She's Dead, Jim

waaaasabi · 01-23-2012, 09:45 AM

Hey everyone, so below is a copy of the letter I intend to e-mail to several car sites/blogs. Ken, I linked to your DIY, hope you don't mind

Let me know what you think (i.e. tell me what I'm missing)! Thanks, guys!

[Work Address]

January 23, 2012

[Address]

To the staff of [insert publication name],

Hi, my name is David, and I’m writing to you today because I wanted to alert your publication to a serious issue that has been suddenly arising amongst many Nissan 370Z’s and in particular, the 2009 and early-2010 models. Many owners of such vehicles have reported experiencing the sudden inability to start their cars, and have had to tow their vehicles to dealerships; these failures have been cited as being related to a faulty steering lock mechanism in those earlier models. While dealers have replaced the faulty parts under warranty, those without warranty (and the warranties on 2009 models begin to expire this year) have been stuck with repair bills between $500-$1000. Even worse is that the replacement part is currently out of stock, with wait times varying between two to four weeks.

Upon further investigation, the 370Z community at “the370Z.com” discovered that the scope of the steering lock failure issue spread across several Nissan models, to include the GT-R, Maxima, and Altima. The GT-R received a voluntary service recall for the defective part, but none of the other vehicle models have had the same service notice, even though they share essentially the same part (the failure-prone steering lock mechanism in the 370Z, which was subject to the voluntary recall in the GT-R, is exactly the same part). The voluntary service recall cited an issue with the steering lock unit being “over-oiled” thus causing a failure in the electrical components of the mechanism.

As an owner of a 2009 Nissan 370Z myself, I’m highly concerned with this issue possibly afflicting my vehicle, but Nissan’s response to owners seeking clarification has been resigned to canned responses, telling owners to follow technical service bulletins for all servicing-related information. This is simply unacceptable. The part in question is not a wear-and-tear item by any means, and the fact that Nissan has made no public effort to raise awareness to a factory problem means that owners of Nissan vehicles may suddenly become stranded with a non-operable car. Even worse, Nissan has since removed the unit altogether on their 2012 370Z model, which suggests that they may be aware of the issue (note: this has not yet been fully verified by 2012 model owners, but was reported by a dealer).

Hopefully with your help, this issue will be brought to sufficient light so that owners of Nissan vehicles will be better aware of this potentially stranding issue, and Nissan will be forced to respond with better information – that way, we can all work towards finding a viable solution across multiple platforms. Thank you for your time and your consideration.

For more information on this issue, as it pertains to the Nissan 370Z, please see: DIY: Replace dreaded steering-lock on 2009s and early 2010s.

And, as it pertains to the Nissan GT-R, please see:
DIY Write Up: Steering Lock Fix - NAGTROC - The Nissan GT-R Owners Club

For the Nissan GT-R’s voluntary recall of the defective steering lock unit, please see the attached Nissan Service Bulletin, dated March 18, 2010, Reference #NTB10-025.

Sincerely,

David

onzedge · 01-23-2012, 09:55 AM

That is a well-written letter, Mr. Wasabi.

What can we do to help disseminate it?

waaaasabi · 01-23-2012, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onzedge

That is a well-written letter, Mr. Wasabi.

What can we do to help disseminate it?

I'm going to send it off to Edmunds' Insideline, Jalopnik, and Autoblog. Feel free to e-mail those publications or to submit a quick tip to them regarding the issue; and if you want to copy the e-mail and shoot it to another site that I may have missed, let us know. Basically, if this issue/story gets enough momentum, someone is going to want to pursue it.

And one quick q: Was it verified that the problem Edmunds experienced was the same issue?

kenchan · 01-23-2012, 10:06 AM

sabi- sounds good. please put emphasis that the 370Z is using the exact part that was recalled on the GTR as known 'bad' parts: 48700-JF00A, 48700-JF00B.

why nissan did not 'drill deep and wide' to ensure other platforms were affected beats the hell out of me.

m4a1mustang · 01-23-2012, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

sabi- sounds good. please put emphasis that the 370Z is using the exact part that was recalled on the GTR as known 'bad' parts: 48700-JF00A, 48700-JF00B.

why nissan did not 'drill deep and wide' to ensure other platforms were affected beats the hell out of me.

