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Nissan Quest 2004+: Problems & Solutions
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About 1 week later, when we turn the key to start the engine, it will crank for several seconds but not turn over. This happened in warm weather (>80 degrees) after the car has been sitting for longer than 30-45 minutes. Neither my wife nor I press the gas pedal when we start the car.
We drove the car back to the dealer to get it serviced. They kept it for a couple of days, and said "it is starting within specs," which they claim is that the engine turns over within 5 seconds of turning the key.
To me, this is an indication of a problem, and when your engine cranks for upwards of 5 seconds (for us, it has been slightly longer at times), it is probably doing damage somewhere else. I also can't find the documentation to confirm that the spec is indeed 5 seconds.
Since my Quest never took more than a second to turn over after turning the key for the 10 months that we've owned it, whether or not it is within the 5 second limit, there is still a problem here. I didn't pay this much money for a brand new car that sounds like it's on its last leg before it is even one year old.
Has anyone else experienced this? If so, were you able to get the problem resolved, and how? Where might I find the documentation that the spec for normal starting is within 5 seconds of turning the key? Any advice would be appreciated.
By the way, we did purchase the extended warranty when we bought the car.
said he found a can comm circuit faliure from IDPM to transmission control unit. Isolated concern to IPDM circuit board faliure open in can comm circuit yellow wire. I don't know what that all means, but I'll keep everyone posted as to if it is fixed. Could, however, be a long time before I know since it happens so infrequently. The silent radio happened last week. The transmission issue hasn't happened for over a month.
Another issue I've experienced is the check engine light coming on. The light came on, took it in and they said it was a bad air/fuel sensor. They replaced it, I took it home. When I drove it again the check engine light was on, again. I took it back in, they said it was a defective air/fuel sensor, they replaced it, again. I took it home, no light on. When I drove it again, the light was back on. I have to take it back in on Monday. Luckily, it does not affect the dirvability of the van.
RE: gas mileage. If we drive around town (with no highway driving)I've been getting 12 to 13 mpg. One the highway ( 7 to 2 hour trips ) i've been getting 23 to 26 mpg.
If you wouldn't mind, would you email as much information about your transmission issue as possible? I would really like to get my technician in touch with your technician so that maybe they can share useful information.
I, too have the transmission problem that the dealer can't find, as well as an observed silent radio issue that's been confirmed but not fixed. When I gave them the printout from plashenick regarding the "countermeasure radio", they said they found nothing on that.
Sigh...
The first is with our passenger side power sliding door, while I have seen a problem listed in the recall, its not the one I am experiencing. With ours, it always when we go to close the door using either the front overhead button or the fob, the door gets 90% closed, three beeps, and it returns to the fully opened position, repeat 5-6 times and sometimes on the 3-4 try it will close, other times we have to manually close it.
The second issue is door rattle on the power sliding door, which I have seen and hopefully will be a dressed when we take it in for an upcoming service.
The other problem only occurs when we turn the steering wheel all the way to the right during a revers turn, there seems to be a knock sound we hear, other then that nothing else.
We have also noticed that both the driver and front passenger right arm rests have settled in a position lower then the other arm rests when in use, this is not from over using them or leaning on them too much either.
Otherwise so far so good, love the van.
NQC
And, has anyone who has purchased a May, June, or July production model experienced any rattles in the sliding doors and rear hatch?
I prevailed in my arbitration case. Nissan will repurchase my Quest SE. Trying to decide whether to replace it with a late production model or move into another make and model.
We purchased our SL Quest (Leather/Skyview Roof/DVD Player) in May, and have yet to encounter one problem....I checked our VIN #, and we are not part of the recall....I love our Quest, and was nervous about all the negatives I had read about on this site- but took a chance anyway (as it is the ONLY minivan we were considering because of the style)
Good Luck
Can you tell me how long it took to win? What methods did you use? I'm currently in litagation with them and it's taking long. Thank you!!
http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/nissan/TSB/TSB_July2/Quest_V42.asp- ?mscssid=
You can see the full text of these TSB's by buying a $25 annual subscription to alldata.com , well worth the money!
