Nissan to pay $325,000 to settle stolen headlights case
01-21-06, 05:28 PM
#1
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Nissan to pay $325,000 to settle stolen headlights case
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wi...,4946485.story
NEWARK, N.J. -- Owners of Nissan Maximas whose headlights were stolen between December 2002 and November 2003 will share in part of a $325,000 payment the company is making to New Jersey to settle a lawsuit the state brought over the thefts.
In March 2004, the state sued Nissan North America alleging the automaker failed to warn customers that the super-bright xenon headlights on its Maximas were hot targets for thieves.
More than 750 car owners were victimized by thieves trying to steal the moon-blue lights from 2002 or 2003 Maximas.
That lawsuit was dismissed, but the state appealed.
The settlement announced Thursday will end the state's appeal, and provide for a $325,000 payment to the state Division of Consumer Affairs. Part of the money will be used to reimburse the state's investigative costs, with the rest going to consumers who had their lights stolen, said Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's office.
He could not estimate how much individual vehicle owners might receive. The headlights typically cost about $1,800 to replace _ not counting repair costs for other damage done by thieves, which can bring the total to $4,000 or more.
"This is a fair resolution that takes into account Nissan's collaborative efforts to resolve an issue of importance to its customers," said Assistant Attorney General Michael Shipp.
The state noted that the company began a theft deterrent program in November 2003 that included free installation of a theft-deterrent bracket for the lights.
But in its 2004 lawsuit, the state claimed Nissan knew that its lights were being targeted by thieves for a year before telling customers about it.
A message left with the company's media relations office was not immediately returned Thursday.
The state's lawsuit alleges that on Sept. 26, 2002, the company issued a bulletin to its service technicians stating that a replacement connector kit was available for the headlights damaged by theft.
Two months later, the lawsuit alleged, Nissan sent another bulletin to service reps informing them that a $175 theft-deterrent kit was available "if a customer requests" and "for customer pay only."
NEWARK, N.J. -- Owners of Nissan Maximas whose headlights were stolen between December 2002 and November 2003 will share in part of a $325,000 payment the company is making to New Jersey to settle a lawsuit the state brought over the thefts.
In March 2004, the state sued Nissan North America alleging the automaker failed to warn customers that the super-bright xenon headlights on its Maximas were hot targets for thieves.
More than 750 car owners were victimized by thieves trying to steal the moon-blue lights from 2002 or 2003 Maximas.
That lawsuit was dismissed, but the state appealed.
The settlement announced Thursday will end the state's appeal, and provide for a $325,000 payment to the state Division of Consumer Affairs. Part of the money will be used to reimburse the state's investigative costs, with the rest going to consumers who had their lights stolen, said Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for the state Attorney General's office.
He could not estimate how much individual vehicle owners might receive. The headlights typically cost about $1,800 to replace _ not counting repair costs for other damage done by thieves, which can bring the total to $4,000 or more.
"This is a fair resolution that takes into account Nissan's collaborative efforts to resolve an issue of importance to its customers," said Assistant Attorney General Michael Shipp.
The state noted that the company began a theft deterrent program in November 2003 that included free installation of a theft-deterrent bracket for the lights.
But in its 2004 lawsuit, the state claimed Nissan knew that its lights were being targeted by thieves for a year before telling customers about it.
A message left with the company's media relations office was not immediately returned Thursday.
The state's lawsuit alleges that on Sept. 26, 2002, the company issued a bulletin to its service technicians stating that a replacement connector kit was available for the headlights damaged by theft.
Two months later, the lawsuit alleged, Nissan sent another bulletin to service reps informing them that a $175 theft-deterrent kit was available "if a customer requests" and "for customer pay only."
01-21-06, 05:39 PM
#3
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Yeah I agree. I remember that story in the news a few years ago. Mad people were gettinng their Maxima headlights ripped because it was said to be easy to steal their HID's. Well I'm glad the owners will get restitution for that. Better late than never. 
01-21-06, 07:25 PM
#4
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i've read many times on acura forums that the 2000+ CLs and TLs HIDS are also popular among theives. The damage they often do to get the hood open is usually pretty nasty. Its good to see Nissan looking out for its customers instead of just covering it up or denying the theft being any their fault, thats good customer service.
