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Jim of Redding CA (01/05/07)
I purchased a new 2003 Pathfinder from Shasta Nissan in Redding, CA. In general I am pleased with the Pathfinder but I encountered an exhaust leak. It was fixed but not covered by the factory or the extended warranty I purchased. I first noticed exhaust noise at about 35,000 but did not get it fixed until about 38,000. I was not worried because I had an extended warrenty that covered everything or so I was told by the salesman.
Nissan says it Covers the Emission system for 50,000 on CA vehicles. With a noticeable exhaust leak in California it is impossible for to pass air quality standards, yet still no Warranty coverage. I am telling everyone this because I contacted Nissan in America and was very unhappy with their decision to not Warranty this problem. I almost filed a small claims suit against Nissan but decided against it because of the hassle and small amount of money involved.
Knowing the pride of the Japanese I suspect there are things being done in America on a corporate level here that Japan is not aware of. I now wish I had never purchased an extended warranty because it appears to have no value. If I have another problem with my Nissan while it is under warranty, will I automatically be told it is not covered because of corporate policy? What a nice racket they have going with extended warrenties.
Joseph of Redding CA (08/23/06)
My engine undercover was loose. When I had an oil change at another place the service man said my cover was loose and gave me two screws to hold it up. They both came out. I went to talk to the Nissan dealer about the loose undercover and was told to bring it back were I had the oil change. I told Joel nothing is broke and no one worked on it. He said again they will not fix something that another broke. I told him all I needed was a bolt to hold up the undercover and if he looked at it he would see that I was right. He would not look at it without charging me. I wrote to the gen mgr and he did not respond. I called Nissan main office and they did not respond. There is a service bulletin on what is wrong which I found out later.
Jennifer of Redding CA (02/28/06)
I purchased a 2005 Nissan Sentra in Late January of 2005. Every since i have had the car i have had nothing but problems with it. Both front seats have ripped on the seam. I have had this knocking noise under the car the dealer has assumed it is the brakes so they turned the rotors on something called a fast cut, told me it was my rotors and said i would not have the problem again so a few weeks go by and i start hearing the knocking noise again -- take it back to the same dealer they told me it was the same problem again so after they turn the rotors again i still have the problem.
So i called Nissan Cosumer affairs and they referred me to a dealer in another town. So i take it there and they tell me that all the strut and suspension bolts were loose under the car and it had to be a factory defect because there was no sign of them ever being loosened or tightened so they said they tightened all the bolts and ordered me new rotors because it was either the loose bolts or the rotors that was causing the noise. So after they put the brand new rotors on the car I am still hearing the same noise, and i started to think about what they were telling me and how could it possibly be the rotors when it was making that knocking noise before i ever had the rotors looked at.
I am very disappointed. I bought a brand new car not to have these problems and i am having more problems than i ever had with any old car i have ever owned. There are a few other things i need to mention.
1). It sounds like there is water running through the dash i dont know if its in the cooling system or what but if you have ever heard a swamp cooler when the water runs through it kinda sounds like that and i had that looked at before and they said they found some trapped air in the cooling system and they bled it i still hear the noise.
2). When you start the car sometimes it wants to die on you or it takes at least 20 seconds to start and then the RPM's bounce up and down they told me Sentras have a reputation for doing that there is nothing they can do because they did not find a problem. When i take my car to these dealerships I have the impression they do not know what they are talking about or what they are doing its not fair to me if i knew i was going to have this many problems with a brand new car i would have never bought it.
Pretty soon my warranty is going to be up i only have a 30,000 mile warranty and i am going to be stuck with a car that i have to pay on for 5 years and its already having problems. I would really appreciate it if you could help me get to the bottom of all these problems or mabye even get me into a new car.