HEADLINE: Wedding ring dings blemish Nissan paint
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: JACKSON, MISS.
BODY:
Puzzled Nissan Motor Co. engineers inspecting the company's $1.4 billion Mississippi plant have traced vehicle paint flaws and scratches to the watches, wedding rings, belt buckles and bracelets worn by assembly line workers.
In June, Nissan dispatched 200 mechanical, structural, electrical, chemical and materials engineers from its Tokyo headquarters after a J.D. Power and Associates quality study published consumer complaints about 2004-model Nissan vehicles made in the United States.
Consumer gripes about vehicles made at the Canton, Miss. factory included wind noise, vibrating brake pedals and paint blemishes.
The plant, which opened in May 2003, produces the Altima sedan, the Quest minivan, the Armada sport utility vehicle and the Titan truck for Nissan and the QX56 SUV for Infiniti. Nissan also makes Altimas at a Smyrna, Tenn., plant.
"The engineers walked the Canton assembly line, watched workers getting in and out of cars, studied their movements," Nissan spokesman Tom Groom said.
When they finished, they focused on the area where the paint is still wet. And that's when the engineers spotted jewelry inflicting scratches and paint smears.
Groom said workers have been ordered to remove all their jewelry and metal accessories when they're on the job.
HEADLINE: Nissan says quality crusade yields results
BYLINE: Yuzo Yamaguchi
DATELINE: TOKYO
BODY:
Nissan Motor Co. says it has redesigned hundreds of parts in vehicles built at its new Canton, Miss., plant in an effort to fix quality problems.
About 200 Japanese engineers descended on the plant in May after three models built there fared poorly in the latest J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study.
About half of the engineers are still operating in the United States.
''We redesigned every possible component,'' says Eiji Imai, Nissan's senior vice president in charge of quality assurance.
Nissan vehicles built at the year-old plant performed dismally in the survey of consumer quality perceptions for the 2004 model year. The first three nameplates launched at the plant - the redesigned Quest minivan, Titan full-sized pickup and Pathfinder Armada SUV - scored last in their segments.
''Improving the IQS is my commitment,'' Imai says. ''We've got to reach a numerical target (for the 2005 IQS survey) that would surprise you.''
He won't specify the target but says: ''We have to do such a great job that it makes you say, 'Well done.' ''
Imai says he will test drive the 2005 Altima and Maxima - both built at Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn., plant - by the end of July. He will drive the Canton-produced 2005 Quest, Armada and Titan models in late August.
Tackling problems
By the end of June, Nissan engineers filled in more than 200 ''design notes.'' The notes inform Nissan or a supplier that a specific component will be redesigned. Each note accounts for one or more components.
The engineers tackled such items as an air conditioner that performed poorly, a radio tuner that was not calibrated precisely, steering components that caused the vehicle to pull or drift to one side and window seals that allowed excessive noise into the cabin.
Imai won't elaborate on which problem affected which vehicle.
The noise problem was particularly difficult, he says, because the cause of the problem may be noise from the road, from a nearby truck, from some other source or from some combination of those sources. Nissan engineers adjusted the rubber seal on the side windows in some cases and the windshield seal in other cases.
Some American drivers complained about cupholders. They said the former Altima's cupholder was too large, allowing cups to spill. For the 2004 Altima, Nissan placed a felt cloth inside the cupholder to hold smaller cups more tightly. But then customers complained that with the felt cloth, the holder was too small. So Nissan took out the cloth and made the holder itself smaller.
Helping suppliers
Nissan also dispatched 10 engineers from its Supplier Quality Assurance team in Japan to some of its suppliers in the United States.
''Even traditional American suppliers may not be as good at the new place as they are at their base operations,'' Imai says.
He won't say which suppliers his team visited.
Imai says the efforts are working. For example, he says, Nissan quickly reduced the number of vehicles with torn seams in the seat to 0.3 out of 100 from seven per 100.
But results-oriented Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn won't be happy until he sees Nissan ranked much higher in the next J.D. Power survey.
When Imai reported to Ghosn recently that the engineers had redesigned components and examined suppliers, Imai says, Ghosn didn't give him a pat on the back.
