many problems with versa :-(

[logicpaysoff]

Here are a few links:

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2....html

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/p...ISSUE

As I said, it is my opinion regarding the excess inventory...and I came to that conclusion for a few reasons...as realize that once vehicles are shipped to a dealer..they OWN It....so as far as the manufacturer is concerned, it is sold. The numbers of sold vehicles never provide a break down of how many of those were actually sold or leased to consumers.

First and foremost...why limit it to only 20,000??

Second.....Nissan offers no any real reason for deciding to selling Versa’s as a Chrysler.....when they could have sold it still as a Nissan… as a Tiida……or just or some new model name.

That tends to indicate that they want to distance Nissan from the product...otherwise they could make an entirely different car that is just sold as a Chrysler. Notice too that Versa is the only model mentioned.

There is industry conjecture as to why Nissan is getting into this alliance, in terms of Nissan possibly wanting Chryslers truck expertise, but Nissan has not yet explained the decision.

Third...there are few on the road, compared to others in its genre. Auto sales are not that great right now as it is; this is a great way to move excess inventory...and make at least some money of off of the deal….especially if it’s a product that is causing more trouble than can be afforded at this time.

I could be 100% wrong……but as I said…….time will tell.

[Ever Victorious]

Neither article mentions sales shortfalls. However, if you had read the whole chain of articles from the beginning of the announcement to the final details, you'd know that Chrysler originally wanted 30,000 units, but is going to have to settle for 20,000 units.

Why, indeed, would that be? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is production capacity. It would seem to me that the only good reason Nissan would have for intentionally selling fewer units is that they do not expect to be able to produce enough Versas for themselves if they sell 30,000 to Chrysler. It would be shooting yourself in the foot somewhat if you compromised the availability of your own popular product for the sake of another company selling a badge engineered version of that product instead.

There's also a perfectly good explanation for why they would sell 20,000 units, that does NOT fall under the category of "distancing themselves from the model". And it's REALLY simple: Guaranteed sale. If a contract says Chrysler must buy 20,000 units, then they MUST buy 20,000 units. Nissan can guess all they want as to how many cars they can sell to dealerships, and they may be too high, too low, or dead on. This way, they have a guaranteed base of sales to work off of.

There's a reason Nissan would WANT to have the Versa sold under a Chrysler badge... there are still people in this world who will vehemently refuse to buy a "Japanese" car, insisting that an "American" car is the way to go. The funniest thing about this, to me, is that they are willing to buy a Japanese-designed, Mexican-built "American" car, but not the "original" design. This is a way of opening Nissan's product to those people. As a side note, I used to live in a community that had a relatively large Chinese immigrant population. Interestingly enough, after talking with their American born children in school, I found out that many of those families would never buy a Japanese-branded car, because of what Japan did to China during and before WWII. So it's not just rednecks, it's immigrants too. Don't underestimate the human factor in the whole equation.

Few on the road compared to its "genre"? First of all, it's a car, not a book. It's called a "class", and it is the newest car in the class. It's kind of ridiculous to compare its prevalence to models that existed prior to 2007. If you look at the actual sales figures for 2007 ONLY (which is an accurate representation about how it competes in the marketplace), the Versa kicks the crap out of the Fit in sales, and is only surpassed by... if I recall... the Aveo and the Rio/Accent. I think that the V and the Yaris were pretty much neck-and-neck in sales for 3rd and 4th. How many other products do you know of that sell 79,000 units in its FIRST year alone? Hell, for some manufacturers, that's 2+ years worth of expected sales (*cough* Saturn Astra *cough*).

Oh, and my personal favorite...

Quote »IMO, the Versa has a very real inconsistent build quality...and as time goes on, it seems that more and more are on the problem side……as opposed to those that are problem free.[/quote]Inconsistent, yes. And every manufacturer has its moments. But more and MORE are having problems as time goes on?

Sorry, but the numbers I've seen from TrueDelta's reliability survey indicate the exact opposite. Failure rates on the 2008's are about half what they were on the 2007's... and the 2007 even ended up lower than it was at initial launch, when basically EVERY Versa had a problem.

Hey everyone... Chicken Little says the sky is falling, what are we to do?

[logicpaysoff]

Bear in mind that press releases are just that...press releases....and are most often planned to put a positive spin on the news.

You may be right..or I may be right..or a bit of both. Time will tell.

In addition, there are many variables that go into the sales figures...availability is one...which I understand was a problem with the Fit. They are not exactly something to take to the bank.

