Nissan Quest 2004+: Problems & Solutions

dwmel

My 2004 Quest also has the problem of hot air from the floor vents with a/c on. Case #4309870, I was told by Nissan USA that there was no known issue or other complaints about this problem. Also, there are raddles in both sliding doors. DWMEL@LYCOS.COM

backy

There are 4 possibilities here:

1) Nissan has no effective way of tracking customer complaints. [This seems highly unlikely in this age of computers.]
2) Nissan's customer service people do not have access to the complaint data. [Possible, that's a common problem in corporations today.]
3) The Nissan customer service representatives who say there are no complaints are incompetent. [Very possible. Even with the downturn in the economy, it's hard to get good "help" sometimes.]
4) The Nissan customer service representatives who say there are no complaints are lying. [Unlikely--why would they lie?]

waydetheblade

Luckily, there are no hot air problems at this time concerning a/c and floor. (NOTE: The floor doesn't exactly get COLD--but it's not blowing warm or hot air.) Lukewarm at best, though it should probably be colder, like the upper vents. They must have placed the unit near some engine part that's warm and we're experiencing that problem--obviously worse on others.
Though I bought the SE with full eyes open, has anyone else been bothered by the windshield glare. Me, being 75% color deficient (aka: color-blind) I noticed that the rouge color is not as prominent as the beige. Anyone else being bothered with this minor problem?

drssyoon

I have ordered a towing option for my SE. The dealer says that it is not available yet. Does anyone have one? What is involved in addition to the towing hitch? Thanks.

drssyoon

I have read the various messages about the sliding door problem - I don't have any of those except for the rattle (knock on wood). But, I do have a problem with my passenger slideing door where when I tug on the handle from the outside, the door will not reliably slide open. You have to manually pull it out in order to have it engage and open automatically. My dealer says that this is a known issue and Nissan is working on it. Does anyone else have this problem? Thanks in advance.

smithco83

We test drove a SE (western PA) and it definitely had a hitch on it.

dan185

We bought the towing "option" for our SE, only to learn after the sale that there was no hitch available (yet) from Nissan! They could not even give me an estimate on when it would be available. I intend to ask for my $$$ back until they can deliver it. This really ticks me off.

dan185

We've has our SE for 2 months mow. At first I thought that the glare would bother me, but it actually doesn't. If you're looking for it, you'll see it! Otherwise, just pay attention to the road ;-)

Has anyone found a good use for the in-dash compartment? I can't think of ANYTHING to put in there.

Anyone know if a dash cover will be available?

shenkar

I did not have your problem with a door failing to open, but I had numerous rattles, squeaks and bangs coming from the doors.

Happily, the dealer was able to get them all out through adjustments, when I took it in for the first oil change. Hopefully, your dealer can fix your problem as easily.

waydetheblade

To dan185, I'm a part time musician/writer, so I keep a pen and small writing papers in there and miniture notebook paper. Fits perfectly for me. Also, I did get the towing package, but didn't get the hitch. They said that was a seperate option not yet available through them directly, but they could get one if I really wanted one. They let me know this up front so it wasn't a surprise issue, which brings me to an interesting point for anyone reading these messages: If you're going to spend thousands on this kind of investment, know your vehicle inside and out. It's the dealers job to also tell you everything about the vehicle. If you can ignore the salesmen pitch and really concentrate on the vehicle, there shouldn't be too many surprises unless you get a lemon--which happens sometimes.

dan185

To Wadetheblade: Forgive me for being thick, but what is the difference between the "towing package" and a "hitch"? I'm using them interchangably. I actually paid for the "towing package" (which I believe included a hitch), for $550. thanks.

vonbill

Nissan dealer was unable to provide trailer hitch. A local hitch dealer had a class 3 hitch
available. The class 3 is overkill, but at that time (late August) the only hitch I could find
locally. The Quest frame already comes with the threaded bolt holes. Installation takes
only a few minutes.
The problem is that after installing the wiring, the lights did not work. Some
vehicle wiring is not sufficient to operate trailer lights in addition to the van lights. An
additional electronic module has to be purchased. A fused wire is run direct from the
battery positive terminal to the module. The trailer wires are then connected to this
power module. I believe that the Nissan trailer option is only for providing the wiring and
the power converter, but not the hitch.
The total cost for me was about $500. I checked on the web afterwards and found
that the hardware only (hitch and power converter) could be purchased for about $200.
The difference is for hitch dealer labor and large profit.

