2016 Nissan NV Passenger SL Paint Defects

[Flashman]

I just purchased a Black 2016 NVP from my local dealer. I traded in my Silver 2014 NVP. Upon waxing the vehicle. I noticed a few dirt bumps under the clear in the hood on the top of the pass fender and on the side of the drivers fender. There is also a slight clear run on the edge of the back fender. There are no other paint defects anywhere else on this van. I dont think this was from when it was painted at the Manufacturing plant. I feel that it was damaged in transport or at the dealership. The van only had 6 miles on it. The front drivers side chrome bumper had 3 long scratches in it when I took delivery. I was pissed off and went back the next morning and made them replace the front bumper. The dealership denies any paint work or damage to my van. My 2014 Silver NV had Perfect paint. Even on the roof. No imperfections. Have any of you had any paint problems with your new vans?

[ASD Dad]

Take it to a trusted body shop and have them give it a full inspection, even if it costs you money so you can get a written report of any issues.

 

My Van paint has been good from what I can tell but I havent waxed the beast yet.  I still think the front bumpers fit weird with the opening gap towards the wheel well but I have seen that on many NV's.  I have one tow hook that is totally oxidized already while the other is shiny.

 

Reason I mentioned the body shop - we owned a Toyota Highlander that was in a wreck brand new and never disclosed.  The front left fender was replaced and repainted and there was fixed damage underneath the vehicle.  We had owned the vehicle a while by then so couldnt prove we did not do the damage.  I found both while washing the car one day, it was obvious work but it was fixed well enough to not be seen by a casual once over.  Plus it is brand new you dont expect that!  We bought that SUV with 15 miles on it.

 

Also - our last camper was brand new and in an accident during transit to our dealer and not disclosed at closing.  The rear corner had been repaired like he clipped something while delivering it (easily done, I did it myself once!).  I had found that quickly and we had to threaten our dealer with legal action to get it resolved.  We ended up taking a very nice discount on the camper since the repair was done well and not visible unless you crawled under it.  

 

Lastly - it could very well be from the factory that way.  There have been many many paint defects from other companies brand new.  Years ago I owned one of the GM Tahoe's that had the bad primer steel so paint would just flake off in huge sheets!  That affected a ton of GM's.  I would still fight the dealer to get it fixed either way.  The clear run could be wet sanded out fairly easily.  The debris under the clear would need wet sanded out and then reshot with clear and wet sanded again to blend.  

[radin2son]

Flashman, both of your posts point to poor NVP quality control at the Canton facility and the dealership. The crossed wires shouldn't have passed through the factory doors, but the paint and bumper probably would not have been that big a deal on the cargo van, particularly for commercial users.

 

You have to wonder why the dealer, any dealer would fight warranty issues. Naive I know, but is there a backhand? Do what ASD Dad suggests but also follow this up with Nissan Commercial Customer Service; they may reimburse you for the body shop expense. If not resolved, file a complaint with whatever consumer protection agency is in your state. Then find another dealer... I can't imagine service will be any better.

 

Future buyers, who do their research, will need to look their NVPs over very carefully before leaving the lot.

[Flashman]

Hello All. I waxed my van again the other day and did notice minor dirt in the clear in other areas and even a small fish eye on the rocker plate where you step into the Van. I was at a Nissan dealer getting my paint issues documented and was there for another wheel alignment. I checked the paint on four 2016 Nissan NVP SL's. Another black van also had paint imperfections just like mine. The mocha, silver, blue frost and pearl white have none. I think they have a problem painting the Black vans.  I have a case with Nissan USA. I also have a problem with the van immediately pulling to the right when you let go of the steering wheel. It happens on ever road in any lane. Even on the interstate. I went to three Nissan dealerships to have it corrected. It took a lot of my time and had to drive out of my area. Two blamed it on road crown. I restored a 91 Caddy Brougham that goes down the road straight. Even my Wife's 2015 Murano goes straight. The last dealership that I took it to in Tampa corrected it a little. But they had to align the front end just outside the specifications. It still drifts right within a second or two. But does not pull like before. They also rotated the tires and worked on it for 5 hours. I am not happy driving this van and dont want to make monthly payments for the next six years with a vehicle that goes right when I want to go straight. I feel that I got stuck with a Lemon. I so much want my 2014 NVP SL back. I am sorry that I traded it in for Black.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Flashman

