Nissan Consumer Affairs - Rant
 

All,

I have about had it with Nissan. I'm not a basher - I've owned a few Nissans - in fact my first 1979 280ZX ran like a tank. But I'm at my wits end.

I have been experiencing a hard start issue ( See thread in Engine/Drivetrain forum - http://www.the370z.com/engine-drivet...ems-wrong.html ) with my '09 370Z Touring for well over a year now. I'm in year 2 of a 3 year lease. The dealership cannot figure out the issue - they have just thrown parts at the car (Fuel pump, IPDM, ECU, Vent Tube assembly, replaced fuses, key coding system, Battery, etc etc). My car has been in the service department on at least 12 separate occasions (cumulatively over a month). I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs due to the lack of the dealerships ability to solve the issue.

Since contacting Nissan in April I have had my file # transferred to 5 (count 'em FIVE) separate Consumer Affairs Specialists - each time having to re-explain to each person the details (which are now lengthy - 23 pages) of my hard start issue. I have now requested to speak to a supervisor on 3 separate occasions - which has been refused. They literally will NOT refer you to a supervisor. They claims to have a "process" in place that requires them to send an electronic message to the supervisor - and takes 4-8 business hours to process. Well - it never gets processed. Seemingly they work independently without supervision - they claim to not even know their supervisor name or telephone extension. How nice would that be?

The Consumer Affairs Specialists gather your information and document it - but don't seem to take any action. They fill out ficticious "paperwork" to escalate your issue - but nothing ever comes of it. They are full of promises to call you back - but never do. They use terms like "I apologize for the inconvenience" without really meaning it. I don't want apologies anymore -- I want some action!! "Sorry" does not start my car in the morning. Is that too much to ask from a major corporation?

I finally had a data monitoring device installed by Nissan (in an attempt to find the problem) - That was over a month ago - no results, no one seems to know where it is now?? Really?? Are you kidding me??

This is likely one of the most frustrating/comical/mind-boggling situations I've ever experienced in my 49 years of life on this planet. I'm SERIOUSLY concerned about the stability of this company. It is becoming brutally obvious that Nissan Corporation does not care about me (and likely you) as a consumer of their product. They are trying to wear me down with B.S., Lack of Communication, Incompetence, Red-Tape, Promises of Solutions etc etc etc. I am NOT GOING AWAY!! I call them back and ask them why they do not fulfill their promises to call me by noon, I call them for updates (that they cannot provide), I question their processes. I will not be defeated. I will probably never buy another Nissan ever again. But they do not care, someone else will...

Be aware of your specific states "lemon law" - I'm in VA. You have 18 months from the date you take delivery, you MUST contact Nissan Corporation in writing and advise them of the issue formally. Unfortunately I am a victim of listening to the Service Manager's promises of "Give them time...we'll make things good..." and time ran out.

Good luck to you all...you will need it. I feel better now :)

^^the paragraph is your friend^^
Otherwise, interesting.

:/// im sorry. none of the car manufacturers really care about anybody.

onzedge - you are correct. I typed that in one breath :) Sorry for my lack of proper punctuation/grammar etc. It's months of frustration built up into one sentence :)

Sorry man. I wanted to read it carefully, but on a Friday I need smaller chunks of words. I think you are getting screwed and, if I were you, would consider an attorney. I hate how companies don't just own up and make things right without all the BS.

Good luck, OK?

Bad enough to buy a lemon, but then to get the runaround... :shakes head:

onzedge - All is good. I thought about consulting an attorney. But I don't know if it would do any good now. I'm beyond the confines of the VA "lemon law". Unless I thought I would reap some benefit, other than them taking the car back, I don't know if the cash outlay is worth the end result. Thanks for your input. Enjoy the weekend.

Have you talked to the people at the dealership about possibly trading for a different one? I realize that you are past the lemon law period, but maybe if they are cool they might do it.

