Nissan Navara 2013 Problems

Running over a piece of old fencing wire is not uncommon on farms and regional areas and, as you’ve discovered, it can do a lot of damage if it gets wrapped around a moving part. It sounds as though the inner CV joint is badly damaged and that’s allowing the axle to `float’ in and out of its proper position.

If you’re lucky, a replacement CV joint might be all that’s required. But a word of caution: Don’t attempt to drive the vehicle as it is. If the axle jumps ship from the differential completely, it can flail about under the vehicle, causing all sorts of expensive damage.

Just as oils aint oils, batteries aint batteries. The correct battery for your car will not be based on brand, but rather its capacity and output (does it have enough grunt to turn your engine) as well as its physically layout (are, for instance, the negative and positive terminals on the correct ends of the battery for your battery terminals to connect properly).

By `kick out’ I’ll assume you mean the starter motor doesn’t spin the car’s engine when you turn the key. There are lots of causes for this. The first is that you do, indeed, have the incorrect battery that doesn’t have enough cranking amperes to spin your engine and provide enough power to the vehicle’s ignition for the engine to fire. Or, you may simply have fitted a battery that’s low on charge for the same results. Buying a brand-new battery from a shop is no guarantee that the thing will be fully charged up. It’s always a good idea to charge any new battery overnight before trying to start a car with it, in case the battery has lost charge while sitting on the store’s shelf for weeks or months.

Beyond that, there are still plenty of reasons for a car to refuse to turn over. I’d start with checking the earth connections from the battery to the car’s body and engine and then do a test on the battery to see if it’s in decent health or not. Most workshops can do this simple test for you if you’re in doubt.

I suspect that it’s the battery, that there’s not enough charge to crank the engine and provide the spark to fire it. Have the battery checked.

It wouldn’t be a straight forward take one out and put another in sort of job, it would fiddly, but I’m sure it could be done. Look around for a specialist in that area.

The explanation you've been given doesn't sound right to me.

It needs further investigation and I would suggest you take it to a suspension specialist and have them give you a report on it.

Even though the warranty has expired I would believe you have a reasonable claim against Nissan on two grounds. First, you initially reported it while the car was still under warranty, and second, if the suspension is faulty as Nissan seems to be suggesting you could claim that it is unfit for purpose under our consumer laws.

That is providing you operate within the Navara's load and towing limits.

We don't have any specific information that might be of use to you, but I would suggest you seek the advice of a differential service. I'm sure they would be able to tell you of any other failures they have seen, and probably give you an opinion on the failure of yours.

Ask them, why, if it's normal that they want you to take it back every 1000km. That's not normal. It's clearly using oil and they are clearly checking it to see how much it is using. Quiz them about the reasons for the check, and what they plan to do about fixing the car.

That's bloody ridiculous. Nissan has a responsibility to fix your car, and while they do appear to be trying, they have failed abysmally. You have given them enough time, it would seem that you have been very patient, so I would recommend that you step up the pressure on the dealer and Nissan itself. Demand a timetable for the repairs, ask them why they haven't called in specialist help, even from Japan, and consider demanding a replacement car. I am usually loath to recommend asking for a replacement car, but I think in this case you would be justified in demanding a new car. If, as I expect, they refuse, press for a temporary replacement car while they find out what's wrong with yours.

That's a tricky one. Nissan's warranty doesn't cover the battery because it's regarded as a consumable, but the battery itself is covered by a warranty issued by its manufacturer. So, who's responsible when the battery is faulty? I would suggest it's Nissan in the first instance because they sold you the vehicle, the battery maker next as they produced it. Nissan should have replaced the battery and got their money back from the battery maker instead of putting the responsibility back on you as the customer.

The vibration you refer to is caused by the torque converter locking up at too low a speed. It's done for fuel economy, but I reckon Nissan has got it wrong in this occasion. They might say they have had few complaints about it, but I bet there are lots of owners out there putting up with it because their dealers have told them it's "normal".