What 66 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Nissan Quest

WITH THREE YOUNG KIDS IN THE VAN, WE WERE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, IN THE DARK, ON A HILL, AT AN INTERSECTION WHERE CARS MUST TURN LEFT OR RIGHT. I HAD A QUARTER TANK OF GAS. LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS AND THE CAR BECAME COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. CALLED THE POLICE TO DIRECT TRAFFIC, IT WAS DARK AND CARS WERE COMING AT MY DISABLED VEHICLE FROM BEHIND, LEFT AND RIGHT. CALLED AAA. I WAS ABLE TO GET MY GIRLS OUT OF THE VAN AND CROSS A MAJOR INTERSECTION SAFELY. WE GOT GAS IN THE CAR AND GOT IT TO THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP. AS THIS WAS A LEASED VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 3,000 MILES ON IT, WE CALLED CORPORATE NISSAN TO DISCUSS WHAT HAPPENED AND ASKED TO BE LET OUT OF OUR LEASE (AND INTO ANOTHER NISSAN). AFTER APPROX. TWO WEEKS OF TALKING WITH NISSAN REPS (WHICH IS NOT AS EASY TALK AS THEY DO NOT RETURN PHONE CALLS AND NEVER ANSWER THEIR PHONES) AND AN ARBITRATOR, WE WERE TOLD SINCE THE VAN WAS "FIXED" AS PER THE 1ST TSB, WE WOULD NOT BE LET OUT OF OUR LEASE. I TOLD THE ARBITRATOR I FELT THE VAN WAS UNSAFE, SHE ARGUED THAT NOBODY WAS HURT IN THE VAN AND THE VAN WAS FIXED. SHE ALSO SAID THEY WOULD NOT PERFORM BOTH TSB'S ON MY VAN SINCE THE VIN NUMBER DID NOT ALIGN WITH THE DATES ISSUED IN THE 2ND TSB. NEXT DAY, THE VAN WAS DRIVEN BY A SERVICE MANAGER AND SPUTTERED ON A HILL!! THE FIRST FIX (REPLACING THE DISTANCE TO EMPTY GAGE) DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THE ARBITRATOR TO LET HER KNOW, SHE NEVER CALLED BACK. ONE WEEK LATER THE 2ND TSB HAS BEEN PERFORMED AND THE VAN IS READY FOR PICK UP. I DO NOT TRUST THE FIXES AND WILL NOT PUT MY FAMILY AT RISK. I THINK ITS A DISGRACE HOW CORPORATE NISSAN IS HANDLING THIS PROBLEM. THEY KNOW THE 2011 QUEST HAS A GAS TANK DESIGN FLAW AND ARE NOT ACTIVELY TRYING TO GET THEM OFF THE ROAD FOR MUCH NEEDED REPAIRS. I DID GET OUT OF MY LEASE PRIVATELY AND FIRMLY BELIEVE NISSAN NEEDS TO RECALL THE 2011 QUEST. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10444732

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 NISSAN QUEST. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH DOWNHILL, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE FUEL GASKETS, CHAMBER, PUMPS AND SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE FUEL GASKETS, CHAMBER, PUMPS AND THE SENSOR BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY THEN ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THEY HAD NOT COME UP WITH A REMEDY FOR THE FAILURE YET AND THAT THE CONTACT SHOULD NOT ALLOW THE FUEL TO GO UNDER ONE FOURTH FULL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 5,800.

NHTSA ODI 10444061

AS MY WIFE DROVE OUR BRAND NEW QUEST DOWN A SLOPE TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN, THE QUEST DIED. SHE STOPPED THE CAR AND TRIED TO RESTART IT TO NO AVAIL. WHEN I ARRIVED I HAD HER ATTEMPT TO START AS I LISTENED TO THE ENGINE, IT WAS TURNING AND THE CAR HAD POWER BUT IT WAS ACTING LIKE IT HAD NO FUEL. THE GAUGE SHOWED A LITTLE OVER 1/4 TANK. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED HE TOOK US TO A GAS STATON FIRST, AFTER FUELING THE CAR STARTED. WHEN I SUBMITTED IT TO THE QUEST DEALERSHIP THE SERVICE CHIEF SAID THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME HE'S SEEN THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST MONTH! THE FACT THAT NISSAN HAS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF A PROBLEM THAT CAN PROVE VERY, VERY, DANGEROUS YET HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL IS VERY DISTURBING. PLEASE ADDRESS, THANK YOU.

