Lemon 2023 Nissan Frontier

I want to know the exact nature of the alleged failure. Is it a framerail? A crossmember? A spring tower or steering rack tab or other weldment? A crack or misaligned from improper jigging?

If I liked the truck and it was feasible I'd weld it up and forget it.

Do we have other instances of this? I have to wonder if the dealer is making it up (not sure to what end) or is this a documented problem with an identifiable TSB or recall notice?
 
cptbarkey said:
I wouldnt be concerned with a frame swap, assuming the technicians were competent and have attention to detail. Cabs are removed all the time for diesel truck work and I wouldnt think a mid size truck is that much of a challenge.
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It would be more than taking the cab off. Everything has to be installed on the frame prior to putting the body on.
 
cptbarkey said:
I wouldnt be concerned with a frame swap, assuming the technicians were competent and have attention to detail. Cabs are removed all the time for diesel truck work and I wouldnt think a mid size truck is that much of a challenge.
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Totally different. They are moving everything. Brake lines, fuel lines, fuel tank, engine transmission, suspension, brakes. He is just getting a frame. I have pulled a bed and a cab in my garage. That is easy. Frame swap? Not so much. Toyota had a special kit for the Tacomas and the techs were trained.
 
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ls1mike said:
Totally different. They are moving everything. Brake lines, fuel lines, fuel tank, engine transmission, suspension, brakes. He is just getting a frame. I have pulled a bed and a cab in my garage. That is easy. Frame swap? Not so much. Toyota had a special kit for the Tacomas and the techs were trained.
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I have sawzalled cars into quarters pieces and gained an appreciation for what is involved. Swapped engines, transmissions, fuel pumps, trailer axles. one might need more than a simple socket set and 3x the normal space, but it’s still not creative work.
 
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I wouldn't be happy about it.

It should be possible to perform this repair and the truck be fine, but its all down to the tech.

If i had just bought this as a CPO, id be putting pressure on the Dealer to just take it back, whether you will succeed in that is another matter.
 
Mathew_Boss said:
I bought a certified pre-owned 2023 Nissan Frontier 6 weeks ago with 14k miles on it. I brought it in for warranty repairs as the steering wheel developed a popping sound and the right front sounded like the strut or a bushing was going bad. I dropped it off at 7am. At 5pm I went back and asked since I had not been contacted yet by the service advisor.

They said the frame wasn't welded correctly at the factory. The warranty fix is to order in a new frame and rebuild the truck on the new frame. I told Nissan I wanted a new truck and if I wanted a rebuilt truck I would have just bought one with a rebuilt title. They sent me on my way and said they would contact me in a few days.

Does anyone think their warranty fix offer would be fine? Honestly I don't even want it anymore. I have had some of the worst luck with vehicles that were under warranty.

Is there anyone here that had one of the Toyota trucks that had a frame replacement? We had our 2019 Toyota Highlander throw a rod at 2,700 miles and they replaced it with a short block. It blew a head gasket at 5k miles and had another coolant leak at around 7k. Everytime they tore it apart they broke more stuff.

I'm still kinda in shock after having 3 engines replaced under warranty I didn't think much could surprise me about an issue with a truck. I think it's crazy they didn't catch the bad frame before delivery
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Have they shown you this frame issue and the subsequent problems it's causing? Because I doubt Id just take some dealer lackys word for it.
 
Since you've only had the truck for 6 weeks, I would work with the management of the dealership and with Nissan for it be bought back for very little to no money out of your pocket. Might also be a good time to figure out if your state has laws on this sort of issue, that may give you some rights.

Nissan must have done a load of those 1 year leases, as one year old Frontiers are on used car lots everywhere.

Once it isn't your truck anymore, Nissan can then worry about the frame replacement, and then sent it to auction and resell it to (unfortunately) someone else.

They are giving you a rental car at no cost...?
 
Mathew_Boss said:
I bought a certified pre-owned 2023 Nissan Frontier 6 weeks ago with 14k miles on it. I brought it in for warranty repairs as the steering wheel developed a popping sound and the right front sounded like the strut or a bushing was going bad. I dropped it off at 7am. At 5pm I went back and asked since I had not been contacted yet by the service advisor.

