Fuel Level Sending Unit

[MassPathy]

Hi... former Xterra owner now have a 2006 Pathfinder LE with 47k miles... hoping for some input if you know or have had similar problem. My fuel level sending unit went yesterday... did all the things others described... DTE -----, gauge to empty, SES light on, gauge crawled up slow, etc... . Went to AutoZone at lunch today pulled code PO463;the fuel level sending unit. Read technical bulletin NTB07-069a. NOW my question... warranty states 6/60 coverage on fuel pump; one dealer tells me it's covered, next one says absolutely not as it is NOT considered part of the fuel pump under powertrain. I haven't discussed with my dealer where I bought it new yet... justed wanted to know what others know or experienced. Interestingly the technical bulletin cited above states dealer should replace the part and file claim under PFP or Primary Failed Part.... one could reason it says primary and hence is covered as part of fuel pump and Nissan will reimburse the dealer. Any input greatly appreciated. Thanks much!!

JJ

[NissanTech]

It’s not part of the fuel pump, hence it shouldn’t be cover.

[mpe235]

Nissan will not pay for the repair.

[MassPathy]

By way of update... after having one dealer say it was covered and two others say no, and after seeing how many others have or had similar issues with Pathys, Frontiers and Xterra, I wrote to this guy:

Mr. Carlos Ghosn, President & CEO
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin TN 37064

We'll see.....

[mpe235]

Originally Posted by MassPathy

By way of update... after having one dealer say it was covered and two others say no, and after seeing how many others have or had similar issues with Pathys, Frontiers and Xterra, I wrote to this guy:

Mr. Carlos Ghosn, President & CEO
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin TN 37064

We'll see.....

I doubt he will get the letter. You will probably have better luck trying 1-800-nissan1 (consumer affairs). Also ask the dealer for goodwill assistance. They could probably get it covered for you if they wanted to. If you have your vehicle serviced at a particular dealer you should try them. Usually if you are spending money there they are more willing to put in the extra effort to get it covered for you.

[MassPathy]

After going south on me Sunday evening, Tuesday the fuel sending unit started to work properly... or so it would appear. DTE reads accurate, gas gauge working fine, SES light went off. Now I'm not complaining here, but WTF?!?

[luuceee]

Hi all- I currently own two Nissan's ('05 Pathfinder-47K and '02 Maxima-58K) and prior to these owned a 99.5 Pathfinder SE and a '93 Maxima. My fuel sending unit is dead on my '05 Pathfinder. I was wondering if any of you received dealer coverage for the fuel sending unit under the TSB or 60K warranty for the fuel pump? This is my first post and I hate to be long-winded with newbie BS, but I've generally enjoyed my Nissans and never really had too much trouble out of them (excluding Bose audio). However, after driving my *newer* Nissans, I do see a significant quality slip from the late 80's and 90's and may consider another brand next time (that was tough). Anyway, thanks for your help.

[MassPathy]

Hey, Luuceee,

The company line is "It's not a covered item" as while the fuel pump proper is under the 60K drive train warranty, the fuel sending unit, while attached, is apparently not considered part of the fuel pump. Nice, huh? I don't think it to be an irony that your '05 and my '06 both had 47k miles on them when the unit went. Many, many others, I've come to learn, have had this happen. I will tell you my dealer said about $426 to repair so I wrote to the president of Nissan (see earlier post) and got a call from his office yesterday telling me they have assigned the matter to the regional rep who is supposed to call today... I'll let you know what happens.

JJ

[MichaelA]

Hi ! First post...
We are plagued with the same issue on our 07 Pathfinder- same symptoms. My wife took the vehicle to the dealer today, and same answer. We actually did ask for goodwill assistance and were denied. It has 41K on the odometer. The thing will occasionally work as you describe, and then stop. we can only hope that the fuel pump will go out now, and be under the powertrain warranty then.
We were also previous owners of the Xterra, and had great luck with that truck. Should have kept it!!

[mpe235]

Originally Posted by MichaelA

Hi ! First post...
We are plagued with the same issue on our 07 Pathfinder- same symptoms. My wife took the vehicle to the dealer today, and same answer. We actually did ask for goodwill assistance and were denied. It has 41K on the odometer. The thing will occasionally work as you describe, and then stop. we can only hope that the fuel pump will go out now, and be under the powertrain warranty then.
We were also previous owners of the Xterra, and had great luck with that truck. Should have kept it!!

Call 1-800-nissan1 and ask them for goodwill asistance. Nissan is aware of the problem and I would like to think they they are smart enough to keep customers happy, especially as we enter the recession everyone is talking about. They need to keep the customers they have.

