I have
beaten the drum of customer satisfaction with Nissan for years, having
purchased many vehicles, all but one were new.
I was
pleased in most areas, but recently at Windy Nissan, Elk City, Oklahoma, I have encountered an apathetic attitude
towards delivering the product and service that I purchased. In fact, I would
label it Counter-Customer.
My most
recent purchase was a Nissan Pathfinder. When I purchased it, I knew I
would get the extended bumper-to-bumper warranty. In fact, without the
warranty, there would have been no sale.
These new
vehicles are loaded with electronics that could far outprice the engine and
transmission in repairs.
Electronic
problems arose and I reported them to the dealership. After my third report, a sensor was changed
with one problem and nobody had a clue on the other. Nobody cared about the
other except me.
The first
was the shifting device. A second or two
after being placed in park, the vehicle would lunge a few inches or sometimes a
foot. This is in park! This is after the
car is motionless for a second or two and then for whatever reason lunges.
On one
occasion, the vehicle lunged and hit a pole in the parking lot from more than a
foot away. That left a scuff on my new vehicle but the service guys couldn’t
figure it out. Eventually, they told me that they replaced a sensor. The problem persists. I have no idea if they
actually did anything or not, but that got me out the door for the moment.
The other
problem was that the sensors that report to the driver and to Nissan when a
tire is low would repeatedly report the right rear tire as low. In the winter,
I thought it might have just been the overnight freeze, but the problem
persists even when the overnight low is in the 60’s or 70’s.
About twice
a week I air up the right rear tire. The air pump and the car sensor agree the
tire is back to the proper inflation. It
wasn’t just a number on the display. The air was gone and had to be replaced.
The other 3
tires would lose a pound or two if it was cold (nothing during warmer weather) but
the right rear would lose 10-12 pounds.
Yes, I had
the tire checked. This occurs with the
right rear tire even after the tires are rotated. All indications are this is a problem with
the system that checks the tire pressure, not the tires that independently
decide to lose air when placed in the right rear position.
The local
dealer didn’t ask for help so I gave the problem to the Nissan corporate
folks. They regurgitated the information
back to me without offering a solution. I’m not sure if a real person ever saw
what I sent them or if a bot just did a word association and sent me something that
seemed to match.
After
telling the local dealership—Windy Nissan—that I might be returning this car
and perhaps others if the dealership was either incapable of or unwilling to
fix the problem, I was notified that I would be called by the owner/manager
this past Monday. It’s Wednesday now, and I will not be conned into purchasing
a warranty when Nissan can’t or won’t fix the problem.
This is
fraud and the local dealership is active in continuing the deceit.
I loved
it when I loved Nissan! That was going to be my lifelong vehicle brand, until Windy Nissan got
involved. This whole take your money and hide business doesn’t hack it.
I understand
that new products have problems. It happens and will continue to happen.
I do not and
will not understand apathy when a problem is identified. Unless the intent was
a bait-and-switch transaction by the dealer, they are a stakeholder in
upholding their part of the contract.
Sadly, this
was a bait and switch.
I have
requested, insisted, and demanded that the dealer do what he is required to do.
I was ignored.
I advised
the dealer that while I was recovering my losses from their fraud, I would
advise the public. This is the first of several articles addressing this local
matter and a lack of integrity in modern business in general.
I have
better things to do with my time than report incompetence and apathy. I would
have preferred to just get the problem fixed and continue as a satisfied and loyal
Nissan owner. That’s why I bought the extra warranty. As a matter of clarity,
everything should be under the original warranty.
But here we
are.
While I
pursue a viable solution that removes any hint of fraud whatsoever and a fixed
vehicle or full refund of everything Windy Nissan conned me out of, I will notify
others so they are not deceived.
Windy Nissan
– Let the Buyer Beware.
