Complaint 2005521

Complaint Summary

STEERING

Owner Narrative

This request is due to my concern that a possible manufacturing or other defect in the 2024 Nissan Altima’s steering and/or wheel mechanisms caused a sudden loss of steering control and resulted in a collision and serious injuries. The car was taken possession by National Car Rental. I am unsure if the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others, but it has been reported to the manufacturer (Nissan), my insurance company (State Farm), and the car rental company (National). I don't think there were any warning lights. The following is what I experienced. I was driving, passengers were in the front and rear right seats. The car was in the right lane on [XXX] heading into an underpass when the Altima experienced a sudden jolt in the steering wheel with smoke coming out of the steering wheel; steering turned very stiff as if it had lost power and the car pulled to the right and off the road. I struggled to maintain control over the vehicle; nonetheless, given the narrow shoulder of the underpass and the sudden difficult steering, the car collided lengthwise along the passenger side against a cement barrier and metal guardrail. The front and back passenger-side airbags deployed, striking both passengers; rear seat passenger was seriously injured; driver and front passenger were bruised. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.