[andy_george]

This is a big deal to you, so if you want to make it your quest to get them resolved, by all means, go for it. But just my quick $.02..... Black shows every defect and speck of dirt possible. I vowed years ago to never own anything black because it shows dust immidiately after a wash job (and I'm waaaay too picky!). And if any panel needs repair, like my 2011 Mustang GT hood, even the most reputable body shop in Michigan can't match black *perfectly*. Black reflects so beautifully, but is shows everything:(

 

As far as pulling to the right, I always that was normal in most cars? Very possibly made worse by road crown, but also as a safety feature to some degree.... A sleeping or passed out driver is less likely to head into innocent traffic. Not sure why your new van would seem so much worse than your old one though....?

 

Good luck, hope you get everything resolved to your satisfaction...!

[Flashman]

I sent Nissan a letter for Final Opportunity to Repair my van. Under Florida Lemon Law. They can either fix it or give me a new Van. No vehicle should pull or immediately drift to the right or left after three wheel alignments. They screwed up when the manufactured my Van. Something is bent or not seated in the front end. I am an Auto mechanic and restore cars for a hobby. I put a new front end in my 91 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and a wheel alignment. It goes down the road straight. The same roads that my Nissan goes right. My 86 Corvette. Goes down the road straight too after a new front end. Road Crown can play a part in it on certain roads. But not every road. If a Nissan Service dept blames it on road crown. That is just a Lazy excuse that they dont want to fix your vehicle.Thanks for the replies all.

Edited June 16, 2016 by Flashman

[radin2son]

Nissan has replaced vans for less serious issues. Buried deep in here are posts from a family whose NVP SL had problems with the front sonar sensors beeping for no reason. Nissan fronted a Savannah rental for their vacation while engineers worked it out. Their new replacement NVP had the same issue. Nissan decided it was the front license plate/bracket. Yet, other owners with front plates had no issues'to this extent or at all.

 

Between the wiring screw up, the paint and the alignment, you appear to have a van that should never have left Canton. We all assume our new vans are built within certain tolerances, but who checks this for outsourced parts coming to Canton and final assembly.

 

My guess is Nissan will voluntarily replace your van before the lemon law forces them to. Good luck. Go with silver...

[7andCounting]

I just got my new 2016 NVP 3500 SL yesterday. It hasn't left the dealership yet, and the sonars are already beeping even if I'm not near any object. I turned around and went back inside the dealership to show them the problem. At first, they said the sensors are just dirty and they'll just clean it. After doing this step to no avail, they asked me to come next day so that their mechanic can see it early morning.

Today, I brought it back to them to check the sonars. After 2 hrs of trying to repair it, they told me 1 of the sonars is bad and they will order new parts for it and it will take a day to ship it to them. So we left our NEW van there, and we are hoping that tomorrow this issue will be resolved.

[Flashman]

My sensors on my 2014 SL would stay on when it rained or after I washed it. Water would get inside the sensor lense and activate the sensor. It would stop after I drove around for 10 minutes and the water dried out. Thank god that there is a switch on the dash to turn off the sensors.

[Flashman]

I wanted to see if I could get my van to go straight from pulling to the right. I put 80 lbs of air in the front right tire instead of 50. I put 50 lbs of air in the front left tire. Now the van should go straight or pull to the left. It still pulls to the right. Unbelievable. I have an appointment with a Nissan Inspector at my local Nissan dealer on July 12th. If they replace the van. Then I am out 500 bucks. Got my windows lettered for my business and the front windows tinted. I will keep you all posted.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Flashman

[andy_george]

Hard to believe they can't get to the bottom of this. Keep us posted on what Nissan does for ya, and what they find as the issue. Good luck! Nice van btw!