Carol of Red Bluff CA (02/19/06)
Car does not start after sitting for 10 days (today it was 5 days). Car taken in three times. Battery checks out. Everything checks out within specifications. Last time kept car for 15 days. Battery died after day 3. Their response is that they doesn't say there is no problem since they experienced it, but everything checks out and when checking with the department over their head, they were told to have me come and pick it up. Battery has never been replaced. Have heard complaints about alternators not charging batteries. Told to get a battery charger and recharge the car myself which I have been doing. I need this problem solved. I have a 350Z Nissan which cost approximately $40,000. This is unexcusable.
I have rented a car when I went on vacation because I did not feel safe driving this car out of state. I have had to reschedule numerous appointments when the car would not start.
Gary of Redding CA (09/30/05)
Our subaru legacy outback was brought in for service due to a possible transmission oil leak on 8/10/05. The vehicle was in the shop until the afternoon of 8/12/05. The service rider was Joel S. The service department found transmission leaking fluid from the harness o-ring. They replaced the A/T trans harness o-ring, resealed the pan, cleaned the residue and roadtested the vehicle and determined all was ok. The next morning my wife drove the car to Oregon, and about 1 1/2 hours into the trip she pulled over due to the engine smoking and giving off a heavy burning smell.
She continued to Oregon, stopping several times to let the engine cool so it would stop smoking. The next morning she wiped her hand under the car on the pan that was replaced and there was black/red colored oil on her hand. I called the Shasta Subaru dealerhsip and talked to Joel who told me to have my wife take the vehicle to the closest subaru dealer (which was 50 miles away from where my wife was staying) to get fixed. He said that he would honor a rental car and that the dealership could contact him to make arrangements for the rental and repair.
My wife drove to Kendall Subaru in Eugene, OR and dropped off the car. She had come across a copy of the extended warranty application form that we had purchased at the time we bought the car. After they reviewed the form, she was told by Kendall Subaru that the warranty would cover the repair and rental car because the form said the warranty was for 5 years/100,000 miles, which ever came first and we were within both based on the start date listed on the form. They repaired the car and said there was oil leaking at the transmission oil pan. They resealed the transmission oil pan. When we returned to CA, the car still smelled like something was burning so we returned the car to Shasta Subaru to be checked out again, and to show them our extended warranty papers so that we would get reimbursed for what we had already paid for. The service rider was Larry L.
They inspected the vehicle and found transmission fluid residue coming from the transmission vent tube, so they cleaned it and installed leak dye to help determine if there was another leak somewhere - this would have to be checked at another time. When we showed them the extended warranty papers, they said that when they checked with Subaru Warranty, they were told our warranty had expired 6/21/05. They said that the 5 year warranty starts when the dealership purchases the vehicle, not when the vehicle was purchased from them by us.
In looking at the warranty application form that we purchased for $1098.00, it says The New Added Security coverage period is measured from the Subaru Limited Warranty start date and at 0 miles. The top of the form says Subaru Limited Warranty Start Date 08-05-01 and the Added Security Purchase Date 08-05-01. The box checked on the form is 5 years/100,000 miles. The date the application form is signed by both the us and the dealer. 5 years from 08-05-01 would be 08-05-06.
Don of Redding CA (02/23/04)
I purchased a 2000 suburu forester from this dealer on february 2 2004 paying with a certified draft in the amount of $15000 dollars from my lender. Shasta nissan suburu ran a credit check on m,e without my permission and also tried to up the aggreed price by more than 1400 dollars. I was finally able to purchase the vehicle for the orinally agreed price. approx 10 days later the check engine light came on and has continued to flash for more than 2 weeks. I have tried on numerous occasions to talk to all of the above named people in this regard but have not been able to convince them to check this out with out a charge to me.
I contacted the service dept and made an appointment to have them check it out and they requested a $80.00 service charge to check this problem out. I feel that this dealer has a responsibilty to at least warranty this vehiclke for 30 days or at least allow it to be seviced under the remainig factory warranty.
I have gone thru several people at shasta nissaan subaru and the keep shifting the responsibility to some one is not there on premises at that moment. I have been under a lot of stress because of this situation and I am afraid to drive the vehicle or something major may be wrong to have caused thjis light to activate.
