Coil Spring Covered Under Nissan Powertrain Warranty?

[thinkxingu]

Hi All,
Dealer's closed and I'm in a strange position--long story short, our 2010 Nissan Versa is at the local repair shop with a broken front passenger spring and, as a result, shredded tire. The tire has road hazard, so that's covered, but not sure if the spring will be covered by Nissan under the 5/60K powertrain warranty (car has 54K, so out of bumper-to-bumper).

Anyone know?

S

 

[semipro]

I don't know but can't imagine a suspension component like a coil spring would be covered under a "drive train" warranty.
I'm not even sure the tire would be covered since the cause was a mechanical failure of the suspension not anything external to the vehicle.
Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Hogwildz]

As suggested, the coil spring is not part of tthe powertrain, therefore I doubt it will be covered under the powertrain warranty. It is also a wear item, which most are not covered unless it is proven it is defective. And lastly, if it was by chance covered, it would be subject to betterement. Got a feeling your going to eat that puppy. You should really have both sides done at same time.

 

[heat seeker]

Ford Taurus' had a recall because road salt would eat the front springs, which would break and tear up the tires - sounds like your situation. Perhaps Nissan had a similar problem - it's worth looking into.

 

[semipro]

Ford Taurus' had a recall because road salt would eat the front springs, which would break and tear up the tires - sounds like your situation. Perhaps Nissan had a similar problem - it's worth looking into.

Great suggestion. You can look up Technical Service Bulletins online to see if your problem is a common one possibly covered under an "unofficial" recall.

 

[thinkxingu]

My research shows it's a fairly common problem, but it looks like the applicable tsb's are older model years. I'll call dealer and see what they say- fingers crossed!

 

[Highbeam]

I can't imagine a broken coil spring on a car would ever be considered anything but a defective spring. I would not classify it as a wear item for any spec other than ride height, meaning, normal wear would be for the spring to settle but not snap.

Maybe this is a salt country thing.

 

[heat seeker]

Maybe this is a salt country thing.

Yes, it is. Ford offered to install a shield to protect the springs from road splash/salt at no charge.

 

[thinkxingu]

After a ton of research, I got the sense that Nissan 1. Has not accepted this is a problem, even with lots and lots of the same problem and 2. Is not very supportive of out-of-warranty claims--the most I saw was one person getting $125 and a free tow. Since the tow was free anyway (State Farm Insurance), I had my local shop do the repair as the $650 price including struts was a much better deal than Nissan's $700 for springs and strut bearings only.

This is why I only like owning cars in warranty!

Thanks, all!

S

 

[nick123]

I would say no...Powertrain is engine and transmission..I sell Nissan's for a living..Sorry for your situation...

 

[homebrewz]

Ford Taurus' had a recall because road salt would eat the front springs, which would break and tear up the tires - sounds like your situation. Perhaps Nissan had a similar problem - it's worth looking into.

FWIW, I had a '99 Taurus for a while and had this done under recall. They installed these round plates at the base of each front spring that would help to encapsulate the spring in case of failure.

Sounds like this issue is over, but keep your repair paperwork. If they decide to do a recall later, they might eventually reimburse you for the work.

 

[nick123]

I would have a midas or your local trusted mechanic do this work for you...you'll pay more at the dealer..the only time i would use a dealer is for engine/transmission tweaking or warranty work...good luck!

 

[Hogwildz]

I can't imagine a broken coil spring on a car would ever be considered anything but a defective spring. I would not classify it as a wear item for any spec other than ride height, meaning, normal wear would be for the spring to settle but not snap.

Maybe this is a salt country thing.

A spring is a wear item, as are shocks, tie rod ends, king pins, etc. Not saying there is not the possibility of a defect in the part, but good luck proving that.
I see broken springs here and there for insurance claims. Springs can and do break over time.
Not his case, but in the insurance world, if a spring breaks and caused other damage, the other damage is covered but not the spring, as it is a mechanical failure.
Even if a spring is damaged in a wreck, and covered by the ins. company, they will charge a betterment back against it specifically because it is a wear part.

Sounds like he had the parts replaced, and is back on the road.

 

[TMonter]

After a ton of research, I got the sense that Nissan 1. Has not accepted this is a problem, even with lots and lots of the same problem and 2. Is not very supportive of out-of-warranty claims--the most I saw was one person getting $125 and a free tow. Since the tow was free anyway (State Farm Insurance), I had my local shop do the repair as the $650 price including struts was a much better deal than Nissan's $700 for springs and strut bearings only.

This is why I only like owning cars in warranty!

Thanks, all!

S

Not having a car payment is much better than worrying about a car being in warranty all the time. Consider how often you have a problem and the cost of repairs versus the cost of a car payment every month.

There certainly is a point of diminishing returns as a car ages but most reasonably reliable cars won't cost more per year to repair than the yearly cost of a car payment.