Nissan dealer not honoring warranty

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spudbeach

Member
Joined
May 29, 2021
Messages
5
So, I bought a 2016 Leaf SV, with the 30 kWh battery in March. It had 9 bars on the SOH meter, but I thought, well, when it drops to 8 bars, I'll take it in to the dealer, and they'll fix it under warranty.

Last week it dropped to 8 bars, I took it in, and they didn't honor the warranty. They confirmed that it was down to 8 bars, but to quote the service document, "Gradual loss of capacity is a normal battery characteristic."

I looked it up, and this car has a 96 month / 100,000 mile battery capacity coverage that kicks in "below nine bars".

So what gives? Is the dealer just misinformed? Clueless? Do I need to call them back and say "hey, you missed something!" If calling the service manager doesn't work, what's the next step?

Thanks!
 
Show them the warranty document. The "gradual loss" may be confusing them, so give them the benefit of the doubt. But if they continue to refuse, contact Nissan directly. It is equally likely that they just don't want to do the battery replacement because they don't have the expertise, or just don't want the hassle. In any case, keep in mind that ANY Leaf Certified Nissan dealership can do the replacement, not just the one that sold you the car.

And congratulations: you have 'won the battery lottery' and should be getting a new 40kwh battery as the replacement, giving you a 150 mile range Leaf.
 
Since the dealership won't help you (which is odd, they get paid to do this), bypass them.

1) Call the Consumer Affairs Department at 1-877-664-2738
2) Provide your personal information
3) Give your Vehicle Identification Number, date of purchase, and current odometer reading
4) Talk about the problem you are experiencing
5) Follow the instructions of the customer service rep
 
Or just call a different dealership dealership. Why fight with a clueless dealership to do the work ?

But yes, you should get a battery replacement under warranty.
 
mjb750j said:
please keep the group updated on how you make out
Thanks

Thanks for all the support! Now I just have to wait for the long weekend to pass. Come Tuesday, I'll be making calls . . . . .. . . . .
 
SageBrush said:
Or just call a different dealership dealership. Why fight with a clueless dealership to do the work ?

But yes, you should get a battery replacement under warranty.

Exactly this. It's like asking a sullen waiter to bring you another steak because yours is overcooked. You really don't want the results.
 
Well, after talking to the service manager, I am now in line for a new battery! Yay!!!

Now, if I could just get back the time from an extra trip back and forth . . . . :D
 
spudbeach said:
Well, after talking to the service manager, I am now in line for a new battery! Yay!!!

Now, if I could just get back the time from an extra trip back and forth . . . . :D

Awesome !
 
SalemCat said:
spudbeach said:
Well, after talking to the service manager, I am now in line for a new battery! Yay!!!

Now, if I could just get back the time from an extra trip back and forth . . . . :D

Awesome !

The new battery came in, and it is totally awesome! 155 miles on the guess-o-meter when I picked it up!

Thanks all!
 
spudbeach said:
SalemCat said:
spudbeach said:
Well, after talking to the service manager, I am now in line for a new battery! Yay!!!

Now, if I could just get back the time from an extra trip back and forth . . . . :D

Awesome !

The new battery came in, and it is totally awesome! 155 miles on the guess-o-meter when I picked it up!

Thanks all!

How did you get it done? I am having the same issue and when I called nissan I got a case number and was told someone will call for it if warranty goodwill. What do they not understand?
 
Well, after I got turned down by the counter agent, I called the service manager the next day. He hemmed and hawed, and I was put off another day. The next day, he called me back and said that he had talked to a nissan guy, and that there was an extended warranty. I brought my car back one more time, they looked at it again, and they ordered the battery.

I kept driving until the battery came in, and then one more visit to get it installed.

I think the key was having a 2016 leaf with a 30 kWh battery. The factory warranty on that was specifically extended. I read the text of the warranty to the service manager, and I think that helped.

Good luck!
 
spudbeach said:
... I read the text of the warranty to the service manager, and I think that helped. ...

God, I hate the manufacturer/dealership dynamic. What kind of service manager doesn't understand the warranties? Or at the very least, check into the matter instead of blindly telling the customer that they are sadly mistaken? No, this is because manufacturers make warranty work odious for the dealership so a service manager who lacks integrity will try to discourage you in hopes you'll be gullible enough to believe them, or at least go elsewhere.
 
Nubo said:
What kind of service manager doesn't understand the warranties? Or at the very least, check into the matter instead of blindly telling the customer that they are sadly mistaken? No, this is because manufacturers make warranty work odious for the dealership so a service manager who lacks integrity will try to discourage you in hopes you'll be gullible enough to believe them, or at least go elsewhere.
A simpler explanation is that when in doubt whether work will be warranted (paid for) by the manufacturer, the service manager has a lot of money reasons to err on saying no. The dealership does not give the service manager a gold star for agreeing to warranty work, but you can be that there is a a stiff penalty for agreeing to unpaid for work.

The customer has to find a service manager able to read warranty language; and when in doubt talk to the manufacturer.
 
SageBrush said:
Nubo said:
What kind of service manager doesn't understand the warranties? Or at the very least, check into the matter instead of blindly telling the customer that they are sadly mistaken? No, this is because manufacturers make warranty work odious for the dealership so a service manager who lacks integrity will try to discourage you in hopes you'll be gullible enough to believe them, or at least go elsewhere.
A simpler explanation is that when in doubt whether work will be warranted (paid for) by the manufacturer, the service manager has a lot of money reasons to err on saying no. The dealership does not give the service manager a gold star for agreeing to warranty work, but you can be that there is a a stiff penalty for agreeing to unpaid for work. ...

I think that's essentially the same explanation. Mfg and dealer playing both ends against the middle.
 
Nubo said:
I think that's essentially the same explanation. Mfg and dealer playing both ends against the middle.
That is not what I mean. I am saying that the service advisor is motivated to not err on the side of approving work that will be rejected for warranty reimbursement. If the advisor is informed what is allowed, things go smoothly. If the advisor takes the time to clarify cases s/he is uncertain of, things go smoothly.

Where you see devious motivations I just see an overworked, lazy and none-to-bright service advisor.
 
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