08 Rogue $800 repair 2 days after 3 year warranty

[homergreg]

The shift interlock on my relatively troublefree Rogue started acting up a few weeks ago, having to put my key in the shift lock to take it out of park. We were really busy with work and family activities when it started, so I lived with it for a week before calling it in, and that was a huge mistake to say the least.

When I called the problem in, I owned the car for 3 years and 2 days, and had 28,000 miles on it. The dealer said he couldn't do anything about warranty at that point, so I called Nissan to see if there was any relief I could get on any needed repairs from Nissan with it just being 2 days out. The Nissan rep said they might be able to help but without a "diagnostic" from the dealer there was no way of knowing.

So I called the dealer (Tom Wood Indianapolis) back and found out the diagnostic was $99 and that any diagnostic fees would be applied to the cost of repair if I chose to get it fixed, so I figured why not? It needs to be fixed and it sounds like Nissan might help me out. So I made the appointment.. second huge mistake.

After the Rogue was at the dealer for most of a day looking at this, I called in to see how it was going and was informed that the "diagnostic" would be more than expected, and if I wanted it completed it would be $235. Of course I wasn't so happy, but I said go ahead as it was already torn apart.. third huge mistake.

The dealership calls back at the end of the day and says that the whole shifter mechanism is bad and the fix will be $750 and that they didn't have the part in stock, so I would have to wait until the next day to get the repair completed. So I'm now hoping really bad that Nissan will help out, so I call Nissan about it, and they say that they will bring it up with the regional rep now that I have the diagnostic done. Since I was already over $200 into the repair that would be thrown away if I had the car put back together and fixed somewhere else I went ahead and had them fix it and pray Nissan comes through.

So the regional rep calls back the next day and says she needs a few days to discuss this with her staff to see what they can do. I asked her if I should pay the dealer and Nissan reimburse me, or if it was normal to wait for the resolution before I paid. She said the dealer should have no problem waiting and I could probably go ahead and pick up the Rogue. I called the dealership, and their opinion was quite different, I could leave my car there and wait, or pay in full and have Nissan reimburse me directly. I was leaving on vacation in 2 days, so what else could I do at that point? I went to the dealer to pay the bucks and gripe about this situation that had just gotten more expensive every time I turned around. They told me the bill was $830 something, and I asked about what happened to the $750 I was quoted? They didn't add the shipping fees for the shifter and taxes. I went ballistic at the shipping fees, and at least that part they removed. Total bill, $804. I asked for the used parts and an explanation on exactly what was broken. The technician gave me the shifter and showed me a microswitch on the side of the shifter that was the actual culprit. Apparently it's pretty profitable for Nissan to supply the whole shifter assembly if the switch goes bad.

The regional rep calls me back on the way to my vacation and informs me that Nissan won't help out. She was sorry and understood that the Rogue was only a couple of days out of warranty, but that they declined to honor anything. I asked if they would meet me halfway? No, but that she would document this with Nissan!?! I asked her what that would do for me, and she said that they would have the problem documented!?! Again I asked her exactly how that helped me in any way, shape, or form, and she just politely apologized that they couldn't help. I asked her if she realized that I would never purchase a Nissan again, as this was my first Nissan, and I never had anything like this happen on any of the Honda's I've ever owned, or even the Chrysler's I've owned. She just politely apologized again. I said that Nissan and the dealership had every right to deny any help, and charge their repair costs, but that I had the right to tell my story. So I'm back after vacation, and telling the story. Maybe I can sell the old shifter on eBay with a description of the problem and get a little back?

So be warned if you are looking. I was stupid for not checking how long I owned the Rogue as soon as the problem started. I thought I had purchased it in late June, but it was early June. Maybe I was stupid for not just taking the car to a local shop 2 days out of warranty, maybe I should have bought an extended warranty with Nissan even though I never needed one with Honda or even Chrysler (over 20 years of combined experience with these makes). I've had repairs on cars before, but $800 for a shift interlock???

Or maybe I was stupid for buying Nissan in the first place.

[zakmartin]

I hate to say it, but you snooze, you lose. You would have received the same treatment from any car company: GM, Ford, Mercedes, Toyota, you name it. Nissan didn't treat you any differently than any other car manufacturer would have. Sorry you had bad luck, but the lesson learned is that if ANYTHING goes wrong when your car is under warranty, get on the phone IMMEDIATELY and get it fixed. Don't expect a company to give you a break just because you think "it's not fair."

[homergreg]

Can't say I can argue your point about snoozing and losing. I snoozed and I lost. Nissan has every right to not honor the warranty. But I can point out to others that there is a possibility of very expensive repairs due to this problem. There's a thread where 4 of us have reported this same problem in the last couple of weeks. I have received breaks from Chrysler in the past forgiving problems close to warranty. I've never had any problems with my Honda's in the last decade that I've been driving them with a whole lot more miles than the Nissan has on it so I don't know how they would treat me.

Note the other thread I'm speaking of: brake-shift-interlock-solenoid-t535391.html , where people with about the exact same problem have been getting help. One had the dealer extend help, and the other apparently was worked out to include it under the power train.

[TaiLuu]

Damn, That Sucks I remember when i had a problem like that. My DSL for my internet had a 1 year warranty. But then one day A Lightning storm flew in and the fried the DSL I Called Qwest and they said my Warranty Expired Yeasterday!!

You should go somewhere else to fix it don't go to a Dealership they always charge a lot.
I Bought 6 LCA bolts for my civic at the honda Dealership for $100, when I could of got it at a local hardware store for $3.....

