Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager problems

kcs2kcs2 Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Mercury
Has anyone had any problems with the
weatherstripping of the front windshield of the
Nissan Quest pulling out while driving? I bought
my 1998 Quest new in August 1998. Since then, I
have brought it back to the dealer 3 times for this
problem.
«13456746

Comments

  • kjnskjns Member Posts: 1
    I don't know if the lemon law would apply to something as simple as this, but three trips to your dealer for weather stripping is ridiculous!?! Sounds to me like have a real problem with your dealer service, or maybe some there's some prankster on your block that's giving you a hard time. I have a 94 and my neighbor has a 98 Quest. Absolutely no problems with the weather stripping or molding inside or out. Try taking it to a different dealer service.
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    I had a 98 Quest for 9 and a half months; I now have the 99. Have not any problems with the weather stripping with either van.

    I know this is short period of time for both... however, live an area with extreme weather conditions (Cen. FL): extreme heat, humidity, and windy conditions through out the year. This past few months, my quest (and previous quest) has been subjected to a few tropical storms, indirect winds of several tornados, and one hurricane. So far exterior/weather stripping has held tight.

    I second kjns's suggestion: take it to another dealer service. Sounds like your service department is not using the correct adhesive.
    Good luck. ;-)
  • skidmark1skidmark1 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 98 Quest that had the weatherstripping come loose across the top of the windshield while driving last fall. The amount of noise this makes while going down the road is scary, making you think you've hit something and damaged the tires or worse, or maybe the entire van is coming apart. My dealer had to keep the van overnight and this repair required a professional glass installation firm to reinstall the rubber gasket around the windshield. I was told this was needed to allow adhesives to dry thoroughly before returning to the elements outdoors. Since then, no problemo and I love this van. It is very sure-footed in icy and snowy conditions, comfortable on a long trip and fuel efficient. I wouldn't want anything else.
  • skyzeskyze Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1999 Quest SE. I took the 2 middle seats out and wanted to use only the back bench seat. I did this on my 93 and 95 Mercurys to give a lot of room in the middle. On the Quest the cargo mat is supposed to go where the seats came out. It does not fit and the dealer is trying to find out about it. I am wondering if I am short one carpet?
    Also, my Quest has locked itself several times. One time both sets of keys were on the inside, and I had to drive another car 16 miles and pay $25.00 to have a key made from the key code which was furnished by the dealer.
    Has anyone else had a problem with the car locking itself? When it does this the horn does not blow like it does when you press the lock button on the key fob. Thanks for any info on either subject.
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Doors automatically locking is a recurring problem I've seen in a lot of different makes/models. One of the causes for this, is a short in the system due to excess moisture getting in through the keyholes and triggering the locking mechanism.

    I see this a lot in Florida (all makes) because of the excessive humidity and rain. In certain regions up north, snow/ice melting on the vehicle for long periods of time can also cause this.

    Nissan put out a bulletin on this recently. (not sure the exact date). The fix is to insulate areas inside the door to keep the moisture out. I've never had this problem, but close friend's with a 97 gxe had this problem. It was fixed.

    We also have another friend whose BMW does the exact same thing. His dealer has never been able to track down the problem, so he just doesn't leave his keys in his car.

    btw, Up till recently, this is one of those mysterious problems that dealers have been notorious for taking care of the symptom, but not the cause; they'd replace malfunctioning parts, but moisture would eventually seep back in causing a recurrence of problem.

    In some cases, people have been told that automatic door locking is a "feature". It's interesting how when things can't be fixed, they often becomes "features." That's true in some vehicles, but a real auto-lock feature usually comes with a timer and some kind of on/off system.

    Anyway, if your dealer is not familiar with this problem, I'd ask him to call the Nissan "hot fix" line; there should be information there. In the meantime, don't leave your keys in the van. Good luck. ;-)
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Yes, the back mat has that arch shape, and it fits the back cargo area the best. I was able to get a better fit in the middle area by shifting/tucking the arched part underneath the edge of the mat that's closest to the rear bench.

    It took a little adjusting and playing around for the best coverage, but I was able get coverage that worked well enough...

