Sean sent a message to Carlos Ghosn President and CEO, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. that said:
I want to explain my experience with my Nissan Frontier, I hope that you will find time to read through this fully. First of all, you may notice that there are many locations where I had my 2010 Frontier serviced that is because I am active duty service member. In April or May of 2010 I ordered my 2010 Nissan Frontier, Pro 4X with every item I wanted and in July of 2010 it arrived. This was my first truck and because my grandfather always had Nissan trucks thatâs what I wanted. He said they are always reliable and the company stands behind its equipment.
I intended to have this truck for 200,000 + miles and took care of it appropriately. I ensured that I had the oil changed every 3,750 miles as it called for and had all of the major services completed by the dealership. These major services included the 7,500 mile services ($174.59), 15,000 mile services ($275.72), 30,000 mile services ($612.10), and the 60,000 mile services ($679.35). I ensured all of these services were completed at the dealership and at a major cost to me because I wanted to have my truck for a long period of time. I have all of these service records if you would like to confirm them.
30 September 2015 I noticed what I perceived to be a transmission or engine issue, based on noise and how the truck was acting. I brought it to Stewart Nissan in Fayetteville around the 89,000 mile mark. I explained the problem and left the vehicle with them over night. They stated that nothing was wrong and the vehicle was in tip-top shape. There was an upcoming major service due at 90,000 miles and when I was able I was going to have those services completed as well.
Much to my surprise, on the way back to my hunt club I noticed some power issues and luckily had made it to the camp just as I noticed the issue. This is when I could see the oil caked on the tailgate of the truck. With a flashlight and a few tools I pulled of the skid plate and saw the crack in the engine block. I had it towed to the dealership in Staunton, Va where they confirmed my fears. $7,000 + for a new engine or $4,000 for a used one that had about the same amount of miles that my truck had when the engine blew. I couldnât and canât afford that kind of money so I asked the dealership to purchase the truck from me as is. They, instead of giving me what I asked for ($8,000) low balled me at ($7,000). All well knowing they could replace the engine cheaper than I could and that the truck was worth $14,000 on a bad day. This was Nissanâs opportunity to make up for what Iâm convinced was a bad engine in the first place (confirmed through a family member that this 4.0 was developing a history of this exact problem). I took the deal December 5th 2015, because I really had no other choice.
If this had been handled more professionally I may have been likely to purchase another Nissan or, like my grandfather, have recommended Nissan because of the way they treat their consumers. As it stands I am very disappointed with my experience and Nissan in general and do not see a Nissan purchase in the future or will I recommend this product to any family, friends or service members. Nissanâs unprofessional manner and product inferiority has cost me and my family almost $7,000. I only tell you this story so that you understand where your company is headed, and why your company is now considered a poor manâs Toyoto.
Thank you for your time,
Sean
