2013 Nissan Armada

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Armada. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's wife, who was occupying the front passenger's side seat noticed that the front passenger's side seat belt failed to retract as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that both the front driver's side and passenger's side seat belts had failed to retract as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a fee would be charged for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle owner's manual stated that the seat belts were covered under a lifetime warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the seat belts were not covered because the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 189,500.

I DO NOT HAVE THE VIN BUT THE LICENSE PLATE IS ILLINOIS G985474, A HERTZ RENTAL. SEAT BELT (LAP BELT) BOLT NOT ANCHORED TO ANYTHING FOUR ADULTS WERE IN THE VEHICLE, PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT INTO A BUSY TOURIST HIGHWAY, WHEN THE PASSENGER IN THE LEFT SEAT IN THE MIDDLE ROW NOTICED THAT HIS LAP BELT WAS LOOSE, ALTHOUGH HE HAD "CLICKED" IT IN. WHEN HE TUGGED TO TIGHTEN IT, THE WHOLE THINK POPPED UP. WE STOPPED IN THE PARKING LOT AND CHECKED. WE COULD TELL PLAINLY THAT THE LARGE ANCHOR BOLT AT THE END HAD NEVER BEEN FASTENED DOWN, HAD NEVER BEEN SCREWED IN OR HAD NEVER HAD A NUT ON IT. IT WAS FREE. WE DROVE ON WITH THE PASSENGER USING THE SHOULDER STRAP. THAT SHORT DRIVE WAS THE ONLY TIME WE NEEDED SEATING FOR FOUR LARGE ADULTS DURING THIS RENTAL. I RETURNED THE ARMADA EARLY TO HERTZ AND SHOWED THEM THE PROBLEM. THE RENTAL AGENT TOOK NOTE OF IT. I TOOK GOOD PHOTOS OF THE BELT AND ITS DANGLING ANCHOR BOLT BEFORE RETURNING THE CAR. I CAN EMAIL THESE PHOTOS TO WHOEVER NEEDS THEM. I THINK THIS IS A QUALITY CONTROL ISSUE WITH NISSAN, NOT ESPECIALLY HERTZ. I GOT THE IMPRESSION FROM NHTSA CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT THIS ISN'T A BIG DEAL, BUT I THINK IT IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS. WHY HAVE LAP BELTS IF THEY ARE NOT ANCHORED? *TR