    With one captain out now, I've turn the mat long ways, to fit the half empty middle section. The arch part is facing the single captain chair, and the left/right edges are completely tucked underneath the other two mats.

    Hope this makes sense. btw, The owner's manual mat diagram seems to be based on the pre-99 models... when all the mats had straight edges. Anyway, at least they didn't charge us extra for these mats. ;-)

    I'd be curious to know what your dealer has to say.
  • checkin2checkin2 Member Posts: 6
    I'll have to let my neighbors know about the weather stripping because their front floor boards are soaking on their '98 Quest and the dealer still has not gotten new carpeting in(been over a month), but in the meantime, no one has solved the issue as to how the carpet keeps getting so soaked..it sounds to me that they got one of the one's with the front windshield weather stripping problem.
  • mcklinemckline Member Posts: 4
    If your neighbor had a weather stripping coming off, she'd definitely know it.

    btw, my neighbors have the same problem with their Odyssey, of course it would help if they just dried their feet off before they climb into their van? ;^)

    But you reminded me, I'll have to them know that many other Odyssey brakes are also making grinding noises, just like theirs. I wonder when Honda is going to figure out a solution for that problem. Seems like they've been working on that one for well over a month.
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    To Mckline- You should let your neighbors know about topic # 400 for their Odyssey's problem. ;-)

    Hi Checkin- Thanks for stopping by. Hope all is well. Do you still want to race? ;-)

    Peace.
  • edwardh1edwardh1 Member Posts: 88
    Re 2 row seat vibration: When we test drove a
    Quest with the 2nd row bench seat at 60 MPH on a
    relatively smooth road, with 2 people in the front
    and 1 in the back, the 2nd row seat jumped and
    vibrated visibly (no one sitting in it) (no noise).
    The seat back moved at least an inch. Can't
    remember about the bottom cushion part. While
    driving you felt no vibration in the pedal or
    steering wheel. We concluded it was due to
    inadequate overall stiffness. The Sienna/Odysseys
    we have tested do not do this. Is it common
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    I just responded this post that you also put in the Nissan Topic II. But, for the benefit of reader here, I'll copy and paste my reply:

    #257 of 257: to edward- movement caused by 2nd row seat hinges.

    If you read back posts, you'll see a better
    explanation for this. The movement is related to the hinge design, and not suspension; you'll notice it's emanating from the upper portion of the seat, due to the extra give in the hinge design on the 2nd row seats, where the top portion meets the bottom. 2nd row hinges are different from the front seat hinges; 2nd row chairs can fold completely flat to a table top bench, as opposed to the front one. Also, the front seat hinges do not have not any give; which is we're not seeing movement in the front row captains.

    Next time you test drive, sit on third row and
    look at the back of the 2nd row chair, you'll
    notice what I mean...

    Also, I've read reports here (topic #400) of seat
    rattles/squeaks in both Odyssey and Sienna second
    row seats, most likely due to their own respective
    hinge designs, (pro/cons) which differ in all three makes. For example, the Odyssey second row seats hinge design doesn't allow them to fold flat to a bench. Seinna seats tumble completely forward... etc.

    Personally, I don't mind the trade-off with a
    little (quiet) movement in 2nd row seats of my
    Quest, in light of the hinge design that not only
    allows the seat to fold completely flat, but it
    also offers 8 different levels of forward/back tilt adjustment.

    btw, In my test drive of the Quest, Sienna, and
    Odyssey suspension was very close: ride, handling, vibration, noise, was good with all three makes. Although I will say, I felt the Sienna was slightly smoother than the other two, and the Quest was smoother with less road noise than the Odyssey. Probably because of those Affinities.
  • mcklinemckline Member Posts: 4
    Poca- I understand your point. I suppose I did go
    off topic a little. Perhaps I'm a little too
    sensitive. I was just trying to make a point.

    Not to dictate what people discuss or say here, but I think this particular forum would benefit people more if we tried to limit the discussions here to REAL problems that are occurring with real
    Quest owners. And not just an opportunity for
    owners of other makes to give their personal jabs
    about a test drive, or some negative hear say which is of no value to the anyone here. There are other more appropriate forums for those kind of debates.