01-21-06, 07:31 PM
#5
Originally Posted by jhenty
i've read many times on acura forums that the 2000+ CLs and TLs HIDS are also popular among theives. The damage they often do to get the hood open is usually pretty nasty. Its good to see Nissan looking out for its customers instead of just covering it up or denying the theft being any their fault, thats good customer service.
01-21-06, 08:10 PM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
this was rather a hot topic over at hidplanet.com (HID retrofitting site/forum) about a year ago.
the RX projectors are highly coveted due to their ease of use in retrofitting (the projector is enclosed in a square-ish frame) and very good output. the 02-03 i don't remember why the 02-03 Maximas were so popular since they didn't have projectors in them until 2004. other coveted projectors are S2000 projectors, EVO8 projectors, TSX and TLs are very popular projectors as well. Japanese designed projectors have superior output compared to Hella and Bosch counterparts (as well as Valeo).
most retrofitters get their equipment from wrecked cars that had no front-end damage...but in the world of online sales and purchase...the origin of such items are very questionable.
only place that i know actually sells NEW projectors from the factory is Hidplanet.com which gets Bosch E46 projectors direct from Bosch.
and shameless plugging....hidplanet.com sells brand new D2S 4300K bulbs (OEM spec) from Philips for $75 a pair.
the RX projectors are highly coveted due to their ease of use in retrofitting (the projector is enclosed in a square-ish frame) and very good output. the 02-03 i don't remember why the 02-03 Maximas were so popular since they didn't have projectors in them until 2004. other coveted projectors are S2000 projectors, EVO8 projectors, TSX and TLs are very popular projectors as well. Japanese designed projectors have superior output compared to Hella and Bosch counterparts (as well as Valeo).
most retrofitters get their equipment from wrecked cars that had no front-end damage...but in the world of online sales and purchase...the origin of such items are very questionable.
only place that i know actually sells NEW projectors from the factory is Hidplanet.com which gets Bosch E46 projectors direct from Bosch.
and shameless plugging....hidplanet.com sells brand new D2S 4300K bulbs (OEM spec) from Philips for $75 a pair.
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01-22-06, 07:29 AM
#8
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How stupid. I had someone steal my mp3 player a couple months ago. I guess I should sue iRiver for not installing spring loaded spikes on it to prevent its theft. No one is willing to take personal responsibilty for anything anymore, pathetic.
01-22-06, 10:30 AM
#9
Lexus Connoisseur
Originally Posted by genearch
Nissan simply paid off to make it go away and to mitigate future legal expenses.
01-22-06, 10:57 AM
#10
well, first thing you should put in your new car is good alarm system. reason those headlights were easy to be taken out is that lots of manufacturers were making it easier for repairers to repair damaged cars and lower insurance costs (which lowers customer premium).
article almosts makes the case of nissan doing it on purpose so they can sell new ones, which is dumb.
I find it ridicilous that some people simply do not want to install alarm system, thinking their protection is someone else's job. Arguments such as "if they want to steal it, they will" make no sense and are not true. Otherwise, why would you want headlight protect kits from Nissan anyway? Going with that logic, they will steal your car instead! :-).
article almosts makes the case of nissan doing it on purpose so they can sell new ones, which is dumb.
I find it ridicilous that some people simply do not want to install alarm system, thinking their protection is someone else's job. Arguments such as "if they want to steal it, they will" make no sense and are not true. Otherwise, why would you want headlight protect kits from Nissan anyway? Going with that logic, they will steal your car instead! :-).
01-22-06, 11:17 AM
#11
Originally Posted by genearch
I dunno...
This country is becoming so litigious.. Nissan makes the car and needs to make the parts theft proof?
I know my Infiniti FX 20" wheels are popular with the thieves, they have no factory locks, is it Infiniti's fault if they are stolen?
Nissan simply paid off to make it go away and to mitigate future legal expenses.
This country is becoming so litigious.. Nissan makes the car and needs to make the parts theft proof?
I know my Infiniti FX 20" wheels are popular with the thieves, they have no factory locks, is it Infiniti's fault if they are stolen?Nissan simply paid off to make it go away and to mitigate future legal expenses.
on another note, ever wonder why honda doesn't say anything about the acura headlights stolen...
01-22-06, 05:37 PM
#12
The State of NJ is in big financial trouble and getting it whereever they can.
Years ago I owned a Datsun (now Nissan) 280ZX with the T-Bar roof. I found out that the roof pieces were big theft items and replacement was not only a lot of money but a long wait to be without most of your roof in our climate. I was always afraid that my roof pieces would get stolen - didn't happen, but I never thought of suing Nissan if it did.
