1996 Nissan 200SX

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE WIPER ARM LINKAGE DISENGAGED WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE THE WINDSHIELD WASHER/WIPERS WERE ACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, # 98V093000, REGARDING THE WINDSHIELD WASHER/WIPER ARM LINKAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED.

I OWN A 1996 NISSAN 200SX WITH . I PURCHASED THE CAR IN LATE SUMMER OF 2005. ON JULY 5 2006 MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR IN A RAIN STORM AND THE WIPERS STOPPED FUNCTIONING. THE NEXT DAY HE ASKED ME TO LOOK AT THE CAR AND I DISCOVERED THE WINDSHIELD WIPER LINKAGE HAD FAILED AT THE BALL JOINT WHERE THE CONNECTING ROD FROM THE MOTOR JOINS THE PIVOT ROD FOR THE WIPER BLADES. I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM WAS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED IN NHTSA RECALL 98V093000. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALER AND I WAS TOLD MY VIN HAD NO OUTSTANDING RECALLS. I CALLED NISSAN CORP. AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING. HOWEVER, NISSAN IS GOING TO PULL THE ARCHIVES ON MY VEHICLE TO SEE IF IT HAS BEEN SERVICED FOR THIS RECALL. THIS PROCESS WILL TAKE SEVERAL DAYS. EVEN IF THIS CAR WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED FOR RECALL 98V093000, WHATEVER FIX WAS DONE OBVIOUSLY WASN'T SUFFICIENT BECAUSE THE PROBLEM RECURRED. I CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. IF MY VIN NUMBER TURNS OUT NOT TO BE PART OF THE ORIGINAL RECALL GROUP THEN I BELIEVE NISSAN SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO EXPAND THE LIST OF VEHICLES COVERED BY THIS RECALL. *JB

DRIVER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER ARM BALL JOINT FAILED RESULTING IN THE INOPERABILITY OF THE DRIVER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER. ACCORDING TO THE NHTSA WEBSITE, THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. NISSAN SAYS THIS PROBLEM IS VIN NUMBER SPECIFIC AND MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. MY CAR HAS THIS VERY SPECIFIC PROBLEM AND WE BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THE RECALL COVERS SEVERAL YEARS (1995 TO 1998) OF THE MANUFACTURE OF THE CAR AND MINE IS A 1996. ABOUT 500,000 OF THESE CARS WERE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL, WHY NOT MINE? WE ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR IN A RAINSTORM WHICH COULD HAVE KILLED US AT THE LEGAL SPEED OF 65 MPH AT THE TIME OF FAILURE.

WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE IN THE FIRST DAY OF SNOW DURING VERY BAD WHETHER CONDITIONS. TOOK THE CAR TO NISSAN, A 49.99 FEE JUST TO LOOK AT THE CAR. LEFT AND WENT SOMEWHERE ELSE WERE THEY MADE ME AWARE OF A RECALL ON THE PROBLEM AND TO GO BACK TO NISSAN FOR THE REPAIR WHICH SHOULD BE FREE OF CHARGE. AFTER I RETURNED TO NISSAN THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE MADE ME AWARE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER ONLY FOR CERTAIN CARS OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL BUT WITHIN A CERTAIN VIN NUMBER RANGE BASED ON THE MANUFACTURER. IN SHORT, EVEN THOUGHT IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL CAR IT WAS NOT COVER. FURTHERMORE, THE SALE REPRESENTATIVE MADE A PHONE CALL TO NISSAN TO CHECK AND THEY WOULD NO SOMETHING ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2004. I IN DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE CONDITIONS WAS LEFT TO TRY TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME. AFTER I RETURNED HOME, I CALLED THE NISSAN NUMBER LISTED ON THE RECALL (1-800-647-7261) AND SPOKE WITH ERICA. ERICA CREATED A FILE ON THIS COMPLAINT AND ALSO INFORMED ME THAT MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED EVEN THOUGH A RECALL WAS ISSUED ON THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL CAR BUT NOT THE VIN NUMBER. AT THIS POINT I INFORMED HER THAT I WOULD BE CONTACTING THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AS INSTRUCTED IN THE RECALL ANYWAY, SHE STATED THAT THIS WAS NO SOMETHING THAT SHE WANTED ME TO DO THAT IN SHORT, THAT I COULD JUST WAIT UNTIL THE WHETHER WAS DRY AND CLEAR AND GO AND PAY FOR THE REPAIRS NEEDED FOR MY CAR. *NM