    I have respectfully kept my negative hearsay, and
    catty remarks, out of their similar forums
    which were created specifically to help real owners that are trying to find solutions for the problems in regards to their specific makes/models. Peace.
  • mcklinemckline Member Posts: 4
    In case people are wondering, I scribbled some posts above after re-editing. ;^)
  • checkin2checkin2 Member Posts: 6
    mckline-I came to this topic ONLY to possibly give my neighbors/friends directly across the street from me some things to POSSIBLY be aware of or NOT! My average visits with them are daily and therefore I see their Quest daily and have witnessed first hand the soaking front floor boards (feet? Ha, ha ha...). When they first got their Quest I had to solve the "green droplet" mystery for them, as they thought it was anti-freeze coming out of the heater. The mystery was that the hubby drank a Mountain Dew! I couldn't solve the soaking floorboards problem for them until I came here....gee, I think that ought to help them and the service dept that ordered the carpet to be installed(it must not be so common that ALL Quest dealers know about it, but maybe they thought they'd solve it when it was brought in)...I highly doubt they would agree to install new carpet if they didn't feel there was a real problem going on. Weather stripping? Big Deal! I'm sure they will be very glad to hear that is ALL that it probably is. Really, you've made it sound worse than it is just by someone posting a thank you on the info. "jabbing?" Sorry, but that hasn't been a mission of mine in my lifetime! Defending myself? Now that is a different story! I posted a REAL problem, but cannot help you overcome your REAL problem(okay, maybe that was a jab!) :) Btw, thanks for advertising the Odyssey on the Quest sight. No REAL problems with mine except for the dealer! 'Loving my EX how 'bout you? I know when I have had vehicle problems in the past or made spendy wrong choices for myself, I had a tendancy to become a bit cranky. 'Just a thought??

    Pocohantas-Yup, still feeling mighty spunky! :)
  • mcklinemckline Member Posts: 4
    If I have a problem, then I guess you must also. Birds of a feather flock together... ;^) Havn't bought my van yet, however I'm glad your enjoying yours. Peace.
  • dsward532dsward532 Member Posts: 2
    Picked up a Quest SE last night, after over a year of pondering. I noticed this morning when I got up to gaze at it in wonder, it had moisture inside the windows. When I opened the door, the jamb was moist. I remember seeing a complaint about moisture inside a van, but can't remember where. Thought it was the Honda: "All Honda's have moisture." I'll wait a few more days and see if my AC can dry it out.(It's been quite springtime in Mississippi!) I'm sure it will be fine. After all, I got it off the truck and took it home! It is probably just some residual snow melt from Avon Lake, OH. Pocahontas, in case you don't see my post in the Quest topic, your input was valuable in my decision to purchase the Quest. I expect many years and miles of service on my Nissan product. The most terrible thing about it was the length of time I waited to own the thing! Should have gone ahead several months ago.--Later.
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Congratulations on your new van!

    The moisture you're describing on the inside window glass sounds like normal precipitation caused by temperature differences from outside (cold) vs. inside (warm). It's quite normal to have moisture on the inside glass in the morning in cold climates. It should evaporate as the day warms; especially with your ventilation system as you mention...

    Another example of precipitation:
    Note how a drinking glass will precipitate on the
    outside when it's full with ice cold beverage on
    the inside of the glass.

    Also, the more humid the atmosphere, the more
    moisture... I do notice you're from Misissippi, so that answers the humidity question. ;-) Lots of humidity here in Florida also. I'm able to avoid the morning glass precipitation by garage parking.
    If you're concerned and want to test your van's tightness, take it through a high pressure car wash, or by spray it down with a hose. Have someone sit inside the van to observe.... You should not see any water spraying through.

    btw, Be sure all the windows are shut tightly if
    you do this. I say this, because it's easy to do
    accidentally open those rear flip window with those power buttons when you're not real familiar with the van. How do I know? I did this once; unfortunately, is was raining at the time. I didn't find out about it until later. ;-)








    .
  • dsward532dsward532 Member Posts: 2
    No moisture on morning #2. I am unaccustomed to an airtight vehicle and I find I must modify my door slamming technique! The van can't leak water if it won't leak air. I was the first person to drive that vehicle and it just took a day to let the climate control dry it out. I will post my experiences in a few thousand miles, but probably on the Quest forum, as I expect no trouble. Thanks for everyone's input.

