[jhoelito]

So, I am no DIY kind of guy other than just changing my own engine and in-cabin filter (and gassing up), so having my still new 2021 (2nd Gen) Frontier SV 4x4 Midnight suddenly not start was an even bigger shock. It's my very first Nissan truck, purchased brand-new last year with just 15 miles on it.

The dealership sent a flatbed out to pick it up, but then my rear tires (differential) were locked and dragged, even in N with E brake off. Then they sent a different tow truck to lift it off the ground and wheeled it out without the need to use those stuck tires.

After a day + of troubleshooting, they said that it is my transmission computer "brain" gone bad and that the part was in back order. Two things concern me about this:

1) Is this normal on a Frontier truck this new? 5900 miles.
2) Even after fixed, should I be concerned about it happening again, potentially after factory warranty expires?

Of lesser importance, not sure how long it will take the dealership to get this part. They already warned me that it might take a month or more due to the global chip shortage. It does not feel 100% right leaving my new truck out on an open dealer lot and exposed to potential hailstorms and the likes for an undefined amount of time. Then again, It's not drivable.

Thanks in advance for any relevant feedback!

 

[Clint]

Once fixed I doubt it would happen again. If it sits over 30 most states would see it as eligible to be deemed a lemon. Me if fixed I’d just keep driving it, better now than to happen need the warranties end.

Clint

 

[Mackinac]

So, I am no DYI guy other than just changing my own engine and in-cabin filter (and gassing up), so having my still new 2021 (2nd Gen) Frontier SV 4x4 Midnight suddenly not start was an even bigger shock. It's my very first Nissan truck, purchased brand-new last year with just 15 miles on it.

The dealership sent a flatbed out to pick it up, but then my rear tires (differential) were locked and dragged, even in N with E brake off. Then they sent a different tow truck to lift it off the ground and wheeled it out without the need to use those stuck tires.

After a day + of troubleshooting, they said that it is my transmission computer "brain" gone bad and that the part was in back order. Two things concern me about this:

1) Is this normal on a Frontier truck this new? 5900 miles.
2) Even after fixed, should I be concerned about it happening again, potentially after factory warranty expires?

Of lesser importance, not sure how long it will take the dealership to get this part. They already warned me that it might take a month or more due to the global chip shortage. It does not feel 100% right leaving my new truck out on an open dealer lot and exposed to potential hailstorms and the likes for an undefined amount of time. Then again, It's not drivable.

Thanks in advance for any relevant feedback!

Kinda sucks actually!
I do understand the dealership's position on this, the possible extended time frame and attempting to cover their butt while you're stuck without your truck. Did they offer you a loaner vehicle? Just a suggestion - you might want to contact Nissan Customer Service either by phone, 800-647-7261, or by filling out the online form (Google is your friend) with the appropriate information and details and ask if maybe they can't do something to speed things along on your behalf. I'd be inclined to do both, starting with a phone call and then filling out the online form.
Best of luck in getting this resolved as quickly as possible.

 

[AndysLog]

In my experience.

Be a nice *** hole. Wouldn’t stop with a loaner.
Get free oil and services moving forward.

swap your loaner out because the seats aren’t comfy. Literally sprinkle sugar all over them asses. But also salt. Stay calm but you can 100% get a bunch of free **** from them if it’s going to be longer than a week.

 

[jhoelito]

Once fixed I doubt it would happen again. If it sits over 30 most states would see it as eligible to be deemed a lemon. Me if fixed I’d just keep driving it, better now than to happen need the warranties end.

Clint

Thanks, Clint. Let's hope it's taken care of soon. And yes, better to go through it now than after the 3 years or 36k miles!

 

[jhoelito]

Kinda sucks actually!
I do understand the dealership's position on this, the possible extended time frame and attempting to cover their butt while you're stuck without your truck. Did they offer you a loaner vehicle? Just a suggestion - you might want to contact Nissan Customer Service either by phone, 800-647-7261, or by filling out the online form (Google is your friend) with the appropriate information and details and ask if maybe they can't do something to speed things along on your behalf. I'd be inclined to do both, starting with a phone call and then filling out the online form.
Best of luck in getting this resolved as quickly as possible.

