dougb

Having been a loyal customer (4 new verhicles) of Nissan's since 1997 I was quite dismayed with the treatment I received from Nissan over my 2008 Nissan Maxima and the CVT transmission.

Nissan acknowledged they were having some issues with some of the these transmissions and mailed extended warranties to those owners, myself included for my Maxima and Murano. The letter claimed the warranty on the transmission would be extended to 120,000 miles and beyond that mileage they would assist the owner with reducing the cost of repairs. See letter in the following link
http://www.nissanassist.com/ProgramDetails.php?menu=2


To make a very long story short I'll summarize a week of activities. My car broke down the day prior to travelling for holidays and I learned that the transmission was failing, specifically the Transmission Control Valve Assembly. Nissan failed to return calls and then claimed that theTransmission Control Valve Assembly is not considered part of the transmission. Because of this they would not honor their extended warranty or help with reducing the cost of repairs ($1,600).

The Service Mgr at the dealership was at a loss with their explanation He explained to me that the Transmission Control Valve Assembly is one of the parts that compriises the purchase of a brand new CVT transmission. When I explained/questioned the Regional Service Manager about this she could not explain why this was so, but only repeated they would not cover this part.

Having been with Nissan as long as I have it was very disheartening to be treated in this manner. I explained to the Regional that I would be walking across the stree to spend $35,000 on a new Honda Pilot and that Nissan could have had that new car purchase, as well as my continued brand loyaly, had they opted to treat me just a little bit better. Again, there was little acknowledgement of my loyalty to their brand. So after 15 years, over 120k in new car purchases, services, parts, etc... it's time to say good riddance Nissan. Lack of loyalty returned.

Finchum

Sad to see you go, but understandable. While the customer satisfaction initially is awesome, it is a different story when considering all independent dealers and cost cutting hitting every facet of the industry after that new car purchase.

When you run the miles up and pass to the end of warranty, you can literally watch the attitude change fast. It's kind of why I moved away from buying new cars and now only deal with old tried-and-true models. It's also the reason I ceased to use Nissan service for any issue what-so-ever and moved to teaching myself how to perform any work needed when coming out of my teen years. Here I am almost to 30 and have a wonderful experience outside of the dealerships lol.

Good luck with the new ride in this new year!

zman764

I purchased my first new Nissan in 2010 (a loaded Maxima) and have had multiple issues and my dealings with the local dealership, regional reps, and nissan corporate have all been horrible. I cannot imagine why a company wouldn't stand behind their vehicles. I cannot imagine how I could possibly support this brand in the future.

deezo

iTrader: (3)

I gave up on Nissan support long ago.

Hectic

iTrader: (20)

Cars are cars people. If you're upset because some little part stopped working and the dealership won't fix it for free, that's your own fault. You should have bought an older car so you can go grab any replacement part you ever need from the JUNK YARD for $2. Instead you're bickering and arguing with some dealership employee douchebag over an overpriced fix. Making websites and designing ridiculous banners that express your hatred for Nissan Sentra throttle bodies and position control units. I learned at 19 years old to do everything and anything MY DAMN SELF. If you rely on other people to keep your car in order and think you're not going to pay out of the *** for it, it's your own fault.

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

Hectic...I think you fail to see the key point/problem from the OP's situation. The letter he has implies it is under warranty and should be fixed under that warranty. He isn't b1tching about it outside of that.

The OP has a legitimate case and I hope he considers taking it further down the road.

No one lives on an island my friend...you can try to do everything yourself that you want, but you cannot survive without others.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I see that the OP talked to the dealership and then Nissan regional. Does that mean he spoke with Nissan Corporate? I've been screwed over by Nissan dealerships twice and both times when I got Nissan corporate involved with my receipt and paperwork, corporate slapped the dealerships right back into line.

MaxFiyah

sucks but good luck with the pilot they are nice suvs! my family owned many hondas and they were all super reliable. not 1 issue with my moms honda oddysey thats 7 years old and i had a 225kmile honda accord

Shift_A32B

iTrader: (14)

That's the reason why I stick with old models. The way I see it, car companies don't test their products for a long period of time. They just invent something, don't run tests, sell it and profit.
I will never buy a New nissan or any other new vehicle.

Right now I am in the hunt for a 00-01, the last reliable VQ series.

Pretty much Toyota and Mazda have my business when it comes to new vehicles....2 Honda's have been owned in my family...both with the same issues...different years...a damn transmission; pathetic.

Finchum

Thats funny, I had an new 2002 Sentra SpecV and went through 3 throttle bodies and 2 MAFs in the early years of ownership.

