Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager problems

thong24k · August 2004

Since I bought Quest'01, I always have problem with it. Most of them were electircal problem. Here is the list of problem with my Quest'01:
1. VCR stop working the first year and I can never pull it out since I bought it. It stuck and the pull knob broke. I didn't bother to fix it.
2. cd player/radio light went out..again didn't bother to fix it since it still working.
3. some part of tranmission loosen at very first week when bought it..got it fix at dealer.
4. air sensor went out the first year..got it fix
5. fan won't stop running when turn off engine.. this happen first time when bought the van at very first two weeks..never took to dealer since can be recharge battery and work..then today happen again, but this time can't do just charging battery..
6. noise in the van..dealer said that the way Nissan was..Hah
Does anyone have same problem? I guess after I fix this one up will trade in for Honda..I hated Nissan..Never recommend it to anyone else. Nissan service was bad too.

thong24k · August 2004

Will this problem be cover by powertrain warrenty?

mnrana · August 2004

Hi, New to town hall.
I have a 99 Villager (base model), 81K. The A/C blower fan has stopped working on the 1,2,3 settings in the last 2-3 days & now only works on 4 or 'max'. I think it's a bad resistance that controls the fan switch. Can someone help me fix it? A wiring diagram perhaps showing location of the bad part.

I have browsed webpages by Steve Cutchen, Marco Veenis & David Massey but my problem is just the switch since I don't have rear A/C blower.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
mnrana@hotmail.com

mnrana · August 2004

Dave,

Do you by any cahnce still remember the part # for that resistor. Mine blew last night & I need to replace it ASAP, this being summer n'all.

Thanks,
Rana.

gtyates · August 2004

I had something very similar happen on my wife's 94 Quest. It turned out to be the wrong bulbs had been put in by the dealer when the sockets were replaced. I got the correct bulbs, as listed in the owner's manual, and the problem was corrected.

wtd44 · August 2004

You might want to check the 1993-2001 Villager/Quest Haynes manual for help on those electrical problems.

skiddycat · August 2004

Since we purchased our Quest '01, we also continually have problems with it. We knew the dealer personally so we got a great deal on it, however, we are continually repairing it. We purchased an extended warranty on it after reading in a consumer guide somewhere that small things often break on the Quests, and the warranty has more than paid for itself over and over again. I am working on compiling a list of problems we have had, many are electrical, others are common problems we've heard Nissans have. Our VCR has broken twice now, and is no longer covered under even the extended warranty. Our stereo broke, it has already been replaced once, and it also is past warranty, or not covered under the warranty, which I am working on disputing. We've had an oil leak, that took four visits to finally resolve. Two seat belts have been broken, the back end doesn't fit properly so it makes noise whenever you turn. After we first purchased it, it would simply cut off while driving it. It happened three times, all in heavy traffic, once on an exit ramp off a highway. The dealer never could figure out why it did that, but it stopped. Now the ignition is not working right, we've had it checked twice and been told there is nothing wrong with it or the battery. But each time I try to start the car, it makes a terrible sound and I wonder if I'm going to be stranded.
I keep hearing that all the Nissans that were manufactured in Ford plants (you can tell this information under the hood) have electrical problems. If this is so, why isn't there any legal action or recalls going on?
I'm with you..thong24k...trying to save to purchase a Honda and get out of this Nissan. I'm really disappointed in the car.

stever · August 2004

Ford assembled the Quest alongside the Mercury Villager and I've always heard that some of the electrical stuff came from Ford or its suppliers. The drivetrain mostly came from Nissan in Japan and the body panels were stamped by Nissan in Tennessee.

My drivers side power window switch is flaky (a common problem with older and apparently the new Quest) and it was supplied by Alps.

Otherwise my '99 hasn't had near the problems that yours has had.

Steve, Host

thong24k · August 2004

Yeah, I heard that Nissan have the problem with electrical problem, but too many for me now. Especially, I ran out of warranty. When I told my friend that I'm looking for new car; she said Nissan has a nice one out, I immediately said no Not ever Nissan again. The mileage I got is bad, too. I have two young kids(5 and 3) riding with me all the time. I need more liable car. I also have the chevy express van which I decide to keep that one since my kids love it. It's huge and comfortable to them. That why I need just a passenger car for my husband to drive to work. It'll be save a lot of gas for everyday commute about an hour driving from home to work and back. I just got quote for Honda Civic LX auto 4dr sedan for 13888 which I think it's pretty good deal. We're looking to trade in the Quest in the amount of $10000. If the deal goes well then we're definitely buy it. My mother in law has her Accord for over 10 yrs. never have any problem with the car except regular maintainance. I think I'll go with that.

dhoff · August 2004

Don't have the part number for the resistor, but if you call the dealer parts department and ask for the front blower motor resistor they will know what you are talking about.