NHTSA ODI 10443829

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A MODERATE INCLINE ON LOW FUEL WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL TO THE CURB AND RESTART THE ENGINE. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO BE LOOKED AT AND WAS TOLD THERE WERE 3 OTHER CARS IN LINE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. NISSAN IS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I WAS THEN TOLD NOT TO LET THE FUEL TANK GET BELOW 1/2 TANK. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10443689

MULTIPLE TIMES MY 2011 QUEST HAS STALLED OUT WHEN GOING DOWNHILL. AT FIRST IT WAS IF I HAD ROUGHLY A QUARTER TANK OF GAS LEFT. YESTERDAY IT HAPPENED WHEN I HAD JUST SHORT OF A HALF TANK OF GAS. IT HAPPENS IF I'M SITTING STILL ON A HILL OR CRUISING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH. I HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, PRESS ON THE BRAKE, THEN HIT THE START BUTTON, AND LUCKILY IT HAS RESTARTED EVERY TIME. WITH 2 CHILDREN UNDER 3, THIS IS A HUGE CONCERN FOR ME. PLEASE FORCE NISSAN INTO FIXING THIS BEFORE A TRAGEDY HAPPENS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10443334

THE VEHICLE FAILS TO DRAW GAS FROM THE GAS TANK WHEN PARKED ON A DECLINE (FRONT DOWN), AND THERE IS LESS THAN 1/4 TANK OF FUEL IN THE TANK. THIS HAPPENED IN OUR DRIVEWAY, WHERE WE WERE UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE EVEN WITH 1/4 TANK OF GAS, UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS PUT IN NEUTRAL AND ROLLED TO A FLAT SPOT. THEN THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START. WE HAVE HEARD SIMILAR STORIES OF THE VEHICLE NOT STARTING WHEN PARKED ON AN DECLINE, BUT HAVE ALSO HEARD OF OWNERS OF THE 2011 QUEST STALLING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS DUE TO FUEL STARVATION, ATTRIBUTABLE TO BAD GAS TANK DESIGN. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED BY NISSAN IMMEDIATELY BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED IN A STALL-OUT ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10443346

FIRST INCIDENT: VEHICLE'S LOW FUEL WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND COMPUTER INDICATED 55 MILES TO EMPTY. APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES LATER, WHILE IDLING IN A PARKING LOT ON A SUBTLE DOWNHILL SLOPE, THE ENGINE STALLED. PUSHING START BUTTON CAUSED AN ATTEMPT TO CRANK, BUT ENGINE WOULDN'T START. ACCESSORY POWER STILL WORKED. WE PUT 1 1/2 GALLONS OF GAS IN THE VAN AND IT STILL WOULD NOT START (JUST CRANKED AND SPUTTERED OUT AGAIN). THE VAN WAS TOWED TO A NISSAN DEALER AND ONCE OFF THE TOW TRUCK, IT STARTED UP WITHOUT PROBLEMS AND INDICATED 74 MILES TO EMPTY. DEALER RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG, AND THEY BELIEVED IT RAN OUT OF GAS BUT STATED COMPUTER AND FUEL GAUGE WE'RE ACCURATE. SECOND INCIDENT: 12/16/11, LOW FUEL LIGHT CAME ON AT 52 MILES TO EMPTY. BEFORE I COULD REACH THE CLOSEST GAS STATION, AT 48 MILES TO EMPTY AND AFTER GOING DOWN A DOWNHILL SLOPE THEN PULLING UP TO A STOPLIGHT ON A HIGHWAY THAT WAS STILL AT A VERY SLIGHT DOWNHILL DECLINE, THE ENGINE STALLED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I EXITED THE VEHICLE FOR FEAR OF BEING HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I CALLED POLICE AND WE PUT 3 GALLONS OF GAS IN THE VAN AND THE ENGINE CRANKED RIGHT UP. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION ABOUT 3 MILES AWAY AND THE VAN TOOK 15.2 GALLONS (ADD THE 3 POLICE PUT IN AND I SHOULD HAVE HAD 1.8 GALLONS IN THE TANK WHEN IT STALLED). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10440325

ENGINE WILL STALL AND SOMETIMES NOT RESTART WHEN DRIVING DOWN A STEEP GRADE WHEN FUEL TANK HAS 1/4 TANK LEFT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10440348

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 NISSAN QUEST. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE FUEL LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SHOULDER AND THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 4,000.

NHTSA ODI 10438562