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Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager problems
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Comments
Dave
Since having the switch replaced I have not noticed the "swipe" anymore!!
It hasn't done it since, and hopefully never will again...
We've got a '99 Quest GLE with 13,500 miles in 11 months. When turning into a parking space or easing into the garage (i.e., at low speed), I'm starting to hear a squeaking or squealing noise as the wheel is turning. I'm suspecting the steering rack assembly, since an '84 Cutlass Ciera started making the same noise before needing its
steering rack replaced.
How about it? Anyone else hearing this, or is it only us? Thanks for your help.
If you pop the hood with the engine running and have someone turn the wheel for you, you should be able to locate the source of the noise (that's if it does it at standstill).
Of course your best bet is to take it into the dealer since it is still under warranty. Even though you may run the risk of having one of those dealers that says every noise is "normal". Good luck. Let us know what happens.
Dave
I know there was an argument a couple of weeks ago on this topic whether Audiovix is guilty, installer, Nissan or me. But who said it is because of TV/VCR? Anything can leak power (including the alarm or door opener) and Tv/VCr is just one of the several possibilities I could name. It is not supposed to drain the battery overnight like that anyway out of the blue.
Every device in the van was turned off for sure, but it still drained power.
I think the simplest thing to do is to change the battery, dealer refused to do it so far saying battery seem to be OK. I will insist on it now (3 times in a row is too much inconvenicence for a 9 month old van), if not - will try another dealer.
Anybody is having same problems with the battery?
As a temp fix, I disconnect one of the battery cables. This only happens at night when the lights turn on.
Anyone with similar problem?
Will let you know what they say about the steering noise.
Guitarzan
Community Leader/Vans Conference
It could also be coming from the a/c condenser. In hot weather, mildew can build up in there from too much moisture; this could make the vehicle interior smell bad. Try spraying a deordorant/disinfectant into the outside air intake a/c vents, those are the vents right below the windshield above the hood. Have the a/c on full blast while you're doing this... let it run for about 5 minutes. If you live in a humid warm climate, you may need to do this once a month during the really warm periods. Btw, one way to prevent mildew from building up in your condenser is to not use the reclyed air so much.... no more than a few minutes at a time.
Good luck.
Pocahontas
Community Leader/Coupes, Convertibles, and Sports Cars Conference
I have a 1999 Quest GLE. The window in the sliding door on the driver's side rattles excessively. It has not vibrated into the "unlocked" position yet. When I open the window the rattling goes away. I believe the root of the problem is with the latch. Unfortunately, I cannot find any areas on the latch that could possibly be tightened. Looks like I will be going to the dealer.
Has anyone experienced this problem.
Jason
Now I unplug TV power cord from the unit every time when its parked. I am not sure it if helps, but if battery does not go dead in 2 months TV hardwiring is probably to blame.
Let me know what your dealer found out.
I have had 2 cups of coffe(1 iced) fall on the floor. They advertise 13 cupholders, but i am findind 2 to be useless....
please respond if anyone else has this problem.
Dave
update, especially since Vshun has asked for it.
Re: something draining the battery.
They found pinched wires somewhere near the engine block. According to the dealer that was the root cause of the battery going dead after a couple of days of not driving.
Re: window latch popping open.
The offending latch was replaced with a new one.
Here's something that I find strange. This was the third time I had to take the van in. (The first time was a minor problem with a seatbelt mechanism, which turned out to be a misunderstanding on my part. They've reportedly replaced the mechanism anyway. ?!? The second time was the recommended free 1K-mile oil change). All 3 times I could not get a record from the dealer on what exactly was done to the vehicle. All I got was a verbal explanation of the repair and my keys back. When asked for the paperwork, the dealer said that it was "no charge" and thus no paperwork was to be generated.
Is anybody else out there having any difficulty receiving records of warranty repairs from the dealer? I would certainly like to have them for
my records.
-Mike
If I were you, I'd politely ask the service manager for copies of those service reports for your records. I don't see why they should have a problem with that. If they do, ask them why.
Dave
I had a similar experience with a Subaru service department. The ABS solenoid kept getting stuck and I would loose my ABS. The mechanic would jiggle it and the problem would go away. Finally, it happens out of warranty, and the service manager says "I have no record of this being a recurring problem. You either have a $75 problem or a $750 problem depending on which part is bad."
I jiggled that solenoid from time to time until I traded the car in on my Quest.
My previous 2 cars were bought new and I did not have a fraction of the problems we had with Quest. My first new Nissan sedan (made in Japan) was never in dealership for warranty service, it was a perfect vehicle. My new Toyota Corolla gave me about 1 problem each year and I thought its quality is bad after owning Nissan sedan.
I have numerous problems and I visit my dealer (1 hour each way), usually to be sent back with "cannot reproduce".
