Nissan drivers find rusted floorboards after warranty expired

CLEVELAND - It's hard to think about the plummeting temperatures that will hit Northeast Ohio in a few months, but there's something you need to do now to prevent problems this winter.

We all look under our hood to see make sure our car is in good shape, but you really need to be looking underneath the body of you car to figure out if you have a hidden safety problem.

The cold, snowy days that blanket our streets all winter may be to blame for a problem that's firing up Willie Grizzell.

"This part is solid," Grizzell said, as he knocked on the metal flooring of his 2005 Nissan Altima. He pulled back the carpet to find the flooring is not solid. "This part here ain't [solid]. All this is weak."

Grizzell was putting brakes on his car when he noticed rust underneath. He pulled back the carpet on the passenger side floorboard and found rust.

NewsChannel5 found seven other Nissan Altima drivers filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or Consumer Affairs . According to the complaints, it's a problem one driver noticed during an oil change, and another during a state inspection.

What causes rust?

One thing is clear -- the rust is not being caught soon enough.

"It's their fault. It's their steel," Grizzell explained. He wants Nissan to pay for the damage, but he's several months past his 60-month (5-year) corrosion warranty.

Lou Vitantonio of the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association said car companies put a lot of weight into the "timing" of your claim.

"Did you take care of the vehicle and notice there's an issue and bring it in within the warranty period?" Vitantonio said.

Rust doesn't happen overnight and Nissan said in a statement to NewsChannel5 that it needs to be fixed immediately to prevent further damage. 

"Rust showing up on a vehicle is dependant on things like the age of the vehicle, driving habits, area of the country (salt on roads) and whether or not the vehicle is washed regularly to remove salt and dirt. Chemicals used for road surface de-icing are extremely corrosive. They accelerate corrosion and deterioration of underbody components. In winter months, the underbody must be cleaned periodically," Nissan spokesman John Schilling said.

You can typically see the salt on your car in the winter, but a 2007 5 On Your Side investigation found you also need to clean your car in the winter if you don't see anything on it. Calcium chloride is used to treat the roads, but it doesn't always show up on your car. It's there, and it likely caused one driver's brakes to rust.

"Keep the underside of the car as clean as possible," Vitantonio said.

For consumers, that means paying extra at the car wash so nothing eats your car. Regular waxes are also recommend by the manufacturer. The complaints we reviewed were all from cold weather states.

The owners manual of Nissan cars explains that rust can be caused by, "The accumulation of moisture-retaining dirt and debris in body panel sections, cavities, and other areas; damage to paint and other protective coatings by things like gravel or minor traffic accidents; accumulation of sand, dirt and water on the vehicle underside can accelerate corrosion. Wet floor coverings will not dry completely inside the vehicle and should be removed for drying to avoid floor panel corrosion."

After my calls to Nissan, the company offered Grizzell a friends and family discount for the purchase of a new car. He doesn't have the credit to get another car, so he's focused on paying off the one he already has and hoping the rust problem doesn't get worse.

Read your warranty

All drivers need to read their owner's manual and understand what's covered in the warranties and when they expire. Have your vehicle serviced according to the manufacturer guidelines, and have your car checked thoroughly before certain warranties expire.

Some Nissan drivers who complained are finding the rust right after the warranty expired while others don't find it until years later.

Drivers need to understand their warranty can be voided if they don't follow preventive maintenance schedules or if they don't care for their vehicle properly. Don't just throw your owner's manual in the glove box -- read it and understand your rights and responsibilities.

Report problems

Consumers also need to report problems to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . Safercar.gov is a NHTSA website where you can search for complaints, recalls and defect investigations specific to your car model and year. You can also file your own complaint on this site.

The complaints help other consumers decide which car to buy and help prompt recalls and defect investigations.