Posted: Jan 26 2005 at 12:07pm | IP Logged

I fell in love with the Titan at the start.  Felt it outperformed the Big 3 in every way.  At 3000 miles frustration set in.  At 5,000 my wife refused to ride in it.  At 10,000, I get depressed every time I get in it.  Nothing like a vehicle that announces problems as you pull out (squeaking brakes, pinging engine) and as you slow down (brakes grab and groan).  Had planned to buy a new Z but this Nissan experience has made me reconsider.  At this point, couldn't recommend this truck to a friend.

The problems

• Brakes - grab and bind when braking.  After "repair", they squeak like a pig heading to slaughter.
• Engine Pings - noticed at about 3k, engine pings on accelleration, occasionally at cruising speed. Dealer & manual says this is normal, BUT if happens consistently at cruise this is extremely bad for the engine.  So it's OK, or really bad.  Something of a fine line here....
• Lights - headlights to bright on dim - constantly got flashed.  Dealer lowered beams - now can't see very far in front.
• Window Switches - auto works inconsistently.  Dealer couldn't replicate.
• Bed Divider - slides, doesn't lock into place.
• Bed Extender - can't be put in place without starting vertical so must be in place before my motorcycle get's loaded.  Not very likely.....just a bad design.  I'll be looking for an aftermarket extender soon.
• Squeaks and rattles - more every week.  Nothing like the ford or toyota owned previously - or any car.
• Radio - weak reception
• Tailgate - comes off too easily - about fell off unintentionally.
• Reverse Sensor Off Switch - pushed the switch to turn off sensor, it fell into the dash.  Would like an override switch - especially in tow mode or when tailgate is down.  Manual off turns into auto on when vehicle is restarted.  Truly annoying.
• Sunroof - very loud at cruising speed with glass closed and fabric cover open.  Leaks in drive through car wash.

I've bought first year vehicles before, with fairly good succes.  I'm as frustrated with the dealership as with Nissan, Tynan's Nissan.  They were clear they were aware of the brake problem and would try to fix it but it could be an ongoing issue.  The others they seemed oblivious too.  As I look through the posts here I see I am not alone, that Nissan and the dealerships are very aware of the problems.  I saw one site that was working up a class action under CA lemon law for the brakes. 

If anyone has feedback on their problems and solutions I'd love to see it!  It's such a shame to have this many problems - this has the potential to be a great truck!!!!

Posted: Jan 26 2005 at 1:22pm | IP Logged

All these "problems" and your post #1 is the laundry list? I guess you want a rapid response.... gotta love the Internet...

Glad to see you have 31,000 miles left on your warranty. Drop it off, get in your rental, and tell them to call you when it's fixed.

You can take it to another dealer as well and ask the same, if dis-satisfied with your current one. If you're still not satisfied, there's a Nissan Rep in every district in the U.S. Just like Honda has, Yamaha, etc. Find out who this person is -- like I did and begin the conversation.  

The brake problem, according to my dealer - is to be resolved soon.

Engine Pings - sounds like you're running a cheap grade of gas. Switch gas stations.  

Adjust your lights back up.. it's an easy fix.

Bed divider doesn't work as advertised? Have them fix under warranty.

Squeaks and rattles -- where? There'a a kit to take care of the problems in the dash. Where else is it making noise?

Radio - there's a TSB out to those that are affected.

Tailgate - comes off too easily? This is bad? If you're removing your tail gate, you want it to be difficult? Don't get that one...

Sensor switch - don't feel bad. The cig lighter on my wife's Murano did the same thing when she plugged in her cell phone. Fixed under warranty.

Sunroof leaks? Fix under warranty.

Posted: Jan 26 2005 at 1:49pm | IP Logged

Hey, I am from the Denver area too... I purchased my '04 from Peak Nissan.... bought mine in September and have 9,000 miles.  I have a XE king cab w/ 4x4 off-road pkg.  I do not share your list of gripes...

    - radio reception:  same problem, dealer replaced radio w/out question and new one is great.

    - lights:  yep, way too bright.  dealer (Peak) told me they were factory set and couldnt be adjusted... I found out from this site how to adjust them and did so myself... very simple to do.

    - rattles - some rattles in dash and door panels, no big deal though.  they come and go and generally arent a nuisance.

Otherwise been a superb truck.  No engine or brake issues... tailgate is fine, etc.  Cant complain honestly and I felt that the dealer has treated me well with the exception of the headlight issue.

Posted: Feb 01 2005 at 10:22am | IP Logged

Wanting quality out of your 37K truck is not asking too much. I've had my Titan at the dealer more in the last six months (at least once a month) then I've had my Honda SUV in the last 6 years, oh wait I've never had my Honda in the shop for anything but two minor recalls.

I’m not saying I don’t like my truck but I will say it’s annoying sometimes with the quality issues. So far my dealer’s fixed everything with no questioned ask. You don’t hear me whining about all my problems but,  I will let the dealer know I’m not happy if I get bad service or think they are not addressing my problem and you should too like Jimb already stated.

I hope you find a dealer that will make everything right so you can enjoy your nice truck. I guess thats what we get for buying a first year model. I was going to wait for a 2005 but the damn dealer gave me such a good deal I couldn't pass it up!

Posted: Feb 01 2005 at 11:06am | IP Logged

Picked my truck up from the dealer the other day - brakes aren't screeching or biteing but now have a new squeak that is coming from either the brakes or the suspension - not sure which. 

I'm supposed to be back to the shop in a week for the pinging noise - started out pinging on acceleration, now pinging during idle.  And it's not the gas.  I use 91 (manual says 85 ok in Colorado) purchased from various gas stations all over the front range.  Dealer is going to replace a valve and see if that works.

Ping doesn't really bother me - it's the manual that does!  Have you read it - you should if you have any pinging sounds.  Some pinging during heavy use is normal, other pinging could be very bad for your engine. Failure to report "bad" pinging to Nissan results in voiding your warranty. Never defines what identifies good or bad pinging.  Now that i'm pinging at idle i'm sure I qualify as "bad".

Posted: Feb 01 2005 at 2:03pm | IP Logged

How do you know its detonation and its not injector noise? The valve their replacing is the purge valve which is loud and could be making your "ping" sound.  If your truck was detonating it would throw a code (ECU). The ECU will retard timing to prevent detonation. If you have detonation that bad your engine would have been trashed by now.