Nissan Quest 2004 - disappointing

I too have had a bad experience with my 2004 Nissan Quest. After purchasing the first one off the lot at Rosenthal Nissan, Vienna, VA we ran into difficulty the following day. The HomeLink system did not work and after taking it back to the dealer they discovered there was a short somewhere in an interior light. Well, they disconnected the light and we continued to drive it. It took another six WEEKS for them to receive a replacement interior light. In the process of repairing this light, they punctured the vinyl in two spots on the interior door. Again, we had to take it back for them to fix this problem.

On November 2, 2003 I was rear-ended as I braked for a changing light. Fortunately it was not my fault but the rear-end of my Quest got crumpled. Well, figuring a dealer might be able to get parts for a new model year car quicker, I took it back to Rosenthal's body shop for repair.

After nearly 3.5 months of waiting, I still don't have my car back. The reason . . . there are no spare parts for these vehicles nor does it appear they're making any. I tried to work with the dealer, as well as Nissan Corporate Customer Support. I was even assigned a parts specialist at Nissan to help me get my parts. Still, I'm missing two key pieces which the dealer needs to fix my minivan. At this point I'm forced (as a customer) to call the regional Nissan parts distributor on a weekly basis to get the status on these parts. Every time I call, the parts are only two weeks from being shipped. I've been assured that I'm on the "top of the list". I don't buy that anymore. These people are clueless - they have no idea when my parts will become available. The dealer has more or less given up trying to push the matter and it's up to me now. So after six months of owning the vehicle, my wife has only driven it for three.

Overall, when we had the vehicle - we liked it. The gas mileage is far below what the sticker says so don't believe it (if you're lucky, 16-18 mpg). It provides a good ride although we've noticed some interior rattling and occasionally the automatic side door will NOT latch. I hope this doesn't get worse . . . but after my experience, it probably will ;-)

I doubt my new car will ever be the same. I just hope I can get it fixed within six months (my current goal). This was my first Nissan purchase and it will be the last. I should've spent the extra $$$ and bought a Toyota Sienna. I suspect their service is much better . . . certainly can't be worse than what I've experienced with Nissan.

Has anyone else had any more horror stories concerning the 2004 Quest? Are there others waiting on parts like myself? I'd like to know what the future will have in store for me if I ever get my vehicle fixed.

"I should've spent the extra $$$ and bought a Toyota Sienna."

An understandably emotional opinion that is without basis. Any manufacturer can have a lemon vehicle. It is also common knowledge to expect to be test drivers when you purchase first year products.

manufacturer

Yeah, we ran into this when we bought my wife's '01 Ford Escape. Fortunately we didn't have any problems like the Quest guys, but when she got into an accident with it it was a *bitch* getting parts. The key is not shopping make, but shopping your dealer's service department. We happen to have an excellent Ford dealer she bought from, after a few days of waiting for parts they actually took the parts they needed off another Escape on the lot to get her back on the road. Despite the fact that Escapes were very hot and rare in the summer of '01, the dealer had no problem letting a $20k vehicle rot on their lot while it waited for my wife's parts to come in.

That is a dealer (Duthler Ford in Grand Rapids, MI) who will be rewarded with any future Ford sales in the family, that's for sure!

Personally, I like to buy vehicles in their last years of production (03 Maxima is my current ride). Not only do you get a vehicle that is now tight as a drum, but all the mfg's incentives AND an excellent price from the dealer who wants to make room for the redesigned models. The key is not letting your emotional want for things that are "hot" and "new" get in the way.. although when you're talking about cars this is not an easily achieveable goal. :) T

True to form, my Maxima's first year in my possession will be up in two weeks, and it has been an absolutely flawless car. Despite the punishing Michigan roads, the car handles great and still has zero squeaks and rattles. I have real difficulty believing this is a naturally aspirated engine, it sure does behave like there is an Eaton under the hood! I read about guys who put superchargers on these engines, and I immediately wonder how often they go through tires. I "chirp" my tires all the time, unintentionally.. most of the time!

Back to the topic, my wife and are going to be in the market for a minivan this fall, and will definately give the Quest a look (what's not to love about a minivan with a Maxima engine??), but I'm still leery about such a "new" vehicle. As the other poster noted the Sienna is a very nice van, but I have a moral objection to a minivan that stickers over $40k loaded. That's just not right, do you know what kind of car I can buy for $40,000???!!! Let's see, Corvette or minivan.... lol

WOW! Your experience seems like a real tragedy, but it's not detering me from buying another Nissan.

I purchased the new Sentra (B15) when it was first introduced in 2000. After owning it for a month and a half I crashed it, I too took it to the repair shop my dealer and insurance company recommended. They had all the parts with the exception of some cow brackets shipped next day air.

I can't understand why parts for any current model vheicle can't be shipped next day air. How difficult is it to simply go to the assembly line pick up the appropriate parts package them, mark them up a couple dollars (to make an extra profit and justify the trouble), and ship them out next day air?

