If you talk to car enthusiasts about the vehicles of the 1990s, especially towards the end of the decade, they’ll probably lean back in whatever chair they’re sitting in and look out into the distance with a gleam in their eye. Then, they’ll probably talk about the redoubtable build quality popular manufacturers committed themselves to, along with quality whips that were as reliable as they were luxurious.
Even rides that didn’t catch on quite as well as some of their in-class rivals, like the Infiniti Q45 (Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury brand) are admired by this Lexus enthusiast for its high class drive feel and premium finish. The reviews for this vehicle in particular, and other Nissan models, seem to be a stark contrast to many of the Japanese auto manufacturers’ offerings.
The TikTok account for an auto repair shop based out of Utah, Dave’s Auto Center (@davesautocenter), has demonstrated at least one reason why modern Nissans may have fallen out of favor with drivers (and why the brand’s net income loss between 2010-2023 was $3.4 billion).
The problem with Nissans
The mechanic featured in the video seems to have some strong opinions on the auto industry as a whole. He points to a six-year-old Nissan Titan’s transmission issues as a prime example of a manufacturer engaging in planned obsolescence by not offering any replacement components for a transmission.
Instead, Nissan only offers the expensive transmission part as a whole, retailing for the whopping price of $12,000.
@davesautocenter ♬ original sound – Davesautocenter
In the video, the mechanic calls the practice “disgusting” as he explains the hurdles his shop has faced in fixing the transmission.
“This [transmission’s] a $12,000 one. You cannot buy this anywhere but the dealer,” he says. “It’s proprietary crap. It’s in a 2018 Nissan Titan with a 5.0 Cummins in it. And the [transmission], the front input shaft seal was leaking.”
The mechanic says he pulled the transmission out to find the leak and called the dealer to request a seal. However, he says there was none.
“There’s nothing available for this [transmission,” he says. “An oil pan gasket that’s all you can get. Except if you wanna buy a whole [transmission.]”
He isn’t the only mechanic to slam Nissan—one tech flat-out told folks he’d never recommend anyone to ever buy a car from the brand. He said how they are almost impossible to be serviced. Even these Nissan dealership employees won’t drive a Nissan, which makes sense when one considers the criticisms mechanics have had of the brand’s vehicles.
Drivers aren’t happy
One commenter who responded to the TikToker suggested how they could fix their issue without breaking the bank: “Buy the new transmission, switch out the seals and then return it.”
Someone else boiled down the point of their post, writing, “So you saying don’t buy Nissan.”
One person wrote that Nissan, despite being a Japanese car manufacturer, is no Toyota or Honda when it comes to quality and reliability: “Nissan is the Chrysler of Japan.”
For another TikTok user, the takeaway from the video was a simple one: “Easy. Never buy another Nissan ANYTHING ever again.”
Others, however, thought there were other ways to get a seal on the transmission without having to rely on the manufacturer.
“Personally I’d take measurements and get a seal from timken,” one person said.
Another wrote, “Match the dimensions up with an existing seal.”
However, one user on the app said that the point is that auto manufacturers are seemingly going out of their way to make it more difficult for customers to service their cars themselves.
“Every industry is like this now,” they said. “Manufacturers need to be held accountable.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nissan and Dave’s Auto Center via email for further comment.
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