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Comments
The other Business Week article linked above points out some problems in the Canton MS factory but Nissan isn't going away anytime soon.
Steve, Host
I was one of the people interviewed for the Business Week article. I asked how many good vs. bad interviews he did- he said it was split. I found it a bit unusual that they only printed the negative, maybe he works for Ford.....
I really do sympathize with those who have had horrible trouble. I have been there with some of my GM vehicles when the service dept. acted like they never opened a hood before. I put more miles on their shop loaner than the Cadillac I bought from them. I know what it's like to have a piece of junk you spent good money on. I can also say I knew people who had almost identical vehicles who didn't have a single problem. It's just luck of the draw. In most cases, you either get a good one or a bad one.
What I'm getting at, is I also believe it's going over the line to say "YOU ALL WILL BE SORRY FOR BUYING AN ARMADA." I, for one, am still NOT sorry. I'm not sorry I chose it over the others in the category. I got exactly what I expected, a first year effort that yes, has some glitches. There are some with a LOT of glitches. Mine does not. I've been waiting, listening, freaking out, etc, etc. Still nothing. I still get comments, everyone who rides in it loves it. I ask every person who gets in it to tell me if they feel any pressure or ear popping. STILL nothing.
I
took it in for it's 6K service last week. The dealership I use offers a shuttle service. I had a guy from the service dept. give me a ride home in a salesman's Armada demo. We went on the highway, my pothole covered road, etc. NO resonance. NO rattles. It had 7K on it. And it was obvious from the condition of the interior that the salesmen do NOT take care of it. I asked the guy if there have been any problems with Armadas they have sold. He said that other than a few interior squeak complaints, there have been nothing but regular servicing. He said that although he had heard of the resonance issue (he volunteered this info) he said none have come in with the problem.
So I guess in closing, I'm just not going to worry about it, and enjoy the fortunate turn I have at a vehicle that makes me happy every time I get in it. And no, I don't work for Nissan. I never owned one before, and I'm not getting paid to type this letter.
"Still happy with it" -Tig
i also dont buy that everyone has tried to deceive, lie, or cheat you. if your attitude was even close to what it is now, i would watch to make sure you left in a timely manner.
bad 'tudes beget bad 'tudes, my friend.
no one is asking you to buy anything...since you are one of THEM...you have no credibility since you are one of THEM.
do you seriously believe i went in to buy my bright, shiny new vehicle with an attitude??? gesh!
all this will end up costing them more in the end than it would have to just build a good, solid vehicle to begin with...and then they will have lost thouisands of customers....you do the math.
"I was one of the people interviewed for the Business Week article. I asked how many good vs. bad interviews he did- he said it was split. I found it a bit unusual that they only printed the negative, maybe he works for Ford....." ---- no he works for BUSINESS WEEK. you people need to ask yourself a question.....did this guy need to do an article about expeditions? Navigators? 4-Runners? Durangos? NO NO NO...he was doing it about the crappy nissan armada.....apparently, no other vehicle out there NEEDS an article written about it. that says it all, doesn't it.
I remember when Toyota began selling Sequoias, how many problems the owners had with the vehicle's tapping pistons and front end vibrations. Guess what? The Sequoia forums had similar comments like the comments on this forum. Toyota eventually fixed the vehicles.
I currently own 3 nissans,a 1995 Pathfinder SE 4x4 with 200k miles, an '03 Pathfinder LE with 22k miles, and the '04 Armada SE.
Nissan vehicles have been very reliable for us, and I truly believe the Armada will be no different.
"do you seriously believe i went in to buy my bright, shiny new vehicle with an attitude?"
no, i didnt say that. your attitude probably came when the first problem sprouted. seeing your attitude on here, ill bet the service guys just wanted you out.
and no, dealers ARE NOT factory outlets. the only thing nissan controls is the product. the dealers do not build, design, or otherwise generate new products...nor do we decide how to fix them. nissan works it out and tells us the best way to repair an issue. thats what a TSB is for.
all the dealer can do is follow those procedures.
as far as your attitude toward the dealer, i dont buy that you think your dealer did a good job. you said originally that they told you different things each time, and you were rabid about it. then a few posts ago you say they did great?!?! please.
again, i will reiterate...
im sorry that you have the problems that you do...but you MUST wonder why many others had their vehicles repaired and are happy with them...and you continue to have problems. i REALLY dont think its nissan.
