1.8
hardly worth mentioning- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 93,000 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
This complaint is on 1996 Nissan Altima gxe. On 9/21/03, the car failed to start in the morning even though it had no issues the night beforethe engine turned but would not catch on and ignite. On the following day, a local mechanic found the root cause to be the failed fuel pump, thereby explaining the symptomno fuel to the engine, no ignition. Additionally and more critically, he found that the plastic housing of the power connector (power to drive the pump) was severely damagedit had melted with indications for arcs. The critical aspect is that the burned/arc-ed side of the connector (electrical feed-through) sits inside the fuel tank and would sit in the fuel vapor when the fuel is low in the tank. This combination of arcing and fuel vapor, I believe, constitutes a significant safety issue with potentially explosive consequences. It is very fortunate that this potential for explosion did not materialize. However, the situation, I believe, definitely warrants further investigation by the manufacturer and by NHTSA. Please contact me for further information, including the damaged parts.
- Portland, OR, USA
- Lakeland, FL, USA