They said the frame wasn't welded correctly at the factory. The warranty fix is to order in a new frame and rebuild the truck on the new frame. I told Nissan I wanted a new truck and if I wanted a rebuilt truck I would have just bought one with a rebuilt title. They sent me on my way and said they would contact me in a few days.

Does anyone think their warranty fix offer would be fine? Honestly I don't even want it anymore. I have had some of the worst luck with vehicles that were under warranty.

Is there anyone here that had one of the Toyota trucks that had a frame replacement? We had our 2019 Toyota Highlander throw a rod at 2,700 miles and they replaced it with a short block. It blew a head gasket at 5k miles and had another coolant leak at around 7k. Everytime they tore it apart they broke more stuff.

I'm still kinda in shock after having 3 engines replaced under warranty I didn't think much could surprise me about an issue with a truck. I think it's crazy they didn't catch the bad frame before delivery
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Toyota had to replace thousands of tacoma frames. Would it be any different?
 
Not sure the lemon laws in your state! But here in California if the auto is in the shop for a combined total of 30 days or more, that is one of the lemon law requirements for a buyback no questions asked. I went through that with a Mercedes for different electrical issues. That were never resolved. I went straight to the manufacturer and said buy it back or I'm pulling in a Lemon Law attorney and they agreed. All you have to have is every documentation from the dealership on what they reported as the problem and since you're not driving the truck it's probably sitting in their parking lot collecting dust and time not being driven.

I would not want that truck.

Good luck with all of that but I would definitely start talking to a Lemon Law attorney. also call up your local safety department for automotive items and report it;
have it documented. You're going down a rabbit hole of BS and you need to have everything documented on your side. Just my two cents.
 
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The Critic said:
You and @ARCOgraphite
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@Mathew_Boss
We have meetings at 7pm on every third Friday at the old church rec hall. Free coffee and donuts🥲

No such thing as luck - just chance, probability and statistics.

If you had 10,000 men in a coin toss game, "Heads -You're Out" there would be one guy left in the end after about 10-12 tosses that threw Tails every time.

- Arco the Destroyer
OIP.jpg
 
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D60 said:
I want to know the exact nature of the alleged failure. Is it a framerail? A crossmember? A spring tower or steering rack tab or other weldment? A crack or misaligned from improper jigging?

If I liked the truck and it was feasible I'd weld it up and forget it.

Do we have other instances of this? I have to wonder if the dealer is making it up (not sure to what end) or is this a documented problem with an identifiable TSB or recall notice?
Click to expand...
Yeah, take it to a body shop or a reputable wreck rebuilder for their inspection and repair estimate and see what's actually needed. If its simple and cheap, go back to Nissan to get say 1/2 of their repair costs and continue on. It would be nice to keep the drivetrain warranty, since their inspection is pretty suspect....
Being warranty work, I can't imagine a tech basically reassembling a whole truck for maybe the first time, in a hurry, going all that well...
 
D60 said:
And who on this board is told their frame has failed and doesn't have the immediate thought of, "Crazy! Show me where!!" ??

Is it just me?????
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Right?

Pictures and lots more details of this situation would help. I've been following Nissan Frontiers since 2017 when my father-in-law bought his. I own a 2022 Frontier.

Anything can happen, but I have never heard of an issue like this. The frame/chassis of these trucks is basically unchanged since 2005. Any chassis or suspension problems with these trucks is extremely rare.

I see a lot of comparing this to a Tacoma frame replacement. A neighbor of mine is a Toyota master tech for a local dealer. They have, or atleast had back in the day, an assortment of custom built fixtures and jigs for the taco frame replacements, making it a super easy job per him. I would have little faith in an average Nissan tech getting this job done well. I would assume they'd farm it off to their collision shop. That could be better or worse..

I have also purchased a certified pre-owned Nissan in the past (2017 Nissan Quest). The ~167 point check list that is checked and signed off in triplicate is worthless and they have little accountability. My quest had issues that were checked off as being good. The dealer made good on it in one way or another after the sale, but it's not a get a new vehicle free card by a long shot. The only meaningful thing is the extra powertrain warranty you get with certified.
 
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