waydetheblade

No, you're not thick by any means. Read what vonbill posted right after your last comments--he hit the nail right on the head.

tmc5

We owned a 93 Quest for 10 years 195,000 miles. Great car. Just purchased 2004 SE, love the car except is was broken when we bought it (unknown to us). Leaking coolant system has taken 3 trips to dealer (first 2 trips wouldn't even consider a leak). Now have kept car for 2 days and says is "an extremely big job" to replace leaking hose because they've had to take a lot of stuff off to get to it! (Oh Great, will probably have the a/c vents hooked to the tailpipe by the time we get it back!) So much for the NEW car. Less than 3 weeks old and already in shop for 3 times for 4 days. Seems to me the van should be replaced. All we wanted was a functioning new car. Any other recourse we could take to have this vehicle replaced without having to go thru all the lemon law stuff? VERY DISAPPOINTED! Dealer is HBC AUTOMOTIVE, Gallatin, TN. Called NISSAN USA and they opened a file but not much help other than they promise to repair. WE DIDN'T purchase REPAIRED. WE PURCHASED NEW so should be NEW!

golden_s

Bought my Quest S 3 weeks ago. Noticed a rattle on passenger side sliding door whenever I hit a pothole. Brought my van back to the dealer yesterday and I'm happy to report that the rattle is gone. What was done... Upon arrival I informed the service rep of the rattle and my observation that the right sliding door was protruding a little bit more than the left sliding door, this was noted. I drove the van with one of their "specialists" so he can observe the rattle I was complaining about, true enough the first pothole I hit revealed the rattle. I also mentioned the alignment problem to him, although he was reluctant to re-align the door because of possible shutting problems, I told him it was fine with me. I believe he re-aligned the rear part of the door by a few millimeters.

By the way I would recommend Route 22 Nissan in New Jersey, had one of those "haggle-free" experience with them.

dwmel

I have taken my 04 Quest to my deal's service dept. twice, due to hot air coming from the floor vents when the A/C in on. The mechanic told me it was a design flaw and Nissan does not
have a fix for this problem. I have talked with
several Nissan USA representatives. They all told
me there were no other complains related to heat blowing out on the driver's foot when the A/C
is on. PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEM,
SEND ME YOUR CASE NUMBER THAT NISSAN USA GAVE YOU. I'M TRYING TO GET THIS PROBLEM SOLVED FOR ALL OF US. DWMEL@LYCOS.COM

smlbrd

I've had a 2004 Quest SL for about 6 weeks now and love everything about it, except... I also have a rattle in my driver's side sliding door. I've had it in for service three times now, but my service place doesn't have a clue what to do. Do any of you know what your mechanics did to do away with the rattle?

drssyoon

Does anyone else think that the heat output from the floor vent during heat cycle is way too little? This is on AUTO setting on my SE. Thanks.

/S/

shenkar

We've got a problem here...agreeing what the issue is regarding hot air from the new Quest.

Some folks have no problem whatsoever, other folk say it's totally and completely inadequate, and still other folk say it fries their feet and is a major annoyance/defect/hazard, and want to start some sort of consumer revolt.

We're beating a dead horse here if some people think it's AOK, others think it doesn't work worth a damn, and still others say they fear for their lives when using the climate control system.

The first thing is to arrive at a consensus about what the problem is (if in fact there is one). Right now...we're all over the page on this one.

drssyoon

I think there are 2 distinct problems.

One is hot air from floor vent when the AC is on.

The second is inadequate hot air from floor vent when the heat is on.

Luckily I don't have the first one - or I have not noticed it. It's the second one that I am having an issue with.

