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Nissan Quest 2004+: Problems & Solutions
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I also had the radio to cut off as you described one time. They replaced the radio on this last visit. I got the van back today and it seems like all is well. The mechanic knows me by now because he has worked on this problem a lot for my car. He came out and told me he had replaced another of the short cables, and the long one looked like it had the insulation scraped off and shorted to the metal of the car.
I really like the van, but I liked the size of the 1999 better. The long wheelbase does let the van drag when going into some driveway dips, or over some large bumps. However, the long wheelbase makes the ride wonderful and smooth on the road.
I really appreciate this forum and the people who make constructive posts. I took part of your mail into the dealer today and showed him the evidence of the radio problem. They said they were not aware of that radio problem at all.
I have also had the transmission problem described in the TSB that says the transmission can lock up in the” fail safe” mode. When it does this, it is in third gear and the van will move by racing the engine. Turning the engine off and back on clears the problem. I am not going to have this problem addressed unless I have it happen more often. It has only happened one time in over 15,000 miles. The transmission must be opened to replace the faulty relay. I will wait and see how this turns out over the extended warranty period.
My brakes are also beginning to show signs of disc warping when they get hot descending some of the mountains where I live.
In spite of the problems, I really like the van. This is the 4th Nissan/Mercury Villager I have owned. They have been very serviceable cars, and the dealer has been easy to work with.
Thanks again for your response.
We purchased our Quest a year ago and almost immediately had the same mystery beeps. Three in a row at random times. We took the van in a few times to the dealer and of course it never beeped for them. They finally heard it just 3 weeks ago. The beeps seem to have disappeared in the winter and returned with the warm weather. Sudden stops or bumps in the road seem to set it off although it happens when just driving on a straight, flat road also. Nissan is ordering a new part for the back door in an attempt to solve this problem.
Is there anyone out there who has experienced this?
It is driving us crazy!
I have 225/65 16 on my Quest. I have not been able to find another tires that fits this size. Is there an equivalent sized tired I can use?
We bought our '04 Quest last summer, and from the very start were disappointed with the cooling of the a/c. Tepid, at best, when outside temps were above 80 degrees. Not what I'd have expected from a new car I'd just spent ~ $25K on. We never experienced the "hot air out the floor vents" problem, just that the air blowing out the vents was not anywhere close to cool enough. We live in Texas, and the summers can be unbearably warm. A/C is not an option for us with small children.
Anyway, we brought the thing back in probably 4 times through the end of the summer and into fall. Each time we were told (courteously!) something different: the system was low on freon but no leaks were detected; the system was cooling to specs but that the cubic feet in the van just took longer to cool off; that everything checked out, but that they'd put dye into the system to see if the thing were leaking; that the new freon didn't cool as well, etc. etc. (sigh) We were growing more frustrated by the day. Oddly enough, I'd also on occasion hear a faint "beep" while driving when the a/c was turned on. There were no associated lights with the sound, nor were the beeps the "normal" louder ones that you hear with the auto doors, etc. It was very soft, and seemed to occur consistently when I accelerated past about 42 mph, and sometimes at speeds into the 60s, but never when the a/c was off. Ordinarily just one beep. Strange, huh? Anyway, soon enough the cooler fall/winter rolled around, and the lack of cooling became less of an issue.
Well, spring/summer comes this year, and we quickly discovered that our nemesis, the faulty a/c, had returned. By this time, I had immediately returned to my previous level of aggravation, and was at my wit's end. I was due for an oil change, etc., so I called 800-nissan1 (or whatever the number is) and quizzed them about the a/c in advance. They were very nice, and advised me to take the van in, and while it was still in the shop, to call them back with the case number they assigned to my complaint. They would then contact some regional supervisor or other such person, who would in turn call the dealership and "consult" with them. Seemed like smoke being blown up my skirt, but I followed their directions anyway. When I brought it in to the dealership's shop, I went a little on the offensive, telling them that I just didn't believe that this level of cooling met ANY person's (quality control's) reasonable definition of functional air conditioning. Circulation was not a problem, I continued, but the temperature of the air coming out of the vents was. I wanted them to know that their opportunities to satisfy THIS customer were quickly running out, and that I had heard all their bunk before and was not buying it. I think I even said something like if this time didn't get it, I was about to start raising hell with Nissan b/c I could get no satisfaction from the dealer.
