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Nissan Quest 2004+: Problems & Solutions
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Comments
She also said the dealership recommended a flushing of the transmission fluid at
30,000 miles, to the tune of $150.
Isn't 32,000 miles early for new brakes? Our Quest does a mixture of gentle highway and "city" driving.
Also, has anyone else heard of changing the transmission fluid at 30,000 miles?
Of course I noticed something on the way out - according to the mpg readout I'm now getting ~6mpg in the city (NYC, AC on high, 90 degrees, 300% humidity, stop-and-go, more stop than go...) Yikes. I'll have to check again when I'm out on the highway later today.
I had an 89 For Probe LX. The problems with that car make the Quest look trouble free. One of the many issues was that the trip computer display blew a light bulb. It took three visits for them to see where the display actually is. They kept saying everything is good: they were looking at the digital dashboard.
I brought the General Manager out to my car to show her it was still broken (trip computer). She arranged for a loaner and took the car back. The next day I got "the" call: 'everything looks fine'. I made it simple for them. I asked them to go into the car, look at the radio, let their gaze travel up until they hit the windshield, then look down a few inches - I walked him through this on a cell phone. - and amazingly he actually says, "Hey, the light for display is out". I do not believe their is an IQ test for this position.
Maybe one day Quality will be an actual job.
However I am now stuck because I can't find the fuse that powers the "For Towing" wire located in the left rear compartment.
Can you assist with locating this fuse - All fuses seem to be in place under the hood and under the dashboard
http://www.nissanhelp.com/Bulletins/Quest/2004/4.htm
I hope this is of some help to you.
All hitch electrics now working just fine - once again thanks for the install tips.
Rotors
Apparently the brakes can go that early (32K mi.), but I'm perplexed as to why the rears would wear quicker than the fronts.
I'm now annoyed that I had the transmission flushed as it's not part of Nissan's recommended service at 30K miles. Also, Nissan wants to do a TUNEUP at 30K miles in addition to replacing the spark plugs. A tuneup? What could they possibly do; the timing is computer-controlled, there are no points to replace, etc.
Is there any way to get some kind of heavier-duty brakes for the Nissan? Or is it one of those things where only a certain size will fit and that would be the stock Nissan brakes? Obviously you couldn't go for Bembro racing brakes but is there something else that could be substituted? Or does this void warranty or something?
Sometimes ago, there was a lot of discussion about the tires to replace the original set on Quest, mostly focusing on the ones on S, or SL. If I read these post correctly there is a bit more options to replace tires on a 05 SE model, since the size is a bit different. Has any owner of a SE recently replaced his/her van tires? When did you replace them (mileage), and are you happy with the new set? Thanks for sharing the info.
Phuc
I printed out your (pepperman) post, highlighted your diagnosis and took it to them--they still couldn't duplicate it and said that our van did not have the problem that your van was diagnosed with. They asked if I could get some detailed information from your paperwork to help them diagnose our van's problem. Please email me (fotoflores@kconline.com) and if you're willing to help, I'll give you a fax number to fax the paperwork to. I guess they're looking for codes and stuff from your dealership.
Thanks, pepperman, and anyone else who can help!
firecracker!
Huge error in buying Nissan, won't do it again and will do my damndest to make sure no one else I know will do it either.
Rather than go thru my litany of complaints, I'll give you guys an update my my '04 SL experience:
- 14,000+ so far.
- At about 8,600 miles, Goodyear replaced all four tires due to out of balance condition. I had the classic vibration problems. My local dealer did some load balancing, but that did not help.
- Problem got a little better with the new tires, but was still present. It would come & go. I think the van has some resonant vibration conditions.
- I recently had and oil change, and had them check the wheel alignment. Even though the van mostly tracked straight on the highway, they found both the front & rear wheels were significantly out of alignment. At this point, the new tires had around 3000-4000 miles on them, but tread wear looked OK. This alignment fix significantly improved and solved the vibration problem.
- I get a high chirping sound when the van hits a hard bump. I think it is the sissor jack stand squeeking in the foam folder. Anyone find this problem? I could be wrong...
- And the right rear door seems to have an intermittent vibration noise on the highway. It is not really a rattle as much as a rubbing-noise. Seems to be the plastic window frame vibrating against the plastic interior of the door. My kid can stop the noise by pressing the too together. ???
- The heat on my foot is still a %$#%^^#$%$#% problem. I find the AC works BEST when the knob is turned to MAX setting. This is significantly better than any other setting, such as with the big AC button pressed and recirc ON. In fact, you can tell the difference between any setting and the MAX AC setting. Nissan's inane engineering team really screwed up this design. I hope they have to suffer with one of these vehicles. The only real fix (IMHO) is to re-route the coolant hose & bypass the heater core with a few manual valves . I am still considering this fix after the summer ends. Ironically, the AC on MAX runs very nicely. But as soon as I turn on vent air with no AC, the damn heat turns on instantly. So the only two operable settings are: AC MAX, and zero fan blower & recirc, which STOPS all air flow from the vents. This at least stops the hot air, and I open the windows.
- And lastly, I hate the front seat. Too much lumbar. Bottom seat cushion is pretty good- nice & soft, But the back is a killer. Can anyone really lean back & touch the head rest with their head and be comfortable? I am looking for a replacement driver seat back to replace. I already tried a Accord seat & Sable, both from a junk yard. One's too hard, the other too soft. Now I'm looking at after-market van replacement seat. Ugh. I hate this van, but my family loves it. God, I hope I survive a few years so I can get rid of it. This is my first & will be my last Nissan.