/S/

questown

mikelamb, I did not research the after market roof rack, but will assume that it will take some time. Surprisingly, even Nissan don't offer it as an option, since it is factory built!

questown

After my fourth trip to Brown's Nissan in Fairfax, they have agreed to talk to Nissan, and get back! I opened a file with Nissan and made four follow up calls, but they just assured me that some one will call me back! I sent emails to Nissan's customer service (nnaconsumeraffairs@nissan-usa.com), but never got a response. There is a sweet sales manager at Brown's Nissan who keep promising me that they will fix it. But I don't think the dealer have any clue how to fix this. I will appreciate if some one can share their experience with Nissan customer service.

gg2k2se

OK, let's ask the owners. Problem appears to be that with the SE auto temp control in a/c mode, cold air blows from the dash vents but noticeably warmer air blows from the foot vents. I do not yet own a Quest, but my wife and I noticed this during a hot afternoon test drive. It was annoyingly hot on a sandaled foot, BUT since we don't own a Quest we don't know if it is a real issue or just the controls were set wrong. After reading other complaints on this board, I called and then emailed Nissan with the HOT AIR question. They said no known issues and said no one else has complained, hence my ongoing suspicion since it sounds like dwmel, hear2ear, hrl, quest2k4, quest0804 all have some sort of hot air issue.

SO, all you SE owners, warm the car up, then lower the temperature setting to turn on a/c and let us know if HOT air blows from the foot vents. We would appreciate it. Thanks,gg

shenkar

My SE HVAC works just as it should. No hot air in AC mode. No unusual heating behavior observed in 4,700 miles.

modena2904

On a warm day, in auto mode, our SE blows cold air from the face vents, and hot air from the floor vents. The vents in question are the ones that are mounted very low on either side of the central "barrel" (for lack of a better term).

The volume of hot air is very low. I can feel it if I put my hand right next to the vent -- otherwise, it's not even noticeable.

I also noticed that if I override the auto setting, and direct all of the airflow to the floor vents, the resulting air stream is no longer hot, but it is not nearly as cool as what was coming out of the face vents.

There is adequate warm air flow on a cool day when heat is desired.

As a side note, if we really want to get serious about tracking this issue, we should start compiling the data by VIN. There are typically many small design changes that are implemented throughout production (especially on a brand new model) -- it is possible that this problem only affects a limited production range.

gg2k2se

Thanks, shenkar and modena. That's exactly what we felt except when wearing sandals the HOT air from the foot well was uncomfortable for my wife as she drove. We had never heard of this problem, but noticed it immediately. Is it possible to direct all the air to the dash vents, so NOTHING comes out of the foot vents?

Shenkar, are you sure no heat comes out of the foot vents? Maybe you didn't notice it because of shoes?

How about everyone else with an SE? I would check my dealer but they have no SE's.

shenkar

I won't say positively that no air is flowing through the lower vents when the AC is on...just that if it is, it hasn't been an issue in our SE, either hot air or cold.

There was a period of time on this forum when some posters in the midwest voiced a lot of complaints about how "inadequate" the AC system was in general. Then when those of us Quest owners from the deeeep south (as in ridiculously hot and humid Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Texas) weighed in and said our vans cooled off just fine, that clamor ended.

What I'm trying to say is, you could very well be onto a valid problem, but it's clearly not a universal problem with the van. A lot of this stuff is subjective, so what bothers me, may not cause you to lose a minutes sleep over it.

But hey, what about the doors rattleing in the frames every time you run over an ant in the road? Now there's something we all can agree on. (:^))

quest0804

I bought SL the very first week it was released. Noticed the Hot air issue the same week. I don't notice hot air when my A/C is on.

The issue is only when the outside temp is over 80*F. It blows hot air from the front vent. It takes almost 30 min or even more it blow cool air. I noticed this even when the outside air is cool and the temp is around 78* F. FYI this happens once you drive for 20 min and stop & restart the car. I parked it the garage not under sun.

sounds like we have 2 different issues with the front vent hot air with a/c & hot air without a/c when outside temp is over 80*F

stephenwb

We've got 1500 miles on our new SE Quest, and I have noticed the hot air from the floor vents, even though the AC was on. However, I don't believe that it has anything to do with the outside temperature.

I just went on our first long trip (~200 miles), and it is particularly noticeable when the car has been running/moving for a while (i.e. when the engine is hottest) I think that for whatever reason, the heat from the engine is "leaking" into the vent area and dissipating through those lower vents. I'll bet (although I haven't tested it) that if you turn off the system completely, you would start to feel the hot air come out of the upper vents as well after a while.