Bean counters!

onzedge · 01-23-2012, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Bean counters!

waaaasabi · 01-23-2012, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

sabi- sounds good. please put emphasis that the 370Z is using the exact part that was recalled on the GTR as known 'bad' parts: 48700-JF00A, 48700-JF00B.

why nissan did not 'drill deep and wide' to ensure other platforms were affected beats the hell out of me.

Will do!

Westwood · 01-23-2012, 10:25 AM

At lease your engine didnt blow up on the highway

kenchan · 01-23-2012, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westwood

At lease your engine didnt blow up on the highway

too much nawz danger to manifold?

GaleForce · 01-23-2012, 12:14 PM

Looks and reads very well. Thanks for putting in the effort to do this!

+rep Mr.Sabi

Does it make sense to use some social media (Facebook, twitter, etc) to help get the word out? Would it be best to post links to the Sticky'd thread that Mr.Kenchan started?

waaaasabi · 01-23-2012, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaleForce

Looks and reads very well. Thanks for putting in the effort to do this!

+rep Mr.Sabi

Does it make sense to use some social media (Facebook, twitter, etc) to help get the word out? Would it be best to post links to the Sticky'd thread that Mr.Kenchan started?

Thanks, Mr. GaleForce! It was no biggie

Not sure about how effective social media would be in this case, but I guess it couldn't hurt. Personally, I don't have many friends who are car enthusiasts, but I think it would be fairly prudent to inform friends/family who own a Nissan vehicle with this potential flaw.

Also, I've sent out e-mails to the sites that I listed earlier - I will update when I hear back from them (if at all).

kenchan · 01-23-2012, 12:58 PM

also watch out for faux claims that some nissan-hater starts posting up stating they have steering lock failure when in fact they drive a mustang of such.

m4a1mustang · 01-23-2012, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

also watch out for faux claims that some nissan-hater starts posting up stating they have steering lock failure when in fact they drive a mustang of such.

Hey, my Z's steering lock did indeed fail! I just didn't own it at the time.

kenchan · 01-23-2012, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Hey, my Z's steering lock did indeed fail! I just didn't own it at the time.

Vaughanabe13 · 01-23-2012, 01:55 PM

So what are you guys with 09's and 10's doing to prepare for the seemingly-inevitable failure of the lock? I did read about the "hammer tap" and "steering column up and down" suggestions but I have no idea what the success rate is and whether or not that would even help me get out of a jam. I do NOT want to tow this car, but I also don't want to buy the part and do the DIY fix because my warranty will cover the repairs. So what are you guys doing, just waiting until it won't start and then towing?

01-23-2012, 09:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
waaaasabi Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New York City Posts: 491 Drives: '10 Civic (FG1) 5AT Rep Power: 18	Hey everyone, so below is a copy of the letter I intend to e-mail to several car sites/blogs. Ken, I linked to your DIY, hope you don't mind Let me know what you think (i.e. tell me what I'm missing)! Thanks, guys! [Work Address] January 23, 2012 [Address] To the staff of [insert publication name], Hi, my name is David, and I’m writing to you today because I wanted to alert your publication to a serious issue that has been suddenly arising amongst many Nissan 370Z’s and in particular, the 2009 and early-2010 models. Many owners of such vehicles have reported experiencing the sudden inability to start their cars, and have had to tow their vehicles to dealerships; these failures have been cited as being related to a faulty steering lock mechanism in those earlier models. While dealers have replaced the faulty parts under warranty, those without warranty (and the warranties on 2009 models begin to expire this year) have been stuck with repair bills between $500-$1000. Even worse is that the replacement part is currently out of stock, with wait times varying between two to four weeks. Upon further investigation, the 370Z community at “the370Z.com” discovered that the scope of the steering lock failure issue spread across several Nissan models, to include the GT-R, Maxima, and Altima. The GT-R received a voluntary service recall for the defective part, but none of the other vehicle models have had the same service notice, even though they share essentially the same part (the failure-prone steering lock mechanism in the 370Z, which was subject to the voluntary recall in the GT-R, is exactly the same part). The voluntary service recall cited an issue with the steering lock unit being “over-oiled” thus causing a failure in the electrical components of the mechanism. As an owner of a 2009 Nissan 370Z myself, I’m highly concerned with this issue possibly afflicting my vehicle, but Nissan’s response to owners seeking clarification has been resigned to canned responses, telling owners to follow technical service bulletins for all servicing-related information. This is simply unacceptable. The part in question is not a wear-and-tear item by any means, and the fact that Nissan has made no public effort to raise awareness to a factory problem means that owners of Nissan vehicles may suddenly become stranded with a non-operable car. Even worse, Nissan has since removed the unit altogether on their 2012 370Z model, which suggests that they may be aware of the issue (note: this has not yet been fully verified by 2012 model owners, but was reported by a dealer). Hopefully with your help, this issue will be brought to sufficient light so that owners of Nissan vehicles will be better aware of this potentially stranding issue, and Nissan will be forced to respond with better information – that way, we can all work towards finding a viable solution across multiple platforms. Thank you for your time and your consideration. For more information on this issue, as it pertains to the Nissan 370Z, please see: DIY: Replace dreaded steering-lock on 2009s and early 2010s. And, as it pertains to the Nissan GT-R, please see: DIY Write Up: Steering Lock Fix - NAGTROC - The Nissan GT-R Owners Club For the Nissan GT-R’s voluntary recall of the defective steering lock unit, please see the attached Nissan Service Bulletin, dated March 18, 2010, Reference #NTB10-025. Sincerely, David __________________ That's SOOOO not Raven! Last edited by waaaasabi; 01-23-2012 at 09:57 AM.

