2005 Nissan Altima

DUE TO A KNOWN ENGINEERING FLAW, WATER GETS CAUGHT UNDER THE FLOOR BOARDS AND ROTS/RUSTS OUT THE FLOORING. MY FEET ARE ABOUT TO FALL THROUGH THE FLOOR OF CAR. PASSENGER SIDE IS WORSE. THE DEALER/NISSAN IS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND STILL WILL NOT COVER IT. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS. THERE IS A HOLE IN EACH FLOORBOARD THAT WAS PUT THERE INTENTIONALLY. SINCE THERE IS NOTHING STRUCTURAL TO FILL IT WATER CAN GET IN WHEN THE UNDERCOATING DEVELOPS CRACKS. ONCE WATER GETS IN, IT JUST LAYS UNDER THE ASPHALT INSULATION AND BETWEEN THE SHEET METAL AND ROTS FROM INSIDE OUT. I HAD A WARRANTY ON IT AND THE DEALERS I HAVE TAKEN IT TO, MANY TIMES FOR MANY JOBS AND MAINTENANCE, ETC. NEVER ONCE MENTIONED IT. I JUST RECENTLY WAS MADE AWARE OF IT AND NISSAN WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO HELP. THEY ARE WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNLESS MADE TO.

WELL MAINTAINED, GARAGED-KEPT ALTIMA HAD NO VISIBLE BODY RUST ANYWHERE UPON INSPECTION LAST NOVEMBER. TODAY I NOTICED RUSTY FLAKES ON THE FLOOR OF MY GARAGE, AND UPON LOOKING UNDERNEATH THE CAR, FOUND THAT ONE HALF OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR PAN WAS CAVING IN. THIS RUST IS NOT NOTICEABLE TO THE CONSUMER UNTIL THE RUST IS ALL THE WAY THRU TO THE EXTERIOR, AT WHICH POINT THE WEIGHT OF THE FOOT BREAKS IT THRU THE UNDERCOATING. THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOORPAN WAS ALSO CAVING IN. WHEN I TOOK UP THE RUBBER MATS, FLOORMATS, AND CARPET/PAD, I SAW LARGE HOLES ON BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES WHICH ONLY AFFECTED ONE HALF OF EACH FLOORPAN. THESE RUSTED HALVES HAVE A TYPE OF HARD "BLACK SHINGLE" STUCK TO THE FLOOR, AND FROM WHAT I OBSERVED ALSO HAVE A SMALL 3"X3" SILVER PAPER COMPLETELY COVERING WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A DRAIN HOLE. THE UNRUSTED HALVES ARE PAINTED, HAVE NO "SHINGLES" AND NO RUST WHATSOEVER DESPITE BEING BUTTED RIGHT UP TO THE RUSTED HALVES. THESE "SHINGLES" APPEAR TO BE THE PROBLEM, THE RUSTED METAL WAS FIRMLY ATTACHED TO THEM. THIS MUST BE A DESIGN DEFECT OR SOMEONE AT NISSAN DID NOT DO THIER JOB RIGHT (SINCE THE DRAIN HOLES WERE COVERED UP WITH SILVER PAPER). THIS RUST OBVIOUSLY STARTED INVISIBLY FROM INSIDE THE CAR. I WAS ABLE TO EASILY PUSH THE RUSTED METAL THRU - I AM GLAD I WAS ABLE TO DISCOVER THIS BEFORE SOMEONE COULD PUT THIER FOOT THRU THE FLOOR OF A MOVING VEHICLE OR FALL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL DUE TO FUMES. THIS WAS FIXED AT AT COST OF $900 TO ME, BECAUSE I HAVE CHILDREN AND THIS IS A HAZARD. WE ALSO HAVE A 2000 CHEVY, AND A 2005 DODGE, AND NEITHER HAVE SUCH RUST ON/IN THE FLOORPANS, DESPITE BEING PARKED OUTSIDE AND DRIVEN IN THE SAME ELEMENTS. I WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE ALTIMA'S FLOORPAN REPAIR AS THE AMOUNT OF RUSTING IS NOT NORMAL FOR THE CARE TAKEN, AND ALSO IS NOT NOTICEABLE NOR PREVENTABLE BY THE CONSUMER.