I have one of the higher mileage vehicles out there because they are relatively new...built in that "questionable period". I have been off road, in snow, hit plenty of potholes, and no problems yet in over 7500 miles. Obviously some people are having problems, but not me, and not the two other Armada owners I know. If there are problems I will post, I'm not trying to protect Nissan. Nissan should definitely do all they can to correct the problems, and not try to shove it under the rug.
Let it go guy. All this angst is doing you, and this board no good.
Nor do they provide a warranty on the product - they don't make it, guarantee it, provide a warranty, or try "do-it-yourself" repairs. They simply sell a product, like Best Buy sells digital cameras. The dealer is stuck in the middle between a problematic vehicle (although a trivial problem) and the hostile owner until the manufacturer gives them an AUTHORIZED repair method.
Lighten up. Next thing I'll hear is that some guy burnt down a Best Buy store because his camera didn't work right.
The factory warranty should cover all defects so i'm not worried. If your problems are not solved within reasonable time frame, seek legal advise.
If you like the Armada, you will buy one. Now, if you want the most perfect Armada available, you would have to wait for the last production run of this body style!
Every forum has happy and unhappy owners of cars. No matter how negative the messages are, if you see some positive ones, and you really like the vehicle, you are likely to take a chance and buy the vehicle.
I guess some people are waiting for the trouble-free car. Keep waiting.......
I do take exception, however, to those of you that make these inflammatory, abstruse statements about what is going to happen to the rest of us because it's already happening to 'countless thousands'. I still haven't seen any hard evidence as to the scope of these problems. One business week reporter writing an article does not change my mind. I'm in my 40's, I've owned plenty of vehicles, and I've learned not to believe everything I read. especially on the internet. Those of you that like to believe everything they read on the internet, please email me your order for Teletek stock.
and i have some oceanfront property available in colorado.
FOR ALL OF YOU OTHER ARMADA OWNERS. I am glad there are starting to be more positive posts on here. I loved the vehicle in theory, and I wanted it real bad, even after reading the warnings here. But when it gave my wife a headache on the test drive, I had to look elsewhere. Nissan is getting somewhere with their newer production runs, though. Good luck to all.
this not rocket science people....i challenge bowke28 to go find where i trashed the dealer involved with this mess. no, all along, i have said the dealer has done what he can do....right bowke???
do you have any idea how many people at nissan i have talked to that told me different stories bowke? where did i say it was the DEALER telling me different stories???
The factory warranty should cover all defects so i'm not worried. If your problems are not solved within reasonable time frame, seek legal advise.
If you like the Armada, you will buy one. Now, if you want the most perfect Armada available, you would have to wait for the last production run of this body style!
Every forum has happy and unhappy owners of cars. No matter how negative the messages are, if you see some positive ones, and you really like the vehicle, you are likely to take a chance and buy the vehicle.
I guess some people are waiting for the trouble-free car. Keep waiting.......
ps...what dealership do you work at peter!!!???
tidester, host
post #1362:
"In my opinion, there is a design flaw in the roof of this vehicle...not such a problem to prevent buying one..."
post #2166:
"they took my truck for 2 solid weeks, and did not give me a replacement vehicle! then called me up and said they couldn't fix it to come and get it, and now, it's much worse!!"
post #2201:
"i am also going to call the ownwer of the dealership and tell him that he will also be included in my lawsuit if they/nissan don't give me my money back."
yes, you HAVE bashed you dealer.
Also, if your camera quits 8 months later, you're out of luck, Best Buy or not.
I guess you missed the news last week:
Man angry at Verizon hurls phones across store, causing more than $2,000 in damage (SF Gate)
The Titan and Quest don't seem to have the same problem post frequency as the Armada, fwiw. See:
Nissan Titan: Problems & Solutions
Nissan Quest 2004+ Problems
Steve, Host
our service dept. is now aware of the TSB, but they havent had any customers with this problem.
And you can take to the bank the concept that in today's litigious society, when a dealer or manufacturer have the slightest hiccup about not jumping through hoops for consumers, we get the calls immediately.
We've gotten lemon law complaints and have had subpoenas answered (30 days) and complaints filed (another 2 weeks) before dealers get repair TSBs and SSMs on some problems.
Again, haven't heard a peep out of Armada owners yet!
I also had contributed to the Business week article. I'm currently waiting for my Lemon law lawyer to hear a response from Nissan, as ALL my complaints still are unresolved.
