Recall - D40 Navara & R51 Pathfinder Hood Latch

[Aussie Frontier]

Well mate when you've hung around race tracks as long as both of us have you already know the answer to that question, but given the way they've tried to fix your paintwork what did you expect....

You might find this shot more interesting

DAMM what breed bar is that?

Yeah Im surprised they come up with something so half assed.I still dont see how the stock clip can let go that bad that the bonnet flips open.
I would have gone with something more like a big spring type clip that you could fould out of the way. When you lowert the bonnet u hold the spring deal forward and it slots over a bolt in the support panel.To open the bonnet you lift it to the safety latch and then pull the springy deal forwards so it comes over the bolt and the bonnet open .
This thing with the cable just looks really piss poor engineering to me .

 

[Old.Tony]

What they need to do is provide a strengthened loop on the bonnet. From what I can gather, it's not the latching mechanism that lets go, it's the D-loop - I've looked at mine, and I can't say I'm confident about the weld.

Do I want one of these stupid cables stuck in there? Not really. I'll discuss that one with the service manager.

 

[Stomper]

I agree, i seriously dont want a secondary strap, how hard is it to put a decent weld on the loop??
That is a lame fixup..
I look forward to my meeting with Nissan if that is the case.

 

[Bosshog]

What a joke! Not good enough!

 

[Aussie Frontier]

Spoke to the guys at the stealership this arvo and basically they do nothing on the 4x2 .I asked how urgent it was and was told basically if there is bugger all wear on the locking hoop thingy then not much to worry about but still needs to get done. Apparently some of the locking hoops have been wearing through and thus the recall.
I asked if they knew how much the factory alloy bar weighed and they honestly didnt know. Now these guys have been more than helpful with my truck so they were not trying to dodge the issues.
They do certain inspections depending on what type of truck it is and what it has bolted on. They check the locking hoop, the front ride height etc to see if the front has dropped.
Now I may not be the sharpest tack in the pack but I fail to see how the suspension height or bullbar weight has anything to do with the bonnet locking hoop.

 

[Old.Tony]

Let's put a few "ifs" together.

If the hoop on the bonnet is not strong enough or welded properly; and

If there is enough weight on the front end; and

If the suspension has sagged causing a possible worse vibration issue; then

it is possible for the bonnet to come flying open when it hits a hard enough bump because of the weight and the sagged suspension.

Let me also surmise that:

If you inspect my Navara and determine that it is at risk; and

If you try to put a Lego-shaped Great Wall solution into my Navara; then

I'm going to be very, very unhappy and will let you know about that in very clear terms.

 

[ants_oz]

For the number of times that I open the bonnet on my Navara each month, the strap - while a dodgy solution in my opinion - is sufficient if it helps reduce the likelihood of a "worst case" scenario occurring.

For what it's worth, no vehicle is perfect, and for my part, I'm not overly concerned about the very minor inconvenience of having to undo an additional securing strap each time I lift the bonnet, then resecure it when I lower the bonnet.

Sure, the engineering could have been thought through a little better, but in the end, all the whinging in the world won't change things.

 

[rescue]

The problem is that it is an ugly fix and it doesn't work, each time I have checked it since installation the cable has become detached from the bottom bolt and obstructed access to the hood release.

In other words it doesn't stop the bonnet from opening at the wrong time but makes it far more difficult to open it at the right time....

 

[ants_oz]

I've only checked mine twice, and both times it was still attached. While I agree there could have been a neater engineering solution, there are plenty of "what if's" and "maybe's" out there....for example...why don't they use better lacquer on the steering wheel plastic...why are the bottom of the radiators so vulnerable....why run the rear ABS wires in such a rotten location......

Just another one to add to the list. Nothing to get upset about.

 

[montana]

an extra dodgy strap like that to undo in a accedent / under bonet fire = 1 burnt out ute and possable further injury to occupants

 

[ants_oz]

an extra dodgy strap like that to undo in a accedent / under bonet fire = 1 burnt out ute and possable further injury to occupants

Ummm....you don't lift the bonnet in the event of an underbonnet fire - all you are doing in that case is allowing the easy entry of more oxygen.

