My '04 Sentra is a LEMON

jbh26 · Mar 21st, 2004, 04:48 PM

I bought a brand spankin' new '04 Sentra at Glick Nissan of Westborough, MA 2wks ago.

After 8 days of operation (at 495 miles), the check engine light came on and I lost engine power on a busy highway.

After the rude service guy at my dealer told me I didn't put the gas cap on right (having not even looked at my gas cap). I insisted on a diagnostic test. It came back as a bad ECM module (computer). They replaced it under warranty.

4 days after I picked it up, now only 715 miles on it - engine light came on again and again lost power at a bad intersection.

Made it to the dealer and was told they can't help me until moday - offered no apologies and refused me a loaner car - made me drive an unsafe car home.

At this point I consider it a lemon, tho legally the computer has to die once more first.

I won't ever buy anoher Nissan! And am trying to get out of owning this one (which I haven't even had the opportunity to make my 1st payment on).

Wanted to share my story. A report has been filed with the NHTSA.

Anyone else have similar problems with their Sentra???

One more thing. When washing it a few days ago - I notice a big yellow car crayon "S" written on the front plastic piece under the grille. Whats up with this? This tells me it has been replaced... ?

- Joe

**chimmike** · Mar 21st, 2004, 05:40 PM

I think your problem has more to do with the dealer than the car. Most have had nothing but good reliability with the 1.8s.

the S mark is probably just a manufacturing mark. Very common. tells you it has been replaced? how do you know this.

Chuck · Mar 21st, 2004, 05:42 PM

You got some serious issues... never buy another nissan because you get 1 bad one?.. dude, there is some lemon law that you can return it in 1 month, and say you never wanted it.. hte dealer has to avide..

NismoAmy · Mar 21st, 2004, 10:22 PM

i haven't heard bad things about the 04's. i have the 04 spec and so far after 6 months and 13,500 miles it has been a great car to me. the only issue i have had is with the brakes making noise almost all the time since ive owned it, but thats not Nissan's problem.

and almost every car i have owned has had writing on the plastic. dosent mean its been replaced.

YELLOWV · Mar 21st, 2004, 11:05 PM

My ECM just went bad as well but I have had mine for a year and a half. You need a new dealer. Mine gave me a loaner (after a little bitching) but they took care of the problem A.S.A.P and wouldnt let me drive the car that way.

davejay · Mar 23rd, 2004, 05:29 PM

Is this perhaps related to the Sentra ECM recall? Perhaps the dealer has a stack of older (but still new) units in his parts bin that he's throwing in, or worse, he's taking used units that he pulled from other Sentras under recall and throwing them in as replacement units. Hmm.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I just bought an '04 SE-R, having traded in my 2001 GXE, and I still have my wife's 2000 GXE -- and al three cars have been virtually trouble-free. So don't give up on Nissans just yet.

YellowSpecV34 · Mar 23rd, 2004, 10:15 PM

Welcome to the club...My Spec has been a lemon almost the whole time I have had it. I am selling the car or filing for the lemon law...whichever comes first. This is the worst car I have ever owned. Good luck!

ittamaticstatic · Mar 23rd, 2004, 10:29 PM

Dude You can bring it back. I bought my 03 and the dude before me had to bring it back because he couldnt aford it and his moms went up there trippin or something about his credit. The Nissan here said they took it back after 3 days I think so go raise some hell if ya want. Or you could try to milk them for free oil changes for a year, I did. Fuel cap ....I died ...lol

03specticalv · Mar 23rd, 2004, 11:06 PM

take it to a new dealer (if its convenient) if the service guys are asses, then they treat the car the same was, he probably just unpluged the ecu and pluged it back in and was like "works for me", or like everyone else says raise a whole lota hell till they will take the car back just to get you off their car lot, i dont blame ya for wanting to be rid of it at all

NismoSileighty · Mar 24th, 2004, 01:04 AM

If your gunna not buy a nissan cause youve had a bad experience with one... and with that one particular dealer... then damn I dont wanna see how you approach anything else. Im sorry that you got a "lemon". Dont let one bad experience dishearten you though. Nissan is a good company. If the car is bought why not just throw alil but of $$ out and get a JWT Ecu or something :-Pi honestly dont think you should give up on Nissan because of one bad experience. if you declare it a lemon just get another 04 sentra but hey if you really dislike nissan that much then i guess all i can say is buy a honda or something?

Harris · Mar 24th, 2004, 07:37 AM

That's why I say, "stick with the B13s/B14s".

**chimmike** · Mar 24th, 2004, 10:44 AM

the thing is, the car isn't the big problem, its his dealer. He can't cry lemon when the car had a minor issue that just wasn't solved by the dealer.

FadedKM83 · Mar 25th, 2004, 01:53 AM

i sure as hell would cry lemon if my car died after driving it for one week.
my advice: if your not getting anywhere with the service department, take it up the ladder. if you make enough trouble, youll get what you want. (it just takes a hell of a lot of energy)

04'1.8S · Mar 25th, 2004, 06:36 AM

i have own a 04' Sentra and it has been great.

**chimmike** · Mar 25th, 2004, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FadedKM83

i sure as hell would cry lemon if my car died after driving it for one week.
my advice: if your not getting anywhere with the service department, take it up the ladder. if you make enough trouble, youll get what you want. (it just takes a hell of a lot of energy)

Go read the lemon laws in your manual.