Jeffrey of Susanville CA (04/16/03)
I bought a 1999 Impreza Outback. Within twenty-four hours, the check engine light came on. I returned the car to the dealer, and they said The air mass sensor is intermittently failing. Had my mechanic check the car. He said you didn't close the gas cap tightly. Since that time, no problems.
Don of Redding CA (2/23/04):
I purchased a 2000 Subaru Forester from this dealer, paying with a certified draft in the amount of $15,000 from my lender. Shasta Nissan Subaru ran a credit check on me without my permission and then tried to up the agreed price by more than $1,400. I was finaly able to purchase the vehicle for the orinally agreed price.
About 10 days later the check engine light came on and has continued to flash for more than 2 weeks. I have tried on numerous occasions to talk to all of the above named people in this regard but have not been able to convince them to check this out without a charge to me. I contacted the service dept and made an appointment to have them check it out and they requested a $80.00 service charge to check this problem out.
I feel that this dealer has a responsibilty to at least warranty this vehicle for 30 days or at least allow it to be seviced under the remainingg factory warranty.
Jeffrey of Susanville CA (4/16/03):
I bought a 1999 Impreza Outback. Within twenty-four hours, the "check engine" light came on. I returned the car to the dealer, and they said "The air mass sensor is intermittently failing." Had my mechanic check the car. "You didn't close the gas cap tightly." Since that time, no problems.
John of Oceanside CA (1/12/03):
The letter below resulted in a complete buyback of the vehicle by Nissan after going through the arbitration with BBB. On December 10, 2002 Nissan submitted a Final Denial. At arbitration they offered the buyback. Transmission failed, battery failed, clutch failed -- all in the first 8 months. Vehicle was in shop for 85 days waiting for parts.
The Nissan Motor Company has shown an utter disregard for customer satisfaction, customer safety, and an opportunity to back the vehicle warranty and/or the "good-will" clause in the printed materials. My son, Chad, currently residing with his wife, Angelina, and daughter in Alturas, CA decided on January 31, 2002 to purchase a new Nissan Sentra XE from Mossy Nissan, National City. At the time of purchase, he purchased the extended warranty (Nissan Security + 72 months, 75,000) and financed it with the purchase of the vehicle, through Nissan's finance company.
Within a few months he has discovered that a warranty is only as good as the company backing it and the dealers who service the vehicles. February 19, 2002, Chad, Angelina and Stephanie (their 3 month old daughter) moved to Alturas, CA from San Diego, looking for a more rural setting in which to live. When they arrived the weather was cold, snowy, wet, rainy, and muddy. They called to let us know they arrived and their phone number. Chad said that the vehicle was making a whining noise sometimes, like an old truck. I told him that it could be the tires or it could be just the normal sound of a manual transmission.
In the middle of March, Chad called us and told me that the transmission was making a strange sound. My advice was for him to take the vehicle to a dealer as soon as possible, that it should be covered under warranty. Within two months of the purchase of this vehicle the transmission began making a strange whining noise in all gears; Chad said that it was louder and higher pitched in the higher gears. He said that it seemed to be having a vibrating sound.
Chad drove more than 100 miles to Klamath Falls, the nearest Nissan dealer expecting them to fix the vehicle under warranty. He was told that they would not fix it under warranty, that it was the clutch and that it was a wear item. They misdiagnosed the transmission problem, attempting to void the manufacturer's warranty. Chad was told that they would not look at the vehicle unless he had $1,000 to pay for the repair. While driving on the highway from Oregon, in rainy weather conditions, the clutch caught fire and burned out, probably due to the constant stress caused by the transmission problem. A clutch is a wear item, but it should not be wearing out within three or four months of the purchase of a vehicle.
In May, the decision by Klamath Falls Nissan dealer not to back Nissan's factory warranty put Chad and his family in severe danger. The clutch caught fire while returning to Alturas, while driving at normal highway speeds using appropriate gears. In this instance the Klamath Falls Nissan dealer failed to perform their duty to Nissan and to Nissan customers satisfactorily. If the Klamath Falls dealer had properly diagnosed the transmission problem, Nissan Corporation could have begun working to fix the problem in May, 2002, rather than September, October, November, 2002.
