Carlos Ghosn
CEO of Renault and Nissan
Nishi-ku, Yokohama
Japan
Dear Mr. Ghosn:
This is my wife. Her name is Jackie.
For the past two years, she has driven one of your 2012 Nissan Sentras, like this one....
She loved this car. For two years she used it to drive the fifty mile round trip to her job in Albany, NY and then home to our house near Saratoga. We used it on short and longer trips, glad for the heat when we needed it and the cool air when we needed that, and to listen to tunes wherever we went, as sure as an oldies or country music station would be on when she pulled into the drive way, and then she'd open the roomy trunk and we'd get all the groceries out, and we'd let the car have the rest of the day off, all doors closing tight with that thunk and the toot of the horn locking the Sentra for the night.
She took very good care of the car.
And then last week, she drove the car into a telephone pole.
She did not mean to do this. We're still not clear of all the ins and outs of what and why it happened, but what is sure clear is after the car struck the pole and the driver's air bag popped up, and sparks were falling around the car from loose wires, that Jackie opened the driver side front door and got out. She walked over to a crowd of people who always seem to be at accidents and they watched the Nissan burn. Here are some pictures of what it looked like later....
From within the car, after the flames were doused, we were able to retrieve just about all the important papers and personal property, all of which, by the luck of this lady I've been with for 30 years, had slid under her car seat, and aside from being a little wet, were fine. Music CDs not touched. Alas, among the lost was one iPod, favorite workout pants, and an umbrella. All these have been replaced. And one more thing. In the fourth picture down you see a iced coffee cup from Dunkin' Donuts (you may remember the stores in Lebanon and there is a store in Okinawa). That cup survived the heat from the flames that warped metal and charred plastic. And when I showed my wife that, she smiled for the first time in a few days.
Mr. Ghosn, I am not here to complain about the Sentra in any way (no lawyers, no nothing, just me and my Mac). I am here, sir, to thank you and your employees world wide for building a car that would give itself up for my wife, the person I treasure most on the planet, but right now I think the Nissan family is pretty great, too. Jackie opened the door and, aside from a few bumps and bruises, was fine.
While we did not choose Nissan for her next car, as I am retired on disability and moving in and out of autos is getting more difficult, we remain staunch supporters of Nissan and will always consider returning to Nissan sometime.
Thank you, Mr. Ghosn and to Nissan Worldwide - ありがとう!
