Local

Nissan drivers disappointed by warranty difficulties

ATLANTA — A Dunwoody family says their leisurely car trip turned into a harrowing journey after pieces of glass began to rain down on them from inside their brand new SUV.

"I'll show you some of the leftover glass that you can still see up there," Allison Henderson said, as she showed the jagged edges of where the sunroof used to be to Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland.

Download Free WSB-TV Apps

Wake-Up | News | Weather | Traffic

"There was a lot of glass,” Henderson said. “There were large pieces in my daughter's lap, in my son's lap."

The Hendersons were headed to Alabama Friday in their brand new Nissan Pathfinder when it happened.

"It sounded like a gunshot," Henderson said.

"We were still driving down the road but then the sky opened up and things started falling in."

An Alabama Nissan dealer helped patch it.  Getting Nissan corporate to fix it under warranty has not been as easy.

"I assumed that they would say, 'Bring it in. Here's a loaner. We'll get it fixed.  It's covered under warranty; That would be it."

Despite the price tag of $40,000 on a car bought 8 weeks ago, Nissan is denying the claim.

Download Free WSB-TV Apps

Wake-Up | News | Weather | Traffic

"Right now they're telling me that it's not going to be covered under warranty because there's a chance that something hit it that caused this explosion," said Henderson.

"There was absolutely nothing in front of us, no overpass, no trucks.  We were in the middle of Alabama. Nowhereville."

Her dealer, AutoNation Nissan in Marietta, says warranty coverage is Nissan corporate's call; Strickland's source at AutoNation headquarters in Florida says they will advocate on Henderson's behalf; Strickland received confirmation Nissan officials had received his email, but they did not respond with a comment.

"They need to feel concerned about me as a customer and my family traveling when this happened. And they need to do what's right," said Henderson.

As images of shattered sunroofs litter the internet, posted by frustrated drivers, Hyundai and Audi have vehicles hit by recent recalls. Federal regulators are investigating complaints from Kia owners as well.