''He wouldn't say, 'You did a good job,''' Imai says. ''All we have to do is to give better results."
I filed the following complaint against the BBB with the Center for Automotive Safety:
I have had numerous problems with my Nissan pathfinder and trying to get Nissan to make the appropriate repairs. The thing that caught me off guard the most is the fraud perpetrated by Nissan and other manufacturers with the Better Business Bureau lemon law arbitration program. Here is my story; I hope you can pass this information on so that other consumers know to avoid the BBB arbitration and to pursue action with their state’s attorney general arbitration program.
I tried the BBB autoline arbitration program thinking that the arbitrators would be impartial and follow state lemon laws to have my pathfinder repurchased. This cannot be farther from the truth. I found out the hard way that, in addition to the statutory remedies, the BBB has a repair remedy that gives the manufacturer another attempt to repair the vehicle. I believe the remedy is somehow worked into the arbitration agreement between the manufacturer and the BBB based on the BBB's vague disclaimers in the agreement to arbitrate. The repair remedy is so prevalent that it is final in 1/3 of the BBB autoline cases, same as for the statutory remedies. Since the BBB issues the repair remedy initially as an interim decision to later become final if the repairs are completed, it would seem many cases ending up with a statutory remedy do so only after the BBB issues the interim repair decision. Indeed, in hindsight, the manufacturer's attitude at my arbitration hearing clearly indicated he knew the outcome of the case, i.e., he refused to negotiate noting that he did not have the authority at that time to negotiate more than another attempt to repair. I would not negotiate more than I had to loose either.
I made out my case against Nissan with the BBB. The arbitrator held, yes the brakes were so bad it substantially impaired the safety of the vehicle, and yes the 4 attempts to repair per NY law were undertaken by Nissan. BUT, 4 attempts is merely a guide and since the manufacturer did not have its own technician look at it, it would only be fair for the manufacturer to take another attempt to repair the brakes. He further went on to note he understood my frustration.
The decision is not supported by any state's lemon laws. The number of attempts form a presumption that may be overcome by showing that the manufacturer did not have reasonable opportunity to repair. In my case, the manufacturer did not even attempt to rebut; the arbitrator made the argument for the manufacturer. There have been no cases where the manufacturer has been allowed more than the statutory number to create the presumption either; only fewer.
Further, there is no requirement that the manufacturer have its own specialist attempt to repair. There have been cases on the contrary though.
Finally, what is fair? I have been trying to have Nissan fix my car for nearly a year and a half. Many dealers refused many of my complaints and refused to change parts without approval from the manufacturer (that I had to arrange). I called Nissan customer service countless times without even a single return call for as much as 90 days and counting. The brakes (vibration) was so bad that one of the wheels fell off while driving.
I guess this is why the BBB's decisions are not binding (because they won't stand up to judicial scrutiny anyway).
I gave Nissan another attempt to repair. They held my car for 30 days and refused to provide a replacement. The repairs were undertaken on the last couple of days after I threatened to remove the vehicle from the dealer. To make matters worse, the problem still exists and I noticed damage on the car that I am sure was not there previously. Their 5th attempt cost me over $600 in rental car and tow fees.
I have since spoken to an attorney and he confirms my suspicion with the BBB and I have spoken to others that have had the same experience with the BBB (repair after meeting the statutory requirements).
This is the response:
“You filed a web complaint about Nissan/BBB with the Center for Auto Safety (which was founded by Ralph Nader and Consumers Union) at autosafety.org. Can you mail or fax (----------) me a copy of the BBB decision because we want to document examples of BBB abuse. ... Would you share your comments on why you did not use that option? In all too many states, the only option is the BBB which is the fox guarding the chicken coop. You are absolutely right about the agreement between the auto company & the BBB.
If you have electronic copies, you may send them to this e-mail address.
Thank you
...
Center for Auto Safety
1825 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington DC 20009”
I replied
...,
Thank you for the response. I have attached a copy of the decision from the BBB. I have redacted my information since I vaguely remember agreeing not to discuss the case outside of the BBB arbitration.
