Stretched transfer chain

[clay 2506]

I have a D40 which is in warranty still with 50,000km. Last week when we were away, the car made a banging sound which now turns out to be the transfer chain being stretched.

I took it to Nissan, and Nissan Australia have said that my warranty is now VOID - they said that I have overloaded the car! The new case is worth $5000 or repair it $3100.

The car has hardly been used for what it has been built for. I have fought with the Nissan customer relations and they are still saying no. I have now sent them a letter of demand to have a review and they haven't replied. Now I have lodged a case with the Department of Fair trading.

I would like to know if anyone else has had any problems like this? Surely if there are problems with my transfer case there should be problems with the other drive lines? Both the service manager and mechanic both agree (and I have it in writing) that the diffs, cv's, tailshaft, uni's etc are all in good condition and the car is also in good condition. How can this be?

 

[Dave]

Keep at them mate.

$5000 for a new transfer. FMD. Is it made of Gold ?

 

[Old.Tony]

Keep at it.

To succeed, you'll need to provide evidence from someone else that contradicts their claim and then take it to Fair Trading.

That means you don't want Nissan to touch it yet. Don't get it repaired yet either, if you want it covered.

The transfer chain USUALLY only stretches if the vehicle has been used in 4WD mode (either 4HI or 4LO, doesn't matter) on a surface that has insufficient 'give'. The front and rear wheels bind up in a turn because the rear inside wheel inscribes a much smaller circle (requiring few turns of the tyre) than the front outside wheel (requiring many more turns of the tyre).

The manual states not to use 4WD mode on firm surfaces (clay is firm, dry forest tracks are firm, many dirt roads are firm). Basically if you have enough grip to get the vehicle moving in 2WD mode, you should not be using 4WD mode at all. Nissan know this, know that this is the number 1 cause of transfer chain stretching and they'll toss it at you every single time.

However, if you're adamant that you weren't using 4WD mode and this happened (and really, I'd be interested in how that could happen too!) then make it clear in your case. Have a qualified mechanic (one who is well-versed in 4WD transmissions) examine it and give his opinion - it does matter.

Good luck with it!

 

[ST-R]

If you get stuck replacing it yourself, a low km used transfer case from a wrecker would be a more economical choice.

Good Luck.

Greg

 

[clay 2506]

Keep at it.

To succeed, you'll need to provide evidence from someone else that contradicts their claim and then take it to Fair Trading.

That means you don't want Nissan to touch it yet. Don't get it repaired yet either, if you want it covered.

The transfer chain USUALLY only stretches if the vehicle has been used in 4WD mode (either 4HI or 4LO, doesn't matter) on a surface that has insufficient 'give'. The front and rear wheels bind up in a turn because the rear inside wheel inscribes a much smaller circle (requiring few turns of the tyre) than the front outside wheel (requiring many more turns of the tyre).

The manual states not to use 4WD mode on firm surfaces (clay is firm, dry forest tracks are firm, many dirt roads are firm). Basically if you have enough grip to get the vehicle moving in 2WD mode, you should not be using 4WD mode at all. Nissan know this, know that this is the number 1 cause of transfer chain stretching and they'll toss it at you every single time.

However, if you're adamant that you weren't using 4WD mode and this happened (and really, I'd be interested in how that could happen too!) then make it clear in your case. Have a qualified mechanic (one who is well-versed in 4WD transmissions) examine it and give his opinion - it does matter.

Good luck with it!

Yeah they have taken it apart to look at it - the chain they say has stretched and you could see a couple of witness marks on the case where it is rubbing.

Also, it had the 4WD light appear on the dash the day before whilst I was driving on the highway. I pulled over and turned the car off, and then back on again and it was still on. So then I engaged it into 4WD and then disengaged it and the light went off.

 

[joshy]

went down this path.... got no where. theyll use any excuse. Just poor engineering design.

 

[justdrinkbeer]

went down this path.... got no where. theyll use any excuse. Just poor engineering design.

Clearly you haven't used yours in 4wd at all!

 

[joe2006]

It is amasing that as a feature of the vehicle, they sprook about changing into 4WD high at speeds up to 100kph.

It begs the question, given the apparent fragility of the transfer chain and the requirement for such cautious use of 4WD, when could anyone possibly be doing 100kph on any surface where 4WD can safely be selected?

Something smells like BS.

Good luck

 

[montana]

Yeah they have taken it apart to look at it - the chain they say has stretched and you could see a couple of witness marks on the case where it is rubbing.

Also, it had the 4WD light appear on the dash the day before whilst I was driving on the highway. I pulled over and turned the car off, and then back on again and it was still on. So then I engaged it into 4WD and then disengaged it and the light went off.

it seems like there could be an electrical fault engaging 4wd

 

[clay 2506]

Hey guys

To keep you updated on my situation (as its been a few weeks):

So far, my Navara has been up on the hoist at Nissan for 5 weeks!

To quote the Customer Service Team Leader at Nissan Australia (email on 11th March):
"as previously discussed with you, Nissan Australia together with Lander Nissan - have consulted extensively in relation to the transfer case failure. In considering all the information that we have available, it has been determined that the cause of failure is not as a result of a manufacturing fault. In the absence of any evidence of manufacturing fault, no action will be taken in accordance with the terms and conditions".

For the last 4 weeks I have constantly been asking Nissan Australia for their reasons of how it is not the manufactures fault and how they could make a decision. I have also asked them for a copy of the report from the mechanic at Lander and also a proper report on their findings.

After constantly getting no answers, I went to Lander and said that I wanted to see the report. They did show it to me but wouldn’t give me a copy for legal reasons. Basically the mechanic sent a report for my warranty which consisted of "chain has stretched, oil is clean and no loose metals" and sent a few photo's - thats about it. Nissan Australia made their decision to void warranty for the transfer case based on a basic report by the mechanic. And also stated that I had forced and mis-used the vehicle and that they will contact me.

I have been chasing them for weeks asking them to explain how I have forced and mis-used the vehicle. But once again, I am still awaiting a reply. I have dealt with Nissan Australia Customer Service, Lander Customer Service, Service Managers and Sales Managers.

I have also asked to get an engineer in (who is also an RTA Inspector) to assess my vehicle but have been told that they would have to assess the vehicle in the carpark due to insurances not covering them – even though the engineer has their own insurances! I want the engineer to be able to do a proper inspection of the vehicle and in order for that, he would have to do it in the workshop on a hoist.

The Department of Fair Trading are investigating this and have passed it on to the MVSU.

If anyone else has any other suggestions on what else I should be doing, just let me know.

 

[joshy]

ROFL. lander nissan. Just when they thought life would be easy cos i stopped taking my nav there.
Goodluck mate..

 

[nathand22]

So what was the end result with the transfer?
Did you end up getting any help from fair trading?