I'm happy to report that the goofy thing finally is cooling. The invoice said something like a lower ______ was loose (I will try to find the exact wording they used and re-post it later). Don't know why they couldn't fix it before, but my patience finally paid off, and they thankfully got it fixed. Funny thing is, the faint beep also stopped. Could it have been a warning of some sort for a freon leak??? Go figure.
We also experienced the extremely sluggish starts on random occasion--almost like the silly thing was starting off in a higher gear. After you get up to speed, you're fine, but no passing downshift, and no shifting to get up to highway speed. I guess it resets itself after killing and restarting the engine. They could not duplicate the problem, but told me to leave it running and bring it in the next time it happened. Not a far drive if I'm in town, so I plan on doing it.
They also repaired an annoying 3rd seat rattle (didn't know that was the problem until I saw the TSB on it).
Overall, we really love the van, the smooth ride, etc. We just felt like we were getting duck-bitten to death (except for a/c which WAS a major deal) with several little things wrong. If they can work out the kinks for 2005, I would even recommend it.
One more thought. We added an aftermarket DVD player in the ceiling. Worked great except alot of interference when the radio/cd player was on. We hadn't noticed it because the audio is through wireless headphones, and our kiddos hadn't told us (could they have missed it???). Circuit City was going to pull the thing out to send it in for diagnosis. I just happened to be monkeying with the radio one day before we took it in for removal, and I turned off the "rear controls" for the radio. Immediately the interference through the headphones disappeared. We decided to leave the rear control off permanently, and now everyone is happy.
One last thing: the "pod o' control" does take a little getting used to, and the speedometer, etc. also being in the middle is weird at first. One quickly grows accustomed to it, however, so don't let that alone influence your decision.
For the SL model owners (like me), Nissan really screwed us with this because this tire is the only one on the market with this size. There are no other brands on the market that have this size. I am thinking 215/65/16 will work as a replacement. The diameter is the same, but the width is short 10mm but should work for this rim. With this size, you have plenty of choices. You can also consider 225/60/16, but the diameter will differ and effect your speedometer and mileage slightly.
I gave them a copy of the TSB with my list of things I wanted done. I can only guess that they acted pursuant to it. Whatever they did, it stopped the rattle (they may have just put duct tape on it!)
Now that I look at my invoice, it would appear that the technician only "adjusted" the rear seat latches. I'm okay with it so long as the rattle stopped, which it did.
As for the A/C, all I can say is hang in there and be persistent!!!!! Remember, mine took about 4-5 times in to get it (finally!) fixed.
My invoice reads as follows: RECOVER AND EVACUATED SYSTEM AND RECHARGE FOUND THAT LOW SIDE VALVE WAS LEAKING TIGTH [sic] UP COOLING BETTER AT THIS TIME.
Sort of cryptic notes, I know, but if you and your technician can make anything of it, maybe it's worth a try. Ours was repaired 12 days ago, and we've had several days since then in the 90s, with 100s expected tomorrow and through the weekend. It seems to be holding its own, and keeping us cool.
BTW, a friend of mine in my same town bought a Quest about a month after we did, and his a/c works (and has always worked) fine. I can only guess, then, that it is NOT a design flaw with all the Quests, but something wrong with the individual vehicle--good for us b/c there is hope of a fix!
Good luck, my friend!
As for the 3rd row seat, mine rattled and they wrapped the latch with foam tape but later saw the TSB from Nissan stating that the latches should be replaced. I will prob remove that foam tape and bring in the TSB so they can fix it right.
Thanks!
You had the rotors re-surfaced at 4200 and now at 16500. That's crazy! What symptoms are you experiencing? Is the dealer certain that it's warped. Every time you machine the rotors it will get thinner and thinner, and less metal mass and therefore warp easier and easier.
My van has a problem with steering wheel vibration, and sometimes steering wheel shakes uncontrollably when braking (only sometimes). I am drawing my own conclusion that most of this is due to the garbage tires that came with the van. The tires may be out of round and making driving experience terrible. I am not ready to let the dealer machine my rotors until I am confident that my brakes always pulses when braking.
