Poor Quality and Horrid Customer Support. Nissan does not stand behind their products. We purchased a NEW 2005 Nissan Xterra SE in May 2006 for my wife. Upon taking delivery and driving home the low tire pressure warning light came on. I returned the vehicle that evening to the dealership and was told by the service manager that the tire pressure was low because of the altitude in Colorado Springs. They aired the tire and the following morning the tire was flat. Guess that was a lot of altitude. Called the dealership and they stated they did not have any tires in stock, and that it would be 5-7 business days before they got one and that I should put my spare on. I found a tire at a tire store 3 blocks from the dealership and told them they needed to do better than 5-7 days.

Approximately 6 months after the purchase my wife started to complain about a strong sulfur smell when the car was at idle. We took it back to the dealership and they told her that it was the result of the agents in the fuel in Colorado, and that she should try another gas station. My wife is not a brand loyalist, and had been purchasing her fuel at whatever station was convenient. To appease the dealership she began purchasing her fuel at a local Shell, but the issue persisted. Again the dealership stated it was the fuel and there was nothing they could do about it.

Several months later the lower tire pressure warning began to go off again. She took it to the dealership, and they told her that there was a nail in the tread and the hole could not be repaired, but they could order us a new tire, at our expense, and have it the next day. Took the vehicle to the same tire store I mentioned previously and surprisingly they were able to repair the damage. Tire lasted another 15000 miles.

The latest adventure with the Nissan dealership was in May of 2010, during a scheduled maintenance visit. While there I asked them to look at a paint peeling issue on the roof. Initially the service manager stated that it looked like a paint defect, but later recanted his position and stated it was a result of rock chips. I inquired as to how rock chips ended up on the roof rain gutters and he became agitated. The vehicle had been in our possession for four years almost to the day, and I was told that paint is only covered for one year and that repair costs would be my responsibility. After the service managers insistence that it was not Nissan’s responsibility I contacted the Nissan Consumer Affairs division to attempt to get the issue resolved. Three weeks of playing phone tag with the representative, and I was again told that the damage was the result of rock chips, and that Nissan would do nothing to correct the issue.

My wife and I are now on a personal crusade to dissuade anyone from buying a Nissan product, and the roof of our 4 year old vehicle is beginning to rust. I can only hope it rusts through before the lapse of the 5 year warranty.

Buyers Beware!