? :lemon: ?
EMAIL
hz123@wowway.com
I fill up and all the gauges are shut down. I haven't had a problem since. The doors
will always rattle a little. These vans have large openings and the body flexes when you go over bumps or driveways. No matter what the dealer does I don't believe the rattles will go away. It's a little convertables, the body flexes alot on those so there will always be some rattling.
Other then that I love this van, I take it from my wife a few times a week to drive, and I let here drive my Murano. It's just lots of fun to drive....
That's my two cents... take care
http://www.sportomotoring.com/Results.html?ListID=305652961635871&ModelID=30589449078987&B- randID=304676513339068
:shades:
Glad to here they FINALLY resolved your vibration problem. I had no vibration till just over 13,000 miles. After that, on a trip to San Diego, it quickly deteriorated. Steering wheel vibrated, the drivers seat vibrated ( at highway speed.) Even sitting in the 3rd row felt like a vibrating chair on low. I took it to the dealer to have them check the balance. They could not get the tires to balance. They didn't have a ROAD FORCE balance machine, so I took it to Discount tires. They did the road force balance, even taking off the wheel and checking the round ot the rim. They could not get two of the tires to balance ( the two rear tires.) So, I had them replace those two tires under warranty prorated for miles and over a year old. I paid $42.50 for each tire. My brief initial highway road test was positive. We will see how things go over time.
Haven't heard the chripping sound over large bumps. The heat on the foot thing doesn't really bother me. I know it is there, but it doesn't blow hard enough for me to notice very often. I live in Phoenix and if I'm not working, I'm in flip flops 100% of the time. Not Rattles to speak of . I had a slight rattle about 5 months ago, in the drivers side sliding door. A little WD 40 and I haven't heard it for 6 months.
I agree with you on the warm vent air with no A/C running. I don't understand how they could have messed that one up. No car I've ever had has had that problem. That being said, the A/C works fine here in Phoenix. We've had the hottest July on record.
I'm sorry to hear you hate this van so much. I probably love this van as much as you hate it. At least your family can get some enjoyment out of it.
I don't really want to use that FM transmitter on the portable units as I hear that they so not sound that great and can have interference.
Has anyone tried hooking up to the DVD player (I have one factory installed) A/V jacks directly and using that connection or is that possible? Would the DVD player then be on all the time in order to use that?
Anyone know of any other options, can I buy and install the SAT unit myself?
I guess I was in a sour mood when I last posted...my harsh feelings about this van stem from:
1) Nissan's inept support.
2) My back pain from driving this van.
Lately, tweaking the seat has helped & I may miraculously get it "ok" sometime soon. I readily admit I am more of the problem than the seat itself...
I highly suggest you get the wheel alignment checked since you have the new set of tires-- I had the same situation, where many of the tires could not be properly balanced after approximately 8600 miles. Good luck.
Sam
We're leaving on vacation this weekend, and I'll post any developments (I don't expect any). When I get back, if you're still having problems I can try and scan my service records in and e-mail them to you to see if that helps your dealer. Sorry I can't be more help. Good luck. I can definitely feel your pain.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-5TEgnla249c/cgi-bin/prodmenu.asp?c=18
I use the FM modulator method of receiving the signal through the car's stereo, and have absolutely no trouble with it-great reception,no static,and superb sound.
It was incredibly easy to installand wecouldn't behappier with it.
Let me know if I can be of further help to you.
I took it back to the dealer and I drove 2 other 05 SL's and they behaved the same way. The tech told me that there is nothing in "the book" on this and there doesn't appear to be any problem with the engine or transmission. He said it appears to be "normal". For a new $30K vehicle, it's doesn't seem normal to me.
I found a Nissan Service Bulletin indicating that the 2004 SE built before January 2004, had a "booming noise and/or floor vibration at about 2,000 RPM" because a mass damper needed to be installed onto an exhaust hanger (???). Could this somehow be related?
My feeling is that there is something that needs to be adjusted, but until they get a Bulletin from Nissan, there's nothing that can be done and I guess that would only happen if enough people complain to Nissan N.A.
I'd appreciate any info/feedback or suggestions or to find out if anyone else has experienced this.
Check my posting, # 1409.
I know it is unusual for an out of alignment condition to manifest itself as vibration. I felt vibration up thru the steering wheel, and thru the floor. Plus a side-to-side wiggling. It made my calves shake...
My experience is, after re-balancing tires N times, and then replacing all four tires, the alignment (which did show both the front & rear whells to be out) made a dramatic improvement and ultimately fixed the problem. I have since driven over a thousand highway miles, and the van is extremely smooth.
And of course, Nissan was cluesless. They did load balancing, and diligently checked all bolted connections on the front end to see if anything was loose. But they neglected to check the wheel alignment. I did it on my nickel, on a lark while getting the oil changed at a local tire store. Best $40 I spent in a long time, plus 3 year warranty.
After thinking about it, I can see how mis-aligned wheels could cause the tires to wear, and then get out of balance. Oddly, the van tracked pretty straight on the highway, both before and after the alignment.
Good luck.
SamG