[quashun]

This issue came up before in this form. Those that said Nissan would not fix it may have given up to easily. You can get anything done (within reason) as long as you complain enough and talk to the right people. I got mine fixed for free. Although it was through the dealer I purchased the truck from (Nalley Nissan in Decatur, Georgia) with no help from consumer affair people at the 1800 number.
I have an '05 Pathfinder. My Sensor went out shortly before Thanksgiving last year. Like others have posted the SES light came on when fuel was low and went off as long as I kept the fuel level above a half a tank. I took it to a dealer in Tennessee (where I was when it came on) and they said it would be over $300 to fix it. I called the dealer that I bought it from in Georgia and my service guy was able to get it fixed for me for free. He also told me call and complain.
The fuel level sensor is connected to the fuel pump. Nissan knows about the problem, and came with a way to fix the part without replacing the whole fuel pump therefore they claim that it is not covered under warranty. However, they issued a bulletin so that mechanics are aware of this problem that so many vehicles are having.
First don't waste time calling 1-800-Nissan-1 That will not get you anywhere because you are calling lower level people with no power to do anything. I called three times and no one ever returned my call. Also, don't email consumer affairs on the Nissan website. When I emailed them I got a chain letter response that there are no recalls now. I really think they were hoping I would go away.
What I suggest is that you call Nissan North America directly in Nashville, TN. (615) 725-1000 when I called that number I actually got a response. You actually talk to a person without going through prompts. I talked to Melissa, A Regional Consumer Affairs Specialist. My File number is 5930410 if that would help in any way.
I encourage anyone who has had this problem to call and complain also. We may not get anywhere, but you never know unless you try. If enough complain they may recall the vehicles. It may seem a little idealistic, but this has really bothered me.

[luuceee]

Thanks for the info quashun. I'm going to call the Nissan North America number tomorrow. I had the struts and sway bars replaced on my 2002 Maxima this week and had a discussion with the service guy about this problem on my 2005 Path. I also got the "if it's not the fuel pump, it's not Nissans problem" line. He actually told me he had replaced three fuel sending units this week, so "it will be easy to get you a cost estimate". Like you said, maybe we can get something moving on this and I encourage all of you to call Nissan North America.

[quashun]

Just to make things clear, Melissa at the corporate office didn't help me with getting my truck fixed for free, my dealer had already done that for me so I didn't have to ask her to do that. I just wanted to complain about the following:
1. not getting a returned call after 3 attempts over a week and a half
2. getting an unhelpful email that didn't address the concerns of my original email.
3. remind them that they issued a bulletin which shows they are aware of a problem than spans pathfinders, frontiers, and xterras.
4. pointed out that this could be a dangerous problem if I run out of gas on a highway cause my fuel guage wasn't working properly either.
5. telling them that my family and I have owned Nissans in the past and I would hope they would want to keep my loyalty.
6. anything else I could think of at the moment to point out that I was happy with the truck overall but not with this particular problem.

[Luthor]

It seems that Nissan in other countries have accepted their responsibility to replace sender units under warranty. Refer to thread titled '2006 Pathfinder R51 TI fuel gauge and trip comp issues.'
Mine is now working perfectly.

[AaronAlb]

Well I guess I'll jump in on the topic as well. I have a code for the same thing. Reading through the forums it answer my question. Although I had a PO447 with the PO463. Evap vent Cntrl open. I replaced the valve cleared codes and they both came back on. Now here is what I am thinking. The vent control valve according to Mitchell On Demand only operates when the ECU runs readiness test on the Evap system. My understanding is the ECU runs the test in conjuction with the level of gas in the tank. Could this issue with the sending unit be tricking the ECU into it thinking there is a problem with the vent valve as well? Anybody had the same issue as this?

[MassPathy]

Originally Posted by mpe235

I doubt he will get the letter. You will probably have better luck trying 1-800-nissan1 (consumer affairs). Also ask the dealer for goodwill assistance. They could probably get it covered for you if they wanted to. If you have your vehicle serviced at a particular dealer you should try them. Usually if you are spending money there they are more willing to put in the extra effort to get it covered for you.

You'll see from my earlier post that I went right to the top and wrote to Carlos Ghosen, President of Nissan North America asking for his help to restore my faith in Nissan products (owned two, probably will buy another in 12-18 months). Got a call from an administrative assistant, regional manager and my dealer. It had all been worked out before I had to even do another thing. Got it done last Friday. Someone at his level delegates and his people know customer service.

JJ

[quashun]

Congrats MassPathy!!! Has anyone else had success with getting their truck fixed at Nissan's expense?