http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthre...b=5&o=&fpart=1

This is just one thread of many, even NISSAN admits it.
Nissan hustles engineers to U.S. to aid new-vehicle quality effort


By LINDSAY CHAPPELL AND YUZO YAMAGUCHI | Automotive News

Nissan Motor Co. has dispatched about 200 engineers from Japan to address quality problems at Nissan's new assembly plant in Canton, Miss.

The engineers also are examining Nissan's car factory in Smyrna, Tenn., a component engineering center in Farmington Hills, Mich., and an unspecified number of supplier plants.

The move comes just weeks after Nissan's dismal showing in the 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study of consumer perceptions of product quality. The first three nameplates launched at Canton - the Quest minivan, Titan full-sized pickup and Pathfinder Armada SUV - each scored last in their segments.

CEO Carlos Ghosn last week addressed Canton's quality issues during the Nissan shareholders' meeting in Tokyo.

"You can't expect a new plant to start to give the same level of efficiency as other plants which are 25 years old," he told shareholders.

According to the J.D. Power study, complaints about vehicles built in Canton ranged from wind noise, loose molding and brake pedal vibration to paint chips and blemishes.

The $1.4 billion Canton plant is only a year old. It was built in just two years. The assembly plant produces four all-new models using a new work force, a new U.S. engine operation and new suppliers.

Despite the quality problems, Nissan's U.S. sales are healthy. For the first five months of 2004, combined U.S. Nissan and Infiniti sales were up 28.2 percent.

But Kunihiko Shiohara, analyst at Goldman Sachs (Japan) Ltd., is alarmed. "Nissan tapped into new segments quickly," he says. "So it seems like Nissan gave quality a second priority."

Source:

http://autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?p..._code=05601966

 

http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthre...b=5&o=&fpart=1

More. Owners left and right are peeved they dumped 55k in a truck that is built worse than a 10 year old Kia. For those that read the Motor Trend article where the QX56 BRAND NEW truck finished 4th out of 4th (LX 2nd), they complained it rattled like a school bus full of kids.

Sigh, another example of bad badge enginering. LExus and Toyota took the time to ensure the LX was built like a tank with the luxury you expect of a Lexus.

Imagine the next LX will only EXPAND on this.

 

Guess that's to go with it's horrible looks. (Sorry, low blow), but it's sad to hear this about these brand new vehicles. The Titan is a good truck, but slam the door and the segment at the very rear of the cab is so plasticy it visibly ripples. Cheapness. Never liked the Armada, and honestly thought the QX56 was a joke initially, so I guess I really don't care. Sucks for those who plunked down the cash tho.

James

 

Nissan's shoddiness may be a result of Renault ownership....a company long known for shoddiness in its products, to the point that they were run out of the American market 20 years ago and ended up selling Jeep-Eagle to Chrysler. Up until a few years ago, Nissan's general quality and fit-and-finish was excellent, even though I think they made some marketing errors by dropping too many models. According to Consumer reports, their repair records (with the latest available data) are still average or above, with the exception of the Sentra. I still nominally recommend many of their products as worthy of consideration those who ask for advice....but the recent decline in the quality of Nissan interiors and to a lesser extent Infiniti has been noticeable, and soon I may stop recommending them.
It may be tough to pinpoint the reason for the trouble at the Canton, MS plant. True, it is possible for a new plant to have some teething problems, but it goes deeper than that, too. The Toyota plant at Georgetown, KY and the Honda plant at Marysville, OH produced good cars from day one. So did the sister Nissan plant at Smyrna, TN. So did the original Saturn plant at Spring Hill, TN. While I cannot pan the state itself or any individual workers, MS in general has a reputation for poverty and a low-skilled work force (part of what this new plant was supposed to help address)......that could contribute to it. So could overzealous plant managers that are so gung-ho on production quotas they will not slow down or stop the assembly lines to correct defects....this was also a problem with the American manufacturers for many years. We'll just wait and see if Nissan can address the problem.
It is interesting to note that, even after 7 years of operation, Mercedes still is making shoddy products at the Tuscaloosa, AL plant.

 

Don't see myself buying a Nissan anytime soon, they have nice power but interior quality is horrible. The only Nissan with a nice interior now is the Pathfinder but it is gonna be redesigned this fall and the interior doesn't look to great either.

 

LMFAO...See what happens when you take the Japanese out of Japanese cars? And people wonder why I hard on that point so much...

 

It's Nissan today, that should be expected with their ugly styling.

 

LMFAO! Excuses excuses.

 

Man, you read my mind, I reply to say the same exact thing!

 

Yep ... does anyone know where the Pathfinder is built?

 

That's kinda funny cuz my parents were out lookin for a new vehicle not too long ago. They were stuck between the MDX, the QX56 and the GX470. They loved the quality of my ES3 so they decided to go for the GX470. They couldn't be happier with their decision.

 

Current Pathfider is Made in Japan.

Upcoming Pathfider will be Slapped Together in USA.



EDIT: This means that the only Japanese-made Nissan will be the Z car. Wow, what a way to screw up a brand.

x36547685514681

 

It's really too bad. And you're right - it will literally be slapped together.

Looks like Nissan is quickly becoming the biggest joke in the automotive world outside of a few ****ty non-imported European brands (re: Citroen).

1994: We hate you South Korea ...

2004: We LOVE you South Korea!!!

It seems to me that they are the only ones advancing quality and reliability these days. They may not be "there" yet, but at least they're trying. I prefer my dad's somewhat awkward Optima over all of Nissan's recent offerings.


EDIT: wantAnewLex - I thought that was a serial number or something at first trailing the thumbs-down ... now I get it.

 

I'm not really diggin the whole inifiniti scene. they're supposed to be the luxary division of nissan but i dont see much luxary. hell i dont even see anything that i like... well maybe the G35. but all cars that they offer dont come off as being luxary. They seem to be as luxurious as a chevy malibu or an impala. Not impessed at all. Acura and Lexus on the other hand... regulate.

 

Nissan is becoming a Japanese BMW. Great engines, loose interior.