I TOOK MY ALTIMA TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND THE MECHANIC NOTICED THE COMMON RUSTING PROBLEM IN MY FRONT PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR BOARD. THERE IS A HOLE ABOUT 3-4 INCHES AND YOU CAN LOOK UP AND SEE THE CARPET. I'M REALLY UPSET AND WASN'T AWARE OF THIS ISSUE WITH ALTIMAS WHEN I BOUGHT MY CAR PREOWNED SIX MONTHS AGO. IT IS IN OTHERWISE EXCELLENT CONDITION, COMPLETELY PAMPERED BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER AND MYSELF, AND SHOULDN'T BE RUSTING THROUGH AT THIS AGE AND WITH ONLY 59K MILES ON IT. DESPITE WHAT NISSAN MIGHT BE CLAIMING, HAVING LARGE HOLES IN YOUR FLOORBOARD IS AN ABSOLUTE SAFETY HAZARD AND I REALLY FEEL CONCERNED FOR THE ALTIMA OWNERS WHO DIDN'T CATCH THE PROBLEM AS EARLY AS I HAVE, OR EVEN HAVE YET TO DISCOVER IT! SOME OF THE HOLES THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED CAN FIT MORE THAN A FOOT THROUGH!! I AM ALSO VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUMES CREEPING IN. NOW THAT I AM INFORMED OF THE DESIGN FLAW, I CAN 100% COUNT ON MY DRIVERS SIDE TO BEGIN RUSTING OUT TOO. THIS IS REALLY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR AND I SHOULDN'T BE REPAIRED IT AS IT IS NO FAULT OF ANY OF US DRIVERS, NOR THE RAIN NOR THE SALT. IT IS A SAFETY DESIGN FLAW AND NISSAN SHOULD RECALL. THANK YOU NHTSA FOR LISTENING! *TR

WHILE I WAS PARKED AT HOME I WAS EXAMINING THE UNDERSIDE OF MY 2005 ALTIMA AND TO MY SHOCK FOUND A 12 INCH BY 10 INCH SECTION OF RUST WITH LARGE FLAKES COMING FROM THE FLOOR PANEL ON MY PASSENGER SIDE. THERE ARE HOLES IN THIS SECTION THAT ARE PENETRATING THROUGH THE LAYERS TOWARDS THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. THE DRIVERS SIDE HAS THE BEGINNING OF RUST AND CRACKING FLOOR PANEL AS WELL. I AM CANNOT BELIEVE THIS, I AM THE SECOND OWNER AND HAVE METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED THE CAR JUST AS THE FIRST OWNER HAD AND THERE IS NO RUST ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE BODY. I RESEARCHED THIS RUSTED OUT FLOOR PANELING AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE NEWS STORIES AND THAT IT IS A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM THAT NISSAN NEEDS TO ADDRESS! I DO NOT FEEL SAFE STRUCTURALLY WITH THE RUST COMPROMISING STRENGTH AND SAFETY AND I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE ANY PASSENGERS RIDE IN THAT SEAT. CLEARLY THERE IS A MAJOR ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME TO REACH THIS EXTENT! I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW BECAUSE OF THE RUSTING OUT OF THE FLOOR PANELS FROM THE INSIDE OUT! I HAD THE RUSTED OUT FLOOR PANELS EXAMINED BY A LOCAL BODY SHOP AND THEY QUOTED ME $2500+ THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS AND LEAVES ME TO DEAL WITH A PROBLEM THAT IS NOT MY FAULT, BUT FAILURE OF THE MATERIALS.

NOTICED A LARGE PIECE OF SOMETHING HANGING FROM UNDERCARRIAGE. TOOK TO BODY SHOP WHO STATED BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDES ARE SEVERELY RUSTED WITH MULTIPLE HOLES UP TO 6 INCHES TOTALLY THROUGH TO CARPET AND INTERIOR. CONSIDERED A SAFETY RISK DUE TO EXPOSURE OF FUMES/GASES FROM ENGINE/EXHAUST AS WELL AS THE RISK OF "FALLING THROUGH". REST OF CAR LOOKS GOOD NO VISIBLE RUST ON FRAME OR REAR. NO HISTORY OF COLLISIONS OR IMPACT DAMAGE. WE ARE NOT IN AN AREA OF GREAT ROAD SALT NEED NOR NEAR AN OCEAN. ESTIMATE TO REPAIR OVER $1000. ADVISED NOT SAFE TO DRIVE OR SELL AS IS. NOTICED IN COMPLAINTS, THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE AT LEAST 2010. WHY HAS A RECALL NOT BEEN ISSUED?