In addition, # sold to the dealer vs. sold to the consumer is somewhat of an unknown.

As far as TrueDelta is concerned....it seems that not all those owners who have complained on various forums participate..so I'm not sure what to make of the results.

However, the fact still remains that there are a number of problems...yet to be rectified.

Last but not least, here in NJ, as well as NY, CT and PA Versa's are scarce indeed...I don't know the reason why...but that is the reality.

PS...."genre" is also used to describe a kind or sort.

[frankoV]

"genre" is also used to describe a kind or sort.

Gotta take up EV's side here (not that he needs it): "genre" refers more to art.

But we digress.

Here's hoping I have the problem-free Versa.

[Ever Victorious]

Availability was also a big problem with the Versa at first. Not sure if you were around for the 3-5 month backlogs...

But at least Nissan didn't gouge customers a $4000 second sticker like Honda dealers were doing.

[Vahagn23]

meh never really bothered calling anyone lol, but I did find a big stain on the roof from th inside of the car lol too bad I havent seen it then when picking it up, I only went to this dealer once for oil change and havent serviced the car for anything else after that.

[megpl]

Hi,

It is me ... again....

My Versa DID have a fuel pump problem, just like you predicted.

At 5000 miles the dealer finally got it replaced...

Now car has 10000 miles ... and it the problems started again. The same symptoms as last time; it cranks but does not want to catch on. If I put the key in the middle setting, the car engine finally catches on...

...so... do these pumps last only 5000 miles???

This is ridiculous...I decided to contact Lemon Law Lawyer ... see what they have to say...I live in NJ ... here the car has to be out of commission for 20 days within first 18000 miles to be considered to be Lemon.

Meg

[brainguyus]

Issue #5 - Heater - This is kinda normal. My car smells vaguely like coolant every now and then when I turn on the heater. Dealer couldn't find a problem. I figured that as long as it wasn't actually LEAKING coolant, that it wasn't really a problem.

EV: You may want to check the clamps on the hoses at the firewall going to your heater core. Not sure exactly where this would be on a V, but it shouldn't be too hard to get to. I would guess if you can smell it there's a leak somewhere.

I had a 00 Frontier and a 98 Altima that would throw the same smell once in a while. Turns out one of the two hoses was leaking slow enough to create a smell but not indicate a leak. With the Altima I noticed it accidentaly when I ran my finger under the connection...with the Frontier I never caught it until it got bad enough to start dripping. In both cases the smell dissapeared after I snugged up the clamps.

Maybe this will help.

[megpl]

I just talked to the dealer ... I have to bring the car on Thursday

The dealer was very sympathetic. ... even said "I know how you feel; I purchased a lemon once myself " (!!!)

The dealer suggested that I call Nissan North America (1 800 NISSAN 1) and put a claim. I did this; the guy on the phone was nice; got all the info and gave me a claim number. Nissan North America will contact the dealer and investigate the car if there is enough evidence for replacement of the car...

I still will call 1800 LEMON LAW to get their input...

Any words of advice would be very appreciated...

THANKS Meg

[Ever Victorious]

Meg - it would seem that there are also problems with Fuel Pressure Regulators that cause the problem you indicated. We didn't mention it in your first post because we didn't learn of the issue until afterwards, like around March or April.

Good that you are keeping on top of it!

EV: You may want to check the clamps on the hoses at the firewall going to your heater core. Not sure exactly where this would be on a V, but it shouldn't be too hard to get to. I would guess if you can smell it there's a leak somewhere.

I had thought of that too, but there's no leak anywhere in the system. I've never added a drop of coolant, and it's still quite full, even after 27,000 miles. It doesn't really bother me, since it hasn't caused an actual problem with anything. I might have my dealer take another look at it when I take it in for a separate issue today, but I don't expect anything to have changed.

[Avidshifty]

is the airbag light supposed to Stay on or just flash? i have an '07 Versa and the airbag light for the passenger side stays dark even when noones in it, but if someone gets out of the seat the light will come on, then turn back off againis this normal or should the light always stay on?

ALso, the versa is my first new car so i really dont know how things "should" preform. my car has 16k miles on it now and with the exception of the airbag light are there any other problems i should be looking for this far along in my cars life if i have not experianced any yet? Thanks.

btw, the manufacture date on the sticker inside my door is 01/07 if that helps.

[kc5f]

The light will only be on constantly to let you know there's a small amount of weight on the seat and the airbag is off, or a moderate (child-sized) weight on the seat and the airbag would function at a slower speed with less pressure. It will flash when putting weight on or taking it off, so there's no problem with yours.