It took Nissan about 10 months to refund my cancelled extended warranty. Yup, 10 months just for a refund. Good luck to you.

b1adesofcha0s,

Yes I did - however I was not willing to extend my lease, which they wanted me to do. I have lived up to my end of the contract; Nissan should live up to their end - providing me with a car that operates properly. If they would have offered a new (comparable vehicle) with the same lease end date - I would have accepted.

Sounds like you need to find a better mechanic. Seriously. I think dealerships get ranked differently depending on knowledge set their mechanics provide.

Perhaps try a different dealership is what I'm getting at.

:iagree:


It seems like they're trying to fix it at least. OP,Sorry to hear you had so many problems. Just remember though, at the end of the day, most of these guys are just people. Not the most skilled, but still....I digress. Their basic mentality is, if they can't find the problem in front of them, they can't fix it. Corporate should have treated you better, but it seemed like they were doing everything possible on their end. I doubt a supervisor could be of further assistance. Trust me, I've been in the same boat with my past car (Mazda). They were far less helpful than what you're going through with Nissan. They just flat out said they couldn't do anything to help me. After 6 trips to the dealer and still having issues, I decided to do my own research and told the dealer what part to replace. Whatyaknow.....problem solved.

Best of luck

For the record I have the exact same issue and Nissan cannot fix it. I have called literally 15 dealers accross 2 states to see if anyone has a solution to this problem and NOBODY does. So sad. :(

Man, that sucks. You could try to take it to a Nissan master tech outside of a dealership to find the problem and then have the dealership fix it. I don't know of any in VA, but Frank at Hill's Garage in Baltimore is pretty good from what I here. Also, which dealership are you going to in VA? If you ask around in the Mid-Atlantic section, there are plenty of people who can recommend a good dealership and who to talk to there as well.

Good luck man, I hope everything works out. :tiphat:

At this point, I have a feeling Nissan would not honor further warranty work if I had service performed by anyone other than a dealership. I have ZERO faith in Nissan, Consumer Affairs and/or anyone affiliated with Nissan. They cannot fix my problem, have have denied my request to take the vehicle back. Which leaves me (the consumer) where??? This isn't some minor picky issue that I've made up or caused by abuse on my part. I've been extremely patient and accommodating - this has been happening for over a year now. And they've pretty much decided that that they are not going to do anything about it. As I stated earlier, I am one person...they do not care if I buy another Nissan.

While I respect your opinion, I disagree. I am a consumer, with expectations that a particular product is going to work as advertised. If it does not, the manufacturer is responsible to repair that said problem or refund my hard earned $$. I understand they are "people" at the end of the day - but I was not brought up, nor do I find it acceptable, to make promises that I cannot keep. If I tell someone I'm going to do something (ie - call them back)...you can count on the fact that I'm going to do it. Is this behavior acceptable where you work? I've been performing research, but I'm not a mechanic or Nissan tech - therefore I do not have the requisite knowledge to troubleshoot this issue. I must have faith in the "professionals" to do the job that they are getting paid for. Thanks for your input.

i am with you brother, you have a better chance of seeing god before you get nissan to help you right. their customer service is terrible. i am ashamed of driving nissan as a result

i went through mediation with them on my 350 too

wow sorry to hear all this.. Have you tried a different dealership?

nissan badly... nissan very badly.

:icon17:

Geez buddy, relax. I'm on your side on this one. They should no doubt solve this problem for you. I'm just saying, the Nissan techs or any dealer tech for that matter, aren't engineers. They're not their to solve unique problems with no specific solutions from the Nissan engineers. If its not in the repair manual, they won't know what to do so they usually throw new parts on and hope it works. They may be "professionals," but as with any profession, not all professionals are skilled equally. You def have a lemon in your hands, but its not like Nissan flat out refused to do any work to your car. I'm sure this situation has been frustrating and not exactly what you had in mind when purchasing a sports car. At this point, you have every right to do what your doing. Nissan has had plenty of chances to resolve your issue. Like I said, I was in a similar situtation with my previous car. Whats to disagree over?


