testure

Saw this in the local paper today...

Taken from: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory...siness/2654396
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Nissan addresses U.S. quality issues

JACKSON, MISS. - Nissan has sent almost 200 engineers from its Tokyo headquarters to solve problems consumers are reporting with vehicles made at its plants in Canton and in Smyrna, Tenn.

Nissan communications director Fred Standish said Tuesday that engineers would also visit Nissan supplier plants, a Nissan engineering firm in Michigan and Nissan's San Diego design center.

The engineers were dispatched after consumer complaints about Nissan were published in the April 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study.

lightonthehill

This 'general cooperate overview' approach is fine. Better results, however, might be obtained by closely monitoring net sites such as this one, and having dealers report their toughest and most prevalent problems directly to a Nissan engineering coordination group working ONLY on existing problems in current products.

If I were in charge (OK, you can stop the snickering), I would have been trading new '04 Maximas for '04s that were having shimmy problems in May of 2003. I would have my best engineers determine EXACTLY what caused this shimmy, and correct it on the assembly line at the earliest opportunity.

By last June, I would have been doing the same thing for customers with brake rotor problems and shelf rattle problems. By last July, I would have been doing the same thing with strut problems.

There is no excuse for such easily corrected problems as the non-aligned glove box door to still be showing up after 120,000 of the '04 Maximas have been built.

Good customer relations are very important. Here is just one small example of poor customer relations by Nissan: Last fall, a decision was made to switch the SL to the same 5 speed tiptronic auto tranny as the SE when the onhand supply of 4 speeds was gone. By December, new '04 Maxima brochures were published reflecting this change.

But these brochures were not even opened at most dealers until the old supply was used up, and no exciting ads (or even formal announcement that I saw) were forthcoming. As a result, Maxima fans that wanted the great comfy ride of the SL, but had to have the 5 speed tiptronic, purchased SEs in December, January and February, totally unaware the car of their dreams would be produced beginning February 6th.

I love Nissan products, and will not be buying anything else. But it hurts me to see things not handled as well as expected.

My wife just informed me I am not in charge, either at Nissan quality control or in our little PC room, and I am to go mow the lawn. Outta here.

jrussell915

I second your comments on customer relations from Nissan, lightonthehill.

I have had a couple of go arounds with Nissan customer support on issues with my car that I found out about because others were having the same issue.

Their first knee-jerk reaction to my complaints were to deny the problem existed. Secondly, fixing the issue came at much inconvenience to me, usually having to give my car up for hours/days. Since my Nissan dealer does not supply loaner cars, I was left carless.

I look at Infiniti corp and related dealerships, Saab, BMW, VW. They all seem to be much more customer satisfaction focused.

It's the little things that make for a satisfied customer. At the least, taking you at your word when you report a problem is one of those "little things"

I agree, having a Nissan corp rep. review this list would go far in getting those complaints back up the chain.

Spunko

I agree, lightonthehill. It is virtually a no-brainer that a company should check the net for consumer reviews on their products, especially car manufacturers. There are enthusiast forums, such as this one, out there for practically every type and make of vehicle on the market.

If I were in charge (hardy har har), I would have a quality person whose job is to specifically monitor enthusiast forums and websites. Info from these places should be treated like a gold mine. Reviews/complaints compiled from service departments and orgs such as the HTSA (or whatever it's called) are usually generalized and watered down. Enthusiast forums are direct, blunt, straight to the point, and come from ACTUAL users on the front line.

You gotta wonder, though, if any one of us that post here actually are a Nissan employee in disguise. I wish we could get some sort of indication if they actually are monitoring this forum.

Let's put it like this... if the 2005 has a different color info screen, then we know our efforts have done some justice.

Wills98MaxSE

i say keep the complaints rolling

greg_atlanta

Making perfect cars isn't profitable and doesn't always affect new buyer behavior. Nissan knows this. I'm not surprised if they're slow to react to quality issues as long as sales are high.

Maxidriver

I agree with all of you. Nissan loyalist (Like Us) will always come back but I will no longer be a guinea pig for first year models. I wanted this Maxima and had to have it, but no more, not with my money. There are alot of cars out there that are getting better, take a look. I could have waited for the 05 Maxima but didn't. Now I'm paying for it. Nissan's are not cheap, I expect a better car and a better customer service. A majority of their vehicles sold are above $27K, (Armanda, Titan, Maxima, Pathfinder, Morano and Loaded Atlima). I send alot of money on my Maxima. I expect better, that's all!!!!