After the Klamath Falls dealer's misdiagnosis of the problem, resulting in clutch failure, Chad, Angelina, and their baby daughter Stephanie were stranded on a rainy roadside between Klamath Falls and Alturas. Had the clutch ignited a car fire, the situation could have been much worse, due to the negligence of the Klamath Falls dealer. A "Good Samaritan" motorist, en route from Seattle to Reno, helped Chad and his family by giving them a ride to Alturas. Chad arranged for his AAA membership to tow the vehicle to their Alturas residence; then I arranged for my AAA membership services to tow the Sentra from Alturas to Redding (Shasta Nissan).
Both of these towing services should have been covered by Nissan's factory and extended warrantys. Because the distance was farther than our AAA 100 mile limit, I paid the $175.00 for excess mileage to the towing company with a credit card, figuring that Nissan would cover this expense once the problem was properly diagnosed and the transmission repaired. Shasta Nissan compounded the original misdiagnosis with a further misdiagnosis of the problem.
They now said that the clutch failure was due to customer abuse, that Nissan would not back the warranty and that they would not fix the vehicle or provide a "loaner/rental" car for Chad during the time it took to fix the vehicle. Chad had no money to pay for the repair or a car rental; he needed a vehicle; he was making payments on a three-month old Nissan that was inoperable; the Nissan dealer said that Nissan would not pay for this repair because the clutch was a wear item and the responsibility of the customer.
Chad was now in Redding with no vehicle to return to Alturas. By phone I asked Shasta Nissan to proceed with the repair and to secure a rental vehicle, charging everything to my credit card. They suggested that I call 1-800-NISSAN1, which I did several times in the months of May, June, and August, to no avail. During my conversation with the Service manager at Shasta Nissan and his conversations with Chad, we both mentioned that the vehicle had been stuck in the mud in February. Evidently the basis for Shasta Nissan's "customer abuse" conclusion in May was the fact that in February, Chad's vehicle became "stuck" on a muddy, washed out place on a dirt road in Alturas.
Chad explained to them that he did not abuse the clutch at all on that occasion, that the vehicle, hopelessly stuck, required the assistance of an Alturas resident with a four-wheel drive vehicle, who pulled their car out of the soft mud using his traction and an electric winch. The clutch was not slipping, burning, or even in use during this occasion; the car was in neutral and was pulled out by another motorist.
Being new to the area, in snowy/rainy conditions, he had turned down the road, not knowing that a mudslide had washed across the road. The vehicle mired down to its chassis so rapidly, that he made no attempts to even try "driving" it out of the mud. This clutch failure was not caused by the February misfortune.
The clutch gave no indications of wear during March or April. The clutch burned up while driving on normal roads at normal highway speeds. There was no abuse of the clutch. The real problem causing the clutch to catch fire was a faulty transmission, since replaced by Mossy Nissan, Oceanside.
Chad's original trip to Klamath Falls was for the Nissan dealer to check out a strange, continually worsening transmission whine. He described it to me over the phone as a "high-pitched noise or vibration". Over the phone I explained to the Shasta Nissan and Klamath Falls Nissan service managers that I thought they were blaming the clutch for what actually was a transmission problem, and that both should be covered on a car that was brand new, three months old. The Shasta Nissan service manager said that the transmission was OK, that it was just the clutch, and that, being a wear item, like brakes, was the customer's responsibility.
After repairing it with Nissan factory parts, the clutch would have a 12-month, 12,000-mile guarantee. I asked him why the original equipment would not be guaranteed for 12 months/12,000 miles if his replacement parts and labor were guaranteed. It is illogical that Shasta Nissan's service would carry a stronger guarantee than Nissan of North America's manufacturer's guarantee. The Shasta Nissan service manager failed to satisfactorily check to see if the transmission was causing the problem. He could not hear the whine while the vehicle was inoperable during the month they were servicing the vehicle.