[radin2son]

Keep the pressure on and go for the $500 as well.

[ASD Dad]

I'm curious of the outcome, please keep us updated!  Alignments are not rocket science, if it is pulling after 3 alignments then something is just flat messed up out front.  What I dont understand is even if it were something not square you could still force an alignment to make it track straight even out of spec.  I am guessing they are not allowed to go outside the factory specs but if they do force it and it does track you know something is bent or installed incorrectly.  

 

It cant really be something loose, you should be able to feel that and it would be intermittent.  But again, even something as bad a bent tie rod can be corrected with enough alignment adjustments or even shims.  I've run on road courses for years and have had to do pit alignments using just string and measuring tapes and my cars tracked straight even after a doing something like bending a tie rod!  

 

I would guess before Nissan took it back they'd start throwing parts at the front end, even a new steering rack and labor to install would be less than buying it back.  They could then say they are acting in good faith to try and fix it so it doesnt go to arbitration yet (if FL has arbitration laws).

[Chris Dempsey]

I bought a slightly used Ford E-250 years ago that Ford had to buy back from the original purchaser. It, too, drifted to the right. I figured it was worth the savings and, because it was under warranty, they could eventually fix it. I was wrong. They replaced most of the front end components, adjusted this and that, aligned the wheels repeatedly - nothing helped. When I replaced the tires, the problem completely disappeared. I can’t imagine that they didn’t rotate them when trying to correct the drift, but really don’t remember.

[Flashman]

Update. On July 12th an inspector from Nissan met me at the dealership. We took a road test and he saw my problem. They gave me a rental vehicle and took my van in for repair. He calls me an hour later and says that they adjusted the caster and its fixed. I went back and road tested it with the inspector. It was improved a little but still steers right. Then he tries to feel me out and mentions road crown. Bullcrap. Then he says for safety reasons. They would rather have the van steer right then left in case the driver falls asleep. More bullcrap. I told him that is human error and this van is supposed to drive straight. He knew that I was not buying it. He said that they are almost all the way out on the caster but he has a little more room for adjustment. I told him that I hope that they dont align the van out of spec just to make me happy so it tracks straight. He promised me that he would Not do that. So they had my van for two more days. The inspector left and the service advisor calls and says that my van is fixed. He said that he road tested it and it goes straight for 19 seconds. I road tested it and it was improved a little. But still steers right. 19 seconds my a.. He must have road tested a different van. You let go of the wheel and count one one thousand and my van is steering right. By five one thousand. You are already in the middle of the next lane. I go back to the dealership and tell the service advisor that it is not fixed. I said that I am Not signing off on the repair. He said fine and that he could do nothing else for me. I took the van home and it is now in my possession. The problem started at 435 miles. It now just turned 2000 miles today.

 

Now the van will go straight on some roads for about 300 feet. But then I accelerate it immediately goes to the right. Like the rear axle is pushing the van right. Or just goes to the right under No acceleration. I also notice a front end noise when I take off. I got under the van and started to take measurements and looked for anything that was wrong. I could not see anything wrong. I got all my paperwork ready to send to BBB online for an Arbitration case against Nissan. I got a call from a woman at Nissan USA two days ago. She asked if my they fixed my van. I said no.They could not fix it. She said that she would speak to the inspector about it and call me back. I got a call today from the same woman at Nissan USA.

 

She said. Mr Carolla. We are going to replace your Nissan van with a New one. Would you like to deal with your current dealership. I said no. They stink. I took delivery of this new van with a scratched chrome bumper, Chewed up wires from a rodent. They did not even open the hood an inspect my vehicle before delivery. The van was poorly detailed and they did not even wash the roof. I sell Auto Detailing Products and I had to clay it and detail it myself. I got my previous 2014 Nissan NV from Ferman Nissan in Tampa, Florida. That is who I want to take delivery. They are an awesome dealership and have a good detailing Dept. She said that she would contact that dealership and they would replace my van. Yay. Thank you Nissan. Lets see what happens.

Edited July 23, 2016 by Flashman