August or later then it has the good alternator. The affected VINs are as follows:

2005 FWD: JN8AZ08T*5W300104 thru 302827
2005 AWD: JN8AZ08W*5W400011 thru 404496

Can the new shields be seen from the side or rear?

-njjoe

 

Its good to hear dealers are already getting the correct parts for this recall even though the official date of the recall is still 2 months away.

 

Pacmo-

If your MO came off the boat in August or later then it has the good alternator. The affected VINs are as follows:

2005 FWD: JN8AZ08T*5W300104 thru 302827
2005 AWD: JN8AZ08W*5W400011 thru 404496

Can the new shields be seen from the side or rear?

-njjoe

Thanks for the info. I am pretty sure it came off the boat after august but I will check tonight.

If you are more than a few feet away you can see the shields from the side. I dont think you can see them from the from or back? I will post some pics tonight.

pacmo

 

Bulky plastic shields that hang down to protect the plastic gas tank? I'm liking the sound of this less and less...

 

Bulky plastic shields that hang down to protect the plastic gas tank? I'm liking the sound of this less and less...

Yea ,I was thinking of some cool metal shields when I first heard of this recall. I was a little bummed when I saw the plastic ones they installed. I will post some pics tonight or tomorrow and you guys can decide for yourself.

Pacmo

 

Looking forward to the pics Pacmo. Frankly, I don't think is a major issue (unlike the alternator) and I'm debating whether to even get those suckers put on. Since I tend to keep my vehicles forever, it shouldn't be an issue - except, of course, if I get a puncture in the tank!!

 

Jim C.-

What if you elect to not have the shields installed and the tank gets punctured when the car is out of warranty, will Nissan still repair the tank and install the shields free of charge? I wonder.

-njjoe

 

I havn't crawled under my MO yet to take a look at the expose edge of the gas tank.

But it seems that if the front edge is exposed to rocks etc. being flung from the front wheels. Couldn't we simply get say a strip of Aluminum and attach it to the tank perhaps with construction adhesive?

 

Ok here are a few pics

Pacmo

 

Bottom Right

 

bottom left

 

From the pics, seems doable (homemade shield). The shield would not have to fit all the contours, just protect the front.

From the service manual it seems like the current protection only protects from the bottom. Will Nissan replace this shield or simple put plastic in front?

 

pacmo-

Thanx for the pics.

It's hard to form an opinion on the shield from the pics. They stand out in the photos, but I would expect that once they accumulate some road grime and the shininess wears off they may be less notably. I am just concerned that they may look too "clunky", just like the center muffler (which looks like an add-on, or a design after-thought).

As long as they don't rattle, whistle, thump or contribute any noise then I might not have a problem with the install.

Since it is a voluntary recall, I wonder if the install is mandatory.

Thanx again for the pics.

-njjoe

 

"From the service manual it seems like the current protection only protects from the bottom "
I don't see any bottom protection at all on my '03.

 

What if anything will this do to the airflow under the MO. I doubt that it will improve it any since it looks somewhat blunt relative to the airflow that will hit it. Does that in turn lead to increased noise or drag?

I had anticipated something a little more streamlined. Not sure that I will be early in line to have this installed.

Anyone have any idea as to how many punctured gas tanks have been reported?

 

Before we go knocking Nissan's fuel tank shield, lets remember that this is a voluntary recall campaign and Nissan is stepping up to the plate and doing the right thing. That to me, is all I need to know to get this done to my MO as soon as the part is available at my dealership.

If you are really that concerned about the looks, then it is your choice to run the risk of fuel tank damage, however rare it may be, by not responding to the recall notice.

 

Before we go knocking Nissan's fuel tank shield, lets remember that this is a voluntary recall campaign and Nissan is stepping up to the plate and doing the right thing. That to me, is all I need to know to get this done to my MO as soon as the part is available at my dealership.

If you are really that concerned about the looks, then it is your choice to run the risk of fuel tank damage, however rare it may be, by not responding to the recall notice.

I agree! They may not look so great but when I hear "Risk of fuel tank puncture" no matter what the odds I take it seriously. The last thing I need is 21.7 gallons of premium fuel spewing out and catching fire.

pacmo

 

Also to clear up confusion, Nissan is offering two fuel tank shield kits, one is plastic and one is aluminum. The recall notice, which is now up at NHTSA, says the dealer should use whichever kit they have available.

 

I like MightyMo's sheilds better....

 

Hey not so bad... it distracts you from looking at the center mufler..... what are they thinking? As much as I don't like the appearance I will have it done when they call me. :28:

 

I like MightyMo's sheilds better....

No argument there. He paid for his, Nissan's are free.