[Gee-Tee]

Found this on another Nissan forum... maybe this will help to end some of the negativity on this forum.

Nissan Frontier Forums: considering buying 2010 Pro 4x

 

[Mathster]

ya know. I was a chevy guy too before I bought my frontier.
1998 S-10. had the plugs and plug wires changed at 45K.
Overheated the transmission hauling about 300 pounds.
frequently found the ABS threshold when braking and hitting a small bump in the road.
Finally got rid of it at 49976 (salesman said I was just about to loose $500 on the truck).
Prior to the s-10, I had a cavalier, blew a head gasket and had a mysterious fuel leak by 70K.
My corsica had several electrical gremlins and the torque converter wouldn't unlock until the engine stopped.
my 71 C-10, well, it was old when I got it. but for the most part other than blowing a head gasket ever 10K miles, it was a good truck.

 

[NissanTy]

i hear mixed opinions on the s10 and the 4.3 vortec, some say they are the best v6's built and some say they are complete junk. the s10's always seemed to be boring to me. i know a few people that had blazer's/jimmy's and had nothing but issues.

 

[Clint]

I wasn't aware that forum existed.

Clint

 

[weymouthba]

I agree that the 4.3l Vortec was a great engine, but it's pretty old technology and has been eclipsed by Nissan and Toyota.

Everything that he is describing about what is happening to his S10 is par for the course, though. Sucks to get 67k out of a truck.

 

[D-mo]

My last vehicle had a 4.3 vortec - AWD Astro. I never had any real problems with the drivetrain at all, it held together for 8 long years of pulling wierd off road situations (if you can believe it). I found the drivetrain to be fairly stong, but the peripherals of the "truck" really weak. All window motors and door actuators had to be replaced, some twice, the security system failed during warrenty, not allowing me to start the truck, only if I sat in it for 10 minutes with the key in the ignition. Some very expensive sensors failed, causing me alot of grief. As for service, I would give GM a 4 out of 10. Too much negotiaton over stupid things.

Never again GM ... ever.

d-mo

 

[bigdog]

what negativity?

 

[tholmes]

I wasn't aware that forum existed.

Clint

x2 on that one.

 

[Jeff024]

is it just me or is that site SUPER slow at loading pages,I got tired of waiting

 

[rbr28]

GM vs. Nissan

I'm the one that posted on that other forum and I did end up getting a Nissan Pro 4x (red), that is scheduled to arrive via flatbed on Wed. I even get the GM employee discount (parents), and I still went with the Nissan so that should tell you something.

On the other hand, I don't have many complaints about any of the GM trucks I have owned. The engines and bodies last forever, and at least as far as longevity, if not performance, they have been as good as anything I've seen out there. During the 5yr warranty, I never had my truck in for anything other than routine maintenance, and this truck spent a lot of time off-road in really rough conditions. My main complaint was with the post warranty problems, that were relatively minor but really started to add up. Every time I turned around it was anywhere from 300-1000 for another repair. Some of it was stuff you'd expect like a tune-up, replacement of distributor, wires, etc., but there were many other not so routine repairs like fuel pump replacement, oil pan gasket, broken engine mount, leaking oil cooler, etc. Still, it's not stuff that I'd consider extraordinary, but with those kinds of repairs and more routine stuff coming up like brakes, shocks, tires, etc., it was just a good time for me to trade-in when I could still get some value out of it.

I just can't stand the appearance of the Toyota's, I hate Dodge and Ford both, so I really only had to decide between the Nissan and GM trucks. I drove both and I just liked the Nissan a lot better. The GM was still a nice truck and I like that they at least made a slight effort to improve fuel economy with the 5cyl, but there wasn't much I didn't like better about the Nissan. I think the Nissan 5yr/60K warranty is pretty weak, especially considering that the re-branded Suzuki has a better warranty but that wasn't a deal breaker for me. I like the way the limited slip diff worked in the GM a lot. The truck was incredible even in 2WD. The limited slip worked at all speeds, and in any 2WD or 4WD mode which was nice. On the other hand, the locking diff on the Nissan will work better in the worst conditions than the limited slip did in the GM, so that was just a trade-off.

Yes, I liked the Nissan a lot better, but I'll reserve judgment until I've had it as long as I've had my GM trucks. How the truck holds up during the warranty period, and after, will be the test for me. I expect minor issues here and there with any vehicle, but as I said I've never had a single issue with any GM truck during the warranty period. Hopefully the Nissan does as well for me during the warranty period, and better after it! I really planned on keeping my ZR2 until at least 100K, but when I started looking at what I was paying for the minor repairs, and what it would cost me if something major went and I didn't have any trade-in value, it just wasn't worth keeping anymore.