Repair and customer support problems aren't unique to Nissan.

My Z works great... although if I had to deal with the service dept or dealership as much as you have, I'd loose my sh!t.

Get a lawyer?

Sorry, Can you tell I'm a tad on edge? Every time I speak to someone with Nissan my blood starts boiling and this is my venting location :) I'm getting frustrated with this whole ordeal. I have had this car for two years and I just went over 8500 miles. I actually had one of the assistant service managers at my dealership try to blame me for the har start issues - he said "You're not driving the car enough...". Are you F***ing kidding me??

yah, i would be frustrated too but if that happened to my car (past lemon law, etc), i would keep quiet and sell it and get another one before making too much of a fuss.

this way you get the top dollar for your trade and a new start. :)

I don't think that's an option here. From what I understand the car is leased, and they won't let the OP exchange for a like vehicle without extending the lease contract.

bclarke, as I'm trying to reach an acceptable deal to purchase a 370Z, I find stories like yours a bit discouraging. I've never leased a car, but if your lease contract is through Nissan's corporate finance arm, couldn't any Nissan dealer theorhetically exchange vehicles? It's a long shot, but at this point it could be worth a shot asking a dealer with a reputation for taking good care of customers. It'd be minimal effort at least, and if successful would give you something reliable to drive. Talk to them very calmly, and don't offer up information like you've been denied the lease swap before at your dealer. Don't lie about it, but I'd hold onto that card until they demanded to see it; dodge the question at first unless they really push the issue. They'll probably ask why you are on their lot and not the dealer you originally dealt with, maybe tell them because you've been treated so poorly as a customer you refuse (not only are they unhelpful, you were accused of causing the problem), which sounds true to me. If you sell it as if you enjoy the car otherwise and were willing to stay with/come back to the brand again if only someone would treat you like the loyal, valued customer you are (and have been since 1979), the other dealer you're presenting your case to may accommodate you in hope of future business. A chance to pluck someone who has been loyal customer for decades from a competing dealer is an easy opportunity for new business in their eyes.

Again, sorry to hear about your misfortune, best of luck in the future!

i dont lease cars cleverland. :)

Me either, but the OP did in this case. I usually target cars I could see myself keeping for a while.

yah, actually saves money this way. :tup:

bclarke22 PM me, I got some interesting email addresses that might work for you.

Also Facebook has a Nissan section and on a hidden tab is a Discussion Board. They don't like the bad feedback and believe me they will work with you.

Correct, this is a lease. I have about 10 months left of a 3 year lease. I do not want to discuss "financing" and/or the benefits and drawbacks of leasing vs. buying. We all have our reasons for whatever we do...Anyways...

Have you tried filing complaints with as many regulatory agencies as you can?

AG's office, BBB and whatever authorities regulate auto dealers in your state?

It seems that you should have some sort of valid claim against Nissan because you are unable to use what you are paying for. You could contact a lawyer... maybe loss of use or something.

Is the lease through Nissan financial? Even if so, I imagine the leasing division is a separate entity from the car manufacturing division. Letting you out of the lease or replacing the car would affect the bottom line of the leasing division, even though it would be the fault of the manufacturing guys. I realize that isn't your problem, but it probably explains much of the reason why they refuse to do that.


Bottom line - you have not applied enough pressure to make satisfying you the easier choice. At this point, it is easier to just keep shining you on. You shouldn't have to do that, but it seems clear that you do.

He has an option of getting of the leased via trade-in. He will not get anything for the car but he can get another car if his dealer of choice would make the deal.

I had about 20 months left on the leased of my old lady SUV. I went to the dealer and told them what I wanted.

It was not easy but at the end they paid off the rest of the lease and I bought another SUV instead of leasing. It did work for me!