Zenica

I want to share a very recent experience I have had with Nissan North America and Nissan Executive Offices regarding my 2005 350Z.

Some of these details are current, some date back to 1997 but I firmly believe there is a link between them. In June of 2007 my vehicles FM reception declined to a point where no station could be heard. I took the car to Flemington (NJ) Nissan to repair the vehicle. The dealer determined the fault to exist in the head unit, which was then ordered.

On June 26th 2007 I brought the vehicle back to have said radio head unit replaced. On the drive home I noted that the vehicles radio performance was, unchanged so I arranged to bring the vehicle back, a 3rd time.

On July 3rd 2007 I brought the vehicle back, with 7,538 miles, to have them properly diagnose the faulty radio reception. The dealership then made the decision to keep my vehicle while making arrangements for me to have a rental vehicle. In the 10 days or so that the Flemington Nissan dealership had my vehicle, they removed the seats, the center console and lifted sections of the carpet. All of this was to gain access to test & ultimately replace an "antenna feeder wire". At this same time, they determined that an amplifier also required being replaced.
When I went to recover my vehicle, I discovered that the driver's air bag (steering wheel module) was scratched up with deep grooves. Upon bringing this to the attention of the service department, they first tried to affect a repair of the surface scratches to no avail. It was then that they informed me it would require replacement.

On August 14th 2007 with 9,002 miles I returned back to Flemington Nissan where they replaced said air bag (steering wheel module).

On April 20th 2012 with 17,560 miles I took my vehicle in to North Plainfield Nissan to have an SRS light checked. This light had been on for some time but given the few miles I drive this car, I procrastinated in having it checked. Being aware that the Nissan extended warranty was expiring in January 2013 I wanted it checked before then. I was told that due to the lack of use, a low voltage condition occurred which tripped the SRS system and thus, the indicator in the instrument cluster. They reset it and returned the vehicle to me. Well 20 miles after collecting the car from the dealer, the SRS indicator was once again, illuminated.

On April 23rd 2012 with 17,780 miles I returned to North Plainfield Nissan and after testing the vehicle a second time, they were perplexed the SRS code returned with the phrase "(PAST)" in the descriptor. It was their conclusion that the passenger side air bag module was faulty and needs to be replaced.
I contacted Nissan North America to inquire about "goodwill" assistance. I firmly believe a vehicle should not have an air bag fail at 6 years and 17,780 miles. I have a 13-year-old Acura TL with 237,000 miles with original air bags. The system performs a self test with every engine start and to date, no failures have been detected.

My 350Z is garage kept, driven only in the summer and is in otherwise perfect working order. I even purchased the top tier Nissan extended warranty, "Security+Plus" with coverage of 7 years and 100,000 miles. This is my third Nissan product, the 5th if I count the two Infiniti vehicles I have owned. The first Nissan was a 1990 300ZX followed by a 1993 300ZXTT. When I contacted Nissan North America regarding goodwill, I was told no such assistance would be rendered. It took 3 phone calls and a supervisor named Vaughn (North East Division Supervisor) to even learn why my case was not eligible.

The reason? In a nut shell; because I have low mileage. I was cited these three reasons for the denial. 1) Vehicle outside warranty 2) Mileage and 3) No "verifiable" service records. I tried to have a rational discussion with the supervisor regarding these three reasons being that two of them are interdependent in a symbiotic relationship. Both mileage and maintenance for my vehicle are low because this is a luxury vehicle. Not in the sense that the vehicles amenities are luxurious but rather its ownership is, given this is a 3rd vehicle.

According to the 2005 Nissan 350Z Service and Maintenance Guide, my Nissan vehicle is defined as a "Schedule 2" vehicle and as such, the 3,750, 7,500 & 11,250 services are strictly engine oil & filter changes only. It is not until 15,500 miles that "Schedule 2" lists 6 items (applicable to the 350Z) to be inspected, note, inspected, not replaced or serviced. The nature of this vehicles wheels and tires do not allow for tire rotations so I replaced those at 17,100 miles.

I just thought anyone considering the purchase of a Nissan should know that they don't seem to value those that are loyal through the years. I even gave them the VIN numbers to every Nissan vehicle I have ever owned to substantiate ownership. It didn't matter to them. I will never again buy a Nissan...and now I have to explore getting it fixed out of pocket...while a $2,000 warranty goes unused without a single claim ever filed against it.

If anyone from here can help, I would love to hear from you.

Road Warrior

iTrader: (16)

sorry to hear of your misfortune. i don't blame you at all for not buying another nissan, but i hope you can find a better resolution to your problem. i would try going straight to the top with Nissan (via email so you have a record), and given the circumstances, i think you will be taken car of in the appropriate manner. good luck.

rw

Zenica

RW,

I did...go to the top...