My Quest battery dies periodically. Today it died on Wal-Mart parking lot after 15 minutes. The van was 3 times at dealer place regarding this problem. All dealer does is test the battery and say "its fully charged, go home", instead of replacing it. Last visit dealer blamed the hardwired TV for the problem. I removed the wire and TV was disconnected for the last 2 weeks totally and still the battery died today.
The engine developed specific noise. It was there for a week, when I brougt it to dealer last week it disappeared. Dealer said if they cannot hear the noise there is no problem. Today the noise returned and that loud that I think every neighbor around can hear it.
Even some things dealer admits need to be fixed Nissan blocks them. After one visit dealer admitted the (inconsistent) problem and ordered the part. On my next visit they had a Nissan rep on site, who could not reproduce the problem (I mentioned to them it happens 1 times out of 10) and so blocked the repair with ordered part.
We are trying today another dealer with our "dead battery" problem and engine noise.
We thought of our Quest as a very nice van and good deal, now we think of it as total junk as well as of Nissan service. It takes now too much time and energy to keep this van going, and its not 1 year old yet.
I know there are some happy people on this board, but I wanted to post different opinion to show that the picture for quality is not black-and-white.
Taking your van to a different dealer service is a good idea. Especially from what you've stated previously... sounds like your present dealer service is just ludicrous. I've never heard of a part being ordered, then not being fixed on second follow up visit...! Next step would be Nissan 800 customer service; also perhaps check out the lemon laws for the state you live in.
One more: have you tried speaking directly with the service manager (not just the advisor)? If not, you should call before you take your van in, and speak directly with the manager to explain your situation and frustration.... I think this will help insure that you get special attention to this matter. Btw, in case you missed, did you read post# 200 of this very same topic. The user had a similar battery problem that was fixed; he states his dealer found a "pinched wire near the engine block... that was causing the battery to drain."
Anyway, hopefully this new dealer service will have the fix. Good luck.
Pocahontas
Community Leader/Coupes, Convertibles, and Sportscars Conference
thanks for the advice.
However another dealer behaved somewhat similar yesterday regarding the battery.
My wife came to him with 2 problems: engine noise (on previous visit my first dealer did not fix it - due to Murphy law it had disappeared at the moment vehicle entered their garage) and dead battery complaint.
The seem to fix the engine problem (driving belts) but did nothing with the battery and did not find any leaks. They tested the battery and said battery tests are OK and they can do nothing.
Our van was stranded 4 times with dead battery during the last 3 months. Headlights are not the cuplrit (we use Auto1 setting) + our TV wire is now permanently disconnected (so Nissan service cannot blame the problem on it). Still both dealers said if by the time you bring the van to them battery tests show Ok they do nothing with this problem.
I do not intend to leave this problem, I know in 3 weeks the van will be stranded again on some shopping plaza parking lot. Booster cables are the most frequently used tool for us recently.
I believe if both dealers bevahe this way - this can only mean this is due to some unstruction from Nissan for this type of problem, so it is useless to talk to the manager, need to talk to Nissan though and make them change it.
I will try to complain to Nissan directly - they either have to replace the battery or finx some leak in wires. I searched on Nissan Web site and could not find customer service, can anybody help? (There was some brochure for such complaints, I cannot find it at the moment).
Some other problems I have which dealer says its OK (they are more a nuisanse and not a big deal as dead battery on 10 months old vehicle) -
1. If steering wheel is turned a little I cannot switch turn signal to the same side. For instance, turn steering wheel just a little to the left and after that try to show left turn signal - the switch does not go, returns into the central position immediately even under force.
Dealer said this is normal, I doubt it as I never remember having it on any other cars I had.
Is it just me or this behavior is normal for Quest or some other cars?
2. When pumping the gas sometimes (1 out of 10 attempts) the valve just shuts off. Like you bring your van with empty fuel tank, start pumping, every 0.2-0.3 gallons it shuts off. So I have to click again and again on fuel pump manually, probably 30 times so it finishes the full 17 gallons. This is inconsistent. Dealer looked at it and at first admitted the problem and ordered the replacement part. When I brought it for repair they had Nissan rep on site who took it to gas station, pumped 5 gallons (it was no problem this time) and said everything is fine and no fix will be made, this is all some gas station fault. They also said some gas stations nozzles may be incompatible with Nissan fuel tank opening.
Well, I use the same gas station with my other car and never had this problem, never seen anybody else pumping like me on the same gas stations.
This problem is not a big deal but just annoying.
For the sake of justice to the service, need to mention we had some problems fixed still, such as left wiper problem -fixed with the help of this newsgroup (I printed some messages and showed them to service guy), and engine problem seem to be gone for now.
Your steering wheel turn signals sounds normal. The vehicle is set to automatically turn off the turn signal when you're turning.... that saves you the hassle of having to turn it off yourself after you've started your turn. Hey, not a bad idea to use the turn signal before you start the turn. ;-) Talk to you later.