Anyway, I'll keep updating on how life is with the Nissan. I think I'm one of the few buyers that really doesn't have much brand loyalty one way or the other. I use a truck as a truck, not as a passenger car and I think I've got a lot of experience with different vehicles and can evaluate them pretty objectively. I'll probably take it easy for the 1200K break-in period, but I can't wait to get the Nissan off-road. I know my first project to get me through the break-in period will be installing a new stereo!

Vern

 

[Jordo]

My last vehicle had a 4.3 vortec - AWD Astro. I never had any real problems with the drivetrain at all, it held together for 8 long years of pulling wierd off road situations (if you can believe it). I found the drivetrain to be fairly stong, but the peripherals of the ".truck" really weak. All window motors and door actuators had to be replaced, some twice, the security system failed during warrenty, not allowing me to start the truck, only if I sat in it for 10 minutes with the key in the ignition. Some very expensive sensors failed, causing me alot of grief. As for service, I would give GM a 4 out of 10. Too much negotiaton over stupid things.

Never again GM ... ever.

d-mo

Wait.... did you just call an Astro van a truck?

 

[Mathster]

On the other hand, I don't have many complaints about any of the GM trucks I have owned. The engines and bodies last forever, and at least as far as longevity, if not performance, they have been as good as anything I've seen out there. During the 5yr warranty, I never had my truck in for anything other than routine maintenance, and this truck spent a lot of time off-road in really rough conditions. My main complaint was with the post warranty problems, that were relatively minor but really started to add up. Every time I turned around it was anywhere from 300-1000 for another repair. Some of it was stuff you'd expect like a tune-up, replacement of distributor, wires, etc., but there were many other not so routine repairs like fuel pump replacement, oil pan gasket, broken engine mount, leaking oil cooler, etc. Still, it's not stuff that I'd consider extraordinary, but with those kinds of repairs and more routine stuff coming up like brakes, shocks, tires, etc., it was just a good time for me to trade-in when I could still get some value out of it.

Vern

for the other forum, you were at 85K or so and you consider distributor, wires, and tuneup routine? Maybe on a point type ignition.
100K is more reasonable for plugs, wire and distributor being optional.

If you look around, you will find a couple people with problems out of their trucks and Nissans are not without their problems. some problems didn't pop up in force till there was a year or so worth of sales out there (timing chain). some are more hit and miss like the transmission radiator leaks (do wish I had a transmission dipstick so I could look for milky fluids).

My Gen 1 truck has almost 158,000 miles of about 1/2 county roads, 1/2 highway, some in town. Its been loaded and overloaded and used as a truck. Ive done some maintenance that was beyond routine and the only part that has failed that I wouldn't consider routine is the carrier bearing at 157,000 miles...

 

[20009]

My last GM truck was a 2500. It had 65K on the odo when I traded it in on my 2000 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner. It that 65K, it had the motor torn down TWICE, 38K and 52K. It was making "I'm about to break" noises from the THIRD air conditioning unit. My little DR had only a couple oil changes in it's life, and was used to haul 275 galons of water at a time across primative desert dirt roads in temps at times of 120+ degrees fahreheit. 220K later she stopped.

Nissans have there minor problems, fuel sending units, service engine soon light on, but the little suckers RUN.

:hick:

 

[Clint]

My last GM truck was a 2500. It had 65K on the odo when I traded it in on my 2000 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner. It that 65K, it had the motor torn down TWICE, 38K and 52K. It was making "I'm about to break" noises from the THIRD air conditioning unit. My little DR had only a couple oil changes in it's life, and was used to haul 275 galons of water at a time across primative desert dirt roads in temps at times of 120+ degrees fahreheit. 220K later she stopped.

Nissans have there minor problems, fuel sending units, service engine soon light on, but the little suckers RUN.

:hick:

We should all be fortunate enough to see 220,000 miles. When it stopped what was the cause?

Clint

 

[Mathster]

We should all be fortunate enough to see 220,000 miles. When it stopped what was the cause?

Clint

I think he said once it was an 05 4x4...

 

[NissanTy]

My last GM truck was a 2500. It had 65K on the odo when I traded it in on my 2000 Nissan Frontier Desert Runner. It that 65K, it had the motor torn down TWICE, 38K and 52K. It was making "I'm about to break" noises from the THIRD air conditioning unit. My little DR had only a couple oil changes in it's life, and was used to haul 275 galons of water at a time across primative desert dirt roads in temps at times of 120+ degrees fahreheit. 220K later she stopped.

