A 3 year old car with less than 45,000 miles, and the heater doesn't work. Without a defroster, it is unusable in winter weather. The dealership quoted $735 for a new heater, and 9 hours labor to install it. I've seen many other people in leaf forums that have had heater issues within the warranty period, and Nissan fixed the problems. I have had the bad luck to have mine fail outside the warranty period. I have really enjoyed the car up to the failure of the heater, and have been seriously considering upgrading to a 2017 model with the bigger battery. I have contacted Nissan about this, and they said they will get back to me in a few days. If they don't stand behind their product, this will be the last Nissan I will ever own. This is the first electric car at my work place, which employs over 150 people, and the average wage here is $21/hr. The average commute is 40 miles each way, and our employer is offering plug ins for us. Many of my co-workers have asked a lot of questions about the car, and many are just watching to see how it will perform over the long haul. It will be a real shame if Nissan decides not to stand behind their product - there are 150 prospects here that will never buy a Leaf if they don't.
Update from Dec 7, 2016: The rep from Nissan called - he said they would pay for half of the repair. It's still a shafting IMHO but at least $850 is a more affordable shafting than $1700. Called the dealership, the shop supervisor said he will order the parts and call me when they get in. In the meanwhile, I'm driving the wife's SUV and burning $17/day in gas instead of $3/day electricity. I have to give them credit - by the terms of their warranty, they could've told me to get bent and I'd have to sue and be able to prove that this is a design flaw with this particular part and car. I'd have to find out how many cars like mine had the same problem, pay a lawyer, and hope I won. For $850, I'll just forgo the headache and have the car fixed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
A 3 year old car with less than 45,000 miles, and the heater doesn't work. Without a defroster, it is unusable in winter weather. The dealership quoted $735 for a new heater, and 9 hours labor to install it. I've seen many other people in leaf forums that have had heater issues within the warranty period, and Nissan fixed the problems. I have had the bad luck to have mine fail outside the warranty period. I have really enjoyed the car up to the failure of the heater, and have been seriously considering upgrading to a 2017 model with the bigger battery. I have contacted Nissan about this, and they said they will get back to me in a few days. If they don't stand behind their product, this will be the last Nissan I will ever own. This is the first electric car at my work place, which employs over 150 people, and the average wage here is $21/hr. The average commute is 40 miles each way, and our employer is offering plug ins for us. Many of my co-workers have asked a lot of questions about the car, and many are just watching to see how it will perform over the long haul. It will be a real shame if Nissan decides not to stand behind their product - there are 150 prospects here that will never buy a Leaf if they don't.
Update from Dec 7, 2016: The rep from Nissan called - he said they would pay for half of the repair. It's still a shafting IMHO but at least $850 is a more affordable shafting than $1700. Called the dealership, the shop supervisor said he will order the parts and call me when they get in. In the meanwhile, I'm driving the wife's SUV and burning $17/day in gas instead of $3/day electricity. I have to give them credit - by the terms of their warranty, they could've told me to get bent and I'd have to sue and be able to prove that this is a design flaw with this particular part and car. I'd have to find out how many cars like mine had the same problem, pay a lawyer, and hope I won. For $850, I'll just forgo the headache and have the car fixed.
- dwniemela, Centerville, WA, US