This settlement resolves a lawsuit about Nissan’s obligations, if any, to disclose an alleged risk of and/or pay for repairs for engine damage relating to loosened or detached power valve screws in certain Nissan Pathfinders, Sentras and Altimas.
Power valve screws located on the intake manifold near the top of the vehicle engine occasionally came loose and were sucked into the engine, and may have caused engine damage. If this happened, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL or Check Engine Light) would have likely illuminated, and unstable engine idling or power loss while driving may have occurred. Engine repairs were probably necessary.
If your Nissan vehicle in the above makes and model years had engine damage because of a loose power valve screw, you may be entitled to reimbursement of engine repair costs up to $3000 for engine replacement and up to $1500 for engine repair provided the damage occurred within 12 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first, and you paid for the repair.
If the damage happened within the five (5) year/60,000 mile warranty period or was covered in Nissan’s Voluntary Service Campaign, it was paid for by Nissan. To receive reimbursement for engine repair you must file a valid claim. Information about filing a claim and other options are included below.
Who’s Eligible
Class Members of the Nissan settlement include current and former owners or lessees of 2001-2004 model year Nissan Pathfinder with a VQ35 engine or a 2002-2005 model year Nissan Altima or Nissan Sentra with a QR25 engine. To be classified as a Class Member, you must have purchased or leased the vehicle in California.
The Nissan settlement provides reimbursement for costs associated with repairs that were made due to a loose or detached power valve screw that occurred outside the factory warranty period of five years or 60,000 miles (whichever occurred first). The following three criteria must be met in order to obtain reimbursement from the Nissan class action settlement:
- The engine damage or failure must have occurred when the vehicle was (i) more than five years in-service or the odometer registered more than 60,000 miles, whichever occurred first, and (ii) less than 12 years in-service and less than 120,000 miles on the odometer;
- If the repairs were previously paid for by Nissan (under the warranty, as part of Nissan’s Voluntary Service Campaign or by Nissan’s goodwill), reimbursement is not available.
- Documentation must be provided to show the issue and the repair, date of the diagnosis and repair, and the mileage at the time of diagnosis and repair.
Potential Award
Up to $3,000.
Nissan will reimburse Class Members for the cost paid to repair the engine, subject to certain caps. The amount each Class Member is eligible to receive depends on a number of factors, including the type of vehicle, the vehicle’s age or mileage, and whether the vehicle had an engine repair or replacement. Details about the Nissan class action settlement benefits are available here.
Proof of Purchase
Class Members must provide documentation about the service performed to fix the damage allegedly caused by the power valve screw defect. The documentation must show the issue diagnosis, the repair made, the date of the diagnosis and repair, and the mileage at the time of the diagnosis and repair.
Claim Form Deadline
6/7/2017
Case Name
Fox, et al. v. Nissan North America Inc., Case No. CGC-09-490470, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Francisco
Final Hearing
7/25/2017
Settlement Website
Claims Administrator
Nissan Power Valve Screw Reimbursement Claims Headquarters
c/o Kurtzman Carson Consultants (KCC)
P.O. Box 43440
Providence, RI 02940-3440
1-855-306-9707
Class Counsel
Jennie Lee Anderson
Lori E. Andrus
Leland Belew
ANDRUS ANDERSON LLP
Michael F. Ram
Jeffrey B. Cereghino
Matt J. Malone
RAM OLSON CEREGHINO & KOPCZYNSKI LLP
Defense Counsel
Paul Riehle
SEDGWICK LLP
