Technical bulletins

Reference

General vehicles:

• 3-1 Structure
• 7-1 Seats and seat anchorages
• 7-5 Seatbelt and seatbelt anchorages

Safety concern

There is concern about corrosion that can occur in Nissan Terrano or Nissan Mistral vehicles of the type whose rear floorpan assembly consists of a two-layer (double-skin) panel. If moisture gets trapped between the two layers of the floorpan, corrosion can occur around the seat or seatbelt anchorages, affecting their integrity. Corrosion can also occur where the under-floor reinforcing panel overlaps the top floor skin.

Clarification

The rear floorpan assembly consists of a two-layer (double-skin) panel. The lower layer is a reinforcing panel spot-welded to the upper layer floor section.

The Terrano has a rear seat with three seating positions. Situated in the rear floor, beneath the seat, are four seatbelt anchorages and two seat anchorages.

The Mistral has a stressed bench seat in the rear (the seatbelts are attached to the seat) with two seat anchorages in the floor and two seatbelt anchorages in the wheel well at the sides of the seat.

Inspection

The inspector must lift the rear seat to examine this area effectively. Any carpet and sound insulating material covering the panel that the seats are mounted on must be pulled back far enough to expose the rear seam of the panel (the area most commonly affected by corrosion). It is important to note that damage may be more extensive than can be detected during this inspection.

The vehicle must fail if any signs of corrosion are detected during the inspection, such as:

• bubbling of the paint or surface irregularities in the top floor skin or paint
• a patch repair that has rust around it
• separation of the reinforcement panel and the top skin
• discolouration or rust stains at the edges of the reinforcement panel
• rust holes, or
• the floorpan on a Nissan Terrano has been ‘patch’ repaired after 8 January 1997, or
• the floorpan on a Nissan Mistral has been ‘patch’ repaired after 10 November 2003.

A vehicle that has been ‘patch’ repaired before 8 January 1997 (Nissan Terrano) or 10 November 2003 (Nissan Mistral) may pass the inspection provided that:

• no signs of corrosion are apparent, and
• there is evidence that the repairs were carried out before the above dates, and
• the vehicle inspector considers, or there is evidence provided by a qualified panel beater, that the repair is effective and in sound condition.

Repair options

If any corrosion is detected and the vehicle failed, the floorpan must be replaced.

However, for the following models the Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (LVVTA) has provided an alternative option to floorpan replacement.

Nissan Terrano Model D21

• installation of the LVVTA rear floor load-bar seatbelt anchorage reinforcement system together with a Low Volume Vehicle certification plate containing the following words in the Body/chassis field: LVVTA ‘Rear floor load-bar seatbelt anchorage reinforcement system’.

Nissan Mistral Model R20 5-door

• installation of the LVVTA rear floor load-bar seatbelt anchorage reinforcement system together with a Low Volume Vehicle certification plate containing the following words in the Body/chassis field: ‘LVVTA Rear floor load-bar seatbelt anchorage reinforcement system’.

For information about these seatbelt anchorage modifications, and for a list of the LVV certifiers who can certify them, see www.lvvta.org.nz.