clayman88

iTrader: (1)

Well guys, I have to admit that this is bitter-sweet, but after working with a good lawyer for a couple months, Nissan has finally decided to either offer me a cash payout or to buy back the Maxima (minus a fee for the mileage). Nissan is currently still working up all the numbers right now. Once I'm able to compare the two offers I will decide which one is better for me. I can honestly say that I love my car, but I'm sick of all the stupid petty problems I've had with it and dont want to deal with it anymore. If any of you guys are interested, let me know & I'll keep you up to date on what happens.

Kevin

just curious what were the issues you had?

idnumber1

iTrader: (1)

i want to know what was wrong also...

Jayzmax04

Clayman,

I cant blame ya for being hesitant to get into another Max. I know it would be hard for me...but it might be worth another shot. Remember all the things you LIKE about it....

The lemon law is there for a reason, it happens to all car companies.

As you have seen, most are happy with their Maximas, sounds like you just got a bad one..... and you just cant shine a terd.

Good luck- Jay

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

Leaking water from headliner, Constant rattling in the rear deck, Sunroof broke, Molding coming off of all of the doors, Rear Sway bar installed wrong. Odometer busted & replaced (1 week in the shop), Glove-box re-aligned.
There were several other miscelaneous issues that I had. The rattling issue has been worked on 5 times already and the leaking water was worked on four times.
As much as I love the car I think Nissan did a ****-poor job of designing and assembling the vehicle because there are just way too many rattles and miss-alignments.

Jayzmax04

WOW, that definately was a terd!

Curious, your rear sway that was installed wrong...was that the OEM, or did you upgrade?

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

I'd love to have another Maxima, but more than likely I'll look for something a little cheaper. My wife is wanting me to buy a used lexus....we'll see. It really depends on what kind of settlement Nissan offeres me. Unfortunately if I opt for the buy-back option they'll take a huge chunk for the mileage that I put on it.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

this is so sad b/c my 04 is so quiet. I just got my struts and tires replaced under warranty for free. I know so much worse that has been replaced by other makes w/in 10k miles. sad that some 04s are lemons, but they happen.

Personally, I would want a good deal on an 06 and get something used until available. but I understand how you could be turned away after your experience.

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

It was all factory. I never did figure out all the details on what was wrong, but it was sqeaking like crazy. The dealership said it was improperly installed and ended up replacing it.

belakithom

That's too bad you had so many problems. Sometimes that happens when a car is popular and there is a rush to build them as fast as possible, then they go out the door without being quality checked. Nissan isn't the only manufacturer that has done this, but it is surprising. Especially, since they're still competing against Toyota and Honda. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Okiewan

You believe that?

VaMax04

The car now has 15,000 Miles
This is what's wrong with my car so far...
1.Glove box if off
2.Replace right front strut at 11,500 Miles
3.After rotate my tires my car started to get shimmy
4.Rotors starting to go bad now
Wondering with 15K on it now..is it still under warranty?

msoemax

I hate to say it but Nissan is here to make a dollar and that is it. They have been in so much financial trouble that they really don't care what it takes to replace a handful of cars. To be Honest they did a poor job on a "flagship" vehicle. No first year car should have so many little and several major common issues. That **** should be caught pre prodution. I work in the industry and I know what goes into the plants that build these cars. It was a lack of experience in the plants that has caused all these quality issues. The really sad part is that Nissan doesn't seem to care even when they send out a DTS. You still get the run around from them. You are lucky to find a good service department. I am sorryb,but I need to vent...I too am filing my car as a lemon. We shall see what happens.

Jayzmax04

This makes me wonder...are there this many issues with the other newer Nissan releases? Titan, Armada, 350, etc....

NashMax

My dealer told me that the Armadas have serious brake issues. Something about the brakes being too small for the size vehicle it is.

msoemax

All of the product line built in the US has issues. The lack of experience in the plants is one of the issues. Also the robots and everything else is still buggy and needs to be fixed up. The engine plant is going through a major revamp shortly. Nissan has been ordering a lot of equipment from my company. I am trying to get in to the smyrna and decherd plants.

http://www.autointell-news.com/News-...y-21-04-p5.htm

Jayzmax04

That sucks. I havent bought american (GM) since I was a kid...and the reasoning was that the imports were better built cars. My 97 SE was SOLID.

Now that the plants are in the US, we now get US quality??

Im sure there is a lot I dont know, and someone will correct me......MSOEMAX, would love to hear your opinion...

jc53

Let's get back to when the Max ruled! Build 'em in Japan!

Will that quiet down all of the dissenters? Probably not, but I'm about to go into my tirade about unions, and I don't want to go there!

I love my MAX!

Mike_TX

I just can't buy that. If the equipment, workforce, parts and everything else are "buggy", how come some of us have cars with no problems at all? I mean, if it's that bad, you'd think every car would have the same problems.