It is located on the underside of the dashboard on the passenger side. Look for an oblong thing about 3" long with wires going into it, held in place with a screw. If you unscrew it you can pull it out and disconnect the wires & take it to the parts counter with you.

Hope this helps.

Dave

everydayjoe1 · August 2004

haven't been reading current messages for a long time but thought i would post that while my 93 villager (bought new) has always had it's electrical quirks the darn thing just won't die and it just logged it's 279,000th mile and still doesn't use any oil between changes (3000 mi). am i ever going to get another new car? can't bring myself to do it. the value of this one is about zero but it just keeps putting money in the bank for me.

stever · August 2004

You're my hero, Joe!

Steve, Host

corsicachevy · August 2004

Joe's testimonial is exactly the reason I purchased my Quest. It wasn't the most refined or cleverly designed van on the market at the time, but it sure had a good reputation for long term durability.

I've been in old Villager/Quests, and yes they do rattle and some of the internal bits aren't where they should be or are completely non-operational, but the vehicles still run - which is any vehicle's most valuable trait.

My 2001 SE has only bothered me with one unscheduled maintenance item (VERY minor and fixed under warranty) in 55,000 miles of ownership. I couldn't ask for much more.

dsoltero · August 2004

Thank God I found this chat. Bought a 95 Quest, the rear end has squeaks, tried replacing the shocks(no good) tried WD-40 on leaf springs (helped for a day) are there grease fitting? has anyone every corrected this noise problem?
Thanks

stever · August 2004

Have you isolated where the noise is coming from?

Try removing the hanging spare for a day or two to rule that out.

The only thing else that occurs to me off-hand is the rear brakes. You might try hosing the wheels down good to get rid of any brake dust or just have someone look at them.

Steve, Host

dsoltero · August 2004

Thanks Steve,
I got under the car and had my son push the rear bumper up & down, the noise is definetly from the leaf springs. I took a 1/4 inch washer and put it in- between the two leaf springs and guess what?, it stopped. Maybe I could buy some spring spaces for a more permanent solution. Yes, the guts of the rear brakes have alot of dust in there and could really use a lube on the contact points of the brake hardware. Wonder what the deal with the leaf springs is? I'll keep investigating. Thanks, again. Darrell / Las Vegas

dsoltero · August 2004

I heard and felt a similar problem with my 95 quest when accellarating from a stop, it's my outter CV JOINTS on both sides.
Good Luck shohjwh

wtd44 · September 2004

Maybe you could use spring clamps (look like muffler clamps, but no curve). I'll admit I haven't seen any in quite a few years.
My driver's window electric switch in my 2000 Villager, which I changed at outrageous cost, is holding up fine. Has anyone out there had to change that switch group more than once?

stever · September 2004

Lots of people have had to change the drivers side power window switch, but I haven't anyone complaint that they've had to do it twice.

Yet :-)

Steve, Host

jlemole · September 2004

I have a 2001 Quest SE. The driver's side of the third row seat is not locking into place when I slide it forward or back. This causes that side of the seat to move and rattle. It appears that the "pin" is not springing back into the hole on the floor rail. Any ideas on a way to fix it?

Jon

villagerbabe · September 2004

Bankman64 or anybody else: I am having similar problems and cannot tell if anyone responded to message #1109. If so, please fill me in on the details. Thanks. V-Babe

activex111 · September 2004

Hi,
I have a 96 Villager LS with 103K miles on it.
1. It developed an oil leak from the crank seal and i thought I will get both, the timing belt and the crank seal done at the same time. Today took it to the mechanic but later he called me that he cannot get one of the tensioner pulley(or crankshaft pulley, i am not sure) out of the casing and that now he needs some special tools (he was talking abt putting some two small special screws in it and pop it out or something like that)
Has anyone had a similar problem like this?

2. Also, both my CV boots were torn so the mechanic suggested that the cost of replacing both the CV boots is almost same as getting new remanufactured axles. what do you guys think?
Thanks guys

kymike · September 2004

I have had both of my CV boots tear. One I caught right after it tore and the CV joint was still very full of grease. I only replaced the boot (cheaper than a new axle at Midas). The other tore on a rainy road trip and all of the grease was gone. No sense at that point just replacing the boot as the joint likely had grit in it and would wear out pretty fast anyway.