After replacing the clutch, someone from Shasta Nissan should have checked the vehicle for transmission noise. Evidently the service department failed the customer and Nissan Motor Company by not investigating the original complaint after the clutch had been repaired. In this instance the Redding Shasta Nissan dealer failed to perform their duty to Nissan and to Nissan customers satisfactorily.
Nissan of North America further compounded the clutch problem; Shasta Nissan could not get the clutch replacement parts. A two-day repair and car-rental became an ordeal that lasted nearly a month because Nissan had the clutch parts backordered -- on a 2002 vehicle. Either Nissan has had an unusual number of clutch problems in 2002 Sentras or they do not routinely keep enough parts available to service vehicles, like this one, with flaws from the factory which result in clutch failure. None of the Nissan dealers were able to receive the parts necessary to repair the vehicle, not the Klamath Falls dealer, not Shasta Nissan in Redding, not Mossy Nissan in National City.
In this instance the Nissan of North America failed to perform their duty to their California dealers and to Nissan customers satisfactorily. After Chad received the vehicle from Shasta Nissan, mid-June, 2002, and after I paid more than $2,000 by credit card to Shasta Nissan for this repair, which should have been covered by Nissan's new car warranty, the transmission still had a whine. Chad and I both realized that the car was a lemon and he needed a more reliable vehicle, one that could be serviced by the General Motors dealer in Alturas.
My wife and I purchased a 12-year old Chevy Blazer with high mileage in Vista from a private party. Chad, Angelina, and Stephanie drove to Oceanside and we traded vehicles. He now drives the Blazer; our plan was to sell the Sentra, cut our losses and be finished with Nissan Motor Company of North America. Chad signed a Power of Attorney for me to handle the sale or trade of the Sentra and they returned to Alturas. The vehicle was kept in our garage in Oceanside during the month of July while we waited to receive the title from Nissan Credit Company after paying off the loan. In August I began advertising the vehicle, and showing it on the street For Sale. I noticed the transmission whine and told Chad. He said that it was that way before the clutch failure and after Shasta Nissan repaired the clutch.
I took the vehicle to Mossy Nissan of Oceanside on September 6, 2002 after some potential buyers, who owned a similar 1997 Sentra with high mileage, expressed concern about the transmission whine in the high gears when the clutch was engaged. I told them we had been concerned, that since the vehicle was under warranty, we would take it in for routine service and have Mossy Nissan in Oceanside check the vehicle. The mechanics at Mossy Nissan in Oceanside concluded that the car transmission was faulty, needed repair, that it was covered by the factory warranty, and that they would have to consult with Nissan of North America.
The Mossy dealer asked if I needed a "loaner" rental car, because the car would be out of service for at least a week or two. I told them that I had two other cars to drive and there was no sense in Nissan of North America paying the extra for car rental for me. The service agent asked about the clutch, and I briefly explained that the clutch had originally failed because of the transmission whine and that Nissan of North America had not backed their warranty. Once again, we began waiting for parts.
Nissan's technicians concluded that the transmission needed some new bearings. After waiting nearly a month, the parts arrived, Mossy of Oceanside installed the bearings, tested the vehicle, and it still had the whine. Nissan's technicians decided that the entire transmission unit needed to be replaced; the car was a lemon. Once again I was offered a rental car "loaner", covered under the factory warranty. I thanked the Mossy service department for their thoughtfulness, but declined the offer. It was unnecessary, I had two vehicles to use, and my wife had a late model Buick.
By not using a rental car during more than two months that the vehicle was out of service, I probably saved Nissan of North America nearly as much money, $2,000 as they charged me for Chad's clutch service and car rental in June. It took more than two months for Mossy Nissan of Oceanside to receive the parts to repair this "brand new" 2002 Nissan. In this instance the Nissan of North America failed to perform their duty to their California dealer, Mossy Nissan of Oceanside, and to Nissan customers satisfactorily.