01-23-2012, 09:55 AM	#2 (permalink)
onzedge A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Battle Lake MN Age: 64 Posts: 183,964 Drives: 370Z 240Z Rep Power: 2684737	That is a well-written letter, Mr. Wasabi. What can we do to help disseminate it? __________________ Koni\|Swift\|Michelin\|Motordyne\|Berk\|RJM Performance\|Gates\|SPL\|Motul\|Technafit\|Ate Super Blue\|Hawk Tommy Kaira\|Momo\|Optima\|Hella\|Hotchkis\|Red Line\|ZSpeed\|Stillen\|B&M\|H&R

01-23-2012, 10:25 AM	#8 (permalink)
Westwood Track Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ottawa,Canada Posts: 745 Drives: C63 AMG Rep Power: 17	At lease your engine didnt blow up on the highway __________________ Mods: Stillen G3 \| Stillen lightweight crank pulley \| Berk hfc's \| Top speed pro 1 CBE \| Jic Magic y pipe \| 20" Vossen 9.5/10.5 \| Megan Coilovers \| Smoked JDM tail lights \| Blacked out headlights \| Sprint booster \| Shine Auto CF Front/Rear lip kit \| Evor R CF Side blades,CF fang cover,CF Nose Audio: Kenwood Excelon DNX9960 \| JL 1000w \| JL 12W6v2

01-23-2012, 12:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
GaleForce A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 21,749 Drives: Varis Arising II Rep Power: 51865	Looks and reads very well. Thanks for putting in the effort to do this! +rep Mr.Sabi Does it make sense to use some social media (Facebook, twitter, etc) to help get the word out? Would it be best to post links to the Sticky'd thread that Mr.Kenchan started? __________________ >>>GaleForce's Build<<< >>>FaceBook @3GsCustoms<<<>>>Instagram @GaleForce370z<<< Varis Kamikaze-Z

01-23-2012, 01:55 PM	#15 (permalink)
Vaughanabe13 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 387 Drives: 09 Nissan 370Z M6 Rep Power: 14	So what are you guys with 09's and 10's doing to prepare for the seemingly-inevitable failure of the lock? I did read about the "hammer tap" and "steering column up and down" suggestions but I have no idea what the success rate is and whether or not that would even help me get out of a jam. I do NOT want to tow this car, but I also don't want to buy the part and do the DIY fix because my warranty will cover the repairs. So what are you guys doing, just waiting until it won't start and then towing? __________________ 2009 Nissan 370Z Touring, w/sport, 6MT, chicane yellow/black.

01-23-2012, 10:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	sabi- sounds good. please put emphasis that the 370Z is using the exact part that was recalled on the GTR as known 'bad' parts: 48700-JF00A, 48700-JF00B. why nissan did not 'drill deep and wide' to ensure other platforms were affected beats the hell out of me.

01-23-2012, 12:58 PM	#12 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	also watch out for faux claims that some nissan-hater starts posting up stating they have steering lock failure when in fact they drive a mustang of such.

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