Nissan refuses warranty claims for GT-R
Just when you thought that nothing can defeat Godzilla, problems start to arise from within itself. The insanely-capable Nissan GT-R, already on sale in the United States officially, is being undone by transmission failures, according to the American Nissan GT-R Owners Club. A member of the club says his GT-R suffered from odd noises, and took it in for servicing. Nissan USA told him it needs a new automanual gearbox for US$ 20,000, and it won’t be covered under warranty.
The issue arises from the car’s launch control. As stupid as it sounds, if you use it too many times, the car will break. However, asking for 25% of the car’s price to replace a gearbox is insanity at best. Apparently, at least six gearboxes have failed already.
Basically, the car’s computer records how many times the owner turns off the Vehicle Dynamics Control (stability control). The VDC has to be turned off to initiate the “launch control” function, which enables the car to take off in blistering accelerating runs without requiring the skills of a pro drag racer. However, Nissan already warns owners not to use it too many times, in fear of damaging the car. An all-wheel-drive setup puts a lot of strain on a car’s drivetrain during drag runs, as the tyres are barely allowed to squeal. But if Nissan downloads a car’s data and sees that VDC has been turned off too many times, they void the warranty. The American Nissan dealer in this story says they do not not record how many times launch control has been used.
A Porsche 911 Turbo actually has a system that cuts power after a certain number of aggressive launches in a short time, to avoid damage. The GT-R has no such feature, depending on the responsible behaviour of owners instead. Maybe a stronger gearbox would’ve helped too, like the indestructible ones in Corvettes. We can only imagine how much abuse the GT-Rs are taking at the hands of GCC owners. A used GT-R is now definitely out of the question.
Comments
Don Raj
why why why ……why is this happening?????? 🙄
Zao
hey guys have u seen many GTR’s on uae roads? So far i have seen only 2 GTR’s in auh…1 was white and other a black…dunno about dubai….
thatsit(mohamad)
“We can only imagine how much abuse the GT-Rs are taking at the hands of GCC owners.”
this is the only reason for whats happening….btw…its always happening…till now…i saw two GTR accelrating like bullets while i was standing on traffic…and the computer system in the GTR is much much much better than the one you find in porsche….its true that it will cut the engine power in a porsche…but they also warned the owners not to use the LC too much or it will damage the car, and the computer of the gtr gives the owner more information than what he knows…its like a formula car computer with all its data….and lets leave the vette alone…its shit and who dont know that with their old technolog…i knew about it since along time…and nissan dealer said that the owner turned the VDC off manytimes….and i think he was abusing the car….its known by any engineer…there is no part or machine that can handle more than what its made to do…and an AWD car puts a lot of stress on its drivetrain…and there is nothing stupid about the system….of course there is a temp gauge for the trany oil(and we cant say lets make a stronger trany, its not an order, it needs alot of studying)…lets face it…someone is telling you if you keep smoking you will die, and you kept smoking and you died, so what??? its not my problem…and as you said its godzilla…but still its a damnfu**en car..it didnt fall from sky…and its enough for me as a nissan fan…that this car did alot of troubles for porsche as a famous company…let them reset everything again…i just cant wait more for the v-spec or whatever…for sure..this time they will put their fingers in vette’s and the viper’s aZZes
maani
thats a bad news i love this car and wana buy it per gear problem is very big prb f***k nissan 😳
thatsit(mohamad)
read this comment: i liked it…
“The problem is that the public has forgotten how to taken responsibility for their own actions.
A warranty is to provide the purchaser some piece of mind against manufacturer defects. In other words, that the car was built and will perform at it was DESIGNED to under normal operating conditions.
ALL manufacturers provide a clause in their warranty that sates a claim may be denied in the case of abuse or misuse. Racing is almost always in this category. BUT, if I took my Corvette to the dealer with a broken rear end, melted rear tires, and rubber spattered all over the rear wheel wells, do you REALLY think GM should honor my warranty? I’ve obviously been abusing the car, KNOWING that hard lauches are going to break something at some point. Why should GM pay for my own negligence?
So the question that comes up here is “why include launch control if you aren’t allowed to use it?”
Nissan provided the feature for auto crossers and drag racers, who already understand that their warranty is at risk because of how they use their car. It’s not that you aren’t ALLOWED to use it, its that you must use it with some discretion. They state VERY CLEARLY that VDC off / LC will void your transmission warranty. If a GTR owner makes the decision to use it anyway, I don’t see how they can blame Nissan.