Hopefully, you have a Versa like mine, and will have no problems with it!

[biggie]

is the airbag light supposed to Stay on or just flash? i have an '07 Versa and the airbag light for the passenger side stays dark even when noones in it, but if someone gets out of the seat the light will come on, then turn back off againis this normal or should the light always stay on?

ALso, the versa is my first new car so i really dont know how things "should" preform. my car has 16k miles on it now and with the exception of the airbag light are there any other problems i should be looking for this far along in my cars life if i have not experianced any yet? Thanks.

btw, the manufacture date on the sticker inside my door is 01/07 if that helps.

First read through your owner's manual throughly, it will help.

The passenger airbag light only turns on when something/someone is sitting in the front seat that is lighter than the minimum weight (70lbs I think?). If nothing is in the seat the airbag is turned off but the light does not show. With that sensor it will turn on/off when something is moving in the for a second (someone getting in/out, etc).

Nothing really you need to look for at 16k miles, just be aware of anything unusual that you hear or feel. And do regular maintance.

[Avidshifty]

Thanks for the information, glad to get it cleared up.

[Kenrik]

Ok.. To start. Re-badging a car is not a "New thing"

The Saturn Vibe is a Toyota Matrix!

The Chevy Aveo is a Daewoo

The Pontiac GTO is a Voxhall-Holden

There are many reasons cars get re-marketed in different areas and "getting rid of excess stock" is not the primary reason.

Next.. Nissan & Reliability.

Nissan cars as a whole are very reliable. The problem comes in with Nissan's Mexican Plant. Almost every Nissan car made in Mexico has had reliability issues at first (Sentra, SE-R, Armada, Versa etc..) Most of these were ironed out later in production but the first cars off the line had some issues.

Now, my G35 was made in Japan and is rock solid in reliability.. As far as I know all of the Infiniti Models are made in Japan. Also cars coming out of the Nissan TN plant are quite reliable.

The Versa as a whole is a great little car! I have driven the Honda Fit (felt it was a POS) the Mazda 3 (liked it but not worth the extra money) The Chevy Aveo (Daewoo crap) & the Yaris.

Needless to say I bought the Versa even if it has a few snags with minor things breaking here and there. (I got a 100k Warranty.. ) Nothing else on the market is a safe, gets good gas mileage and is as cheap as the Versa.

ATM the Versa has been 100% perfect.. no issues to report & my wife loves it.

[Vahagn23]

my car smells like burnet food aswell. Recently on hot days when I drive for an hour or so, I smell burnt rubber. It goes away after a while though.

[VIsa Versa]

Hey everyone, newbie here from the lone star state. I've only had my V since april. Bought it to replace my '04 sentra that was hit and totaled. It had 81000 miles on it and never had a problem with it.To date I have only had one issue with the V. The auto up on the drivers window went out. But the stealership just reprogramed it, and it works fine now. I also own a '06 Xterra 4x4(love my X). No problems with it either. Anyway, this is a great site .

Christine

[megpl]

OK...

I got a phone call from the dealer

- They will replace the fuel pump the second time

But b/c of the possible Lemon, I also mentioned the smell which the dealer was not able top locate in Jan/Feb ... so I drove in smelly (burned food) odor for the whole winter...

..Now he told me that he was ABLE to LOCATE the problem of smell; that I had a mouse nest in my car??????? Should I believe him??? Or this is just passing the blame to "mother nature"

Anyway; if your car smells like the burned food; check for mice

Meg

[MinisterofDOOM]

Not entirely uncommon to find mice and other small animals living under the hood.

As for the other discussion in this thread:

I'm still not sure where the "new chrysler is a Versa" thing came from, but that's not what Nissan's press release said. It is being manufactured by Nissan. It is a 100% original Dodge design. Unless I missed something?

[srellim234]

The original press releases/news stories, covered here

zerothread?id=330093

indicate that the engineering and platform will be Nissan (the mechanical part of the Versa); the styling and design (the sheet metal and the cheap plastic interior) will be Chrysler. Hopefully Chrysler puts one of their unique body styles on it so people don't recognize it's a Nissan with only so-so car quality underneath.

[Ever Victorious]

indicate that the engineering and platform will be Nissan (the mechanical part of the Versa); the styling and design (the sheet metal and the cheap plastic interior) will be Chrysler. Hopefully Chrysler puts one of their unique body styles on it so people don't recognize it's a Nissan with only so-so car quality underneath.

It's more than likely going to be the Dodge Hornet.