    --Enjoy The Ride!
    Donna
  • edwardaedwarda Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1993 Quest with 71k miles. All maintenance done at prerequisite intervals and timing belt replace at 60k miles. I took it in to the dealer last week for routine oil change & lube and was greeted with an estimate for $ 1,232.00 for fixing broken bolts on exhaust manifolds. I have 4 broken bolts and no visual evidence of any dents or scrapes on exhaust system that would explain this (what appears to be ) sudden failure of multiple bolts. Has anyone heard of similar problems on what otherwise has been a reliable V6?
  • brminderbrminder Member Posts: 1
    Hey all you Quest owners, how has this van been for reliability? I am interested in a used one, not new, and the comments on the Chrysler and Ford products make me sick, especially about the trannys.
    What kind of luck have you had?
    Mileage? Good for towing lite camper? repairs?
    Thanks
  • lanettalanetta Member Posts: 5
    I am shopping for a new van. Drove the Quest yesterday and really liked it. However, talked to my mechanic today and he advised against the Toyota or Nissan (I mentioned them both to him). Because I will probably keep this van for 6 or 7 years, he said repairs/parts would be much more expensive than in a purely American van.

    I am anxious to know what kind of response we get to these questions/concerns.
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Nissan vehicles have a reputation for low maintenance/repair costs. Here are some factors I considered, that you may want to compare with other makes you're considering.

    -The average dealership oil change (27 point service) is usually around $20 or less. Even less with discount coupons.

    -Major 15K-30k services are as low as $149-199 dollars, with discount coupons.

    -All 99 Quest models have the new platinum tip (100K) spark plugs; up to 100K between tune ups, instead of every 15k as other makes require.

    -Standard battery saver that turns off interior lights, you may accidentally leave on, provides better maintenance/protection to insure a longer lasting battery.

    -Nissan offers a 60k/60m powertrain warranty. This will help to insure lower repair costs on the big ticket items. Compare 60/60 with many other makes which are only offering a 36/36k warranty.

    -Secondly, if you check with Warranty Gold (extended service program), they'll tell you that the Quest is a Class I vehicle. On a scale of I - VIII, that's the best class for having the lowest costs and frequency of repairs.

    Of course if you really want peace of mind that you'll have little/no repair costs for the next 7 years, I would consider getting extended service warranty; especially for the electronic features: power windows/doors, cruise, computerized motors. These type of high tech items have a higher frequency of break down (on all makes), especially after 4 years. Good luck.
  • lanettalanetta Member Posts: 5
    Thanks, found your info on the other site!
  • m6chem6che Member Posts: 18
    Hey, there apparently aren't enough problems to keep this topic interesting, so I'll share my story :-)

    The interior lights in the van started behaving like they were possessed. They would go out, come back on when I closed the drivers door, flicker on and off, etc. It turned out to be the door switch on the other side - the passenger side sliding door.

    I brought the van over to the dealer. Service took it into the service bay immediately. A few minutes later, the mechanic comes over and tells me it is the switch but there are none in parts. He starts to tell me about having to order one and giving me a call... The other mechanic comes over and says "no, we do have one in stock.." and leaves. 2 minutes later, I notice he's coming back from the showroom(!). The switch was replaced and I got on my way -- the lights now behave themselves.

    Gee, I wonder where they got that switch... Saved me from having to live with the light show and having to come back... Ah, true customer service! I sure appreciated it!
  • stephenjustephenju Member Posts: 1
    Nice story, m6che.

    I don't have any story to share. But I do find a minor problem in my new GLE:

    The driver side sliding door window now keeps popping open when I close the door less gently. I noticed the "arm" doesn't fold in as tightly as the passanger side. I can hear the clicking sound when closing the passanger side window, but not the dirver side.

