I purchased a Nissan Rogue 2013 last year. This year I am regretting this decision. My 1st Electrical Problem started while driving on the highway when on vacation this August 2014. Navigational system and Radio would not work. Steering wheel if sharp turn made a loud noise. Happened for 1 day and then everthing worked again.
9/24/14 my Nissan Rogue 2013 was now completely dead and I had to manually unlock door.
Called AAA who jump started vehicle and stated replacing battery would not solve problem.
The AAA mechanic stated there was an electrical problem…something continued to drain the battery even
after the jump start. Brought to dealer South of Boston where I was told the vehicle tested fine and did not have an electrical problem. Never was I informed there are complaints from other owners of intermittent electrical problems and the Rogue not starting. My vehicle is almost at the end of its warranty and NIssan dealer stated to not worry that there isn’t anything wrong. Denied electrical problem or any problem.
10/21/14 Coming out of the garage late last night when making sharp turns the steering wheel make loud noises. When I arrived home the driver’s side window would not go up. This morning the vehicle made a clicking noise but the engine would not start. The drivers’ side window will not go up or down although the lights and other windows work. Declined AAA jumpstart since this has been intermittent and I needed dealer where I bought vehicle South of Boston to not deny there was any problem.
After checking on line it appears many other Nissan owners are having similar problems. I am hoping you can tell me what is wrong so that it can be fixed and the dealer of course is stating the Nissan is now out of warranty. They stated the map light drained the battery when I told them and showed AAA that vehicle would not start, lights and windows all worked except drivers’ side. Dealer jumpstarted battery and was ready to send me off. I refused and now have a loaner while they try to find and fix the problem. Of course they are insistent that my battery is fine and nothing is wrong with my SUV and if there is it is no longer covered because it is out of warranty.
PLEASE help. I work all kinds of hours and heading into the winter with a driver’s side window not going up and an unreliable vehicle that unpredictably can stop working it could leave me stranded and unsafe!
By the way I love Car Talk…the rapport between you and callers and your expertise on cars! Thank you!
What type of loud noise do you hear when turning the steering wheel?
Is it a squeak, a groan, a snapping noise, or…?
What are your typical driving patterns, in terms of how far you drive after starting the engine each time? How much of your driving is short-trip, local driving?
In any event…whenever a new car is giving less than optimal performance and the dealership is either reluctant or incapable of rectifying the situation, a car owner needs to “kick it up a notch” by getting the car’s manufacturer involved. If you look through your Owner’s Manual, you will find contact information for Nissan’s customer service department, and that info includes both the mailing address and a toll-free phone number.
I would suggest that you begin with a phone call to Nissan corporate, and then follow up in writing, with the letter sent via Certified Mail. Keep your communication non-emotional, and try to stick to the facts without including extraneous information.
Whatever you do, do NOT say that you will never buy a Nissan product again, as that removes some of their motivation to help you. Instead, try saying something like your faith in Nissan reliability has been shaken by this ongoing problem, and that you want them to help restore your faith in their reliability.
Although you should have contacted Nissan corporate long ago, it is still possible that they will come to your assistance–even if the warranty has now lapsed. I am always amazed when people continue to accept sub-par work from a dealership and fail to contact the vehicle mfr, but…better late than never…
I assume the noise you have heard when turning the steering wheel might be coming from the power steering pump. Make sure the fluid level in the reservoir is at the specified level.
It is hard to say what caused the radio/nav issue. It sounds like the trouble was in the power wiring for those things. That may be related to other electrical issues (battery drain) you are having but then it may not. If there is something draining the battery that can be easily checked by testing the current drain on the battery while systems are in the sleep mode. Normal current draw should be around 25 milliamps if things are good. A small current is needed for things like processor memory. You say the car is out of warranty so I assume that is due to the mileage on it and not the age of the car.
The window problem is most likely due to the switch since it works in the down direction at least. It is alos possible that the window mechanism is jammed and holding the window in the down position. If the dash lights dim a little when you try to make the window go UP that would be a sign the window circuit is okay but a, not so good, indication the window mechanism is jammed. In either case the driver side door panel is most likely going to have to be removed to fix that problem.
The battery most likely is okay but it is pretty obvious some other things are not. It also seems the dealer is trying to brush you off. Sorry to say, this story just affirms my opinion of Nissan.
+1 for @VDCdriver and make sure you document everything and save it. I had to go to arbitration with a brand new Monte Carlo once. When I took out a stack of verifiable documents about the vehicle in front of the arbitrator…the case was over…in my favor.
Since you reported it while it was under warrantee and they didn’t fix it, if the problem is found now, it is still covered. They would have to prove that you caused the problem in order to deny the warrantee.
Get records from AAA on yor calls. You have dealer records stating no start condition and other electrical problems. These occurred during warranty and call Nissan area rep. You may need an attorney if they don’t respond and fix your car.
Something to try, jump the battery to get it going again and change the steering wheel tilt, I have band aid soulutioned this on my work truck for an electrical issue when steering wheel was tilted all the way down.
Update from Frustrated Nissan Owner on my NIssan Rogue 2013. South Shore Nissan dealer kept insisting no problem with my SUV after they jumpstarted it when I had AAA tow vehicle to their service dept. I refused to take it back until they resolved the problem. I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs but no response! Late Saturday 10/25/14 after email/multiple calls to service manager, i received a voice message that they found the battery needed to be replaced.
They are claiming everything is all set! What do you think???
It is possible that the battery needed to be replaced, but then that raises an additional question, namely… What is the underlying problem that led to the battery needing replacement after only ~ 1 year?
IMHO, replacing the battery but not remediating the underlying problem is simply a case of kicking the can down the road.
I also don’t see the battery replacement as fixing your window problem. The other windows worked, why just the driver side failed. It could be a bad battery, but if it happens again then something is draining it.
AAA told me that something was draining the battery. Nissan dealership denies this and keeps insisting nothing is wrong. They also tell me the noise from my steering wheel may be the spiral cable making contact with plastic around it . It is not draining battery or causing a problem.
I agree the dealership is trying to kick the can down the street. So I am now pursuing with Nissan Consumer Affairs! I love my Nissan Rogue but no longer feel I have a reliable vehicle or service from the Nissan dealership!
Others have told me that Nissan’s have issues with transmissions. Could this problem be related or is this accurate?
Nissan did have a higher than average failure rate for their CVTs for a few years, but–to the best of my knowledge–they have remedied that situation. In any event, a battery-related problem is not at all related to the transmission.