There was also an article somewhere that Nissan IS going to produce Chrysler-badged Versas for sale in South America. Like, not badge engineered, but actual V's with Chrysler wings slapped on them.

[fiftytseng]

i work at nissan, and this issue of the burning smell is not a problem at all. The CVT fluid that all the new automatic Nissan's have emit this odor that smells like the car is burning. Drive a Murano and you won't miss the "burning" smell

[Ever Victorious]

i work at nissan, and this issue of the burning smell is not a problem at all. The CVT fluid that all the new automatic Nissan's have emit this odor that smells like the car is burning. Drive a Murano and you won't miss the "burning" smell

Really?

So would you mind explaining why my 6-speed has the same smell? And don't even think about telling me that it's how I use the clutch.

[nsrZ32]

Not entirely uncommon to find mice and other small animals living under the hood.

Or in the blower box. We find nests in airboxes and blower boxes at work all the time. All depends on where you live. With the blower box its a perfect nesting spot, they can just camp out on top of the incabin microfilter.

[MinisterofDOOM]

The original press releases/news stories, covered here

zerothread?id=330093

indicate that the engineering and platform will be Nissan (the mechanical part of the Versa); the styling and design (the sheet metal and the cheap plastic interior) will be Chrysler. Hopefully Chrysler puts one of their unique body styles on it so people don't recognize it's a Nissan with only so-so car quality underneath.

That's what I'm saying: where are you reading that?From my own post in that same thread:

Okay, here's the real story:http://www.nissannews.com/news...mid=1

Chrysler will BUILD the truck, but it will be a unique Nissan model, not a shared model or a rebadge. It will be built at Chrysler's Saltillo, Mexico plant. Also note the wording "a full-size pickup." I wonder if the entire Titan line will be manufactured by Chrysler (would be strange considering the shiny new facility Nissan has in Tennessee). I bet it'll be a heavy duty Titan with a Cummins powerplant and a beefy Chrysler-sourced transmission.

Conversely, the compact built by Nissan will also be a Chrysler design and not a rebadge or shared model. It would be a world car built in Japan and NOT one of Nissan's North American plants.

And from the link to the official Nissan press release (NOT a mis-interpreted article talking about it):

Nissan will manufacture an all-new, fuel-efficient small car based on a unique Chrysler concept and design.

All-new Chrysler design. It is 100% new, 100% Chrysler, and 100% not a Versa at all.

There was also an article somewhere that Nissan IS going to produce Chrysler-badged Versas for sale in South America. Like, not badge engineered, but actual V's with Chrysler wings slapped on them.

I see...People seem to be confusing these two cars.

[megpl]

"CVT fluid that all the new automatic Nissan's have emit this odor that smells like the car is burning" ....WHAT DO YOU MEAN it is NOT A PROBLEM ???

why do I have to smell the nasty fumes ? 20 years from now they probably will recall it for some safety reasons

all winter long I had headache after driving the car ... never crossed my mind that actually the smell could be the reason for my headache ...

Meg

[megpl]

microfilter ...yes , that is what the dealer will replace it will cost $75 ; not covered by the warranty

Meg

[nsrZ32]

microfilter ...yes , that is what the dealer will replace it will cost $75 ; not covered by the warranty

Meg

Sounds about right.

And as for warranty...excuse me if I sound rude, but I deal with this stuff every day....why would Nissan pay to replace an air filter that was soiled on by a mouse? Did Nissan put the mouse there when they made the car? Did Nissan put some cheese in there out of the factory? I don't think so. Maintenance happens to be part of owning a car as are mishaps with unforseen things like rodents.

[megpl]

Oh ... by I don't question the warranty on this filterIt is quite understandable

What is not understandable is that in January when I brought the car to the dealer with complains of smell, the dealer could not detect the reason for smell ... where was that mouse ...

Now they found it (hurray!) after my formal complain with Nissan North America

So ... you see... my trust in that dealership is somehow shaken ...I would love to see this mouse nest with my own eyes

same goes for the gas pump ; they said that in Jan/Feb they repalced it with the "wrong pump" .... what does it mean "wrong pump" ???

[Ever Victorious]

Sadly running into similar issues with my dealership now, I'm not convinced they're even LOOKING at my car, beyond plugging an OBD-2 scanner in to check for codes. Imean, how can you check for fuel economy problems without expending fuel? How can you check for shifter issues if you don't take the car on the road?

I don't like playing games, and Nissan dealerships (both of the ones I've experienced) like playing them in spades.