Rear Hatch gas charged shocks

[canderson110]

I have a 2009 Rogue AWD SL and have noticed in the cold weather the rear hatch does not go all the way to the top without manual assistance from me. In warm weather I don't seem to have the same issue.I did take it into the dealership under warrantee to see if the shocks were defective. Dealership says it is due to the cold weather.....I have bumped my head on the top of the hatch many times and feel this may be either a design flaw.....or the dealership is giving me a line of bull. Any other Canadian or coldweather Rogues experiencing the same issue? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Chuck

[ncsu]

Last week we had temps in the low 10's F. I also had the issue with the hatch not raising all the way. I do not think they were feeding you a line. If the temp is very cold the fluid in the struts will not function as well.

[baz]

Chuck,This is a very typical problem with hatches in general. Once the temp drops the shocks never lift all the way up but when the temp increases they work fine. Another typical problem is with noise, allot of people have complained about the noise from the rear but that is just the downside of owning a hatch.I agree it is very, very annoying, I too have hit my head a couple of times now and it is not fun!!

[philipa_240sx]

+1

Gas struts do become stiff in cold weather and may not open fully. It's the nature of their design and little can be done.

BTW, DO NOT try to lube the strut! This can cause the seals to fail and the strut can be permanently damaged.

[jk47]

I've been bumping my head on my rear hatch the last couple of weeks and was going to take the car in to try to fix this. I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

[harryg]

yea i got the exact same problem...got an appointment with the dealer next week to address the recalls along with the gas struts...going to see what they say

[kerrton]

Has anyone had their hatch struts/stays replaced under warranty?

I'd really like to know, because I cracked my head REALLY hard this weekend because the hatch only went half way up, and I obviously I wasn't paying close attention to it. It wasn't even that cold, only a few degrees below zero.....and like I said before almost all the vehicles I drive for work with a similar hatch have much better lift power on the rear hatch.

So my issue is trying to determine what is normal operation and what is indicative of a defective part. If anyone had the struts replaced, can you let me know if it solved the problem?

AND my right strut has made a loud "squeek" noise in cold weather when I close the hatch for about a year - it's quite loud and last for about a half second. I'm wondering if this is grounds for warranty replacement, or am I just being an unreasonable pushy customer if I complain about this?

Any reports and personal opinions on this one would be much appreciated, my head hurts today and I need to know if I'm just clumbsy or if the vehicle is to blame!!!!

[harryg]

I just had my rear struts replaced on saturday (feb.6) for the same problem...the hatch would freeze where i left it, I would open it and i could leave it hanging in the middle or any other position i wanted...showed this to the dealer and they ordered the parts (which supposedly were backlogged, ordered first week of jan) soo far its only been a day and the hatch seems to be lifting up properly...temperatures have been around +8*C to +10*C

the dealership was pretty friendly and didnt really ask to many questions

side note: I also got the fuel sender unit replaced because of the missing bar on the gas gauge.havent had a chance to fill it up to check though

if u have any more questions feel free to ask

[canderson110]

I just had the two rear hatch shocks replaced. Although it is a little better, I also continue to have my head bumped by the hatch. I am beginning to feel like this is a design flaw exasperated by the cold Canadian winters. The dealership was very good and replaced both shocks under warranty but I don't think that is the answer.

Chuck

[paulvanharte]

Its funny here in Edmonton it gets really cold and yes my hatch does not open fully either, but once you know that, use your arm/hand to push it open. No big deal to me.

Paul

[casperfun]

[QUOTE= use your arm/hand to push it open. .

Paul[/QUOTE]

That's how I feel. I also noticed when it's cold that it slows or does not fully open. I learn to just lift and guide the lift gate in cold weather.

My initial reaction about the lift gate when I first purchased the Rogue, I was pleasantly surprised that the door open automaically after pressing the button with a slight psuh upward. It was nice. Since this is my first experience with a CUV, it was great that you didnt have to lift up to the very top when opening.

I also know it's not a power liftgate like on more expensive SUV's. So I was never disappointed with its execution even in cold weather where it might not fully open.



Fine, when it gets cold it will not go up all the way. Just lift it folks. I mean we open doors to our vehicles everyday, we lift a biscuit and drumstick at the dinner table, we lift weights at the gym...etc. No big deal lifting a rear hatch if need be.

My opinion, its not necessary to replace the gas shocks let alone twice.

Sorry for those with cold weather. Anyways, another blizzard heading toward the east coast Yet again.


Modified by casperfun at 12:23 PM 2/9/2010

[kerrton]

Thanks for helping me out on this one everybody.

To clarify, I wasn't looking to complain about a normal feature of the Rogue, but I wasn't sure if this was normal operation or indicative of a problem. Since it seems this is normal for the Rogue, I'll definately be able to live with it and of course using my hand to guide it up on cold days is not a big deal.

Thanks again for the insight.

[koolyce]

I got the same problem and they change it (another part #)... but the problem or if you prefer, the situation is the same.

So I will deal with.

[wentbyyou]

It is still happening with the 2013's. We have had it about 3 months and when the temp gets down in the 40's, it will not go up at all. I have never had this problem with any other SUV or minivan that I have owned, and even the struts on our 12 year old Toyota Camry will still lift the hood in cold weather....all the way up. I'm tired of hitting my head too. It's BS for Nissan to blow this off, probably why they fell out of Consumer Reports top quality list.

[mikess]

Yes, still happening with the 2013 models, mine is a FWD SE edition about 3 months old now and I banged my head picking up groceries a few times because it doesn't go all the way up and it's not even that cold here yet, close to 0 degrees celsius. I've now gotten in the habit of pushing it up myself now, which also i've noticed takes some force. I'm confused if I should go to the dealer for this problem if replacing them with new ones isn't going to solve the issue.

[DTASFAB]

Replacing them with high quality aftermarket ones should fix it. There was a thread on it here that I read a few weeks ago. It's not expensive and it's not a difficult installation job.

rear-hatch-strut-problem-solved-t560476.html

[mikess]

I don't mind dishing out the cash for aftermarket ones but my Rogue is just 3 months old. I just payed 25 grand for this thing, I shouldn't have to spend money on something that's defective from the factory. I think I will go to the dealership and request that this issue be fixed and fixed properly, even if it requires for them to install the aftermarket shocks.