What 102 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Nissan Juke

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Juke. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle at a store, the contact noticed an abnormally strong fuel odor and fuel leakage underneath the front end of the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. While driving to the residence, the contact became aware that the fuel gauge reading was lowering quickly. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon arriving to the residence, the contact saw smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact reversed to park away from other vehicles. The contact then became aware that a fire had started underneath the hood, and the fire grew quickly. The contact immediately exited the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the vehicle was significantly burned from the front end to the cabin. It was unknown whether a Fire Department report was filed. A Police report was filed. There was no injury reported. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The contact believed that the vehicle was a total loss but had not yet received confirmation from the insurance provider. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V683000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); and associated the failure with the recall. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

NHTSA ODI 11747207

The contact owned a 2013 Nissan Juke. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle suddenly began decelerating to approximately 40 MPH and veering off an exit. The vehicle suddenly backfired, and black smoke came from the hood and rear end. The contact pulled to the side of the road, turned off the vehicle, and exited the vehicle. The contact noticed something small. sparks of fire underneath the body of the vehicle. The contact called the fire department, and at that time, the vehicle had caught fire. The fire department came and extinguished the fire. The police department arrived as well. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and deemed totaled. The fire department made a fire report. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. After the incident, the contact conducted research and found information regarding NHTSA Campaign Number 14V683000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

NHTSA ODI 11732313

ON WED, JANUARY 21, 2015, I ARRIVED HOME AROUND 7PM AND WENT INSIDE. I WAS NOT IN THE HOUSE 5 MINUTES WHEN I HEARD A MASSIVE EXPLOSION IN MY DRIVEWAY. I THEN SAW A BRIGHT ORANGE GLOW OUTSIDE MY WINDOW, WHICH WAS MY CAR ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE DEPT SUPPRESSED THE FIRE AND THAT NIGHT I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY TO REPORT THE INCIDENT. THE CAR (A LEASE), WAS INCINERATED AND DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS BY THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER. MY INSURANCE PAID OFF THE CAR TO THE LEASING COMPANY. WHEN I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE, I SAW A LETTER THE NHTSA SENT TO NISSAN NORTH AMERICA REGARDING A LOOSE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR IN MY 2013 JUKE AND PROMPTED THEM TO ISSUE RECALLS. THAT LETTER WAS DATED DEC 8, 2014. MY CAR WAS, IN FACT, ON THE RECALL LIST AND I FINALLY GOT MY LETTER ONE WEEK AFTER THE INCIDENT. NISSAN WAS VERY SLOW TO INFORM THEIR CUSTOMERS OF A VERY SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY FATAL ISSUE. NISSAN CORPORATE DID AN INVESTIGATION ON MY CAR AND FOCUSED ON THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR. AFTER 1 MONTH OF WAITING FOR THEM TO CONTACT ME, THEY CALLED ME WED, FEBRUARY 25TH, 2015 TELLING ME THAT THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR WAS NOT THE ISSUE, HOWEVER THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO PINPOINT WHAT EXACTLY DID HAPPEN. THEY ADMIT THAT NO EXTERNAL FACTORS COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS FIRE AND THAT IT WAS, INDEED, AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR. THE ONLY THING THEY SAID THEY COULD DO FOR ME WAS OFFER A DISCOUNT ON A NEW NISSAN, HOWEVER I TOLD THEM I WOULD NEVER DRIVE ANOTHER NISSAN, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY AREN'T SURE WHAT MADE THE CAR BLOW UP. I KNOW IN MY HEART THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR WAS TO BLAME. WHY ELSE WOULD MY CAR BE ENGULFED IN AN OBVIOUS FUEL FIRE IN MY DRIVEWAY. I FIND IT HORRIBLE THAT THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR FAULTY ENGINEERING. YOU MAY WANT TO LOOK MORE INTO THIS SINCE THEY "DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT". ALSO, THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT RELEASE THE REPORT TO ME AS IT'S NISSAN'S PROPERTY. *JS

NHTSA ODI 10690753