Thanks for the tips. Yes, they gave me a loaner after a couple of days when they figured it'd take them long to fix. I did some research about the Lemon Law in my state, and it appears that it'd apply for consideration after 3 unsuccessful repair attempts or after the vehicle has been out of service for 30 days. In either case, this must fall under 1 year from purchase date or warranty period (I assume this warranty period refers to the manufacturer's factory warranty of 3 years or 36k miles?).

 

[jhoelito]

In my experience.

Be a nice *** hole. Wouldn’t stop with a loaner.
Get free oil and services moving forward.

swap your loaner out because the seats aren’t comfy. Literally sprinkle sugar all over them asses. But also salt. Stay calm but you can 100% get a bunch of free **** from them if it’s going to be longer than a week.

Thanks for replying. I may not go to that whole extend, but surely will be on the lookout to request for any reasonable compensation according to how things develop in the next 3 to 4 weeks.

 

[RockMechanic]

Thanks for replying. I may not go to that whole extend, but surely will be on the lookout to request for any reasonable compensation according to how things develop in the next 3 to 4 weeks.

Not sure if it'd work, but you could probably request an extension of the warranty that still applies for the time that the vehicle is not in your possession (I'm assuming it will sit for a minimum of a month) just based on what has been stated.

 

[Antennahead]

In reliability metrics there is a thing called the bathtub curve. It's the rate of failure over time. It's really big in electronics. You have the greatest chance of failure in the first so many minutes/hours/days after you place it in service. It is a pretty steep downward curve and then it flattens out and is really low until you reach end of life. Then it shoots back up. It looks like a bathtub. I think you're just one of the unlucky few that have a failure at the flat part of the curve. After it's replaced I wouldn't worry about it. At the car brain factory they don't do anything more than power it up, flash it , and ship. No burn-in time at all. That's your job.

For any electronic thingy I buy I leave it powered up for a couple of days straight just to get to the bottom of the bathtub.

 

[jhoelito]

Good info. Thanks!

 

[jhoelito]

In reliability metrics there is a thing called the bathtub curve. It's the rate of failure over time. It's really big in electronics. You have the greatest chance of failure in the first so many minutes/hours/days after you place it in service. It is a pretty steep downward curve and then it flattens out and is really low until you reach end of life. Then it shoots back up. It looks like a bathtub. I think you're just one of the unlucky few that have a failure at the flat part of the curve. After it's replaced I wouldn't worry about it. At the car brain factory they don't do anything more than power it up, flash it , and ship. No burn-in time at all. That's your job.

For any electronic thingy I buy I leave it powered up for a couple of days straight just to get to the bottom of the bathtub.

Good info. Thanks!

 

[chickdr]

To answer your initial question "Is this normal?" No. You are the first post I have seen on the forum with this issue. Also, this would come under the drivetrain warranty so you have a 5yr/60k warranty for a little more piece of mind. As others have said, maybe ask for an extension to 100k? Have you had the TCM reflash done for the shifting issues? Maybe a good time to do so (or maybe they will replace with a newer unit that has the updated programming).

Interesting choice of the added badges and chrome door handles on your Midnight edition truck.

 

[jhoelito]

To answer your initial question "Is this normal?" No. You are the first post I have seen on the forum with this issue. Also, this would come under the drivetrain warranty so you have a 5yr/60k warranty for a little more piece of mind. As others have said, maybe ask for an extension to 100k? Have you had the TCM reflash done for the shifting issues? Maybe a good time to do so (or maybe they will replace with a newer unit that has the updated programming).

Interesting choice of the added badges and chrome door handles on your Midnight edition truck.

I appreciate the reply. I will definitely ask for an extension, given the severity of the issue. As far as the badges, I thought it was too plan looking out of the dealership, but still wanted to keep it simple, elegant and within the black/white theme. So, I added A/T tires and some OEM stuff (including a 4x4 Off Road sticker used on Titans to each end tail side) and even created my own front tag after removing the Midnight emblem from the rear and sticking it to a plain white plate I got on Amazon. Looks really neat too

 

[chickdr]

Where did you get the chrome handles? I thought about having mine wrapped in gloss black as I think they really should have been painted black rather than leaving them bare as they did. I mean they painted the rear view mirrors sooooo....

 

[jhoelito]

Where did you get the chrome handles? I thought about having mine wrapped in gloss black as I think they really should have been painted black rather than leaving them bare as they did. I mean they painted the rear view mirrors sooooo....

