Just a quick note, if you go from good alternator to bad alternator, let a moderator know, as we can adjust the count.

 

Okay, a new battery and Alternator later and only $58 cost to me. I am on the road again. Hopefully the new one is better than the failed one. I don't want to have to buy another at 40K miles...

I think I am going to join AAA too. Got to find a way to supplement the poor coverage by Nissan...

Why a cost to you?
Isn't the alt covered under the 3 yr 36K warranty???
And if the bat was caused by the alt..............?????


Homer

 

That's my thinking as well... Why should you pay for something that's been identified as prematurely failing. And to pay for repair of damage caused by the failing part? I don't think so...

I'd be very vocal. Especially if there were people on the showroom floor looking at vehicles.

"So let me get this right, the alternator is a known weakness in Nissans and you want to charge me for warranty replacement?"

Wouldn't you want to hear that from someone as you're negotiating a deal for a new vehicle with a salesman....

 

Add me to the list of alternator failures! My Mo has about 5500 miles on it and a build date of July 2003. The dealer I took it to said he had one in last week with about the same mileage and expects there will be more as it heats up here in Texas.

 

Bummer... I've updated the poll. Hmmm.. I better watch mine!

 

Has anyone seen anything trying to correlate the Alternator failure vs HID optioned or not?

It was 97 degrees here in KC yesterday with a 110 degree heat index but mine is still going strong at 19k miles. (cross my fingers & my toes)

 

Don't the HIDs draw less power than the halogens? They're just a lot more efficient, if I recall correctly.

 

Don't the HIDs draw less power than the halogens? They're just a lot more efficient, if I recall correctly.

The HIDs use 35W on steady operation but draw substantial current when first firing up. I think the question above was whether the demands during initial "lighting" of the HID arc overloads the alternator.

I believe the answer is no, since I have seen many vehicles with aftermarket HIDs and have never heard of that causing alternator failure (even on a a vehicle not originally designed to use HIDs).

 

I wasn't even thinking about start up current and I'd be surprised if that was an issue, as the alternator would have no problems dissappating that, since the battery would take that load having the lower source impedance.

I think the natural tendancy is for people to think HIDs take more current because they're brighter. The change in technology, changes the efficiency and therefore the load vs. output.

I got sucked into that one initially too..

 

When my alternator went out, it was in the middle of a very bright, sunny day. I have the HID's, but they were not on. I am sure there are a few that went out during the evening or night while using the lights, but that was not a factor in my situation.

 

I NEED TO EDIT MY VOTE! I VOTED NOT FAILED, BUT IT HAS FAILED...

 

I NEED TO EDIT MY VOTE! I VOTED NOT FAILED, BUT IT HAS FAILED...

Done!

 

Just came back from 11,250 service from a nissan dealer

here in maryland/dc/virginia area...

I asked the service manager about how many MO has been brought to the dealership because of the fail alternator.
He told me, so far: ONE..
Now mind that he has been the service manager for about 5 yrs in that same dealership, so i guess the alternator failure is not enough in pinching Nissan to consider a recall.

On the other hand, i ask the same sevice manager on how many new nissan maxima have lost the hid headlight that the dealership have repaired, he said, so far: eight.
What are the odds?

 

i have a 2003 mo with about 13000 km's, the brake and battery lights came on today as i was driving......am i in trouble? looks like i'm taking the car straight to the dealership asap...

2003 Black MO SL AWD leather
20" calli rims, 2 12" JBL subwoofers

 

i have a 2003 mo with about 13000 km's, the brake and battery lights came on today as i was driving......am i in trouble? looks like i'm taking the car straight to the dealership asap...

2003 Black MO SL AWD leather
20" calli rims, 2 12" JBL subwoofers

Yep you have a bad alternator. Do not delay - get it to the dealer asap.

 

went to the dealership today.....its all taken care of now

 

it is surprising that nissan dealership that you went have alternator in stock...

Do dealerships finally got an informal warning from NNA about alternator prone to failures? Yet, NNA does not want to recall or rlrease tsb to save some $$ ? ...

Just wondering on any "consipiracy" going on.
(sigh) I guess this is because I am watching the SCIFI SERIES "taken" too much almost this past week.
Lots of "government cover up" and consipracy theories...

