2008 Pathfinder Nothing but trouble

[Hermes]

I am a loyal Nissan Pathfinder person. I've had the 1995, 1998, 2001, 2005 and now 2008Never had a day of trouble with any of them. I got a 2008 and have had trouble with it from first day.

There was a weird thud around 35mph that would happen if I let off the gas and then went back on the gas. It was like a "pause" thud. They were making crap up, telling me it was CBT (Pathy doesn't have) all kind of nonsense. I finally got that fixed (bulletin on nissan.com for ECM reprogram)Then, the battery would go dead for no reason, keyless entry working intermittently, 4 wd light on intermittently, temp display starting at below zero and rolling up to current temp (usually off by at least 5 degrees). They said they fixed the problem by changing the battery harness and other stuff. Now, same thing, keyless ignition/entry working intermittently, lights coming on for no reason, flat tire sensor going off at willOh, and the seat cover came unstitched within 5 months, the carpet is cheap and thin. AND, it is a fight to the death with the Service guys. I am female, I'm sensible, not an idiot....they won't listen. Finally, yesterday they found "the problem" but are sketchy about what it is. They are saying the battery is bad, but it is my fault apparently they say my cell phone charger is draining the battery. BS!!! 28500 miles and the battery is BAD? Give.me.a.break.I HATE THIS CAR WITH A PASSION. I think I'll actually look at other cars when my lease is up in Dec.
Modified by Hermes at 2:21 PM 3/9/2010

[Buzzman]

I don't have any help for you on this, but I understand that sometimes you just have to vent, to get it out of your system. No problem.As for my own tastes, from the time it was introduced as an '05, I never liked the new Pathfinder. I remember going to the dealership to see it when it first came out, and even the sales reps didn't like it. I still think they don't like them.I'd probably buy an XTerra first. Maybe you could shop around for a good used R50? They're around if you're patient.Good luck.

[QX4ME]

I wonder if lemon law applies in your case. I kind of remember that if the same problem can't be fixed after a number of times, it falls into a lemon category. I am not sure of that if problems are not safety related but very inconvenient... Each state has different lemon law.

[Hermes]

Yes, venting is good.

I actually loved my 2005. The improvements with the seatbelts being shoulder belts across the backseats instead of the middle center seat being only a lap belt was huge compared to my 2001, I liked the new design and I really liked the pep of the new style.

I guess that a lot of my frustration is just with regard to the inability of the service guys to listen to me about the problems I had with the 2008 that pretty much started day one. I drive less now, but those other cars had 60k+ miles on them by 36 months. I am pretty in tune with my car. I would be a lot less frustrated had they looked into the things I was telling them about instead of "humoring me" with a made up scenario (CBT, Electronic Hill Descent etc)

Also, it somewhat is a safety concern to me in that I have a small business and work with new home builders. Sometimes, I'm out at a job after hours, sometimes in the middle of nowhere and I just can't be stranded because my battery is mysteriously dead. YK?

I'm sure at the end of the day, I'll end up with another Pathfinder. It does fit my needs and I'm very comfortable driving it. Just hate to see the quality of the vehicles and the service response diminish.

[Hermes]

as farr as the lemon law, I believe you have to document something 10 times. I think that might be why when I first took the car in, they kept saying they hooked it up to the computer and everything checked fine. After taking it 4 or so times, it dawned on me that they were not generating a ticket. After that I made them document it.

At this point, I have 9 months left on the lease. Hopefully, this time, it is fixed and I can stop feeling so aggravated.

[RyanEvh]

Last June I bought a used 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee and about 2 weeks in I had nothing but problems. The power steering pump went 3 times, the brakes went, really big problem with the transmission that the dealer's mechanic couldn't even figure out, and the cruise control didn't work. The dealer was nice enough to give me all my money back and the price of the plates for my troubles. I understand how frustrating it can be to have a vehicle that never seems to be running properly.

[K03sport]

Sorry to hear you are having issues with both the dealer and the vehicle.

Have you checked out New Jersey's Lemon Law?

From Section 17...

17.Solving Problems with a New Vehicle - A ReviewIf your vehicle is defective: ■Give your dealer an opportunity to repair your vehicle.■Keep all repair receipts and a complete record of all contacts with the manufacturer or dealer.If substantial defects continue after two repair attempts or 20 cumulative calendar days: ■Give the manufacturer written notice of its last chance to repair the defect. Be sure to send the letter by certified mail, return receipt requested.If the substantial defect is not corrected within 10 calendar days after the manufacturer receives the written notice: ■Demand a refund.If the manufacturer does not agree that you are entitled to a refund under the Lemon Law: ■File for dispute resolution through the Division of Consumer Affairs; or■File for dispute resolution through the manufacturer's system; or■File a civil action in court.If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the manufacturer's system: ■You can still file for a Lemon Law hearing through the Division or file a civil action in court.If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Division or the court: ■You have 45 days to file for an appeal in the Appellate Division of the Superior Court ( 609-292-4822 609-292-4822).

I would say from now on, any time...any time your vehicle goes into the dealer for service, make sure you get a receipt of work performed that is both acknowleded by the dealer and you.

10 times is an awefull lot of times into the dealer...IIRC, it is usually 3x for the same problem over a given period of time.

Since you are likely to lease your next vehcile, what ever it may be, you might want to want to have the dealer throw in a FREE loaner (rental) car for warranty repairs. Dealers are not liable to provide loaners and will not have to unless thye feel they will lose big - wooo the customer as much as possible -- or are held to an agreement.

Electrical gremlins are the hardest to trace and I can see why the dealer tried to skate past any documentation.

Hope things can get resolved. Maybe there is a VW Passat V6 4-Motion in your future or Volvo XC90 or V70...

[Hermes]

Thank you, that is good advice about documentation.

I really don't want to switch brands. The Pathfinder fits my needs really well as far as size and I did look at other cars before buying my 2005 only because my lease was up in August on the 2001 and the 2005 wasn't yet available. I just found that many of the other suv's were underpowered, difficult to see out of (esp. rear) so I actually rented a car for about 2 months waiting for delivery of the 2005....

I just spoke with my uncle (in law) who is a newly retired executive from Nissan. He gave me some insight about what "might" be wrong and gave me advice for what to do if I have another "malfunction" which includes most of what you posted above.


Modified by Hermes at 10:20 AM 3/10/2010

[K03sport]

Since you have about 9 months left on the lease and considering you are at 28k miles, there will be little to no recourse on persuing a "Lemon Law" case. The best you can hope for is to use Nissan's 3y/36k warranty on any future problems.

I'm not sure if you get a "family" deal when it comes to Nissans, but if the car isn't living up to your expectations and the service is what you say it is, there is no harm in switching brands. In fact, that is what being the comsumer is all about. If a company cannot not offer a good product or back that product up with good service, then maybe it is time to look else where.

Since you seem to be less than thrilled to drive the PF based on its current condition, I would seriously consider switching brands. I realize you've been a loyal Nissan owner, but it sounds like it may be time for a change. Some of these other Mfgrs also offer a better warranty than Nissan. However, I guess that may be a mute point since you don't stay in a vehicle more than 3 years.

You've put up a good fight, but if I was you, I would begin researching the competition. As a leasee, it should be possible to lease a more luxury based SUV for something close to the PF's lease.