I actually have a friend that works at Nissan in the service department, and he tells me certain Nissan models (Titan) do have a rotor warp problem, but he hasn't seen any Quest come in with this problem. By the way, I also have a 95 Honda Accord with 160,000miles and still on the original rotors, and it brakes smooth....so for the dealer to say this is regular maintenance...BS, and where is it Nissan's maintenance schedule that the rotors need to machined every year!!!??! You should ask your service advisor "Do you and all your coworkers machine your rotors on your car every year?"
I did not pay for this, but under NJ Law everything is covered - no matter what - until 18,000.
If dealer wants to charge know your rights and your state's laws
Any idea where I can find out if PA has coverage on the breaks like N.J.??
If you are just trying to clean off some dust, then a shop vac would be fine, that's what I do.
We bought a 2004 Maxima on the same day and that has Continental tires on it. The miles is almost the same as the Quest and the tires have more than twice the tread left on them. I just show my wife the difference on Saturday.
Any info on this? Is it the tires or the does the Quest have a problem?
There is a reason that your tires are wearing down so quickly on the van. The tires that come on the vehicle have a UTQG of 360AA which is probably the worst "wear" rating you can find. Oddly enough the tires are also rather expensive at about $105.00 each and due to the 360 rating will predictably wearout again very quickly.
In my opinion you ** SHOULD NOT ** purchase these same tires when you inevitably need to around 20K miles at the latest.
So... what to do? Buy a different brand with a better UTQG/cost ratio. Here is how you calculate such a thing.
Take the UTQG and divide it by the cost. Here is the OEM tire:
Goodyear Eagle LS2 @ $105ea.
P225/65R-16 99H NIS (31514)
360 / 105 = 3.43 ratio.
This means that for each dollar you spend, you get 3.43 of wear. This is essentially meaningless until you compare it to another tire. Here is one of the best deals I found (note that the OEM is the worst extreme and this example is a very good extreme)
Cooper Lifeliner Touring @ $65ea.
215/65R-16 98T BLK (27325)
UTQG: 620AB
620 / 65 = 9.54 ratio
So with this example you get 275% more tire wear per dollar.
Now your only problem is finding what size tire to buy because the OEM size only has one tire available... The goodyear 225/65/16 LS2.
You will have to make your own decision here, but I did some research and found four tires that are within appropriate size specifications for that car. Each of these have multiple options and will get you a much better tire than the OEM Goodyear. Note: As a general rule you should avoid goodyear. They typically have very poor wear ratings for the price you are paying.
PLEASE NOTE: This is my own personal research and represents rough notes that I kept during the process. You are responsible for making your own decision regarding the tires that you buy. Also, each of these are based on the 16" rim, not the 17" available on the higher priced Quest. I figure those guys can afford $550.00 for crappy tires :-)
235/60 R 16 $80/up and 12 tires available
(27 x 9.25 x 16)16"9.25" (235mm)27.10"
(688.40mm)-0.41" (-10.50mm)
.39 Wide .41 Short and off by 1.53% High
BEST TIRE TO BUY
215/70 R 16 $90/up 5 tires.
(28 x 8.46 x 16)16"8.46" (215mm)27.85"
(707.40mm)+0.33" (+8.50mm)
.4 Narrow and .33 tall and off by 1.2% low
GOOD TIRE TO BUY
225/60 R 16 $55 to $100+ TONS (34) of tires
available
(27 x 8.86 x 16)16"8.86" (225mm)26.63"
(676.40mm)-0.89" (-22.50mm)
0 Narrow .89 short and off by 3.33% high
GOOD TIRE TO BUY
215/65 R 16 $60 to $100+ 15 TIRES AVAILABLE
(27 x 8.46 x 16)16"8.46" (215mm)27.00"
(685.90mm)-0.51" (-13.00mm)
.4 Narrow and .5 Short and off by 1.9% High
GOOD TIRE TO BUY
225/65 R 16 $105 original tire, 1 tire with
terrible rating
(27 x 8.86 x 16)16"8.86" (225mm)27.52"
(698.90mm)+0.00" (+0.00mm)
This is the original tire with a horrible 3.5 wear
ratio
DO NOT BUY THIS TIRE
I want more stability when cornering. Tell us your experience when/if you get them.
sopecreek - The info posted above is for using the same wheel. If you replace the wheels, then you are incurring additional cost and loose the tire pressure monitoring function.