I'll call Nissan and complain and post/email my complaint number.

mbonus

After setting up all of the settings for automatic mirrors linked to a key fob, my driver side mirror goes all over the place and ends in the upmost position. Anyone else experience this?

jmm10

I have owned the Quest for all of three weeks and it has been back for service TWICE. The leak was a result of a seal in the door being fualty. The water ran inside the door and was making the carpet wet. I didn't get time to see if the problem was actually fixed because yesterday I drove my car for about 5 minutes. Parked for an hour then when I tried to start it - it wouldn't. The service people can not figure out the problem. This is the worst car I have ever owned - very undependable.

pulisubs

My HVAC works fine. I noticed specifically today for hot air from the floor vents. Outside temperature was 83. Vehicle was running for close to 2 hrs. But no hot air from the floor.

Regarding rattles, I've noticed rattles only when there's a hard bump in the road. Otherwise its pretty quiet. We have about 1500 miles on our SE.

I do have a problem with memory settings sometimes. Sometimes my seats don't return to the particular setting. I have to remove the key, open the door, let the seat backup, then close the door and insert the key in ignition. Have seen it only twice so far.

Will update more if I notice anything else.

questown

Nissan customer service advised me to take the Quest to the dealer, and they offered their tech line assistance to the dealer. But after leaving the Quest for 2 days at the dealer shop, they returned it with out any improvement. They expressed their disappointment, but could not fix it. They now await directions from Nissan. I wonder what to do next. Please call Nissan to force them to do something about this issue since many of these new ones have the same problem.

boa35

Came out of the movies last nite and temps had fallen into the upper 20's. Drove off in my SE but when we hit 20 mph the warning lite/chime came on warning of a flat tire. I hit the maint button which showed pressure in each tire had fallen from normal (very near 35psi) to 27, 28, 28, 28. Pulled into a gas station and checked that I had no flat. Today I added air back to cold 35psi but the warning light is still on and the warning notice continues to say I have a flat tire.
 
Anyone know how to reset/turn-off the warning? And does anyone think the pressure in all four tires would actually drop 7-8 psi over the span of a couple of hours when temps dropped 5-10 degree, into the upper 20's?

hear2ear

My wife noticed the hot air issue the first and only time she drove our 2004 Quest SE! She drives with her shoes off and almost roasted her soles. The problem is that when the outside temperature is around 75 and the inside is set for automatic adjustment to around the same. It is obvious that the automatic climate control pushes cold air from the face vents and warm air from the floor vents. Since I always wear shoes, I never got fried. But, on warm days, my feet do feel the heat. The NISSAN customer service advisor I spoke with, Jason, at 1800NISSAN1 mentioned that he heard the exact same problem from other customers but that there was no known problem recorded at/by NISSAN corp. I haven't mentioned this to my dealer yet (weather has gone cold and they wouldn't be able to test it).

I hear rattles with the screen that supposedly closes the skyviews. I also noticed some body (plastic moulding) pop off and mentioned this to my dealer to fix. New body molding pops off every now and then!

I had the low tire warning and asked the dealer about it. Looks like NISSAN probably sends the vehicles with lower air pressure. After the dealer fixed it (simply topped the air in the tires to 34 PSI cold), didn't have any more problems.

-- Regards,
-- Vee Gee

thequest

We had that issue one cold morning just before a road trip. It was only one tire though. A hand gauge did show the pressure to be the same as the readout of the monitor. After, I put air in it and we drove out of the gas station the light went out.

shammond1

Just took my quest into the dealer for the rattle on the driver sliding door and the clunking noise that comes from the rear passenger axle area. Just as I thought, they were not able to find the source. I doubt they even looked in the right areas. Needless to say I am not happy. Nissan really needs to get a move on this. Also they had no fix for the hot air issue however I would rather the rattles be fixed.

seashore4

I bought a 2004 Quest SE in August. Within a few weeks I noticed squeaking, like sneakers on a basketball court, when riding over bumps. The squeaking got progressively worse. I brought the van in for repair twice. The second time, the service department said that the factory installed the overhead console improperly. It has been about one month since then and the squeaking has reappeared and is getting worse. It is especially noticeable in cold weather.