I drove one of the first ones in our area (SE no sunroof) and it was mind numbing. As a matter of fact, I think I was one of (if not the first person) to bring the resonance issue up... I later still bought one because I loved the truck, but I test drove mine for about 30-40 minutes at all speeds and roads. To date, I luckily have no major issues other than the obligatory squeak in the overhead console (which I hope to have fixed at my next service call) and a stripped seat belt anchor bolt (already fixed) ...So there are Mada's out there that are relatively problem free, but I have to agree that Nissan really needs to work on the QC in MS.
And not to perpetuate this nonsense but sorry sloan, "the customer is always right" went away a long time ago when folks realized that the customer used that slogan just to get over.
Let's stick to the topic!
tidester, host
Not so with an automobile - you're not dealing with a $100 camera, you're dealing with a $40k truck where there was probably a trade-in, down payment, financing contracts, etc.
More importantly, there ARE laws in place that require the manufacturer to "return or exchange" your vehicle if it meets certain criteria - that criteria is a "significant impairment of use, safety, or value".
Not to detract from your opinion as an owner, but my opinion as a lemon law expert (4,659 cases to date) is that your roof rattle is NOT a "significant impairment of use, safety, or value". While you're entitled to have the problem repaired, as with any problem, you have no legal grounds to sue the dealer, manufacturer, or the lot boy - good luck with your problem. I seriously hope it works out for you.
Sorry, that's just the way it works. Also, "distractions" and headaches are people problems - lemon law cases address vehicle problems. Clear as mud?
Your mileage may vary.
Also, your handle, aggiedog...from TX?
If you search enough, there are unhapy, screwed over owners on nearly every vehicle forum. It is not just Armadas, there are also Range Rovers and Sequoias falling apart too if you look hard enough. (at least in print)
Personally, I would be the first person to scream if I thought my truck was going to fall apart. Trust me, it's not going to, it's just wishful thinking on your part so you have satisfaction that you arent the only one with problems. I'm actually done reading your posts, because there's nothing of value in them for me anymore.
and i'm done reading your posts as there is nothing of value or substance in them for me either.
Anyway, I looked at the Armada before getting my Limited and I'm glad I listened to myself regarding first year models. On top of that I decided I didn't like the new direction of Nissan and vowed that my 02 Maxima would be my last unless quality was made a higher priority at Nissan. It looks like a few years to go. Hopefully Nissan's reputation isn't too tarnished when all is said and done.
In regards to Nissan service, they're terrible in my experience. It took them one year to address the slipping tranny in my 01 Pathfinder. Even after handing them the TSB regarding the problem. "Can't duplicate the problem" That's what you hear from experienced Nissan techs consistently, very frustrating. They finally fixed it after contacting consumer affairs.
It doesn't make anyone's problems less annoying or severe, but in all those cases I see, each manufacturer takes the same stance:
Step 1 - there is NO problem - it doesn't exist.
Step 2 - there might be a problem, but we doubt it.
Step 3 - on the vehicles that there MIGHT be a problem with, here's a TSB to try and fix it.
Step 4 - it's fixed now, quit whining, and by the way "it didn't cost you anything, it's under warranty".
Step 5 - No, we won't buy back your vehicle...
Sound familiar?
Nissan of Reno offered me excellent professional service. Way to go. Must be something new.
Update on my service trips - My windows have been fixed for good (fingers still crossed), waiting on a piece for my seat that's on backorder until at least the first week of June.
"apparently you are not quite the expert"
"it can't be repaired in those 4 attempts, or if the vehicle hase been in the shop for 30 days, then the lemon law DOES apply"
I'm sorry, but you're wrong, and a personal attack on me doesn't change that fact - the 4 visits and 30 days down ONLY applies IF the problem that it's down for and the time spent down is for a defect that causes a "significant impairment of use, safety, or value".
For instance, your dash could rattle incessantly, and you take it in 6 times, they spend 6 weeks fixing it - you might think the lemon law would apply, but it doesn't, because the dash rattle issue isn't a significant impairment of any of the three areas - it's just an annoyance, even in Illinois (we have a sister partnership in Chicago).
why is it that the auto-world is somehow special (or has less expectations) when it comes to making things right for an unhappy customer? there is NO EXCUSE for any auto manufacturer to follow the steps you outlined as their normal proceedures. and as long as we all sit back and allow them to behave that way, then we get what we deserve. that explains my mission here. they won't make it right for me, so i will hurt them back...NOT by telling lies or half-truths, but by simply telling the truth and facts as they are. i have already cost them more than they would have spent (far more actually) by making things right by me....and i will continue to do so.