2004 Nissan Armada

DT: 2004 NISSAN ARMADA. CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT FRONT BRAKE ROTORS PROBLEM. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES , AND THEY KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM, AND THEY WERE ONLY FIXING THIS IN SHORT TERM. IN TWO OR THREE MONTHS THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. CONSUMER SPOKEN WITH THE MANUFACTURER, AND THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL. WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND GOING DOWN HILLS, AND SOON AS TAKING FOOT OFF THE GAS AND GOING TO APPLY THE BRAKES FRONT WHEELS, STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKE PEDAL SHAKE VERY BADLY. THIS CAUSED THE CAR TO STOP. *AK

ON THREE OCCASSIONS, AT MILEAGE 7500, 15000, AND 22000, THE FRONT ROTORS HAVE WARPED ON MY NISSAN PATHFINDER ARMANDA 4WD, CAUSING DANGEROUS STEERING AND DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS INCORRECTLY SIZED BRAKE PADS WHICH HEAT UP AND WARP THE ROTORS. NISSAN HAS CORRECTED THE PROBLEM IN EACH CASE BY GRINDING AND/OR REPLACING THE ROTORS. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE "ARMADA BRAKE ISSUE".

1) 130LB FEMALE ADULT SITTING PROPERLY IN THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT IS UNABLE TO ENGAGE THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. NO MATTER THE SEATING POSITION, E.G. UPRIGHT, SLOUCHING OR OTHERWISE, THE INDICATOR LIGHT SHOWS SYSTEM IS DISABLED. 2) VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL NISSAN DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE A SOLUTION, SUGGESTING THAT A GREATER WEIGHT WAS NECESSARY TO ENGAGE THE AIRBAG. 3) COMPARABLE VEHICLES, AND NISSAN DOCUMENTATION SHOW THAT WEIGHTS UNDER 60 LBS SHOULD DISABLE THE AIRBAG FEATURE. NISSAN IS DEFICIENT AND NEGLIGENT IN ALLOWING THIS VEHICLE TO BE OPERATING WITH A KNOWN SERIOUS DEFECT.

PURCHASED 2004 NISSAN ARMADA, JUNE 2004 8/04 TECH FOUND FRONT ROTORS TO BE WARPED CAUSING PULSATION, RESURFACED FRONT ROTORS 1/05TECH FOUND FRONT ROTORS NEEDING TO BE CUT, AND HARDWARE REPLACED, RESURFASED FRONT ROTORS, REPLACED ALL HARDWARE 4/05TECH VERIFIED BOTH FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WARPED DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT, RESURFACED BOTH FRONT BRAKE ROTORS 6/05 AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PURCHASED IN 11/2003, AND IT WAS IN THE SHOP FOR CREAKING IN THE UNI-BODY, AND A HARMONIC HUM WHEN THE DEFROST WAS ON, ALONG WITH HAVING VISORS REPLACED. THEN WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD AFTER THAT THE TRUCK REACHED 3000 MILES AND WITH EVERY 3000 MILES THE BREAKS BEGIN TO PULSATE AND CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO SHAKE MAKING DRIVING DIFFICULT. THE FIRST TIME IT WAS BROUGHT IN TO THE DEALERS FOR THIS THE ROTORS WERE TURNED AND THE BRAKE PADS REPLACED. ON THE NEXT VISIT, THE DEALERSHIP PUT ON A SO CALLED REPAIR KIT, WHICH WAS REPLACING THE ROTORS AND CHANGING THE PADS WITH AFTERMARKET PADS. AND THEN WHEN IT CAME TO THE THIRD TIME...I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD DO A QUICK FIX AND SUPPOSEDLY A REPLACEMENT KIT WAS IN THE WORKS. AFTER BRINGING MY VEHICLE DOWN FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, AND THE QUICK FIX I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT NISSAN SAID, NOT TO DO THE QUICK FIX, SINCE THE REPLACEMENT KIT IS AVAILABLE FOR ORDERING SOON. I HAD TO EXPLAIN TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE PULSATING WAS SO BAD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. AFTER A VIVID DISCUSSION WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER THE VEHICLE WAS GIVEN THE QUICK FIX. WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE REPLACEMENT KIT. THE QUICK FIX WAS DONE IN MAY 2005. AND NO WORD HAS COME YET REGARDING THIS SO CALLED "REPLACEMENT KIT".