My '04 has over 27,000 miles on it now and it has none of the problems some are reporting on here. So how did mine squeak through? Did everyone get together that day and decide to build one good car just for the hell of it?

My personal opinion is that the car is engineered well, but that there are some spotty problems at Smyrna just like there are at all big plants, and also that Nissan has some supplier issues. Keep in mind that they source many parts from suppliers and subcontractors, and that's where some of the problems are.

The bottom line is that IMO the cars with problems are in the minority and they represent the screwups ... not the other way around. [/rant]

Mike

ttbeam

I agree with you Mike. And I'll add that the first year after a major change in models there is always kinks to iron out. I haven't heard nearly the amount of complaints about the 05 as I have about the 04.

And as far as mass production of a poplular car being the culprit, I don't think the Max falls into that catagory, the Altima maybe, but not the Max. Remember the Celica's of the late 80's? Now that was a mass produced car. I didn't own one but I sure heard a lot of horror stories from others.

F23A4

While looking at the 2004 Nissan Quest, the Nissan sales guy who sold me my 2002 Maxima told me to save myself the headache and look into getting a Toyota Sienna instead. So I guess the Quest had some issues as well.

ttbeam

That's too bad, I really like my 94 Quest. Too bad it caught on fire!!! We blamed the guy that installed the CD player that my kids got me for a gift.

Automonjama

I am an automotive interior supplier in fact I have parts in the Maxima and the Altima and I can tell you that it cost 1st quality 2nd. I could go on and on about this but i am not sure who is reading this so i have to be careful
Automon

F23A4

Sorry to hear that.

I had a 96 Villager and now have a 2000 Quest SE that we bought new (now w/109k). The 2000 had more early issues than my 96 but overall, I cant complain as I got it for $3k off sticker.

Jayzmax04

Does your boss read here? What do you mean? So, cost cutting is priority one and quality is second......thats what youre saying? Come on, spill it.

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

Anyone missing their gas filler metal flap? Went way in 2001 on a "Cost Improvement" project (i.e., projects to increase a company's bottom line, making a good product cheap). Companies are always looking for ways to improve product costs (whatever the product) through whatever means, as well as engineered obsolsence.

Mike_TX

"gas filler metal flap" ... You mean the little spring-loaded flap inside the neck of the fill tube where the gas nozzle goes when you fill up? To tell you the truth, I have no idea whether there is one in there now or not. It's not the kind of thing I would miss ... and if you tell me it's gone, I still won't miss it.

I guess I have to admit I'm in favor of companies looking for ways to cut costs. It keeps them competitive, and if they didn't do it, they'd be out of business before long. Of course, I don't want quality to suffer too much, but I do want to pay a competitive price for my stuff.

I remember a story someone told several years ago about Ford - someone figured out that if they just pulled the wiring tight instead of leaving it with slack in it, they could save a couple of feet of wire on every car. At X number of cents a foot, times the hundreds of thousands of cars they manufacture in a year, it added up to millions of dollars in cost savings. That's enough to maybe finance a new plant, or pay for employee benefits, or hire more workers, or whatever. And it didn't hurt the consumer one bit.

The point is that mfr's have to find ways to cut costs or get run over by others who do. It's all a balancing act ...

Mike

bluemaxx

Hurrumph!!

brewboy13

I work with many suppliers to Honda and they are constantly being kicked around by Honda. My point is it is still Nissan's responsibility to manage their suppliers closely. Honda is so strict with these suppliers you would think Honda runs them not the supplier. They do source many parts out almost the entire car before the assembly process begins. Nissan may very well manage their supplier’s well I have no idea. I just know Honda is like a dictator to their suppliers.

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

This is exactly what I've been thinking all along. I'm not positive on this, but weren't the 6th gens the first to be made in the US factories?

Kevin

i think that *maybe* 5.5 gens were also us built. They're not exactly stellar and problem free , but never any buybacks that i can remember of on this forum.

Maxceler8

Mine says built in Japan on my window sticker .......sooo, yeah the 6th gen is the first to be built here.

Stuntin' 101

yes, there are alot of issues with other nissans. the armada was rated the most unreliable suv in its class. i have a 96 max that im debating on getting rid of. i would want to get the new titan se but having visited one of there forums, and seeing the problems that people are having with that, im now unsure what i want to do. id hate to get rid of on car thats been giving me nothing but problems, to lease a brand new truck, and go through the same thing. some common problems with the titan : front rotors warping, pulsating brakes, dash rattles, white haze/bubbling on the spary in bed-liner, fosgate radio. probably the worst problem, is people are blowing the rear axles. this is not a "minor thing" many of them are leaving the factory without enough gear oil in them for starters, and even with correcting that, the rears are blowing. the average turn around for having the rear removed and replaced: 1 MONTH. the rears are on back-order, and people can do nothing but wait. for 2005 nissan has still be unable to locate the problem, and has only added a finned cover in a poor attempt to disappate some of the heat. also keep in mind, that after buying a $30,000+ truck, giving it up for a month after the rear blows at 7,000 miles, waiting a month to get it back, its still being replaced with the same parts that failed to begin with..