For 3 days straight I sent off an email to 4 email addresses in the US belonging to top level employees and also to one email address in Japan. I sent my email in English with a word doc attachment translating my letter into Japanese. On the 3rd day I received a call from the Nissan Executive Offices, which is the highest level I could hope to reach in the US. They upheld the denial citing the same reasons I was cited prior.

All this for an seemingly inexpensive repair when calculated at internal costs. They didn't even offer to split it with me like 50/50 or something. I have seen car companies offer Goodwill on vehicles older, with more mileage that were not babied.

I am flabbergasted Nissan is taking the hard stance that it is.

dfresh713

iTrader: (2)

Just goes to show extended warranties are absolutely worthless. I purchased one for $2,300 and didn't receive .01 cent for any repairs I made. I don't care if I was buying a Lamborghini I wouldn't purchase an extended warranty.

Its seems like they reset the SRS bags using the simple key method. You can youtube it or find it in the DIY section and takes about a minute to do to turn off or reset the airbag light.

jv350z

iTrader: (6)

.^.

JCITY

iTrader: (2)

Wow,alot of trouble...
As others have said,you have probably been talking to the wrong people/person.
Nissan is no different than any other car make.There are many people in the chain of command and,techs that really are clueless.I had a similar(much more serios problem with another car make(Jaguar)quite some time ago.It took them flying in their top U.S.
tech to my dealership to solve the problem.I got this done by getting through to the "top guy".Since I've owned my Z for almost 10 years,one thing I can say...not all
Nissan dealerships are created equal.
Hardly.
It took going to 5 before I could get the legendary tire feathering problem fixed.
Nothing much has changed.I would'nt take my Z to my local Nissan dealership for any reason.Costs too much.They do not have the knowledge to work on the car.
Extended warranties are a waste of time.The way I see it,if you have to buy one,this car has a track record of problems.As far as your problems go,what seems serious to you may be trivial to others.For the time and aggravation you spent on your FM
reception,I'd have taken it to a good audio shop to get the sucker fixed.
Life is too short,man.
Overall,I've had nothing but great things to say about any Nissan vehicle I've owned.
I've owned five,including a 240Z(Datsun).I've got some friends with BMW's&Mercedes,
they have many "take to the dealer" problems.You are gonna find bad cars with all makes.

Zenica

I know of no other top person I can speak with aside from the woman from the Executive Offices. Her office oversees the entire United States and no one from Japan replied to my email. Believe me, if there was someone within Nissan that could review this and make some kind of good faith effort (like splitting the repair bill) I'd be all over it but I have no idea how to find such a person.

I've owned 5 Nissan products, 3 Z's and a Q45 and J30. The Q was one of the best luxury sedans I've owned. All of them have been about average for me, in terms of reliability. I only sold my TT to get the 350 because parts were obsolete and when Courtesy told me that I received the last suction throttle valve known to exist in North America (mine came from Canada) then it's time to rethink keeping the car.

My 13 year old TL (daily beater) has 237k miles...care to guess how many air bags I've replaced? or how many times it has failed at all?? I keep all receipts and that car has cost me less to own and operate than any other car I have ever owned. It took 168k miles before the first paid for repair.

I don't have a complaint regarding the 350Z's reliability although I am surprised an air bag would fail so soon. My issue is with how the company chose to respond to my request. It isn't like I'm asking for an engine or transmission after neglecting the car.

Also, isn't this similar to the whole Titan recall???

Road Warrior

iTrader: (16)

i am just as surprised as you then zenica. back when i had my 87 GTA i had to call Pontiac headquarters regarding problems i was having with my car, albiet still under warranty, but still...they called the dealership that day and i got immediate resolution.

nissan wouldn't even allow me to buy the extended warranty after my 3 years manufacturers warranty had expired...reason, not enough miles on the car...wtf?

nissan

Zenica

On a side note, I also informed "Nissan Consumer Affairs" employees on more than one occasion that one of their dealerships was, quite possibly, submitting fraudulent and erroneous warranty claims. Flemington Nissan submitted the airbag for warranty submission on 8/14/2007 and I know for a fact the airbag was not faulty due to any manufacturing defect. They damaged it, cosmetically, when they removed the interior. Most likely the seat frame or mounting supports are the culprit.


One would think a company would be the least bit appreciative when a consumer is looking out for the manufacturers bottom line. I suppose that isn't the case with Nissan.

lgear080

iTrader: (21)

Your car is eight years old. It is your responsibility.

Warranties aren't worth the paper they're printed on given they're
drafted by the best counsel (your) money can buy.