A single extinguisher (of the approximate size carried in most vehicles) won't put out an underbonnet fire anyway...you'll slow it down a little....hopefully enough until someone else arrives with another extinguisher etc...but you aren't going to stop the fire - so you'll end up with a burnt out ute anyway.

In case of accident, why would you want to lift the bonnet? To remove the battery cable? Most modern vehicles "fail safe" and isolate fuel systems if the accident is severe enough to set off airbags. If the battery has shorted out against the vehicle body, then I would suggest that you won't be handling it yourself anyway... In case of an accident, your safest course is to get yourself and other occupants away from the vehicle - unless of course you are a trained emergency services worker and know how to handle such things under the high stress of a serious car accident situation.

Only my opinion of course, but having spent a number of years in the job, I've been to one or two of these type of scenes. Safest course of action is to get well away from it - your ute is insured and can be replaced.

 

[JPMC]

The problem is that it is an ugly fix and it doesn't work, each time I have checked it since installation the cable has become detached from the bottom bolt and obstructed access to the hood release.

In other words it doesn't stop the bonnet from opening at the wrong time but makes it far more difficult to open it at the right time....

If I was you I'd take it back to the dealer and get it sorted because if you have a problem down the track Nissan will come back and say it's your fault for not having the strap attached.
In Nissan's eye's (or insurance company for that matter) it will be, have no strap and have an avenue for a claim or have strap on and connected correctly and have no need for a claim.
Not saying the catch will fail but if it did better off to have the strap fixed and in place than have to pay for a new bonnet, panel beated roof, new window and paint etc.

 

[the_barra_masta]

Just got mine back...

Hi everyone,

New to the forums... just thought that I'd give you a heads up on how I went with this...

I got the recall letter, rang them up and was told that they were snowed under with recalls, had no parts, so would call me when they were right to go.

They called and I dropped off the ute, left it there for 8 hours (until they called) and went and picked it up, to be told that they put on two stickers (as currently I still have the original bumper on) - I could have done that???

I was getting a new bullbar mounted in a couple of weeks (which I told the dealership), however this was not taken into consideration. As the inspection has now been completed, I've been told that it is up to me to pay for any corrections required ($382.00 worth of springs and whatever the latch is worth).

So basically now I have to fork out another $400-$500 to get my bullbar mounted, instead of them informing me and me getting this done before I got it inspected (or doing the ethical thing and correcting it properly in the first place).

Sorry about the rant guys, just not very happy at the moment...

 

[KraftyPg]

As much as that sucks and there is a hundred different ways Nissan could have handled these recalls you can't really blame Nissan for not doing the recall to the standard you may have your vehicle modified to in the future. Nissan only have to modify the cars to a standard that is deemed safe and with each car being different each mod can therefore be different.

As much as I dislike dealers you telling them that you plan to add a bar down the track (no matter whether it's days, weeks or years) means nothing to them, they don't know if you're serious or if your just trying to wrangle some free mods out of them. The other thing is that you could easily have held off getting the recall until after the bar was done if you knew it was going to happen, of course the dealership could also have told you this but thats a dealer issue not really a Nissan issue.

While I do have some sympathy for you because it appears too many dealers are arseholes it does appear that both sides in your case could have done things differently. Anyway welcome to the forums

 

[phil300]

you guys must be quik when I drop my bonnet from about 200cm how do you get your strap on with out getting fingers cautht.

 

[KraftyPg]

For starters I wouldn't drop it from 200cm, that's a big drop!

 

[rescue]

For starters I wouldn't drop it from 200cm, that's a big drop!

Does the bonnet open that far????

 

[phil300]

Well 200mil

 

[KraftyPg]

I never drop the bonnet anyway, I know plenty of people do it and some will even say modern car manufacturers recommend it but I always just lower the bonnet onto the latch then push it down with my hands. I've had people tell me it dents bonnets and all sorts of things but I've never had a problem before and more than likely until such time as I do, or someone expert comes up with unequivocal proof that it's the wrong thing I'll just keep doing it that way so even if I did get the Nissan approved strap fingers being caught still wouldn't be an issue for me.

 

[blue boy]

got mine done the other day. there must be a knack to putting the thing on as mine fell off the 1st time. piss poor design.