One more comment. For those of you who “always turn off VDC” on the street . . . take it to a track for the love of god. There’s no reason you should be driving so fast that VDC “slows you down” on the street. Before you call me a grandpa or whatever, know that I have spent more time on a racetrack, icerink, skidpad, or slalom course than 99% of the people reading this post. Driving like a hooligan on the street is for posers.”
spyke
Nicely said thatsit(Mohamad). Im a big fan of the GT-R as well, and it clearly does say that too many launches will put too much strain on the tranny resulting in damage. The GT-R is a master piece and it always will be..
But on Nissan’s part i guess they should have put more emphasis on the clause, but then again i dont think people in the GCC are going to mind this.
I almost forgot, ive seen a couple of them in Dubai, couple of white and greyish lookin ones, and i also saw one at the Awir work shop with a lil bit of its front bumper missing, 2 weeks back,i think twas the same GT-R that was tested at the autodrome when initial testing was been carried out.
Boris(K-sport)
I’ve just seen one white GT-R till now. I live in Al Nahda area of sharjah and getting out of the building is the last thing on my mind cuz of the damn traffic. This prob is bound to happen when the owners dont take the advices. Its their fault. The GT-R is still a cool car.
thatsit
i was reading some of the comments in autoblog…people are saying that even ferrari and the foumous sports cars automakers cancel this option for the U.S. versions to avoid getting in troubles as what happened with nissan. the warranty in some euro countries will be void if the LC was used more than 5-7 times..and the owner said that he used the LC around 20 times…and the sounds started to come after 2 weeks of the last LC used. its for sure the drivrs fault…and i think nissan is very clever to use this black box…it can tell the dealer even if the owner added parts or played with the ECU even if the car is returned to its original situation before taking it for a service….
Rui Monte da Silva
Apparently in the US, Nissan is considering voiding the Skyline’s warranty for the second buyer if the transaction takes place less than one year after the initial purchase.
check this out on trusty edumunds
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=122269
assassin
this is a normal thing. this happens with SUVs too
as you know the using of the low range gear on paved street can provide a jet acceleration. but that will definitely break the gearbox after some drag races that you did, and for sure the dealer will not fix it under warranty.
vivek
I am too with Nissan here. And well said thatsit! I see no reason as to why GT-R owners have to switch off VDC on the streets apparently for “more speed”. But how much more speed do they want?? In tat case, i recommend them a “jet-engined” car or sumthin of tat sort!!
I’ve seen about 6-7 GT-R’s in dubai alone, so far, and one in sharjah. Seen 4 of ’em in India too, while spending my one week vacation there back in August. All I hope is that the owners of these cars are sane enough for not destroying it and also, for not putting others lives at risk! As mohamad said, if they wanna test it, go to the tracks! Switchin off VDC n using Launch Control on the streets is like the owner trying to suicide himself after trying to kill the others on road, all tat at the risk of the car’s destruction!
thatsit(mohamad)
you are right spyke…the silver one is the one they used it for testing here…i saw it there. assassin…you are totally right…this is another point here…
RayD
No warranty…hmm. Well, it doesn’t matter here as most people don’t bother to read anything after they’ve purchased a car. All they know is:
1. Unlock vehicle, put key in ignition, turn ignition on
2. Put gear in R, then D
3. Press accelerator
4. Braking is an option depending on the situation
5. Mirrors are for making sure your hair still looks good after you’ve gotten in the car
6. Indicators are things to be ignored or to fiddled with(shoulder checks are for sissies)
7. Fog lights are for blinding people at night(not to be used while driving through fog)
8. Tailgate and flash your headlights incessantly
9. Double park, park in between 2 spaces or park on a curb/side-walk whenever parking is unavailbe near your place of residence(distance being 20 meters or more)
10. Fill fuel when required
So there you have it guys, i’ve just summarised how we drive in this country as well as how much we actually know about or use in our car 😎
Murf
i guess technology comes at a price..but 20, 000??!! come on..probably later versions will have a better tranny..or i guess it would be cheaper to just keep blaming the owner, lol..smart move by them though, recording the number of drag launches, almost like they knew it wasn’t a great tranny, hmmmm, there’s a food for thought..
Boris(K-sport)
😆
thatsit
golden GTR ‘matt’….
the original color was silver:
http://www.nissan-arabia.com/vb/showthread.php?t=37109
Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury
^ The numberplate on the side is a “nice” touch on a stock car that will get him all the chicks. Don’t tell me it is for better airflow. Every Supra, Mark II, Skyline and Civic owner does it at one point, even when they don’t have intercoolers. The guy who bought my Supra also put the plate on the side now. I saw it online in a radar-camera photo.
thatsit(mohamad)
its known that adding the plates on the side is not allowed….but maybe those people have their own ‘wasta’…. 😎
jassim
Nissan are considered C*H*E*A*P when compared to the top two Japanese brands HONDA & TOYOTA.
thatsit
^^^^
i think you are still under world
go and drive your toyota
Boris(K-sport)
toyotas are just boring. Their designs have no emotion. The only reason they sell is cuz of this thing called resell value that UAE’s public look for. even if the toyota was made of wood, ppl would buy it for the resell value. Very few smart ppl actually look for comfort and other more important stuff.