Pocahontas
Community Leader/Coupes, Convertibles, and Sports Cars Conference
I know its normal to turn off the signal when vehicle steering wheel is turned back. However I think it is NOT normal not to let the signal engage in the first place, i.e. I can really turn on any signal right or left only when wheel is set straight in central position. That is not the case on my other car, or I do not remember having this on my previous cars.
I can see that I am not alone from akrasnov message.
Regarding the troubles you are having...
1. The battery going dead. This should be easy as pie for the dealer to solve. All they have to do is hook up an electrical tester between the negative post of the battery and the ground cable. This will tell them whether or not there is an electrical draw on the battery with the ignition off. If there is, all they have to do is start pulling fuses until they determine which circuit the draw is on. Once they know that, they will be able to trace the wiring on that circuit, checking for loose connections or broken wires, and checking the things on that circuit for problems. I think you need to tell them that you know that this is possible, you know that they CAN do it if they want to, and to keep you as a satisfied customer they should do it.
2. Regarding the turn signal thing, ours does it too. Unfortunately, I think your dealer is right here, this is the normal operation of the turn signal stalk. If the wheel is just turned slightly, the stalk doesn't "catch". It's just something I have learned to live with.
3. Regarding the gas nozzle shutting off on fill up, this used to happen to me too. I found that by not inserting the gas nozzle all the way in, it would not shut off. Also using the middle setting on the pump handle, the gas goes in slower but does not shut off.
Hope this helps.
Dave
Anybody had his/her transmission repaired on a '99? As far as I know the only thing from Japan in this van is the engine. I have no idea where this transmission comes from. I think Nissan is in more trouble than I thought. Your Opinions appreciated.
R2
You might be better off switching off the OD if it is shifting frequently in hilly terrain.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
To Dave re. battery: I think Nissan must change it if they can find no leak. I am about to write at the moment to Nissan about it, let them authorize battery change or whatever else they suggest to finish this "your battery tests are fine" story.
I thought to write about these 2 other nuisances (gas pump and turn signal) but after your message I won't - probably this is how Quest is built.
Here's hoping things go better for you in the future.
My Quest is going in next week to have a bunch of gaskets replaced in the cooling system. There has been a small leak in one of the fittings and I have had to add coolant a couple of times.
Once that is fixed I have to convince them (or the dealer across town) that I really do have an exhaust or manifold leak and get that fixed. The noise drives me nuts, but a mechanic at my dealer told me it was normal, "exhaust resonance" he called it. I will see. I'm going in next week to drive a new Quest to see if it makes the same noise too. If not, I will know for sure.
Happy Holidays
Dave
is it legitimate to ask the dealer to let drive a new van to compare? I can see you successfully pressured them to let you do it, what is the secret?
Nissan main office is closed since Christmas till Jan 3 2001. I wrote them a letter regarding the battery with detailed explanations and copies of dealer srvice records, will see how they react when they get it.
Unfortunately this week has really gotten away from me. I took the week off of work and I'm trying to get a lot of stuff done around the house, but the time is flying and I haven't been able to take the time to go to the dealer to try one out. Maybe tomorrow, but I'm not counting on it.
I was able to get my Quest in to get the coolant leak fixed.
Good luck with your problem. Keep me posted.
Dave
2. Do I have to have my van serviced at the dealer I bought the vehicle from or can I go to any nissan dealer?
Thanks for any info.
The engine noise I had fixed 2 weeks ago (diagnosed and fixed as driving belts problem) returned again several times. Getting frustrated at all the trips we have to make to the dealer...
Sent a letter to Nissan regarding battery problem with all the documentation a week ago, no response so far. Will keep posted about this saga.
There is a tank pressure release tube when you take off the gas cap, it should allow gas to be inserted until full. I don't know how Nissan sets up their gas tanks to allow them to equalize air pressure when the tank is being filled. Sounds like they ordered the fix and then reneged. The tube could be clogged, pinched or defective. My 99 Quest GLE fuels OK. Shifting up and down without any discernable engine surge or RPM change is impossible. There always is a noticeable difference when an automatic transmission shifts gears -- poking the gas pedal down makes it all the more evident.
Thanks
Michele
how my dying battery story turned out (see entry
#200), here it is.
The so-called "pinched wires" diagnosis from the
dealer did not pan out, and the battery died again the following weekend. This time, they replaced
the battery, noting that they found a "bad cell" in it. Why they couldn't find it last couple of times is beyond me. This was still a warranty repair, though, so I paid nothing, except a day's
worth of car rental fees, since I wanted to keep
it at the dealer an extra day to ensure a clean
cold start. (Dealer paid for the first day.)
The new battery so far works, not surprisingly,
like new. We'll see how long that lasts.
As a side note, I did get a copy of the repair record this time, after some insistance on my part. I just do not get that whole attitude. Saying that they show it in their computer really does very little for me. Overall, I would say that I am more unhappy with the dealer than the van itself. All that cargo/people room and the seating flexibility came in handy quite a few times for me already. It did take me a while to
get used to spending that much for gas, after owning a little Saturn with a 5-speed tranny.
-Mike
Mike