Zenica

Yes the car is eight years old but the factory warranty expired only
3 years ago due to an "in-service date" of 2006.

I am not deflecting responsibility, I am just turned off by Nissan's approach to a reasonable request from a long standing loyal buyer.
That and the vehicles low mileage along with the existence of the Nissan extended warranty should have had them offering something ...not a giant FU.

I buy warranties about 50% of the time....this is one of the rare exceptions where it proved useless, for me, the kicker is I would have been better off with a warranty from Zurich. Go figure.

scotts300

iTrader: (46)

Flemington native myself. HC(R)HS.

bloodwings19

The reason? In a nut shell; because I have low mileage. I was cited these three reasons for the denial. 1) Vehicle outside warranty 2) Mileage and 3) No "verifiable" service records.

Sorry to hear this, but low mileage as a reason is unbelievable. How many Porsche, Vette, or sports cars with low mileage? I believe you need to talk to the right person, there is no way a loyal Nissan customer like you gets treated like this. You might want to talk to the owner of the dealership, you might be surprise sometimes they do show up at the place and they will do something. At the same time, dealing with car dealership is just evil. One of the most profitable means for car dealership is repairs and selling used cars. I believe you might want to go to a busier, or a long standing Nissan dealership to get help, a low volume Nissan seller probaly is inclined to help. I, myself have an '05 just above 20K mileage and luckily, hasn't had that problem, or any so far. I know if I had problems with my car, I'll probaly have to shell out a lot of money because I know I do not get my car service at Nissan since I bought new. Good Luck, I hope you get it fixed at a reasonable manner.

MaelstrØm

Mine got me my CD009 transmission and a new engine. That was well worth it.

BTW, what you need to do is have Nissan indicate which provisions in the warranty they are attempting to escape liability under, as the airbag is a warranty part under the regular program. You need to verify that "low mileage" is in fact a clause they can use to escape. When you say the vehicle is "outside warranty", did you raise the airbag issue DURING the warranty period? If so, then I think you have a case.

zakmartin

I went through the exact same crap with GM and Mazda, which is why I now drive Nissans. If I get crap from them, I'll switch to Subaru. If I get crap from Subaru, I'll switch to Volvo, etc. etc. etc. Your experience is the norm, my friend, not the exception.

lgear080

iTrader: (21)

Point - warranty is no longer in effect.

PikesPeakZ

iTrader: (12)

This thread is pointless and all you are doing is telling people to be aware if your warranty expires it will not be honored.

Thanks

Zenica

That is one perspective, another is that my intent is to raise awareness that when buying a Nissan extended warranty it may not have better coverage than a 3rd party warranty. Zurich would have covered the airbag where as Nissan Security+Plus does not.

Another issue is the reason and manor in which Nissan denied the Goodwill. Their explanation seems to defy common sense and I am sure many Z owners have low miles that could face a similar denial for something else.

Then there is the possible connection between the failure of Z airbags and the Titan recall....should it be proven the parts are the same, irrespective to the part number assigned by Nissan.

PikesPeakZ

iTrader: (12)

Not trying to rain on your parade or be a dick but the door lock actuators and window motors fail on Rogues, Z's, Infinitis, etc. All the same part? I don't expect Nissan to replace those every 5-6 years for me. These extended warranties are very specific on what they cover and if it should be covered point it out if it is in warranty and make them fix it. I don't think that's the case though. The fact that you know they do goodwill warranty work means you have had some done in the past which means they have taken care of you at some point, but a line needs to be drawn somewhere from a business standpoint

Again I feel for your scenario but I have had Nissan do multiple goodwill warranty services on my Z that they offered due to me taking my car there all the time regularly for just oil changes (saves time I don't have). I have asked and been turned down and said oh well fugg it.

Zenica

The only other airbag repair was the one Flemington Nissan warrantied after they caused cosmetic damage. The light had been on for...no joke, about 3 years but I mistakenly believed it was under the extended warranty so I was complacent about having it checked. As I recall now, it has been on ever since the pass seat was removed to add wires for the rear backup camera. The dealer reset it then but it came back a short time later and has been on ever since.

The North Plainfield Nissan dealer is the one that told me the part number for the airbag under code B1129 (PAST) is not covered yet...when I read the Nissan Warranty I see RH side airbag module assembly listed (among other airbag components). How can I verify if mine is covered?


I didn't take your comment as a negative, just pointing out the raw truth. As for Goodwill, I know of it because my neighbors Acura TL is on its 3rd tranny, all three received Goodwill, albeit on a downward progressive scale with each repair. My Z has never received Goodwill nor has any other Nissan vehicle I have ever owned.