Carsumer Advocacy? Nissan refuses to replace GT-R owner's busted transmission
Click above for high-res gallery of the Nissan GT-R
A member of the North American GT-R Owner's Club forums started a thread recently in which he tells about dropping off his Nissan GT-R at the dealership when he began hearing loud noises coming from the rear of the car. The dealership told him that his transmission was toast as a direct result of him turning off the car's VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) too much, which you have to do in order to use the Launch Control function. The cost to repair the tranny is $20,000 and Nissan won't cover it under warranty since the GT-R owner's manual states that damage to the transmission is not covered if it is proven to be the result of using Launch Control with the VDC turned off. In fact, the manual states that the only reason you should turn off VDC is for when you're rocking the vehicle because it's stuck in mud or snow. That's kind of like Nissan saying you should never use the Launch Control function despite the fact it's there.
Gallery: Review: 2009 Nissan GT-R
The situation clearly sucks for this GT-R owner, and we can certainly understand his frustration. Nissan, however, has itself covered in that the owner's manual makes it clear that any damage to the transmission resulting from using Launch Control is not covered, and we're told GT-R owners actually have to sign something when picking up the car to show they understand this policy. And to be clear, just switching off VDC will not void the warranty, and many owners have used Launch Control with no damage to the transmission whatsoever.
We think there's something a little fishy going on with both parties in this conflict. For one, no one knows for sure exactly how many times this GT-R owner used Launch Control. Doing it once in a while to show off is one thing, but abusing any car with that much power will eventually lead to something failing, and in those cases the automaker shouldn't necessarily be held responsible for the repairs.
That said, we're also not exactly sure how delicate these GT-R transmissions are. If Nissan had any idea that its Launch Control function could damage the car, it should have built a system that could protect itself. Take the new Porsche 911 and its PDK dual-clutch transmission that also has Launch Control. The new Porsche will let you rip off about a dozen runs in a row before a dashboard light illuminates and the ECU limits engine power until everything cools off. Why can't the GT-R watch out for itself like that?
Click the source below and decide for yourself who is right and who is wrong in this situation.
[Source: nagtroc.org]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
John 3:05PM (10/13/2008)
Yeah, sucks for the GT-R owner, but I've got to side with Nissan on this one. No manufacturer covers the car if you abuse it, and my guess is that this is EXACTLY what was going on.
No need to use Launch Control at every stop light....
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From My Cube 3:11PM (10/13/2008)
while I somewhat agree with you what happens if you take your car to the track fairly often and it shreds the tranny?
Nissan should have programed the ECU to alert the driver when the tranny is to hot and could damage it...if your going to give the car launch control atleast let the driver know it could kill the tran
John 3:18PM (10/13/2008)
Again, I am not aware of a single manufacturer that would repair a car under warranty if you race it. Every manufacturer I know of SPECIFICALLY states that if you use the car for that purpose (racing) that you stand to void any warranty on the car.
Take Chrysler for instance. None of the SRT vehicles come with the lifetime warranty because they KNOW you are going to abuse them, and abuse leads to things getting broken. These are street cars, not race cars, they are meant for the street, NOT the track. It sucks, I agree, but its the truth, and everyone who buys one knows that....
To complain after the fact is just kind of childish imo...
nataku83 3:21PM (10/13/2008)
I'm not a big fan of car companies including features on the car that, when used properly, abuse / damage the vehicle. This also goes for the Cobalt SS's no lift shift / launch control, which just seem like they can't be good for the clutch / synchros.
TJ 3:22PM (10/13/2008)
1) transmission must be replaced, cannot be repaired. Wow.
2) Do not offer a 'feature' that voids the warranty.
3) If the sum of the parts are not up to the task of reasonably completing the purpose of a 'feature', detune the feature. BMW does this with the Euro versus US spec M-series launch control.
4) This proves the hazards of the black box. Not only do these devices provide input into the driving dynamics/abuses of the owner, it also provides insight into the abuses manufacturers can inflict on customers. "We are sorry Mr Johnson, according to the OBD-o-matic you have started your Camry in sub-32 degree weather more than three times, voiding your powertrain warranty."
5) It amazes me that someone as seemingly illiterate as the owner can afford a vehicle like that.
TJ 3:27PM (10/13/2008)
@ John:
This is a specific feature of the car. If the manufacturer will not stand behind the feature, do not offer it to the customer.