[Itaride]

The real problem is that your dealer didnt go to bat for you. Any good dealer (that has a good/honest relationship with the manufacturer) could have easily gotten that handled!! We have an excellent Nissan/Hyundai dealer that would never let something like this happen. Thats why my last 3 NEW car purchases have been 2 Nissan and 1 Hyundai (my son and oldest daughter each drive hyundai's for the same reason). The local Toyota dealer burned me in a similiar fashion but I didnt let them finish the (screw)job so I went in a few weeks later and picked up my parts from the service dept in my shiny new Nissan Frontier

[takeshi]

The right dealer can make all the difference. For my Honda there are 4 closer dealers to me and I bypass all of them because the dealer I use for service will stand up for me and provide excellent service. I realize that not everyone has multiple dealers to choose from but if you do, it's worth looking into the options.

[ThandaPani]

This definitely sucks. Specially since this was that close. They had the right to reject the claim, then again, they could have been a little considerate, too, to build a good customer relationship.

Dealership probably didn't act too well, either. I bought a Nissan, cause I knew someone there who gave me some honest opinion about VW, Mazda, Huyndai, Nissan (The dealership had them all). I picked Rogue because of the looks and comfortability against Mazda CX7.

[homergreg]

Nissan contacted me today and said that they didn't agree with what was going on, and would refund me the entire cost!! I'll post an update when this is rectified, but it does look like you can work with Nissan!! Just avoid certain dealers!

[kerrton]

Wow that is a great end to this story, way to go Nissan, glad you got a fair resolution!!

[ThandaPani]

Thats awesome. Glad to be a Nissan owner.

[Leo2005]

Oh yeah...I remember a lot of stories like that. Rogue is my 3rd brand new vehicle and I do get better service than on my mitsu galant or scion tc (before I totaled it ) but still not at every dealership. Called in 1 dealership last year about wheel bearing noise and they checked for free and quoted like $350 ea. including labor then I called different dealer and they replaced both front ones for free by simple call to Nissan. Next time if you smell that dealership stink just try different one. My car at the different dealership right now for second day on diagnostic for free on the problem that I spoke earlier that it looses the power in the long trip. So far I owe dealership $19.99 for new air filter but they still testing the car. First dealership I went to didn't find anything and declined any guesses that I had but they didn't have anything to say. Let's see...

[TRANCEBOY]

Ive yet to find a great Nissan dealer in my area. I had honda and they where awesome . I go to Nissan and find myself fighting with them all the time . I cannot believe they charge you for a simple diagnostic. Honda never charged to check my car. Nissan needs to work on customer service. I had a shaky back seat and spoke to them about the issue. They fixed it, but i later found out they just wrapped electrical tape instead of fixing the problem. Very upsetting.

[Lowes11]

I have worked at two dealers and one in Jacksonville, FL was awesome. The second one is in Charleston, SC not so much. They have different owners now. I did not buy my Rogue from them even though they are closer to my house.

[homergreg]

Check Arrived from Nissan Today!! Nissan good!!! Tom Wood Nissan Bad!

[darylzero]

wow! Great outcome! Hopefully Nissan takes away some kind of certification or whatever from Tom Wood Nissan. Congrats

[hlreid]

Hi All, Just researching this problem as my 2008 Rogue is in for the exact problem. However, after ok'ing a charge of 180. to fix the "switch" they called back to say that didn't work and now needed to do an $800 new shifter assembly.......Not excited about this as I'm renting a car to get me by while this is being serviced. My car has only 32,000 miles but warranty expired in Sept. Calling Nissan North American tomorrow. Fingers crossed......HLReid

[kerrton]

I'm sorry to hear of another Rogue owner having to deal with this problem.

Please let us know if you make any progress through Nissan Corporate, I would think if one owner gets Nissan to agree to cover these costs outside of regular warranty, that precident should be set and others should get the benefit as well. Good luck.

[TRANCEBOY]

I have owned several cars in my lifetime and i do have to agree that NISSAN dealers have the worsr service. Even Hyundai has shown to have better service. I know when im done with my Rogue I will not be getting another Nissan because of bad customer service at their dealers.

[maverick_rogue]

Ditto @ Bad Service...

I do not intend to typecast Nissan dealers but sadly I have to agree with a very few exceptions.
I have friends who own Hyundais, Hondas etc. I have joined them during their dealership visits and theeir experiences make me wonder whats wrong with Nissan dealers....
I was shocked when one of the Honda dealers offered to buff my friends car to repair minor scratches for free on a not so busy day. I asked him why? He said " Your friend owns a Honda...I hate to see scratches on it."

I did have a few candid talks with some Nissan dealers and they say Nissan USA is pretty 'strict' regarding warranty work and does not pay well to the dealers...It puts dealers on "probation" when it does not meet criteria which includes "unwarranted" warranty work. They also say that things changed a lot after Nissan went through its early 2000 bad patch and ownership changes (Renault owns it now).

Also there is a big difference in the the way Nissan USA and Nissan Canada operates. Nissan Canada appears to be nicer.

Just my thoughts...

[Nick 568]

My experience with my local Nissan dealer has been pretty good. I took my Rogue in the other day because the passenger-side front door wouldn't open from the outside, so I took it in thinking it was that linkage as per the recall. Turns out my s*** friend broke the handle when getting in the car. Bumper to bumper ended 3 months ago, and they replaced it under warranty.

All my other experiences have been pretty good too. Though, maybe that's because there's 2 Nissan dealers in the entire state and the other one is over 350 miles away. I suspect Nissan corporate would come down on them hard if their only dealers in Alaska were treating customers such that it caused them to no longer be Nissan customers...