A DRIVER was left in a bind after a pandemic side effect meant his “brand new” Nissan has been stuck in the shop for six months.
The vehicle had been involved in a minor fender bender and needed a simple repair, but technicians were powerless to carry it out.
1
John Carr hadn’t been able to use his 2023 Nissan Rogue since he got into a low-speed crash in New Jersey back in March.
John, originally from McKinney, TX, saw his vehicle towed away for what he thought would be a quick and easy repair job.
And in normal times, he would have been back on the road within a few weeks, if that.
The only problem is that, in the auto parts industry at least, these are not normal times.
Ever since the pandemic, manufacturers have been blighted with tricky supply chain issues and global shortage of car parts.
John is one of the thousands affected by this. The part he needs is subject to a lengthy delay.
He told NBCDFW: “I felt like I was getting the runaround.
“I can understand if it was a 1963-whatever and we can’t get parts, but a brand-new car?
“I’m sure they’re continuing to make these cars on a daily basis.
“It’s been a pretty long process.”
The issue is felt particularly acutely in the US as a large proportion of the models sold here are exclusive to the North American market.
As a result, major carmakers from outside the US, including Nissan, are often unable to source parts from elsewhere in the world and have to clear large order backlogs as production ramps up.
A spokesperson for Nissan explained that the part was placed on “back order” and that the firm was working closely with parts suppliers to try and speed up deliveries.
They added: “In certain circumstances with specific parts, there can potentially be a delay due to a number of different factors within the supply chain.
“However, Nissan is committed to assisting our customers as quickly as possible.”
Fortunately, the part eventually came through from Japan and John was able to pick up his car in August – though he had to pay for a rental for almost six months.
