Today my new Altima was struck from behind taking out the entire left rear quarter. Aside from the initial physical & emotional shock, (ER said I should be OK), I fear that this incredible car will never be the same, I spoke briefly with the body shop owner it was towed to, said it will need to be cut & welded, along with the laundry list of other stuff.

This car is so complex, I really don't want it back as I'm afraid it will never be the same again. I'm going to be in for a battle with the Insurance company.

I'll be starting the process tomorrow with my agent to report the whole incident and see what course of action I should take.

Obviously, I'll need to see what kind of estimates they come up with, but it would be hard to imagine that the hybrid system, especially the transmission wouldn't be affected.

This car is 10 days old with less than 1000 miles on it.

I'm thinking the warranty will be voided by Nissan, potential for undiscovered,or unknown damage that relates specifically to hybrid system, increased likelihood of premature failure of components, etc.

At least the car didn't blow up, or turn in to an electrified death chamber, lol.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

 

sorry to hear that you were in an accident, but glad to hear you're ok. how bad was the damage? do you have any pictures? it might be difficult to get the insurance company to total your 10 year old car. I wouldn't be able to tell you what your damages are like, if you posted pix, I could probably give you my unprofessional estimate

 

Sorry to hear about your accident. You will have several variables to consider when dealing with your insurance company and the other driver's company.

Here are some things to consider:
1. Did you have full coverage on your car? Meaning, did you have comprehensive and collision coverage?
2. Did you have uninsured/underinsured coverage on your car?
3. Did you file a police report?
4. Do you have a copy of the report, including the other driver's full name, address, driver's license number and insurance company?
5. If you had a loan on the car, did you have GAP coverage on your loan?
6. Do you have rental car coverage on your policy?

The more of these questions you can answer 'Yes' to, the easier your life is going to be. If, for example, you have full coverage, and the other guy had no coverage, your loss will still be covered. And, if he had no insurance and you had uninsured/underinsured coverage, your insurance company will pay the claim under that part of your coverage, acting as if it were his company paying the claim. The advantage to this coverage is that you are almost certain to have your rates NOT go up, while some companies raise rates for ANY claim under your collision coverage, even if it isn't your fault.

Also, keep in mind that with the additional complexities of a hybrid, your car is almost certain to be a total loss, depending on the damage estimate. If your company does choose to repair it, have them put you in a rental car IMMEDIATELY. There are several advantages to this. First, of course, you need to get around. But, the unseen advantages are that everyone, and I mean everyone at your insurance company mysteriously moves faster when they are paying $30-35 per day for a rental. And, they won't put up with a lot of "the part is on backorder" talk from the shop fixing the car....if it isn't a total loss.

If it is a total loss and you have GAP protection, your loan will be fully paid off, with no concern about the actual value of the car vs. the loan balance. So, you don't have to worry about your insurance company paying $20K on a car with a loan balance of $24k, for example. Without GAP coverage, you are stuck paying off the difference.

If you are forced to have the car repaired due to the insurance company not willing to declare it a total loss, please remember these words--"diminished value." NO car is worth what it was before an accident. Many car dealers, adjusters and estimators can spot a car that has had ANY body work. And, if the work is impeccable, they still have meters to measure the thickness of the paint, which tells them the car has had paint work applied over the factory paint. And, throw in Web sites like CARFAX and AutoCheck, and your accident will pop up whenever you go to sell or trade in the car. Your insurance company has the obligation to pay you diminished value--if you ask for it. Right now, in most areas, paying DV isn't required, so you as an owner MUST ask for it. Otherwise, many companies won't mention it if you don't.

As for the warranty, Nissan would have to deny your warranty claim under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which means the burden of proving the car can't be warratied, is on the manufacturer to prove. And, if they claim that, remember, your insurance company has the burden to return your car to 'pre-accident' condition. If Nissan can prove the warranty is void, then the insurance company didn't fully restore the car.

Throughout this process, keep every record, receipt, scrap of paper and a list of phone calls dealing with this matter. If you have to take time off from work and use your vacation time or loose money for this, keep a record of that, also.

Finally, keep in mind that your MAIN concern is getting better. The ER may have said you are fine, but in a day or two, you could have pains suddenly appear. It is normal after a major trauma for soreness or new pain to show up a couple of days after an accident. So, please keep the stress of dealing with this a low as possible, because you need the energy to recover.

One last thing--you may be getting a LOT of calls from lawyers, chiropractors, clinics, etc., to 'help' you in a few days. In most jurisdictions, the accident report becomes public record after 48-72 hours of being finalized by the police, and there are a lot of vultures that pour over these records down at city hall, looking for prospective clients. LET YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY DEAL WITH THE OTHER PARTY THAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT AND REFER ALL OF THESE PEOPLE TO YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY! Don't sign ANYTHING unless you have consulted your insurance company or your own attorney. Once you sign an agreement, especially for a settlement-in-full, you can't take it back.

Good luck!

Joe

 

I agree with Joe's assumption in that they'll most likely just total the hybrid / (excellent post by the way Joe)

Reason is: They don't want to be responsible for electrical system failures, mishalps down the road on these Hybrids. There's just too many gadgits in these cars that could act up.

As far as being zapped during the accident that's highly unlikely to happen.
The high voltage systems and components are designed in a way where as the system will shut down if the any part of the system is compromised in any way.

The high voltage cables are constructed in a way where as the high voltage cable part is in the center of the wire, then a fairly thing shield of plastic covers the high voltage center... then multiple strands of ground wires wrap the plastic then another wrap of plastic to cover the gound wires..

So if that cable is cut, squashed etc., it immediately shorts out against the high voltage wire thus shutting the system down instantly.

Hats off to the manufacturers.
The manufacturers have gone to great lengths to keep everyone safe in their Hybrid vehicles.

Glad to hear you are ok / that's the most important thing.

Have a good day.

Publishers: Hybrid Vehicle High Voltage Shut Down + Jump Start Towing Procedure Guides

 

That sux Eric, any verdict on the insurance or repairs?

 

You're too paranoid. I had something similar happen to my NAH. $4K damage to the same quarter panel as yours. If you had a lot of front end damage, then you might want to be concerned. There really isn't much control circuitry on the left side. Most is either right above the battery or scattered in the engine compartment.

 

While not a substitute for the factory service manual, http://www.nissanusa.com/pdf/techpub...Hybrid-FRG.pdf lists locations of some of the hybrid system components.