My daughter's new video IPOD was stolen last week - the same day I picked up our new GX470. The school security guard was sympathetic, but told us the theft was very common. I went to the police station to report it, and it was obvious that the policeman was politely humoring me by even taking down the information - apparently $300 Ipods are stolen contstantly,and we live in a "nice" suburban area. The Ipod design begs to be stolen - there is no security system for unauthorized users, and it doesn't even have a slot or grommet to attach any kind of chain or lock. Apple is doing well for a change - I bet the state of NJ could make a lot more bucks here.
Years ago I owned a Datsun (now Nissan) 280ZX with the T-Bar roof. I found out that the roof pieces were big theft items and replacement was not only a lot of money but a long wait to be without most of your roof in our climate. I was always afraid that my roof pieces would get stolen - didn't happen, but I never thought of suing Nissan if it did.
My daughter's new video IPOD was stolen last week - the same day I picked up our new GX470. The school security guard was sympathetic, but told us the theft was very common. I went to the police station to report it, and it was obvious that the policeman was politely humoring me by even taking down the information - apparently $300 Ipods are stolen contstantly,and we live in a "nice" suburban area. The Ipod design begs to be stolen - there is no security system for unauthorized users, and it doesn't even have a slot or grommet to attach any kind of chain or lock. Apple is doing well for a change - I bet the state of NJ could make a lot more bucks here.
01-22-06, 05:44 PM
#13
Lexus Test Driver
My lease just ended on my '02 Maxima SE (all '02 and '03 Maximas regardless of trim had HID lights standard.)
Thankfully I don't live in an area where this happens all the time. I remember reading about people on Maxima.org getting theirs stolen even TWICE on the same car. Sickening really...
In fact, many people who had them stolen would just install the regular lights from the '00/01 models just because they were so expensive. Some even did the conversion before they were stolen to prevent people from doing damage to their cars.
Once you got the hood up, you could literally just rip the headlight unit out of the car. They are only held in place by plastic tabs. Some thieves just pryed the hood open (causing damage) and then took the lights..takes only minutes to do.
Not sure if I agree about Nissan having to pay anything out for this whole deal. The real problem is that this world is filled with low life scum bags who take effing headlights from cars.
Thankfully I don't live in an area where this happens all the time. I remember reading about people on Maxima.org getting theirs stolen even TWICE on the same car. Sickening really...
In fact, many people who had them stolen would just install the regular lights from the '00/01 models just because they were so expensive. Some even did the conversion before they were stolen to prevent people from doing damage to their cars.
Once you got the hood up, you could literally just rip the headlight unit out of the car. They are only held in place by plastic tabs. Some thieves just pryed the hood open (causing damage) and then took the lights..takes only minutes to do.
Not sure if I agree about Nissan having to pay anything out for this whole deal. The real problem is that this world is filled with low life scum bags who take effing headlights from cars.
01-22-06, 10:54 PM
#14
Lexus Test Driver
I think it sucks the headlights are getting stolen... but I don't see a real basis for what should be a law suit. Honda had known for 10 years that its Integra, especially the Type-R trim level, is one of the most stolen cars. Yet I don't see states suing honda for failing to warn customers that the Integra they are about to buy is going to be targeted for theft... nor for not putting in some space-age security system to prevent them from being stolen. Or what about suing Lexani, HRE, iForge, Lowenhart, etc. for making wheels that are targeted by theives. Its a horrible thing that cars and car parts get stolen, but who do we really need to be going after??
01-22-06, 11:17 PM
#15
Originally Posted by Faraaz23
I think it sucks the headlights are getting stolen... but I don't see a real basis for what should be a law suit. Honda had known for 10 years that its Integra, especially the Type-R trim level, is one of the most stolen cars. Yet I don't see states suing honda for failing to warn customers that the Integra they are about to buy is going to be targeted for theft... nor for not putting in some space-age security system to prevent them from being stolen. Or what about suing Lexani, HRE, iForge, Lowenhart, etc. for making wheels that are targeted by theives. Its a horrible thing that cars and car parts get stolen, but who do we really need to be going after??
Well, it was slightly different in Nissan's case, the HID option was only $100.00 or with vehicle purchase, but to replace stolen HID's it is $2000.00 or so.