NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Defect Petition DP03-005: BRAKE ROTOR WARPAGE

Closed

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Defect Petition DP03-005 on July 11, 2003 and closed it on July 29, 2003. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2001–2003 Nissan Xterra for it.

Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file

Key facts

NHTSA number: DP03-005 (also written DP03005)
Investigation type: Defect Petition A petition asking NHTSA to open a defect investigation; NHTSA grants or denies it, and granting one opens an investigation.
Status: Closed July 29, 2003
Opened: July 11, 2003
Closed: July 29, 2003
Vehicle or equipment manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc.
Component: Service Brakes, Hydraulic — Foundation Components — Disc — Rotor
Vehicles and equipment: 2001–2003 Nissan Xterra

A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.

NHTSA's summary

As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Defect Petition DP03-005.

MR. KENT JONES OF KERNERSVILLE, NC, SUBMITTED A PETITION TO NHTSA BY E-MAIL DATED JULY 1, 2003, REQUESTING NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THE BRAKE ROTORS ON MY 2002 NISSAN XTERRA VEHICLES.THE PETITIONER ALLEGED THAT THE BRAKE ROTORS IN THESE VEHICLES WERE DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THE ROTORS OVERHEAT AND WARP FROM NORMAL USAGE.A REVIEW OF ODI'S DATABASE FOR COMPLAINTS REGARDING MY 2001 THROUGH MY 2003 NISSAN XTERRA VEHICLES IDENTIFIED ONLY TWO REPORTS RELATED TO BRAKE ROTOR WARPING; ONE FOR A MY 2001 AND ONE FOR A MY 2002.

THE COMPLAINT FOR THE MY 2002 NISSAN XTERRA WAS REPORTED BY THE PETITIONER.BRAKE ROTOR WARPING CAN RESULT IN BRAKE PULSATION AND SHAKING WHEN THE BRAKE IS APPLIED.BRAKE PULSATION, TIRE OR SUSPENSION VIBRATION, AND SIMILAR CONDITIONS ARE AN OBVIOUS ANNOYANCE TO THE DRIVER, BUT GENERALLY DO NOT CAUSE A DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF A VEHICLE.FURTHERMORE, EVEN IF LEFT UNCORRECTED, ANY POTENTIAL INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE WILL BE NEGLIGIBLE. THEREFORE, THIS CONDITION DOES NOT NORMALLY CONSTITUTE A SAFETY DEFECT, EVEN IF IT OCCURS WITH FAR MORE OFTEN FREQUENCY. IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT NHTSA WOULD ISSUE AN ORDER FOR THE NOTIFICATION AND REMEDY OF AN ALLEGED SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT AS DEFINED BY THE PETITIONER IN THE MY 2002 NISSAN XTERRA VEHICLES AT THE CONCLUSION OF AN INVESTIGATION.THEREFORE, IN VIEW OF THE NEED TO ALLOCATE AND PRIORITIZE NHTSA'S LIMITED RESOURCES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE AGENCY'S SAFETY MISSION, THE PETITION IS DENIED.

Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation

NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Defect Petition DP03-005. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.

Nissan

Nissan Xterra
- 2001, 2002, 2003

All Nissan recalls

What an NHTSA investigation is

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.

An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Nissan VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Sources

NHTSA's investigation record for DP03-005

Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.