    Anyone has the samoe problem or any suggestion? I have only 600 miles on it and don't want to drive for 30 minutes to my dealer just for this.
  • charles15charles15 Member Posts: 57
    My Quest is two weeks old and the interior lights will not go out when you shut the door. They do not even go out after 30 minutes per the battery saver feature. I got back in and turned them off on the dashboard then when I got out and shut the door, they CAME ON. I finally had to pull the fuze. Will visit the dealer tomorrow. This just started last evening. I am sure that it is something small but annoying. Hope that it is not systemic for the rest of you.
  • rhtrht Member Posts: 4
    I now have 800 miles on my 1999 Quest GLE and have had no problems at all. Everything seems to work as advertised.
  • m6chem6che Member Posts: 18
    Charles:
    Having just gone through this, it's possible it's one of the door switches. The good ones will turn the lights back on (sounds like the driver's door is fine). Open each of the other doors in turn - press the interior light switch to turn OFF the lights. Close the door you're testing. If the lights go on, that door switch works. If one of the doors can be closed and the lights stay off, you've found the door with the bad switch. Remember to test the back hatch door also.

    (The easiest way to test is to leave the driver's window open, so you can hit the light switch.)
    Mitch
  • charles15charles15 Member Posts: 57
    Mitch:

    Thank you for the suggestion to check the rear hatch.

    I can't believe that I did not check it. What I did not mention in my original post is my horn had stopped sounding when I locked my car. I checked to make sure that I had not turned this feature off and had not. I just figured that I had some electrical problem that was causing all of this. As soon as I read your post, I realized that I had not checked it. It seemed tight but when I opened and re shut it, all was fine - the lights dimmed and went out and the horn sounded when I locked the car.

    This is probably a good reason to keep the horn sounding feature - when you don't get everything totally closed, the horn will not sound when you hit the lock feature on the fob. I had thought about shutting that feature off on the fob but now may keep it. Not sure if I have a bad switch or the door just wasn't tight but now I know where to look. Not sure why the battery saver did not work but maybe it takes more than the 30 minutes that the drivers manual says it takes.

    Again - thanks for the help - this is the great things about these forums. Now maybe I can spend my time some place other than the dealer tomorrow.

    Charlie
  • dhoffdhoff Member Posts: 282
    After reading these posts I remember that we had the same problem with our interior lights this winter. The rear hatch just was not closing completely. It drove me nuts too until my brother-in-law took one look at it, walked to the rear of the van. opened the hatch and SLAMMED it.

    The lights went right out. Now I make sure to firmly close the hatch and haven't had the problem since.

    Now if I could just get rid of the funny noise my engine makes...

    Dave
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Perhaps some of you guys need to do a little weight lifting. ;-) All kidding aside: the van should not be so "airtight" that the doors don't shut with a fair amount of pressure. The latch or the gasket might need an adjustment. Also, keep in mind the "fit/finish adjustment" warranty is only 12k/12m. So I would'nt hesitate to have it checked out by your dealer service, even if you think it could just be a weak arm problem. Better "safe than sorry." btw, my rear hatch closes fairly easily... and I don't consider myself to have a lot of arm strength. ;-)

    To charles15- I'd have the dealer check out your battery saver also. Even if any of the doors are ajar, the interior lights should still go off within the 30 minute window. That's what the battery saver is for, to protect you from a dead battery in the event that you accidentally leave the door open. Could be that the battery saver timer is set a little longer that the "30 minute..." Good luck and keep us posted.
  • charles15charles15 Member Posts: 57
    According to the operators manual, the lights associated with the rear hatch go out after 60 minutes so maybe I did not give them enough time. The battery saver apparently worked at some point when my wife ( not her weak- armed husband ) shut the door. I encountered the problem when I opened and shut a slider later. Since I pin pointed the problem as the hatch , I have been in and out of the hatch several times with no reoccurrence of the problem. Maybe I'll just get my wife the weight training :-)
  • ambradleyambradley Member Posts: 7
    I turned off the horn sound feature of the alarm on my GLE. The lights still flash when the alarm
    activates and all the doors are closed. If they
    don't flash, I know something isn't closed all the way (quite often the rear hatch).
  • marcus5marcus5 Member Posts: 1
    We recently purchased a 1993 Nissan Quest. The Edmond's pricing guide shows that the car was recalled due to problems with the brake master cylinder, possible fire hazards (due to the fresh air intake system, and bolts securing the automatic ______. the message ended here. does anyone know exactly what the recall consisted of?
    Your help is appreciated!
  • VshunVshun Member Posts: 21
    We had the same problem as Charlie and some others with rear latch the night we brought Quest home. It was at midnight we brought the van home from dealership after several hours of haggling, and so it was frustrating to spend the rest of the night trying to figure out what causes lights to be on and how to turn them off.