I truly hope that futur car-buying experiences are better for you.

-julie

Greg wrote:

Julie,

The problem isn't shipping the parts; its getting hold of them. New production models usually have a high demand rate and so all of the parts go into making new cars; not making parts for used cars. Also, mfg's figure that in the early years there will be low demand for parts which reinforces the "use everything for the new cars" mentality.

-Mike

Oh boy, do I agree! I have a 1991 Sentra with 216,000 miles on it (still running really well). In 2002, I bought a new Maxima. It took a year to settle most of the initial quality issues, but a couple of rattles still come and go. I've had several service bulletin repairs for wind noise, flapping hood, etc. Now its waiting to go in for its third recall (lower control arms, HID anti-theft retrofit, and now crank angle sensor). Lets not go into the oil consumption, but unlike corporate Nissan, I don't think that 1 quart every 2K miles is acceptable. The Sentra *never* had a major problem, nor did the 1984 Sentra that it replaced. My biggest item on the 91 was a new clutch at 185,000 miles.

Nissan quality has really taken a nosedive -- probably as a result of their financial difficulties. Nissan rated lower than GM in initial quality in the last JD Power survey. Even today, the interiors are filled with cheap looking hard plastic. I enjoy driving the Maxima so I don't really regret buying it, but I would not buy it again if I had the chance to do it all again. I'm probably going to trade the Maxima in before I need to spend $1000 on a set of tires in a year or so. I've started my reseach and if I stay with Nissan, I'd consider an Infiniti G35 but the Acura TL is looking nice. I'd hate to leave Nissan after 20 years, bit the quality is poor these days, no doubt.

John, manufacturers went to a thin viscosity i.e. 0-30W, 5-20W or something in order to get good mpg.

The original poster. I am actually pissed off at you. Why did you leave the dealership and sign on a doted line for a $30k vehicle that has all those faults?

Exactly. But they do have parts... they just don't grab them off the line and put them in the spare parts circuit.

To Glenn: Three months is outrageous. But, I'm sorry, but you're a wus and they've got your number. They know you'll wait. You have to understand that they don't care about a single whining customer when they have millions at stake in production runs. Even a threat of a lawsuit is uninteresting compared to the production runs. So you have to elevate the issue to where it matters to them. That means a threat to make a major dent in their reputation that will affect sales. Then they might listen.

Step 1: Call the parts guy again and get his latest statement. He'll probably say "two weeks" again. It doesn't matter what he says, just get a statement. I'm sure it will be disappointing.

Step 2: Start climbing the Nissan corporate ladder. You need to skip past the "customer support" people and get to the regional manager. Not his secretary, not his assistant, the Nissan factory regional manager. You need to explain your situation to him calmly and cooly as you can. He probably doesn't know about _your_ situation but he definitely knows of the general problem by now with parts for your vehicle - it's no doubt a conscious decision on Nissan's management's part not to put parts into the stream. (How's that make you feel - Nissan knows you are waiting and does not care !) Tell him in exact terms what you expect: when you want your parts and when you want him to call you back.

[Step 2a: If you can't get him on the line and only get his assistant, accept an offer to call you back but only with a definite time limit of 24 hours. If they just outright refuse and try to send you back to customer support, tell them that if he does not talk with you or call you within 24 hours that you will be calling all the area newspapers, all the local TV stations, and the state Attorney General's office. Mention that after that you will be taking the issue national. I'm willing to bet you get a prompt call back.]

Step 3: After explaining the problem to him, he will no doubt say "I have to look into this, let me call you back". Be reasonable, but get an exact time frame for the call back - no more than 48 hours. Explain to him that you've been jerked around for too long, you shouldn't have to be wasting your time calling him, and that you plan to make this a regional and national newspaper and TV issue unless he makes you very happy within 48 hours. Be moderately specific: name the local major papers, the local stations, and throw in NBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN as you follow up calls.

The point here is to get his attention and make him believe that this issue is big enough that Nissan corporate cares. He knows who to call and will be on the phone to corporate. You need to get some cages rattling there.

If he calls back and give you another lame "two weeks" answer without a specific promise, tell him that's not good enough. Tell him that as soon as you hang up with him you will be making those calls. Now, do your homework: have the name of the consumer reporters at the local TV stations and newspapers. Tell him specifically who you will be calling as soon as you hang up. As soon as you finish reciting that list, mention again that you will be taking it national as soon as you finish with the local folks.

I'll bet he offers to call you back and come up with some answers that help you out. Before you make the call to him, be sure to do your homework. Have those names and numbers ready. Be ready to recite them to him. Call the AG's office and find out where you stand under the consumer laws. You are in a gray area between "new car parts" and "repairs" so find out what your status is. Be prepared to carry out your threats and make this a media issue. Sometimes you need to fire a shot across their bow to get their attention.

Was this a demo vehicle ?