I agree. They should have made the door handles look like the black mirrors and front grille (at least in the Midnight edition. Here's what I got on Amazon, and they fit nicely:

Amazon.com: GHXSport Chrome Door Handle Cover W/O Passenger Side Keyhole for Nissan Sentra 07-12 / Altima 07-13 / Frontier 05-17 / Maxima 04-08 / Quest 2004-2009 : Automotive

 

[RyanD1966]

In reliability metrics there is a thing called the bathtub curve. It's the rate of failure over time. It's really big in electronics. You have the greatest chance of failure in the first so many minutes/hours/days after you place it in service. It is a pretty steep downward curve and then it flattens out and is really low until you reach end of life. Then it shoots back up. It looks like a bathtub. I think you're just one of the unlucky few that have a failure at the flat part of the curve. After it's replaced I wouldn't worry about it. At the car brain factory they don't do anything more than power it up, flash it , and ship. No burn-in time at all. That's your job.

For any electronic thingy I buy I leave it powered up for a couple of days straight just to get to the bottom of the bathtub.

Yupper, thats the one. When I have a new batch of laptops to deploy, if they give me enough time, I leave them running for two or three days straight with all the power conditions cranked to maximum so they dont throttle down or sleep.

 

[V8 man]

Common failure, no. It was made by humans. It is under warranty. Generally stuff fixed under warranty has parts that have extra eyes put on them. I have no issues with it. Just get it fixed and be on your way. Don't be an *** to the dealer, they can be an *** back to you. The dealer didn't break it, they are doing the best they can to fix it as fast as parts arrive.

Why are you even looking at a lemon law? It isn't a reoccurring problem. The dealer would probably be happy to get the truck, fix it, put it on the used lot and turn a profit. And good luck finding another to replace it. Now if it keeps failing and they can't fix it, then you pull the lemon law at that time. Trying to pull it on a one time deal, you are being a dick.

 

[RockMechanic]

Don't be an * to the dealer, they can be an * back to you. The dealer didn't break it, they are doing the best they can to fix it as fast as parts arrive.

Why are you even looking at a lemon law? It isn't a reoccurring problem. The dealer would probably be happy to get the truck, fix it, put it on the used lot and turn a profit. And good luck finding another to replace it. Now if it keeps failing and they can't fix it, then you pull the lemon law at that time. Trying to pull it on a one time deal, you are being a dick.

Lol, did you read the OP's original post man? He said nothing about the lemon law. One of the responses was it would be an option but was not recommended. He then checked out his states specific laws, its a good thing to know, hopefully it doesn't need to use that clause as it'd likely burn future bridges, even if it were to become necessary (which currently it isn't).

There is Absolutely nothing wrong about being a properly informed and concerned customer. I agree the dealership should be given an ample opportunity without unnecessary harassments to preform the repair, but at the same time the OP is without his property and should be compensated properly for that.

 

[jhoelito]

Common failure, no. It was made by humans. It is under warranty. Generally stuff fixed under warranty has parts that have extra eyes put on them. I have no issues with it. Just get it fixed and be on your way. Don't be an * to the dealer, they can be an * back to you. The dealer didn't break it, they are doing the best they can to fix it as fast as parts arrive.

Why are you even looking at a lemon law? It isn't a reoccurring problem. The dealer would probably be happy to get the truck, fix it, put it on the used lot and turn a profit. And good luck finding another to replace it. Now if it keeps failing and they can't fix it, then you pull the lemon law at that time. Trying to pull it on a one time deal, you are being a dick.

Bro, I appreciate your response. But seriously, no need to use that language. All I am doing is sharing a genuine experience with my fellow Frontier enthusiasts and trying to get some relevant and constructive feedback to be well informed about my options going forward. I am after nothing else. With that, I will take the relevant and constructive part from your reply and, with all due respect, I will ignore the rest.

 

[Thrusty]

I’d insist on the vehicle being towed back to your place to keep it out of the elements etc… I wouldn’t have thought to do this but my folks banged up a front bumper on their rig back in April and parts just came in a week ago. My dad felt much better having it at home in the garage than sitting on a lot for months. The dealership covered the tow, but I’d guess insurance would have if the dealership didn’t.