Also, look at the Evo/STI autocross membership fiasco from a few years back.
Tourian 4:02PM (10/13/2008)
Mitsubishi never gave out free SCCA memberships with Evos or any of their cars, that was Subaru.
elindiano 4:09PM (10/13/2008)
im sure it was abused.
nissan should only cover the repairs if it was normal ware and tear. sorry but sounds like this guy was racing his gtr.
TJ 4:17PM (10/13/2008)
Thanks for the correction Tourian.
Subaru: gave SCCA memberships, voided if raced.
Mitsu allegedly scanned the web looking for proof of racing to void claims.
sam0 5:01PM (10/13/2008)
I bet this was not from sustained aggressive driving. More likely he locked up one of the wheels somehow and one side of the diff spun to kingdom come. Or he manually shifted out of neutral at high rpm. There's a nasty combo.
ArtBoy 5:29PM (10/13/2008)
I thought this car was suppose to be like an inteligent robot, since nissan was concerned with tuners messing this piece of engineering. so much has been said about this car that i am having seconds thoughts.
MIKE S 5:39PM (10/13/2008)
Honda does. I've seen it first hand with S2000 and Civic SI customers smoking their clutches at 5000 miles, event less, one time goodwill gestures. Make sense. Best form of advertising in the world. Look at bad press Nissan is getting. Also, it would not cost Nissan $20K, that's the customer pay rate, which the dealer is probably thinking, if this person can afford the mark up, then off with their head.
naggs 8:37PM (10/13/2008)
when you buy a car with a computer logger, this is what you have to expect.
from the owners POV, computer control peaked with obd1. its all downhill from there because the technology in the car you are buying is not there to help you, its there to help them.
Judy Zik 9:51AM (10/14/2008)
Anyone with a pulse who spends that kind of money on a "sporty car" is going to want to try out launch control and act like a big kid. Just what is excessive? Does Nissan clearly define that? Either way it would be simple to have an idiot light come on before you pass that threshold? This is a case of ridiculously poor engineering.
Tourian 11:00AM (10/14/2008)
@ MIKE S
I don't see how Honda goodwilling a few clutches compares to Nissan goodwilling a $20K transmission that was made by another company (Ricardo) that they have to pay for. Talk to more of your Honda friends who had gears drop out of their Si's, bad engines in S2000's or bad trans in their V6 powered vehicles and see if they had just as good response.
@naggs
Although I agree with you that more and more watchdog technology is being loaded into vehicles, it isn't just to help "them" It also will help you that the manufacturer doesn't have to pay for fraudulent wearranty claims on people that abuse their vehicles, or return them to stock before taking them in to service and otherwise take advantage of a company who might could do better off by not offering vehicles such as this at all. Otherwise, we'll only have vehicles like Toyota's lineup to chose from.
innoc3nt 5:24AM (10/15/2008)
I agree somewhat, but I don't think they should be able to quote a 3.2 sec 0-60 time or whatever the figure is if it requires doing something that would void the warranty. Isn't that a bit absurd?
I wonder if this is a case of "get what you pay for," although even if it is, the GT-R is still one hell of a value.
John 1:31PM (10/15/2008)
If you read up on this whole story, the guy used Launch Control 20 times in the first 2 weeks. That is plain and simply put, excessive. It causes extreme wear and tear on the vehicle and is bound to break something...
I would figure with a $80k car that you aren't driving it 100's of miles a day so I would guess that when the car broke it only had a couple thousand miles MAX on it, probably less than that.
He abused the car, something broke, and now he has to pay and is whining like a child who threw his new toy against a wall and can't believe it broke... Learn to take car of your toys or expect to pay for them when they break.
Sandok 3:10PM (10/13/2008)
Honestly, who reads the fine print in manuals? I would have seen the LC button and used it a few times just to feel the power of 3.5s to reach 60.
If it breakes because of that, then boo to Nissan!
Then again, maybe this dude made thousands of LCs...
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RJ 5:39PM (10/13/2008)
So, the question becomes: should the magazines and Nissan advertise their impressive 0-60 times if the car can't hold up doing so?
Russell 10:04PM (10/13/2008)
Face it, this car is a piece of
"engineering".
Surprising it held up at the N-Ring to record the time. Will see how these will hold up with people intending on tracking them.