DT: WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND HEARD A SOUND OF EXPLOSION AND IT WAS THE TIRE THAT EXPLODED ON THE FREEWAY. WAS DRIVING AT 70 MPH. THEN PULLED OVER TO CHANGE IT WITH THE SPARE. I SAW A HOLE ABOUT SIX INCHES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TIRE WALL NOT IN FRONT SIDE. THIS WAS THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. CALLED NISSAN DEALER. THEY SAID TO CONTACT THE TIRE MANUFACTURER. CONSUMER CALLED CONTINENTAL TIRES. AND THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY. THE ONLY OPTION WAS THAT CONSUMER PURCHASED A NEW TIRES WHICH COST $300.00. WENT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE CAR WAS CHECKED , AND HAD NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS . NISSAN DEALER SAID TO CALL BACK CONTINENTAL TIRES. CALLED THE AGAIN AND CONTINENTAL TIRES DID NOT WANTED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. AS OF NOW CONSUMER COULD NOT DRIVE WITH THE SPARE TIRE, AND COMPLAINED AGAINST CONTINENTAL TIRES.*AK

I PURCHASED MY 2004 NISSAN PATHFINDER ARMADA IN DECEMBER 2004 WITH APPROX. 10 MILES. AROUND THE TURN OF 4,000 MILES, MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THIS SHAKING WAS SO BAD THAT THE TRUCK WAS UNABLE TO STOP OR STEER PROPERLY. MY WIFE AND I HAVE BOTH NARROWLY AVOIDED MAJOR POTENTIALLY INJURIOUS ACCIDENTS AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM. WE STOPPED DRIVING THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONERNS, BUT WHEN THIS WAS BROUGHT UP TO THE DEALERSHIPS AND NISSAN NORTH AMERICA WE WERE ASSURED THERE "WAS NO SAFETY ISSUE". THE DEALERSHIP HAS ASSISTED WITH THE PROBLEM AND PROVIDED A "TEMPORARY FIX" TO THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER ALSO EXPLAINED THAT THIS TEMPORARY FIX WILL NOT LAST VERY LONG AND I'LL HAVE TO COME BACK WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED TO A THOUSAND MILES. THE DEALER ASSURED ME THAT THEY'D ATTEMPT TO GET THE HARDWARE TO REPLACE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, "INFERIOR ROTORS THAT ARE TOO SMALL FOR THE TRUCK", BUT UNTIL THEN I'LL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO PAY FOR MY INFERIOR PRODUCT. THE MOST DAMAGING STATEMENT MADE BY THE DEALER, AGAINST THE CORPORATION, WAS THAT SINCE SO MANY VEHICLES HAD THIS PROBLEM AND THE CORPORATION COULD NOT ORDER ENOUGH PARTS FAST ENOUGHT TO FIX THE FAULTY VEHICLES, "NISSAN MOTORS WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO GET A HARDWARE PACKAGE UNTIL YOU BRING THE VEHICLE IN THE THIRD TIME". THIS WAS ACTUAL GUIDANCE PUT OUT BY NISSAN MOTORS TO DEALERS TO AVOID A BACKLOG. THIS WAS CONFIRMED WHEN I SPOKE WITH NISSAN MOTORS NORTH AMERICA ON JUNE 09, 2005. I HAVE DOCUMENTED ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN IT. NO ONE IN MY FAMILY WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF THIS, BUT IT IS PROBABLY ONLY BECAUSE WE TOOK OUR VEHICLE OUT OF SERVICE VOLUNTARILY.

THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A SURGE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP RELIABLY. THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ROTORS TWICE BUT THE SAME PROBLEM RECURS LESS THAN 3000 MILES LATER. THE HARDER THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE MORE VIOLENT THE SHAKING OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. *NM