I looked around the web and mainly used the website www.tirerack.com and found the Kumho ECSTA ASX to have good price ($70/each) and good performance. This is for 235/60/16. Keep in mind this different sizing will slightly effect the mileage and speedometer reading. For this size, your tire will have to spin 767rev/mile. OE is 756 rev/mile. Or if your speedometer reads 65 mph, you are actually going 64mph.
The OEM wheel will work for all the tires I listed.
As for tires, I just bought a set of four Cooper Lifeliner Touring 215/65R-16 98T BLK (27325) from Discount Tire / American Tire http://www.discounttire.com.
They had a wear rating of 620 (80,000 mile warranty) and it cost me $312.00 out the door including mounting/balance/tire waste.
This size is 0.4" narrow and 0.5" short. So when your car says 65 you are going 63.5 mph.
The tires look great and I drove it home 20 miles on the freeway and they are smooth and quiet. The 235 tires were my first preference because they would give you an extra 1/2 inch instead of losing a 1/2 inch like I just did, but the cheapest I could find them was for $480 out the door and that was with a lesser wear rating. I couldn't justify spending an extra $170.00 for that extra little bit of width.
If you found some for $70.00 then you may end up with a better wear/cost ratio.
Best of luck... my Quest has new tires now and I shouldn't have to think about it for at least 5 or 6 years.
-SKH
It just looks cool, too. I receive comments from friends whenever they see the light come up. They love it.
You'll find many other posts, on other forums, where much more of the seat metal is visible and rusting, on other models from various manufacturers, so, I wouldn't worry about this. One post I read once, don't remember the manufacturer, spoke of the rust visible in the drivers seat and this rust would get on their clothes.
Thanks.
thanks
I am replacing my Goodyear LSs at 33,410 miles with a set of Mastercraft (Cooper Tires) Sensys 1s, 235/60R/16 'T' rated tires (I can't see my wife driving over 118 MPH, so the 'T' rating will be fine). 70,000 mile rated, higher load capacity than Goodyears, and only $414.00 a set installed. The cheapest I found the Goodyear LSs installed was $494.00. With the low tread ware performance, LSs are essentially twice the cost of a 60,000 mile tire because you'll need two sets to get that much mileage. The Sensys 1s have a little smaller (27.02" Overall Diameter vs. 27.5" or about 1.75% less) diameter than the Goodyear LSs, but I'd rather live with a speedometer that's off a little than worry about premature tread wear and possible tire failure. Another tire I considered was the BF Goodrich Traction T/A T/H/V rated tires in 235/60R/16. These are a little more expensive, but also have a higher tread wear life (it seems who doesn't) than the Goodyear LSs.
If you are exeriencing premature tire ware contact your dealer, NHTSA, Goodyear, and Nissan and don't let them try and convince you its your fault because you 'didn't rotate' them often enough. I rotate mine every 4,000 miles and they are ALL failing.
What a shame, to save probably $50.00 a Quest, Nissan has hurt its customer/ manufacturer relationship over these tires. I love my 2004 Quest otherwise. Didn't they pay attention to the Ford/Firestone/Explorer debacle of a couple years ago? If you're trying to recapture market share, don't go cheap (or stupid) on OEM tire selection.
Good Luck!
I called different dealer and got the same run around, so I kept calling around. I finally reached a dealer who told me to bring it in the next day. They had it on the lift for an hour while they were on the phone to their Nissan Tech Rep. Turns out they need to replace the entire wire assembly. Even though it's not as conveniently located, I'm their customer for life!
Thanks
I have a couple of questions and if anyone has any thoughts or experience it would be great to here from ya!
1. Has anyone hooked up an iPod /Mp3 player to the sound system? Can you use the DVD aux jacks on for this?
2. I've read the postings on the Warranty issues with the 2004 but still don't know if it's 30/36 b2b or it has been upped to 50/60 b2b
3. Has anyone added fog light to and SL
4. Has anyone Added leather factory or aftermarket (ease of clean up 2 dogs 3 cats kid on the way)
5. Curious - favorite accessory?
As for the fox lights; I have not added them, but I did have occasion to remove the wheel well protector and look inside. Looks like the wiring is already there and installation wouldn't be too bad. However, the fog lights seem expensive and don't really do that much... Just my opinion...
I am more interested in trying to add the reverse flip down mirror feature...