 

Conspiracy?
Wouldn't be the first having to do with a Japanese car manufacturer.
Went through this with my Mazda Miata also (Engine self destructing).
Ended up selling it just before warranty ran out.

Homer



http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=30&article_id=8332

Snippet:

"Mitsubishi Motors Corp. — Japan's fourth-largest automaker — is facing continuing accusations that it has systematically covered up defects in many of its cars and trucks, the Washington Post reported.

A raid on Mitsubishi offices five months ago yielded evidence of the coverup that has exploded into one of the largest corporate scandals ever in Japan, the story said.

The documents revealed that Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) and a spinoff, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Co., systematically hid defects involving 800,000 vehicles since the 1980s. "

Homer

 

Mitsu Cover Up

I read that article too. I would not put anything past big business these days.

 

Sheese.
I didn't read it that closely.
It's not even the cover up I was thinking of.
This is a brand NEW one and explains why Chrysler walked away from these guys in April.


Here's a short blurb on the cover up I was thinking of in 2000.


August 23, 2000
by TCC Team (2000-08-23)

MITSUBISHI FACES COVER-UP Mitsubishi Motors of Japan has confessed that it has unreported consumer-complaint data dating back to 1977. Mitsubishi originally opted to fix the cars by individual complaint rather than using them to launch recalls, and the automaker said that the practice was known by high-level management. Last month, Mitsubishi announced the recall of about 600,000 cars due to unreported complaints in the 1990s, although a Japanese government investigation in progress suggested that the automaker may have improperly reported complaints all the way back to 1969, when they were first required to be reported. The developments will lead to a greatly expanded recall of vehicles and, likely, a decrease in consumer confidence in the brand. Various estimates have placed the recall at as many as a million vehicles worldwide, with about 200,000 U.S. vehicles affected. DaimlerChrysler now owns 34 percent of Mitsubishi Motors.


There are several piece on the Internet about the whole Japanese culture thing about National Pride In successful Large Corporations.
They have virtually no customer protections.

In one case, 14,000 Japanese were poisoned by bad milk that the creamery knew about. The President was fined $1000. End of story..


But let's not lose track of the fact that that was Mitsubishi and this is Nissan.

So, would Nissan fix the problems individually so as to not have to replace all of them?

Does a bear go in the woods?


Homer

 

Here's what we need:

http://www.mean-green.com/products/alternator.html

 

It is my understanding that high power alternators require more power to spin, thereby decreasing engine power. But it sure beats the OEM one going out! For what its worth, Nissan usually gets it right with alternator replacements - after the failure on Maximas 4 years ago the replacement part has worked like a swiss watch my 97 Maxima - I expect the replacement unit in my Murano to also be trouble free.

 

Re Business ethics and their rationales for their actions:

"The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed an appeal from athletic wear giant Nike Corp in which Nike claimed it had the right to lie to protect its business. The California Supreme Court had ruled that Nike violated a consumer protection law by publicizing "false and misleading information" about its use of abusive sweatshop labor in poor countries. Nike contended that following the law would jeopardize their sales and public relations activities."

 

My alternator failed on the way home from work (3.5 miles) last wednesday, it was an above average heat day (around 90 degrees) and I was driving a tad agressive. I noticed the Brake and Battery lamps come on during my last half mile stretch but the vehicle seemed to operate normally. Midnight blue/cafe latte leather SE AWD 2003.

Is there any way to check the battery voltage without external tools?

I took it into the dealership on thursday at lunch, they confirmed needing an alternator by afternoon and that one would have to be ordered. Friday rolled around, no alternator came in (no ETA given) and the "nissan guy" at the dealership had the day off anyway. This will be the first murano this dealership works on apparently because it is a GM dealer that inherited the nissan services from the dealership I purchased from.

4:46pm today, ring ring ring ring, no answer.

 

You can check alternator voltage with a multimeter. Probably the most accurate is to probe the alternator terminal itself instead of the battery terminals. Since the Murano does not have a voltage guage you cannot check it with the vehicle itself (it wouldn't matter anyways, i never thought these kind of guages are accurate).