Thursday, October 29, 2015

Nissan Recalling Vehicles for Fuel Leaks

Nissan North America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured March 19, 2015 to June 2, 2015, as well as certain model year 2013-2016 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012 to August 18, 2015.  The recall is said to affect 46,846 vehicles.

According to Nissan North America, Inc., fuel may leak from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank during a crash due to an improperly installed o-ring.  Nissan North America, Inc. admits that if fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.

According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration ("NHTSA"), Nissan North America, Inc. will notify owners directly, and its authorized dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit, free of charge.  The recall began on September 28, 2015.  Owners may also contact Nissan North America, Inc. direct at 1-800-647-7261, and should reference recall 15S16. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safecar.gov.


To read more about the recall, click here.

If you own an affected 2013-2016 Nissan Altima or a 2016 Nissan Maxima, then make sure to get it into an authorized dealer right away. To find a dealer near you, click here.

Do you have a 2013-2016 Nissan Altima or 2016 Nissan Maxima that experienced or is experiencing a fuel leak, but is still not fixed?  If the vehicle was purchased or repaired in Ohio or Kentucky, then you can call Burdge Law Office on our Toll Free Hotline, 1.888.331.6422, to see if we can help you out of your "lemon" vehicle.

Beth Wells
www.BurdgeLaw.com
www.OhioLemonLaw.com
www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com
Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 11 Years Running

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Thinking of Doing a Desk Arbitration with the American Arbitration Association? You May Want to Think Again!

Unfortunately for consumers, it is becoming all too common to see an arbitration clause among the many sales documents in a used motor vehicle purchase.  In most cases, this means that the consumer cannot file a lawsuit in Court, but instead will have to arbitrate his or her dispute with the car dealership in private arbitration.  

One of the most popular private arbitration forums for consumer automobile fraud cases against car dealerships is the American Arbitration Association ("AAA").  With the AAA, a consumer can either arbitrate their claims at an oral hearing, or do what is called a desk arbitration where the decision is made upon written briefs and submitted documents only.

Normally, a benefit to AAA arbitration is that a case gets through the process relatively
quickly. However, that is not always the case.  In fact, even though AAA Rule R-45 requires that a decision be issued by the arbitrator within 30 days of the hearing date, I have a case that has been sitting without a decision for nearly 1 year.  

Is this common for desk arbitrations with the AAA?  Not in my experience.  But is it worth the risk that your client's case will languish in the bottomless abyss where desk arbitration briefs sit waiting for a decision?  My vote is no.  

Beth Wells
www.BurdgeLaw.com
www.OhioLemonLaw.com
www.KentuckyLemonLaw.com
Helping Consumers Get Rid of Lemons, 11 Years Running