Does anyone else have a similar experience. If so, how did you resolve it?

questse2004oct

I have experienced the clunking noise from the rear passenger axle area. The noise is noticed when the vehicle pitches forward or backward (initial breaking and acceleration) and when going over small bumps. I found out that the noise is from the right rear 3rd row seat latch. When I have a passenger sit on the right side of the seat the noise goes away - as it does when the seat is stowed away. So, for some reason the right latch does not secure as tightly as the left latch. I will ask about this at the next service. I hope this helps your rattle investigation.

questse2004oct

I have noticed a very slight CONSTANT ticking noise from the seatbelt shoulder adjusters - both driver and passenger side. The noise is persistent during all driving speeds. Different positions of the adjusters make no difference in the quality or presence of the ticking. So far I have been cranking the awesome stock stereo that this vehicle has. This helps.

Kirstie_H

An automotive magazine is looking to interview drivers of the Nissan Quest. Please send your daytime contact information to jfallon@edmunds.com by Monday, November 17, 2003.

revracer

Although it may not have removed all the rattles, I discovered that a signficant portion of our rattles at the front of the passenger sliding door, were really at the back of the front door. Tapping the black plastic at the B-pillar of the front door revealed a very rattly piece of plastic. While I could not identify an easy removal of the panel to apply adhesion, I was able to insert adhesive foam padding (window insulation from a hardware store) between the edge of the plastic along the B-pillar and the door. I cut 1/2-1" pieces and wedged them in very carefully with a screwdriver.

Tapping the plastic no longer yeilded a rattle and it seems to have removed the rattle on while driving. Time will tell.

I still have not received a call from the dealer about new clips for the panel that fell off the rear of the exterior or the broken lumbar on the driver seat but the drive may be more quiet, provided a Hot Wheels car does not fall on the step at the sliding door :-).

drssyoon

I will look into the suggestion by REVRACER. I have had my Quest into the dealer 4 times and it seems like the rattle is getting worse. The fact that the passenger sliding door does not open when the handle is pulled may be related to the same problem. Anyway, I called Nissa consumer affairs and reported the problem and they said they will get in touch with me.

Does anyone have a problem with the sliding door leaving a visible bump (not flush with rear body panel) when closed? This also may be a reason for the rattle.

/S/

ord62

It happened to me too at 32 degrees temperature! I had to set the tire to the recommended 35 PSI and then drove for about 5 minutes before it read the update and resetted the flat indicator. The inside temperature changes the tire read out after driving for more than 20 minutes and then it will read more than what you initially set it to at the cold pressure.

ord62

My van is less than 3 months old and I already brought it to the shop 3 times. First time, the window won't work and theyu had to order the parts. Second time to put the part in. Third time, they could not find any problem even though it intermittently won't work. It's an embarassment at ATMs, Car washes and restaurant drive thru's. Imagine having a fancy looking car with people looking at it and you can't open the windows.

ord62

The lights came on at 1700 miles and I had to bring it in to the dealer. The dealer didn't find any problem and just reprogrammed the ECM. I hope it will not happen again.

ord62

I noticed that the door doesn't have strong cushions sliding to open (almost like there is no absorber at the end at all). It's very noisy when it hits hard. I had to make sure I hold it good when the car is at an incline so it won't hit hard.

questown

Browns Fairfax Nissan called in the Quest for the 6th time, to show it to the expert from Nissan. But at the end of the day gave me the van back without fixing the issue. They promised to call me back again!! Looks like lots of experimentation by Nissan folks.

drssyoon

My dealer has tried to fix the rattle by bending the door (it wasn't aligned properly and when closed, left a gap). Well, I noticed today that the area above the door track well on the rear quarter panel now has several noticeable indentations. It is as if there was some stress that was put on the frame. I am EXTREMELY UNHAPPY. I am going to take it back to the dealer and have them get the indents removed. I have given up on fixing the rattle although it is driving me crazy, until someone figures it out. I don't want my $32K+ new van to be the guinea pig anymore.

vjj110

Got a fully loaded SL on Friday. Soon found I could not adjust the clock. It always stays at 0:00. The problem may have something to do with the Navigation. The GPS could not receive signal. If I manually adjust the map to the correct location (Palatine, IL), it always returns to somewhere in California once I re-start the engine The dealer admitted something wrong in the unit, but they were about to close. Will go back next Monday and keep you posted.