I finally realized the coolant running through the throttle body is there for a reason....HEAT dissipation.

And MAFs don't like K&N air filter oil.

I learned the hard way that customizing on the cutting edge of things leads to problems.

OP-
-If you have service records, contact corporate again, they tend to not honor power/drivetrain warranty's if you cant prove you serviced it.

-Also,An indepth search shows the CVT not having a transmission control valve assy. Sounds to me like a botched diagnosis and corporate ran with it. I would call another dealership and explain the situation. Sometimes a dealer has bad experience with corporate reimbursing them for warranty work and they will start to steer clear warranty claims from then on. Again, downside to an independent dealer network.

-Finally, having a higher mileage means you can easily get to good condition junk yard parts- i searched car-parts.com and found several CVT's for 600-800bucks.

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

Well...manufacturers do conduct testing. The testing is accelerated stress testing which takes time. Also, there is no real comparison to an owner putting their car through the rigors of daily driving.

NickStam

iTrader: (3)

I haven't had a great experience with my '06 Xterra either when I actually needed it. Some timing chain support piece is made of plastic and fails over time. It's a known issue with a disclosed field bulletin. Many folks were getting repairs under warranty because the part was failing under 100k miles. Because the part actually lasted a bit longer I received no cost share. ($1,700 repair) I understand that most people beat the crap out of their cars and Nissan shouldn't normally help when the car is over 100k, but I'm an original owner of a '98 Maxima with 275k miles and my family also owned Nissans over the years. Loyalty definitely not appreciated and it's sad. Funniest part is I sent a letter to Nissan North America, they said 'no help will be given', and then when I filled out the customer service survey that I wasn't happy, they called up and asked what they could do to make me happy! Morons.

RR5

iTrader: (6)

Just had to point this out and laugh at it. The control valve assembly is INSIDE the transmission What a bunch of money hungry idiots. I know the saga is already over but people report having better luck sometimes by going to another stealership. Even outside their city and/or state.

Donystoy

I have had a 2002 Nissan Maxima that is the best driving and handling car that I have ever owned. In saying that it is also the last Nissan product I will ever own because of their shabby responce to warranty claims. Quite frankly I did a lot of research before I bought the car and read that they were very poor for warranty but I thought what can happen. It is a Japanese car and shouldn't give any problems.

Right out of the showroom I had problems mostly with the dealer. They wrecked the defrost heaters trying to remove the center stop light after installing a spoiler. Replaced back window under warranty??? Replaced defective radio and gouged holes in the shifter plate. Replaced under warranty??? etc.etc.

Filler neck started rusting after two years stopping gas cap from sealing and putting on the cel. Although this is a part of the emissions and also with full extended warranty they refused to replace. Head office was arragant and after questioning them as to what reason for not covering it they said "environmental" and hung up. Years later and after much frustration I finally got it replaced after contacting a newspaper writer. Nissan called it a goodwill gesture.

The last time I was at a dealer for repairs was to try out a new dealer that opened up. Had them replace the spark plugs. They said that the rear engine cover was leaking and had destroyed a fuel injector ??? They wanted another $500 for all the work. All a line of crap. I inspected and everything was dry. Besides the engine would be missing and cel on.

If Nissan was the last car manufacturer on this planet I would buy a bike.

Frank Fontaine

Wow, and I only thought German car mfgs. treated customers like that. That's terrible--OP, don't you feel terrible, and disappointed? What is amazing is that Nissan knows they made you feel that way, and they could not care less. But you know what? Feel good that you have a job where you can afford a new car. And you can choose to take your $$$ elsewhere. Those people who work at Nissan can't afford a new car, and they have s**** jobs where they have to give not just you, but other loyal customers lame answers. Good luck with your Honda.....(being serious)

steezmuffin686

wow, im glad i work on cars and am competent enough to do my own work, one of the lucky few i suppose. thats sick that the dealership, which rakes in money hand over fist, cant help out a dedicated and loyal customer. Op they dont deserve your business for the most part. Id say go honda for reliablity, owned 2 of their cars and both never let me down. otherwise subaru i hear good things.

Frank Fontaine

Nissan is not what it once was, it used to have this "4DSC" mentality. Now look at them, the Altima can't even compete with the Accord. Hey Nissan, you have heard of direct injection, haven't you? It's only about 100+ y.o., with car cos. routinely deploying it for the last 8. Then look at their trannies. CVT? You down with CVT? yeah you know me. Do they even make a car with a clutch anymore? Honda does. And even look at the 370Z, they can't even achieve 50/50 with a RWD car. Time to turn the car co. around folks....

