Investigations
Gwinnett Place Nissan / Quest Recall
NHTSA Audit Query AQ12003 - closed, opened 2012-10-25 and involving the NISSAN NISSAN.
NHTSA investigation AQ12003 is a Audit Query opened on 2012-10-25 and currently closed. The subject of record is NISSAN NISSAN, which places this file inside the Office of Defects Investigation queue for NISSAN. Latest activity on this investigation was logged on 2014-12-12 - NHTSA updates that field whenever an Information Request goes out, a supplement is filed, or a status change is recorded in the public docket.
An Audit Query like AQ12003 is how NHTSA checks that manufacturers are meeting their statutory obligations, things like notifying owners, reporting foreign recalls, and tracking remedy completion rates under TREAD and FMVSS requirements.
Investigators summarized the matter as follows: "NHTSA opened Audit Query (AQ) 12-003 to determine whether Gwinnett Place Nissan of Duluth, Georgia complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 (Safety Act) a..." Investigations are the early-warning layer of the federal auto-safety system, sitting upstream of formal recalls and defect orders. Whether this one closes without action or escalates into an Engineering Analysis, the full history stays in the ODI archive so researchers, litigators, and buyers can pull the paper trail at any time. Related NISSAN files, listed below, give context on whether this is an isolated concern or part of a broader pattern across the brand.
Investigation Summary
NHTSA opened Audit Query (AQ) 12-003 to determine whether Gwinnett Place Nissan of Duluth, Georgia complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 (Safety Act) and its implementing regulations. The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a manufacturer notify its dealers of defects related to motor vehicle safety and noncompliances with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and, in turn, that a dealer not sell a new vehicle subject to a recall unless the recall remedy has been performed. 49 U.S.C. § 30120(i). NHTSA issued an information request (IR) to Gwinnett Place Nissan on October 31, 2012. Gwinnett Place Nissan responded to this request on November 19, 2012. NHTSA then issued an IR to Nissan North America, Inc. on March 11, 2013. Nissan North America, Inc. responded to this request on April 5, 2013. NHTSA's investigation indicated that Gwinnett Place Nissan sold and delivered 28 recalled vehicles that did not have the recall remedy completed at the time the vehicles were delivered to the customers. Gwinnett Place Nissan did not contest this finding. NHTSA therefore concluded that Gwinnett Place Nissan was liable for civil penalties for violations of the Safety Act, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 30165. Under a Settlement Agreement dated November 24, 2014, Gwinnett Place Nissan paid compromised civil penalties in the amount of $110,000. This AQ is closed.
About This Investigation Type
An Audit Query (AQ) is conducted to verify manufacturer compliance with safety standards and recall requirements.
Other NISSAN Investigations
Driver Airbag Inflator Rupture
Inner Tie Rod Failures
Side curtain air bags may deploy inadvertently
Reduced Power After Engine Stall
Loss of motive power due to broken crankshaft with no ability to restart.
Data from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Cross-references: NHTSA recall campaign API and NHTSA FARS where fatality records overlap. PlainCars does not rate or recommend vehicles. about how PlainCars sources NHTSA data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.