I was not aware of the AAA lemon law arbitration. The BBB option is listed in the manufacturers warranty. I filed the BBB complaint after reading their information online. They made it clear that they were completely impartial and they would apply the state lemon law. Also, the BBB name is fairly well know and I couldn't find any complaints about them online, including your site. I believe this is true because not many layman consumers realize they have been defrauded. I must admit that I didn't’ research the case law to determine how courts interpret the elements of the lemon law statute until after filing the complaint. It wasn't until after the decision that I researched the case law to determine that the arbitrator exceeded his authority under the lemon law with a repair decision. Indeed, there is no indication in all of the BBB literature that such a decision could be made. In reality, the layman consumer will never know that an interim repair decision is not authorized by statute and the arbitrator exceeds his authority by granting such a decision.
The BBB's repair decision has cost me over $1000 for tow truck fees, rental car, and car insurance for a vehicle that I am not able to drive. I will file a complaint against Nissan either with the state's arbitration program or in civil court. I will also try to file a fraud complaint against the BBB. I really would like to see the BBB exposed and a class action filed against the BBB on behalf of all the defrauded consumers (since about 1/3 of their cases end up with repair decisions, I am sure there are thousands nationwide). In the meantime, I have been posting my experience online to warn consumers. I filed the complaint with you in hopes that a larger entity can spread the word more efficiently and to more people
Thanks.
My first reaction was that there was something wrong with the transmission. I stopped and checked the transmission fluid to make sure it was ok which it was and I turned off the motor and when I re-started, it was fine. I figured that there was some computer that malfunctioned since it has not recurred.
I have a SL that I purchased just about a year ago and has only about 4,700 miles on it. I had forgotten about the incident until I read your post.
I appreciate all the info about BBB arbitration. I have filed for BBB arbitration since the car is going to be inoperable and irreparable for at least 30 days, but sounds like I should just skip that step. I also need to get into arbitration or make a claim asap as I am fewer than 100 miles from the odometer mileage cutoff for making a lemon law claim. Nissan Consumer Affairs, as you all know, has not been helpful.
Same here (owned 9 months, dealer says it's fine, SE w/ Towing package) ... We live in a hilly area, but we're still only getting around 12-13 mpg, not even close to the estimated MPG.
How can some folks be getting 20, and others 13?
One other point we thought we noticed was that the passenger seat was missing the cargo net. The dealer called to say that the replacement parts for those they damaged were in and mentioned that the new Quests do not have nets on both sides.
I was certain there was a balance and both seats had the nets. I raised the point of whether they may have installed 2 nets on earlier models. He was unsure but was willing to make it right.
For those of you out there that have a Quest SE, are there cargo nets on both the driver and passenger seats?
Well a few weeks ago with no reason a nice big crack line appeared from the lower left edge of the windshield. I called the auto glass specialist. He told me that the crack was due to the a small tiny rock hit on the lower edge of the windshield. I think it is a stress crack considering that simple tiny rock hit can cause such a big crack in the windshield. Do you guys have any idea why or how a small tiny rock can crack my brand new windshield ? Is it under warranty ? and should I replace it with an original Nissan windshield or some other after market windshield? thanks
Thanks for your replies. Since my original post, I've been putting up with this regular problem since I've had no time to take the car to the dealer, and during that time, have been able to better define the problem.
When it's warm out, the Quest takes a long time to turn over. We have to crank the engine for 3-5 seconds before it starts up. It seems to only occur when it's very warm outside, and the car has been sitting. If it's warm and I've recently run the car, then it will start up normally. If it's cool outside it seems to start normally. Also, if I crank the car for only a second or two and it doesn't turn over (i.e., I haven't cranked it long enough), then it will start right up after cranking the key again. It's very strange.
After the Labor Day holiday, I'm going to take it in again and see if what I've learned helps them to actually fix it this time.
Perhaps this is the Service Bulletin that applies? http://www.infinitihelp.com/Ownership/Bulletins/Nissan/2004/NTB04- -063.htm
My high hopes for Nissan to address the problems have been squashed. I just hope that the van lasts long enough until my kids are grown out of it.
Learning to live with problems that should not exist in a $30K+ car is going to be difficult.