Stuntin' 101

i would imagine that driving conditions also play a big part in this. the rough streets out here in nyc are certain to exploit the weak points in any cars, especially when it comes to struts , brakes, and rattles.

F23A4

Oppama, Japan here.

msoemax

I was going to post an answer immediately, however the site went down for a few days and then I went to the Bowling green magna plant this weekend to install equipment for the f150 and exploder frame plant....

here is what i had to say:

It's more of a newness factor than being built here in the US. The people working in the plants are new, the equipment is new, the maintenance people that fix the robots and other equipment are new...you get the point. All of these factors add up. Not to mention that they rolled out a completely new product line in all of the vehicles in the last two years. There is too much newness. This is because Nissan lost its A$$ over the past few years. They had huge economic problems to correct in a short time. Ghosn made sure to fix that...and he did...he took the company from multi million/billion $ loss to a 2.3 billion $ gain in 6 MONTHS!!!...you don't do that and expect your products to not be effected somehow, right?

So this is what we are facing...the company is trying to recover for 7 years of losses..
The one good thing Nissan has going for it is the VQ power plant. It's bullet proof for the past 11 years straight. Nissan needs to do the same with other aspects. Engineer a good design and stick with it. There hasn't been enough money in the past to do that so their products suffer. Our maximas are just one example.

There are plenty of other car makers out there facing the same crisis. Never ever in the history of cars has the market been worse. All the car companies have these huge goals to meet. They are pumping out cars like no tomorrow..yet the market is so bad. Why do you think you can get a car with a 0% loan...that is unheard of...makes no financial sense. Perhaps the poor quality of cars is a ploy to make up for the losses in sales...who knows...i may be reading into all of this too deep. But it's something to keep in mind....

Regardless, it sucks that so many of us have issues with a $30K vehicle...I expect these types of problems on a kia or a hyundai (sub 20K market in general)...not Nissans "flagship."


The next aspect to deal with is that Nissan really only assembles cars. It doesn't make too many parts. The unibody comes from one plant, the seats come from another, the struts come from yet a different plant. This means that Nissan really doesn't make too much stuff. They assemble the final product. Nothing wrong with getting others to do the work for you. It's just unfortunate that the maxima had to suffer issues created by other companies.

To most consumers this whole relationship is transparent. To others who work in the industry we have a better grasp of what is going on.

The real point would be to find out what companies are creating the defective components and grill their QC guys....but I assume Nissan is doing that already.

The real point to this rant is how Nissan chooses to handle customers. The dealer is the 1st line of defense. Most of us know how dealers handle repetative complaints. It really comes down to how patient the dealer is with your troubles. It's too bad that most service departments end up sucking... If you end up with a bad service manager rest assure you will have problems in the long haul.

Best bet is to switch up dealerships.

F23A4

Well stated msoemax.

As it preceded the 6G by 2 model years, does anyone know of any quality issues with the US-built 3G Altima?

willdotcom

Most of the problems are concentrated in the really first-run production Maximas. Some 2004 models were made in May, 2003 or earlier! These are of course the ones that have the full panoply of manufacturing failures, such as bad squeaky brakes, the shimmies, etc.

At some point, Nissan sent a whole bunch of engineers to the American plants and cleaned them up. The 2005 Maximas have fewer quality issues, if you look at the forums. (Of course, there are much fewer of them on the street so far...) I know that my relatively early-built car did not have many problems. I thought I had a quality problem that turned out to be a bent-rim. (But the dealer didn't catch it and kept on realigning my car, so it wasn't like it was my fault.)

I think that the Maximas will be a nice, solid car. Or at least I hope they are...

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

um, I'm certain the first 6th Gen was available March 2003. Just b/c I was dying to have one since then.

there are people with early builds that are fine. there are a few with lemons. it does seem like a trend that the earlier your build, the more prone to problem you become.

I see the problems are exaggerated on here b/c the majority of owners with problems went looking for answers and found the org. It would be great to have no problems at all, but I think that with all the components in a car this is unreasonable. So is receiving a lemon.

That is why there is warranty and lemon laws. Yes it's a pain, but the more you want in a car, the more that can go wrong.

I still feel my car is far superior to many makes in its price range and even some beyond. Bad struts replaced and free new tires after 10k. So far so good.

04SEelite

I totally agree!!

I was an early buyer (May 03) - actually ordered the car end of March '03 to get exactly what I wanted - Elite - loaded. Only problems so far are shimmy (fixed) rear window rattle (it grows on you - really) and tires - one replaced - 3 more to go. Oh ya, and the halogen headlight replaced by the dealer free so that I had two that matched...

Other than that, the car has been rock solid - lovin it!