I would suggest going with the axle assembly if you have driven for very long with torn boots.

toomanyfumes · September 2004

My 2001 Villager has only 31000 miles. The problem is a hear a squeek or a groaning from the front end at low speeds when turning and going over bumps (like pulling in a driveway). Could this be the struts already? Anyone else have this problem.

izaclown1 · September 2004

My 2K Estate has been doing the same thing since before 20k and it now has 80k. I did have the drivers axle replaced due to a torn boot recently and some of the noise has gone away. I have had several places look at it and was told "everything looked fine".

vonbill3 · September 2004

My 93 Villager has had this squeak or groan when I back out of my driveway with the steering turned all the way to the stop and as the front wheels pass over the shallow curb. It's been doing this for almost a 100,000 miles and 12 years without causing any problems.

There is no noise when backing and turning as long as the steering is not all the way to the stop.

corsicachevy · September 2004

I have a 2001 Quest SE that suffered from a squeaky or groaning front end. My problem manifested itself shortly after I bought the vehicle.

The good people on this board, through sharing experiences, diagnoses the problem as a loose anti sway bar/bushing problem. A trip to the dealer for the turn of a wrench and a little grease solved the problem. Over 55,000 miles have passed and the problem has not returned.

vadim · September 2004

My 1999 Nissan Quest SE (88K miles) start having a problem recently: very high (~2000) RPM when in parking or in neutral. When I turn AC on RPM goes down to 1,300-1,500. Turning AC off - jumps back to 2,000. Putting in Drive makes RPM go down to 1,000. Couple days ago the Check Engine light came up. Did anyone had similar problem? All suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Vadim

stever · September 2004

Lots of auto parts stores (like Autozone) will read the codes for free.

Steve, Host

vadim · September 2004

Thank you, Steve!

Additional info:
I went to AutoZone and used their OBD-2 code reader to find out that computer identified P0325 code (Knock Sensor Circuit Malfunction). I cleared this code and Check Engne light is still *off* after ~50mi.
I am wondering if a knock sensor malfunction could result in high idle RPM?

Thanks!

stever · September 2004

While waiting for feedback in here (I'm no wrench turner), try asking over in Got a Quick, Technical Question?.

Steve, Host

questdriver · September 2004

I have 69k miles on 1999 Quest GXE. All regular maintenance were done on time. Planning on a trip to MI and IL this Christmas holidays. Is it time for me to replace the timing belt before the trip?

A reliable mechanic who works out of his home has quoted me $450 including all belts, water pump, seals, antifreeze etc. He has a lot of local satisfied customers as reference.

Also the local dealers are quoting between $775 to $900 for the same job.

Not sure what to do? One Goodyear shop mechanic asked me to save the money for the trip and have the repair done after the holidays as 69k miles is too early for replacing the belts on a Nissan.

I will appreciate your input to this matter. Thanks.

stever · September 2004

Nissan says to replace it at 105,000 miles. My '99's at 97k and getting close. If your mechanic was nearby, I'd be knocking on his door!

Steve, Host

kymike · September 2004

I agree that it is too soon to worry about the timing belt and water pump. You may want to have the coolant and accessory belts changed if they are due.

When you do have the water pump and timing belt changed, I would also recommend replacing all coolant hoses if they are still original as this is easy to do as part of this job.

izaclown1 · September 2004

Can I send my Villager to you to coordinate this same work on it?

$700+ is what the L/M dealer in SC quoted for the same job.

stever · September 2004

Looks like mine is sticking now. My wife hadn't noticed or complained about it. I cleaned the throttle body Saturday and noticed the tach sticking; probably unrelated.

Then I dreamed the van was stolen and stripped. I don't know what the heck that means :-)

Steve, Host

charles15 · September 2004

Ask your mechanic if he is sure whether or not the 99 Quest has an interference or a non-interference engine.

I have an ongoing conversation on this forum with Steve and others and none of us are dead sure of the answer. I have 80K on my 99 and if I find out it has an interference engine that would cause a catastrophic failure if the belt brakes I would be less likely to go the 105K in the manual. My luck is not that good.

Would be interested to see what type of engine your mechanic says we have in our vehicles.

questdriver · September 2004

Thanks for all your input. I will go and meet the mechanic this weekend, and get some estimates in writing for the entire timing belt job. Can't the Nissan dealers confirm on the engine configuration? I tend to think that it has an interference engine. Now I may be wrong.

I specifically mentioned my make and model, and he said the total cost would be $ 450.00 including belt(s), seals, water pump, anti-freeze, etc. Can't beat that. Now I like to meet him and get that quote in writing. BTW I will be travelling from TX to IL and MI in winter. I am likely to put almost 3500 miles in two weeks. Just don't want to take the risk of being starnded in the middle of nowhere in freezing temperature.