Nissans have there minor problems, fuel sending units, service engine soon light on, but the little suckers RUN.

:hick:

haha amen to that, them little 3.3's aint got a lot of go but they'll go forever.

i never owned a GM, but from horror stories i heard from a lot of people i don't think i want to. guess its just bad luck.

 

[rbr28]

Nissan issues

The Frontier's seem to maybe not have as many minor issues but to me the radiator leak and the tensioner issues are not trivial. What's even more unbelievable to me is that those issues were detected in the 05's, if not earlier, and at least for the tensioner issue, the bulletin still stands for my 2010. Before I even have mine, I'm hoping I at least have the issue before the warranty is up. Both of these are drivetrain problems, and I've never had a drivetrain issue with any GM truck. I'd consider drivetrain issues much more serious than any issue I ever had. Honestly, if I had the radiator/transmission issue it would have to be fixed under warranty, and with a lot better results than what I've seen most people getting, or I'd be done with Nissan for sure. On the other hand, I think complaints in forums are always misleading and my guess is this is nowhere near as common an issue as it seems (I'm hoping anyway). I can't tell you how many GM trucks I have been around with 100,000+ miles, and I've never considered the reliability of the powertrain an issue. The Nissan engine seemed a lot smoother and stronger than my old 4.3 V6 and better than the current I5 too. For me the GM just has an all-around feeling of inferior construction compared to the Nissan. It's always been kind of like having a very reliable 4x4 Yugo!

 

[09Fronti6sp4x4]

The Frontier's seem to maybe not have as many minor issues but to me the radiator leak and the tensioner issues are not trivial. What's even more unbelievable to me is that those issues were detected in the 05's, if not earlier, and at least for the tensioner issue, the bulletin still stands for my 2010. Before I even have mine, I'm hoping I at least have the issue before the warranty is up. Both of these are drivetrain problems, and I've never had a drivetrain issue with any GM truck. I'd consider drivetrain issues much more serious than any issue I ever had. Honestly, if I had the radiator/transmission issue it would have to be fixed under warranty, and with a lot better results than what I've seen most people getting, or I'd be done with Nissan for sure. On the other hand, I think complaints in forums are always misleading and my guess is this is nowhere near as common an issue as it seems (I'm hoping anyway). I can't tell you how many GM trucks I have been around with 100,000+ miles, and I've never considered the reliability of the powertrain an issue. The Nissan engine seemed a lot smoother and stronger than my old 4.3 V6 and better than the current I5 too. For me the GM just has an all-around feeling of inferior construction compared to the Nissan. It's always been kind of like having a very reliable 4x4 Yugo!

As far as I know the issue with the timing chain was because some of the chains made it past QC with rough edges which caused the guides to wear prematurely, I don’t think it’s extremely common and I can’t recall any newer trucks with the issue. First I’ve heard about the radiator issue though. Both of these are pretty minor compared to the issues with the Colorado. A buddy of mine had one and the exhaust valve springs went bad on it and by the time good old bow tie had figured out the issue a year and a half latter and put a bulletin out on it his motor was shot and out of warranty at 65k so he was stuck with a truck with a blown motor, reminds me of the time I was driving and s10 and the trans just went on me out of no where with nothing more then two tires in the bed. Needless to say I hate Chevy , but to each their own, best of luck with the new truck it’s far from perfect and it will have it’s issues but I think you’ll enjoy it just fine.

Be happy your not dealing with this.

 

[20009]

I think he said once it was an 05 4x4...

I currently own an 05 Crew cab 4x4, as you can see in the pic, I indeed owned a 2000 DR that I bought in late '99. My 05 now has 133K on it. Both trucks, AND the 04 Frontier between, had trouble with sending units and service engine soon lights. Before you make implications that someone is lying, maybe you should try to get your facts straight to begin with. All and all, I have owned a Datsun PU, the 2000 DR, an 04 Frontier XE, a 04 Xterra, and the 05 4x4 that had YOU confused.

The DR lost the timing chain and was traded in on the 04 Front. All of my trucks are work horses and haul heavy water loads. The 05 has always hauled with a trailer and not in the bed like the DR.

 

[ATLtoCO Frontier]

I've had three GM trucks/SUVs. All of them were extremely reliable vehicles. The first two, even with 250k+ miles on them. My '08 only had 20k on it when I sold it but all that it ever needed were oil changes and tire rotations and it drove like a dream.

That being said, I like my '09 Frontier and I hope it proves to be as reliable as my GM trucks were.