It's a really fun group that meets at Starbucks on Saturdays. I drive down from B-more on occasion. It's always a good time. :icon17:

Are there any pics of the damage?

Maybe we could hook up and you could lead the way.

My son took pictures but, I do not have them up yet. The inspector comes tomorrow to give me the news.

Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to update on the runaway car. An engineer was here today and the remote start was faulty. The car started 3 times by itself. The man wasn't even pushing the button. He was shocked and so was I. The inspector couldn't give me an estimate because it has to be lifted. He said that the support around the radiator is broken and it isn't safe to drive. There are so many " what if's " in this. If this goes where I think it may have to ....... I might lose my 40th edition Z. What if there aren't any others out there anymore? I was told that I may have to live with that and to give it some thought. So, the car is sitting in my driveway, not able to be driven, awaiting the next step. Right now, I don't even know what that might be. Any suggestions?

There's still quite a few 40ths to be had. Wouldn't worry about it, though if it does come down to a replacement I'd get on it pretty quick. But support around the radiator...might still be repairable. Won't be pretty, but repairable.

Also, faulty remote starter is almost grounds for a lawsuit.

I know there are some 40th's out there but, I am concerned about how long this might take. I don't want an ugly car that is just pieced together. I bought it for several reasons. Once I found out the remote was faulty, I knew I had to do something. I am awaiting reports from the engineer and the insurance company. That itself will take awhile. After that, I guess I will have to consult an attorney. I am not a sue happy person and really don't know how to go about it.........I will be patient and wait though. One step at a time. I just hate the fact that my car is sitting out there and I am paying on it and can't drive it.

Hey Jeff,
I was told by the engineer that there are two failsafes. One in connected to the emergency brake and the other to the gears. So, if the car was in first gear it should not start. This type of fail safe was not put in my car. The emergency brake one was..........but, it didn't do anything to help. I was so shocked when I witnessed this car starting with no one touching the remote, not once but, 3 times. It was a frightening thing to watch. My thoughts, and some of you probably wouldn't agree...... I want a new 40th. The one I have scares me now. If they did cut the clutch wires........they would have to replace the wires with a factory made wire harness..........no duct tape on my car. I'm a laid back person and this is something new to me. I don't want people to get into trouble, but, I could have been killed or someone else. As I have said before.....if they had said, this can be dangerous, your car could drive itself........I would NEVER had it installed. Now, much less the car likes to start on its own without depressing the remote. Please, I beg everyone of you who may have thought about remote start...........not to do it.

I'm with you. I'm not one for lawsuits either. I'd definitely want a replacement. Especially since it's a limited edition car. They, through negligence, toasted the value of the car. A lawsuit would cost them a heckuva lot more than a full replacement.

I would absolutely sue the person who installed the remote start for a new vehicle, payments you made with the car down, and any medical care needed as a result. It's not your fault it happened!

Hey Hootie. I had a remote start pager installed on my 20th anniversary Maxima with M/T. I feel your pain. I never had issues though with my remote start. I'm not sure about the Z but the Maxima never started when in gear. The safety switch prevented the car to start when in gear. I'm not familiar with the safety switch on the Z...so I would definitely find out if the remote starter could've been installed without issues when in gear. Maybe an alarm installer can chime in. I would recommend a lawyer for your interest if the issue is not addressed properly by the dealer and insurance comapany. Stay strong from one Nissan Anniversary to another! (Wheh. . .that took a long time to type from my phone.)
Hope everything works out and keep us informed.

Thanks for all the support. I feel like I am in Limbo. I have been waiting for 7 days to figure something out. I am looking for a great attorney to represent me that doesn't live in my county. The dealership I bought the car from has a very large investment here. I'm sure the owners and the attornies sit and have dinner together all the time. My insurance company told me that they have enough on them to get the car fixed with their insurance company but, they can't get me a new car either. I have to make up my mind soon. If I knew how much damage there was, I might give up and keep the one I have......but, I don't know. The one attorney I called is on vacation.......ughhh!!! any lawyers on here that know or want to take my case? If anyone knows a good one in Maryland, let me know. I hate seeing my car just sitting there.

Wow, sorry to hear this, hope everything works our for you.

Remote starts CAN be safe on MT cars, i've had one for 6-7 years now that I installed myself. I installed an older version of a Compustar alarm, however many companies make MT safe remotes starts. It works very simply too, here's some info taken from Compustars FAQ.

Basically, if you leave the car in gear, it stalls where it's parked when you get out of the car. However, I've never had this issue, as you know the cars running still, so you always put it in neutral.


Just some info in case you do want a remote start. If the car gets fixed, have the dealer remove yours and install a legit remote start. The Compustar (and others) even have smart phone apps that let you never have to use your remote again. :)

Hey, great info. I'm still at the lawyer stage. Still don't know a darn thing about who this will go against. I'd love to start a poll to see how many people think I will get a new car or not. Just for fun and to take my mind off of it. I just don't know how to use this thread well enough to do it. LOL Thanks again for the info.