L36

iTrader: (4)

Hate on the CVT but thus far nissans CVT is one of the best in the whole automotive industry.

Frank Fontaine

That's what I mean, Nissan is about as far from making a "4DSC" as they could ever possibly get.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Motortrend did a comparo for April 2013 between this "old" 7th gen maxima, the new avalon and the hyndai azerra.

The Maxima came in 3rd. Motortrend's biggest gripe was lack of room.

However, the Maxima was easily the sportiest car in the group.

Aslo, the Maxima is still a best selling V6 FWD sedan.

Niisan must be doing something right.

Street Reeper

How many miles are on the car OP and who did the service

Frank Fontaine

Think about it--Toyota Avalon. that is a vehicle whose average owner is 64 years old.

"It's not that current Toyota Avalon buyers are old. It's just that a median age of 64 makes them really, really old. Avalon owners don't always trade in their old sedans on new ones; more often the cars they leave behind are sold at estate sales."

That is the Nissan Maxima's competition? Yes, I would agree.

Do you think that when the 4th gen came out in late 1994 and was readily available with a 5-spd manual, they were targeting 64 y.o. buyers?

Nissan's doing something right, alright, they're going after retirees who have money, and building cars to suit them.

L36

iTrader: (4)

Exactly. Maxima is a big boat that mainly attracts older people and families with kids. Look at 4th gen or any gen since 4th gen, maximas just get bigger and heavier with each gen increment.

Nissan adapts the maxima to the ever changing market because they're a business interested in making money, not satisfying a niche group of buyers that want a 4DSC.

You want a 4DSC? There is a M5 for that. True enthusiasts move on or adapt to what they have and make the most of it. The 4DSC maxima has died ever since 4th gen.

Frank Fontaine

You're actually right, I bought a E92 335i new in late '06. It never touched the 1998 Maxima SE for reliability or cost of ownership, but obviously it smokes it in anything performance-related. The thing that's the shame of the Nissan Motor Co. is that even the 370Z cannot compete with any German car, when in reality, Japanese could do it if they wanted to, and then build something that people can actually afford to maintain. If, they wanted to....

Street Reeper

I gave up on the maxima when the VP said that Nissan loyalists who wanted a performance car would buy a 350z and that's why they made the 6th Gen maxima for mature buyers

L36

iTrader: (4)

The 6th gen is still reasonably good, its boaty but packs a punch while being very conformable. 7th gen is where everything seemed to go down hill.

Frank Fontaine

It's mind-boggling that in this day and age, Nissan makes zero driver's cars. And their tranny of choice is a CVT? With each new product, the message is swing and miss. Look at the new pathfinder, what a joke.

But I know, this is a Maxima forum. The model has gone nowhere but downhill over the past 14 years. But it was pretty cool when people like the HID's and they stole them off of 5th gens.

L36

iTrader: (4)

The new pathfinder? Lol, it has no more *****. Guess jeep is going to get a whole lot of new customers.

Although performance wise, yeah 4th gen is where its at, maybe a 5.5gen, but that's pushing it. Its a shame what maxima turned into, by the looks of what the new altima brought to the table, there isn't much to expect from the 8th gen. Same 3.5 with same power figures and their new gen of CVT.
Near same organs, new face...

Finchum

They do. They are just under the Infiniti name plate. The 370 nismo and GTR is about the only 'drivers car' thats on the nissan side.

FanaticMadMax

Sorry to hear about the warranty issue, very unusual for not honoring it since it is part of the tranny. It disheartening to hear Nissan Regional won't deal with it or budge. I still love Nissan products, but lost interest on the 7th gen when I check it it when it came out and it was much smaller interior than my 5th gen. The new Altima is really nice, a stand out. But Honda Accord gotten better in their looks and bulletproof reliablity. I am only a bit hesitant that the Accord are using CVT unless you get a V-6 with 6spd Auto.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

Sorry for bumping a somewhat old thread but "Hectic" you're totally sound like one of those GM murica fanboys. How is it fixing it for free when the part is under warranty? Most people dont have the time to DIY and thats why they buy warrantys/new cars. How is op at fault? lol

Hectic

iTrader: (20)

My point was that this is what you get when you do business with a dealership. They are independent businesses, yet you have people blaming the company itself. You buy from a dealership, then expect to be ripped off, that's what they do, rip people off. From the most prestigious, down to the local used car lot. And having something repaired under warranty is indeed having it fixed for free, I don't see where the confusion sets in. You pay a lump sum for a car with or without a warranty, regardless of if you exercise it or not.

