Steering Column problems of the 1999 Infiniti QX4

On Nov. 4th, 2013, I was driving my child to school. I began to turn left & the car suddenly jerked us to the left & then went out of control. As we were jerked to the left, I felt the steering wheel jerk and then it started spinning like a top. There was no way to control the steering. We slammed into an embankment and my 7 yr old daughter hit her head. Once we got home, I contacted a mechanic who said that he thought there was a recall so I contacted Nissan. They said there was a recall on "some" of the 1999 Nissan Infinitis, but had no way of knowing if mine was one of them. I contacted the mechanic who said to give Nissan my VIN and they should be able to give me more info. Called Nissan back and they were extremely rude and said they had already discussed this with me the previous day. I told them that a mechanic had told me to call back & give them my VIN, so I did. She still would not help. I asked to speak to a manager and she said that I was not a "case" so I would not be allowed to speak to one & she would not give me a name. I stated that we were in accident, & just because we lived through it, did not mean that we did not deserve answers. Once she heard that there was accident, she said that they handle that differently & have to assign a case number to it then. They took my info and the process began. I did not receive a rental from them until the end of Nov, several weeks after the accident. I had pictures of my own, & the steering column is broke in half, which I provided them as well. A clean break all the way through. On Dec 4th I received an offer letter telling me that I had 7 days to accept, or they would take my rental and I would have to claim my car, which had been deemed un-drivable and un-insurable. Basically take this ridiculous offer, which was low, or you get nothing & have to pay for your rental, have no car and an injured daughter.

1999 Infiniti Qx4. Consumer states rapid rust of vehicle the consumer stated one year after the vehicle was purchased, she noticed rusting around the driver side mirror. Shortly after, it began to rust on both fenders. In the next few years, the vehicle began to rust out rapidly. Both fenders, the rear hatch, runners, side mirrors, gas tank, gas tank cover, gas tank neck and pipes all had rust out. The consumer stated the vehicle was poorly designed, because the fender welds held leaves, dirt and water from the hood. Also, in the winter when there was snow and ice on the road, the vehicle had to be placed in 4-wheel drive or it would slide out of control. The steering column had to replaced and needs to be replaced again, because it was difficult to turn and the driver side strut was making a noise.

I have a 1999 Infiniti Qx4, which overall has been a sturdy vehicle. However, over the past few years we have replaced both front strut towers & associated parts, last year had to replace the entire steering column & just had in the shop for engine related issues. It's going back in the shop tomorrow as it seems it now has transmission issues. The strut & steering column repairs were hundreds of dollars each.

I brought my 1999 Infiniti Qx4 to the dealer to determine why the check engine light came on while I was driving. They told me that my strut tower was separated and it needed to go to a body shop. The body shop told me that the problem was that the metal along strut tower welds was rotted, posing a danger of collapse on the steering column. Their check of the passenger side found the same problem, although it's less severe. I have photos and video. They wanted over $6,000 to fix it. Insurance wouldn't cover it so I took it back to Infiniti. They brought it to a body shop they use and fixed the driver's side for $1800. They said the passenger side wasn't a problem to worry about. The dealer is aware of this problem with the Qx4 and suggested I complain to their corporate office. Corporate wouldn't acknowledge the rotting around welds and said there'd be no compensation because it's out of warranty. I saved the parts. I believe Infiniti should pay for the fix of the passenger side and reimburse my $1800. Their mechanics and dealers know this is a problem but corporate will risk customers lives for profit.