    Poca, I do not agree we all should run to the dealer for finish adjustment, as this sounds to be a 'feature' of Quest. We really have to slum it down to keep van sealed. I bet dealer service man would immediately say it is working the way all other Quests do.

    Thanks to these posts, I read here about horn sounding feature, now I will try to pay attention to it.
  • charles15charles15 Member Posts: 57
    I now shut the hatch firmly but not hard - no need to slam - and have never had the problem again. You can shut off the horn blowing feature on your fob if it annoys you and the lights will still flash if it is locked. If one of the doors is not secure, the lights will not flash. I don't think the rear hatch is a problem, you just can't push it shut lightly and expect it to be locked but you don't have to slam it either.
  • bluewhalebluewhale Member Posts: 1
    Manifold bolts ( Blue Whale) I just explained in the Edmunds chat room about my 93 Quest's needing both manifolds replaced, along with all 12 bolts. With 6 of 12 needing to be tapped out to a tune of 1100.bucks.( There was indead a ' Service bulliten' mentioned in Edmunds.com, along with my mechanics knowledge of an 11/93 'change' notice for the manifold/ stud design.) Please comment.
  • pocahontaspocahontas Member Posts: 802
    Sorry to hear about your problem.

    You may want to call 1.800.nissan1 and address your problem there. They have a special line specifically for addressing recalls/tbs hotlines. Depending on the year/miles of your van; they might be able to make some kind of special provisions to help you with the cost/fix, especially if you owned the vehicle prior to expiration of the warranty and were not properly notified of the recall/tsb.

    Don't know if you bought your vehicle used or not, or how many miles are on it... but for future reference, I suggest for anyone buying a used vehicle to check out http://www.alldata.com/consumer/ to see what recalls and tsb's are on the vehicle.

    Also, I'm a big believer in investing in a extended service warranty. Especially with a used vehicle, where there are so many unknowns. For those interested, here's Edmund's link to Warranty Gold: http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/warranty/information.html
  • csechecseche Member Posts: 1
    I have a question for all you 1999 Quest owners out there. I purchased a 99 SE loaded in February, just in time to take advantage of the free TV/VCR player promo. However,I have received the MAJOR runaround from my local dealer here in Santa Rosa California and I want to get the "Quick Release Brackets" so I can remove the unit when not needed. But, the local car audio place contracted to install the units is also giving me the runaround! I'm coming up on the two-month anniversary of my van, and I'm sick of looking at the box with the unit in it in my living room! What options or recourse do I have short of REALLY going on the Internet and spreading the word of the deplorable customer service received? Any advice would be appreciated.
  • skyzeskyze Member Posts: 2
    I have a 99 SE Quest with about 9,000 miles on it at this point. It started turning on the windshield wipers when I worked the turn signals. Sometimes you can just touch the stalk and the wipers sweep across the windshield at least once.
    It seems to be getting worse, and yesterday the wipers just came once or twice by themselves.
    I haven't been back to the dealer yet for this problem. Has anyone else seen this?
    I would hate to see them have to tear into the steering column.
    Thanks for any comments.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 51,497
    probably a loose connection or a defective switch. It is relatively simple for them to change the lever.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • akly1234akly1234 Member Posts: 2
    Hi, folks,

    I have a 98 Quest GXE, bought new, now having 8600miles on it. I noticed it did not shift smoothly when accelerating from 2st gear to 3nd. It is so noticeable that I can feel the transmission "slap" into position. Other than that it works fine. What do you think ?
    Any advice is appreciated.
  • ChingCChingC Member Posts: 11
    Have you checked the transmission fluid yet? It happened to my other car, and it turned out that the transmission fluid was low. After adding transmission fluid, it was okay. Check it up by yourself, or have dealer to check it. It shall be under warranty.

    Good luck,
  • lanettalanetta Member Posts: 5
    I posted concerns in the Quest site but thought I would check with the folks cruising here.

