I have a Base 2004 with 9K miles. Ever since I got the car it's got this rattle problem coming from the drivers rear side. Took it to Dealership at Serramonte Nissan last year, they found a loose weld on the B-pillar to the frame. They fixed the problem in about 2 weeks (rewelded the frame and pillar). There's been intermittent rattle since the fix and haven't been able to diagnose the problem until now. They found a bolt broke--it holds the apron onto the cross member (the metal part underneath the cross pillar in the trunk that has the Z sign). They'll fix the problem but it involves cutting the cross pillar and replacing the bolt along with the apron. I'm thinking I may have a defective Z? I've not had to pay a cent for these repairs but the car has been in the shop for these repairs for at least a month or so. Not sure if all these welds and fixes would compromise the integrity of the car. What are your thoughts about asking Nissan to buy back the vehicle or even getting a lemon law lawyer to get Nissan to buy back the car? Otherwise the drive train works flawlessly and it's an awesome car.

 

it will take a tremendous effort to get nissan to buy it back. i knew a guy who had a chevy SSR who had it bought back in full. it was in the shop 16 times for numerous problems. chevy bought it back and gave him a great deal on a vette. he wanted another SSR but after taht experience, he went with a vette instead.

 

Lemon laws vary from state to state, but generally apply to:

a. A recurring defect which makes the car unsafe to drive.
b. A major recurring problem making the car inoperable, and taking it out of commission several times.

You decide if rattles fit the general criteria.

 

Thanks for your inputs.

I agree it'll take some work if I pursue that route.

The rattle is just an indication that something was wrong not just a nuisance. And what kind of a car would rattle everything one makes a turn or goes over a bump?!?

And in this case, a bolt that holds the driver's side rear suspension in place is broken that's why it rattles on turns. Now they're cutting the whole entire cross member that holds the back suspension in place and rewelding it in order to fix the problem. What I don't know is if this compromises the rigidity or integrity of the car.

What I do know is that there were factory defects and these fixes may potentially make the car prone to failure/fatigue.

 

I don't know. That sucks. Good luck!