The vehicle is repaired, sitting in my garage. I drove it from Mossy, Oceanside to a nearby gas station, then home, a distance of approximately five miles. I cannot hear any whine in any gear when the clutch is engaged. At this point I am requesting that Nissan buy back the vehicle under the terms of the California Lemon Law. From February, 2002 until November, 2002 this vehicle has spent more than three months sitting in a Nissan service garage, either in Klamath Falls, Redding, or Oceanside. There have been misdiagnoses of problems by dealers and by Nissan of North America, failure to quickly provide parts to dealers by Nissan of North America, and a refusal after numerous requests to honor the terms of the factory warranty.
This 10 month-old car, with 11,000 miles has spent four months out of service: three months in garages of Nissan dealers waiting for the delivery of parts, and one month in my garage in Oceanside, waiting for delivery of the title from Nissan credit corporation. The battery failed before the car was a month old and had to be replaced by Chad in Alturas. We are requesting full compensation to Chad for the purchase price of the vehicle, including taxes and surcharges, as specified under the terms of the California Lemon Law, CA Civil Code 1793.2(e)(1)(B).
Total amount financed includes: purchase price, taxes, fees, and service contract, less Manufacturer's rebate. $16,153.19 We are requesting full compensation for being wrongfully charged for the clutch repair and car rental by Shasta Nissan, when now it is obvious that the transmission was faulty. After driving the vehicle in August and September in the Oceanside area, I am convinced that the clutch would have failed again, due to the stress placed upon it by the defective transmission. $2,088.65 We are requesting full compensation for the towing service surcharge for the excess mileage from Alturas to Redding: Fee form #SN880. $175.00
We are not requesting any reimbursement to AAA for towing services covered by membership services, even though all towing services are the responsibility of Nissan of North America, covered by the new vehicle warranty. In addition, I'm requesting some compensation for three months of auto insurance, paid while the vehicle sat in Nissan service parking lots, waiting for delivery of parts. We have already requested that the extended service contract with Nissan be discontinued. Approximately - $400.00
We are requesting full compensation for the original purchase price for the service contract ($1,082), included in the $16,153.19 amount; the reason for cancellation is because Nissan of North America failed to perform their duty to their California dealers, Mossy Nissan of Oceanside, Shasta Nissan of Redding, and to Nissan customers satisfactorily. TOTAL: $18,816.84
Eric of Seiad VAlley, CA,
writes:
I was quoted a trade-in value on a new car purchase and the
next day they called me requesting an additional $502 because
they estimated the pay-off too low. They could have gotten the
exact payoff from GMAC by making a simple phone call while I
was there.
This is what I assumed would have occurred. I replied that this
was not the deal and I would bring back the Subaru and pick
up my trade-in to which they said NO.
I like the Subaru, but do NOT feel I should have to pay any
more than what was stated on the contract of sale. I feel raped!
The purchase price of the automobile is over what I budgeted
and agreed to pay, placing a financial hardship on my family
- not to mention I now have the feeling of being tricked and
deceived. I really do not want any future dealings with them.
I will return the new car and accept my trade-in back.
C.B. Cessna of Shasta Nissan responds:
Why if you are a supposed Consumer Affairs advocate wouldn't you take the time to also see if maybe, just maybe the customer may be at fault. I am the General Manager at Shasta Nissan, and Know the reason in this instance Eric had a problem.
It is supposed E-Frauds like yourself that do not help anyone only try to spead the disease of negative garbage which someone feeds you. I suggest that you contact the BBB, Attorney General, and anyone else you wish concerning our company. We are the oldest Subaru Dealer in California, 25 years in Redding, and have an above average customer satisfaction rating with Subaru. This rating is from our customers. Your suggestion that this is a trick is totally off base. We do get pay-offs when available at all times. I believe if you call someone a thief or a liar you also should 1st know the facts. Your half attempt at being a consumer watch dog isn't at all based on facts. We can and will be happy to explain this situation to anyone in person, but feel Eric's personal
business is his not yours to plaster all over the internet. Get your facts straight before you slam business people who in General are conducting legal and honest business practices.
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October 11 2008
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