But that banner is mainly what got me excited. Stating entire lines of cars are lemons because of a couple problems with two of the thousands and thousands of parts that make it work..

mdb007

Wow this is a little scary. My 07 max with 94k has been perfect until yesterday. I was on highway doing about 78mph and on a slight incline in highway when i was pressing on pedal to maintain speed the rpm's were going up to about 3500-4k and car was barely accelerating. As i considered turning around and going home after a few minutes it settled down and acting normally. But the cvt light never came on. Then on my return trip home it was fine again until i was just about to get off highway and the same thing happened. However when accelerating from a stop and slower speeds it drove fine.

Doug are these the symptoms your car had? I am ready to call my dealer to have checked out but really don't want to think about a $1600 repair job if they won't cover.

Finchum

Call the service manager and ask him if your car has the extended CVT warranty and then ask if the cvt belt has been replaced. Follow up by describing your symptoms and stating you feel like it might be apart of the know early generation cvt problems. Come with the knowledge and clearly present it (dumb it down) and the message should get through. Good luck.

george__

iTrader: (1)

So once this gets fixed is the fix permanent or does the owner have to keep going back and back and back?

Finchum

No, a new level steel belt was created that remedies the issue of slippage chatter ect. I believe it was introduced around 2009-2010

mdb007

Well I just heard back from my Nissan dealer and they said the tech found some red transmission fluid in the case which would void the extended warranty obviously. They wanted to track down where this came from so I told him I had the fluid changed about a year an half ago at Conrads the local chain of repair shops in Cleveland. I even told Conrads when i went in that it required CVT fluid and said yes they were aware. So now waiting to hear back from dealer and what verdict is. At that point I am going to fire off an Email to Conrads and their General manger who I know. I believe that they should pay for any associated repairs as I never added regular atf to the CVT.

Levsimus

iTrader: (1)

Not good!

We had one of these in the other day, same circumstances. Unfortunately, unless someone at regional/corporate or management level decides to good-will the work/parts, you're definitely left holding the bag here. Your only recourse will be to go after the shop that serviced the CVT. Time to start collecting your evidence, make sure they make clear notes of everything they've found indicating that incorrect fluid was used (in the aforementioned case, the fluid found in the CVT was sent to be tested.) and that it is the cause of the CVT issues.

Build a strong enough case and you may be able to squeak the money for a settlement out of the shop. They WILL resist it, so expect a fight. ****ty deal man! Real ****ty deal. Hopefully your dealership will help go to bat for you!

mdb007

I got home last night found my receipt and it clearly said standard transmission fluid change! I wished I had checked it closer at the time and didn't even realize it was a $99 job instead of $180 which is what they told me cvt cost was when i called to set up appointment.

Also this morning talked to Eric the district leader for Conrads and he brought up the paperwork and said they did make the mistake. So they are working with dealership to replace my transmission! Whew huge relief So now i just wait. And dealership said don't worry about the loaner/rental they gave me, so they just won my business for life!

And when i spoke with my nissan dealer rep Alex he said it was clearly standard ATF as it was pink and came up as such when they tested it. I have to give credit to the fact the transmission ran 11k miles though before finally giving out, but i would have preferred to have avoided this headache.

Bill

lightonthehill

So, despite the very poor experiences that led to the creation of this thread, we find there are a few Nissan dealers who do the right thing by the customer.

I switched to Datsun back in the 1970s because of almost thirty years of miserable experiences with Big Three American car dealers. I have stuck with Nissan/Datsun ever since, owning nothing but Maximas since Oct of '84 (every generation).

There were times I was not totally satisfied with my Nissan/Datsun dealers, but they were never as bad as the American car dealers I used to have to deal with. 18 years ago, I moved to my current location and began using my nearby (4 miles away) Nissan dealer. I buy all my cars there, have all my service done there, know the owner and most of the employees, and have had absolutely superb service for the last 18 years.

Now I actually look forward to service trips. My dealer's service folks always check everything while they have the car. If anything is less than perfect, they can usually find a TSB or warranty clause of some kind where I don't have to pay. And the car is always clean when they are finished.

Of course they haven't had to do much with my virtually perfect '09 Maxima built in Sept of '08. I have had one problem, and that was a malfunctioning remote. My dealer put his best technician on the job, and after a few hours of intense research, he found one of the three internal antennas that are part of the Intelligent Key system had malfunctioned. Despite my car being out of warranty, he took another hour and replaced the bad antenna (hard to get to), tied the job to an associated Intelligent Key TSB, and charged me a total of zero dollars and zero cents.

As I said, I look forward to trips to my dealer's service department.