RayD
You said it Boris! It’s Jassim again-one of our many blind followers of the Toyota brand…
Philly
I believe its absurd for all the automotive testers to tout performance numbers that can only be achieved by using “launch Control”. You have to accept that its only faster than the cars it will compete against if the driver is willing to void his warranty.
Without “Launch Control” the car is actually slower than a base Corvette.
Having said that, who would ever buy a used one knowing that when the transmission or clutch fails that there will be a $20,000 repair?
spyke
Regardless of whether the launch control is initiated or not, this car is still capable of achiving the numbers stated by the manufacturer. Does a base corvette have some special feature which allows it to get some insane 0-60mph numbers?? So wut if it uses electronics,”launch contorl” as a matter of fact is now used by a number of other vehicle manufacturers including Ferrari and Lotus as far as i know.
The bottom line is its the owners choice. If he or she wants to then let them!! They paid for it, they bought it so let them break it. Sure Nissan should have made the owners pay more attention to the clause..
And please dont compare a base corvette to this amazing feat of science, its not even in the same class!!
spyke
Ohh one more thing, the reason the gearbox is so expensive is because each box is custom tuned to best suit the engine!! And thats because each engine is hand built and produces a different horse power rating.
One american car mag actually dyno tested the car to see what sorta power it was actually getting at the wheels. And you guessed it, it was getting around 480 at the wheels, which means taking into consideration all the losses, the power produced at the flywheel is over 500!!
assassin
used GTR should be sold $20k cheaper than any used cars of its class.
thatsit
^^^
so that you can buy it
i know assassin…you want it so bad….
and as spyke said…the numbers are true and should be considered…if the car has this option for the owners…then this is the owner’s problem…he or she can choose whether they want to use the LC or not…but any drag racing for the GTR, the LC will be used to kick your corvette’s azz…you people are too jealous…because a car with that engine size and that small amount of HP can shit on the american muscle cars…if you want more…go and read about the history of the legend Skyline…this skyline and the 911 used to beat all the american muscle cars with (V8’s) in tracks and they are still doing…people just wait for the V-spec and you will see that the corvette is shit…BTW: people are saying the new Z370 can acc from 0-100 in around 4.7 sec…and it will fall in price behind the G37 coupe
bob the builder
Easy Way
USE A MANUAL GEARBOX… NOT THIS AUTO CRAP
Random passerby
You can’t defend nissan on this.
If you advertise 0-60 in 4.5 seconds then you can say “well.. it does do 0-60 but, we won’t cover you if you do it once and it bust”.
Yes I do agree Nissan can’t cover peoples racing cost..
However, if your gunna defend nissan advertising 0-60 in 4.5 seconds (or whatever it is that you need launch control to achieve). Then nissan not covering this with some level of warrenty.. well… all I can say is you deserve the horrible investments you yourself get into in life.
You people would be the first to be annoyed if you applied for lowe’s hearing they offer full tuition reimbursment, then found out to get it you have to be a full time worker. Then found out to be a full time worker you have to have a completely open schedule which means you can’t be scheduled for class twice a week. So… they offer tuition reimbursement but, you can’t get it.
If your gunna say “HEY LOOK AT THIS CAR IT DOES 0-60 in 4.5 SECONDS” I better damn well be able to use that acceleration without voiding the warrenty quite a bit.
I’m not saying go to a drag race with it every day of the week.. But, I better be able to use what I paid to get!
Like I said I do agree its not Nissans job to cover a persons personal racing bill..
But, I buy a sports car to drive it hard AND because I expect to be able to drive it hard without it getting torn up! Its why I am willing to pay so much more for a sports car in the first place! I have higher expectations of it.
Bu Mohammed
Read Fully PLEASE
I happen to own a 2009 Godzilla , First of all i haven’t heard of any transmossion breakages here in the UAE from the dealer as they will advise you on purchase and each time the car goes for service not to use LC.
VDC : you can think of this function as the ” Big Brother ” in the gtr system , meanining it monitors all the limits ” RED LINES ” and makes sure you the owner does not exeed any.
So if you are mad enough to willingly turn the VDC off and luanch it and then ask NISSAN to cover your back when you ruin the transmission…well i’d think you are basicully mad.
And any how .. there is a 0.2 seconds diffrance between LC and normal luanching, so whats the point anyways??
I will leave you with this link from the GTR chief engineer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1bHGaV-Lvw