    My MPT is very disappointing. 15-17 MPG mixed highway/city driving.

    No outside air vent for circulation? The air actually feels as if it has been heated when I use the next to last left hand stop on my selection dial.

    Any input or solutions out there?
  • bobs123bobs123 Member Posts: 2
    We have a 94 quest GXE and have been very disappointed with it. The electrical system is total crap. We've had the fan selector/controller in the center console replaced 4 times(!) since new and it still doesn't work right.
    The rear wiper works when it feels like it.
    And guess what just happened? 86,000 miles on it and the dealer told us we need a new transmission! Only $3200 to replace it.
    It is stuck in 3rd gear, the shifter works (i.e. we can put it in park, drive, 1st, 2nd, reverse, neutral), but it only moves when in drive and only 3rd gear. I should have known that it was crap when I found out that they're assembled by Ford with almost all Ford parts.
  • mgvhmgvh Member Posts: 4
    99 GXE with just over 2000 miles, and I also am experiencing the same problem as noted in posts 51 and 55. The wipers self-activate occasionally when using the turn signal or begin wiping when turning on the van. Very disconcerting. Thanks to this board, I will let the dealer know that others are having problems too.
  • smbfujarsmbfujar Member Posts: 7
    Like skyze and mgvh, we've had problems with self-activating wipers on our '99 Quest GLE. We've been living with it for 2 or 3 months, as it is very sporadic in its re-occurrence. (FYI, van is 7 months old and has nearly 10K miles, as if that makes any difference.) Called dealer, who says they won't be able to service if we can't demonstrate the problem; what a bunch of chicken feathers!

    Since skyze first mentioned this problem in May, has it been fixed to your satisfaction? What part did your dealer actually replace? If they had to order the part, how long did it take before they called you to have you back for the repair?

    We're taking van in for service for a loose door panel (on driver side sliding door) on Friday, July 9, 1999. If skyze is looking in, we'd appreciate your feedback.
  • brianinohbrianinoh Member Posts: 20
    I am not totally sure how the Ford/Nissan joint venture worked in 1994, however, presently, the Villager/Quest is pretty much a Nissan designed vehicle with primarily Nissan components/parts. It is assembled at a Ford factory however Nissan had a fair amount of input in the assembly process and many engineers at Ford have spent a fair amount of time in Japan learning their techniques. So, if someone had the problems that you are having with a more current Villager, they could probably curse Nissan for their woes. Assuming the joint venture was the same in '94 as it is now, I would say that Nissan may be as much at fault as Ford.

    Now, many in these threads have touted Nissan's rigorous inspections and fantastic dealer service. Maybe those inspections were not in place in '94. But I would think that Nissan would stand behind its product. Good luck.
  • ambradleyambradley Member Posts: 7
    The wiper swipe problem appears quite common; I've
    got it too in my 1999 Quest GLE. I called the service department and he was more than willing to look at it but didn't have a specific record of this problem. I'm concerned because it IS so common - is it a problem with the design that won't be repaired by replacing anything? Or is it we all somehow have a mis-assembled van that allows electrical contact to the wiper switch when we are only using the turn signals? I would think it is the former rather than the latter.

    bobs123: On your transmission, it is unfortunate that it requires are rebuild at 86,000 miles, which is out of the standard warranty but still under what I would think is an acceptable life-span for a transmission. Like any other part, some are bound to fail early. The question is whether this is happening to a LOT of vans or only a few. In the case of the Ford Windstars (with Ford AXOD transmissions) it happened to a LOT of owners (including me). This indicated a design flaw rather than an isolated incident.

    I guess the best thing to do is check around with other owners and the NHTSA and see if there are a lot of complaints of failed transmissions in Quests.
  • smbfujarsmbfujar Member Posts: 7
    We took our 99 Quest GLE in for service on 7/09/99. Service writer at the dealer was much more cooperative in person than over the phone. This guy said he'd seen two other 99 models with same problem, and replaced something called a "combination switch". My wife (primary driver of the van) says the new switch/stalk feels a lot more solid than the original one, that you can really feel the difference between signaling for a turn or engaging the wipers. Of course, the van hasn't been in any rain since the repair, so we hope everything keeps working as it should.
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