I will keep everyone posted about my meeting with the mechanic. Until then,

Goodbye.

nismotuned3 · October 2004

Hey guys, i don't know about you, but i had to get my front brake pads replaced. Since then i've been hearing nothing but screeches everytime i come to a low speed stop (20mph - 0 mph). But when coming from 45mph-0mph, there's no screeches. These are new brake pads and and it's been 6,000 miles. I run a 2001 Nissan Quest GXE. You guys wanna tell me if you've had the same problems? All comments appreciated........ :-)

stever · October 2004

Did they use anti-squeal grease?

Another good place to ask is the Stop here! Let's talk about brakes discussion.

Steve, Host

faruqim · October 2004

Did you get the original Nissan brake pads? I noticed a little screeches on my 2001 SE for the first 500 miles. Since you have 6000 miles on the new brakes, you should not have any sound coming. I would suggest you to take the Van to the Mechanic who installed the brakes.

cattlerancher · October 2004

I have a 2000 villager estate I just got, and the power seat on the dirvers side will not work, along with the power mirrors. I think it is related to the memory seats, since that controls both. Has anyone else had this problem. Also, the fan on the A/C only works on 4 and the other switch for where the air comes out doesn't work. Anyone else? the drivers window switch only puts the window up if you pull really hard on it.

izaclown1 · October 2004

I had problems with my 2k Estate's climate control. The fan would not stay on or off. It would blow high for a while and then stop. Finaly, it stopped not to return. It was a bad module and Ford picked up the tab. They said that should never happen. My TC is starting to have the same trouble about the time in milage, around 50k. I have not had the switch touble others have talked about in here, but I did have to replace the back vent motor this summer.

stever · October 2004

Not sure about the seats, but the fan is a known problem. Search here using the Discussion Search for resistor.

Here's one post about it:

dhoff Jan 5, 2002 5:33pm

Steve, Host

nismotuned3 · October 2004

I own a 2001 Quest GXE, i noticed on the VIN sticker on the driver's seat door thingy that the Quest was assembled by the Ford Motor Company USA for Nissan Motors Corporation...... Is this a "Ford minivan" with a Nissan logo? Don't know about the vice versa with you Villager owners.....

stever · October 2004

Quests and Villagers were made by a joint Ford/Nissan venture. Sheet metal was stamped by Nissan in Tennessee, the drivetrain was Nissan and may have been manufactured in Japan (Nissan also has transaxle plants in the States). Ford supplied some of the electronics etc. - my Quest power window switches are identical to my buddy's F150's switches.

All the stuff was assembled by Ford employees in Ohio.

The joint venture ended early in ~2002.

Steve, Host

wtd44 · October 2004

I'm beginning to wonder about the Villager/Quest thing. Maybe an "early" sale or trade would be a good idea. Are we the owners of an unworthy vehicle? Is it trouble prone? This gnawing feeling is not unusual for those of us that participate in such forums, I suspect. My 2000 base model Villager has had no problems but the window switch, which I replaced. Can I get a little commiseration here? I bought it new and am just now reaching 24,000 miles.

stever · October 2004

24,000 miles? My '99 Quest is at 97,000 miles and I'm behind a few folks. Yours must be cherry!

I wouldn't worry about stuff unless you start having symptoms of something.

Steve, Host

wtd44 · October 2004

I've got to say, it strikes me as an excellent vehicle. I certainly got an excellent buy on it as a year-end deal on the brink of the Nissan-Ford arrangement expiring. It's the only van of any sort I have ever owned.

tonyhwong · October 2004

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT had been lit on my 1996 Mercury Villager for last 12 months without showing any major mechanical problems. Two things
I had noticed were engine hesitation while cruising between 50-55 mph and 20% less gas
mileage. In order to prepare the vehicle for emission test, I took the car to Firestone and it was determined that (P0172 code) new oxygen/O2 sensors ( both upstream and downstream) were needed. They were replaced at $400.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT had come back on after driving it for less than 20 miles. Firestone determined that it needed EGR-BPT ( back-pressure transducer ) and EGR valves which cost $500 due to P0400 code.

I took my car to another mechanic for a second opinion. By visual inspection, he had determined that the 3-inch BPT hose was cracked. It was replaced at $10. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came back on again after driving it for 100 miles. It was the same code P0400 which indicated a problem somewhere in the EGR system which could be any of the EGR components.

I took the car back to the second mechanic who took a closer look at both EGR-BPT and EGR valve. Both seemed to be working fine i.e. no carbon build up at least. He cleared the code from the car's control module. I had driven it for more than 100 miles both local and highway, and the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT had not come back on. I decided
to take a chance and took the car for emission test and it PASSED. I have just saved myself $500 for replacing the EGR-BPT and EGR valves. I have 2 more years before the next emission test.

Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager problems

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