Nissan Expands Warranty on Quest Minivan

CANTON, Miss. September 23, 2004; The AP reported that Nissan Motor Co. is extending warranty protection on its 2004 Quest minivan, which has been plagued with voluntary recalls, customer complaints and an unflattering quality report card.

The company began notifying customers earlier this month that it was extending its original three year or 36,000 miles warranty to five years or 60,000 miles.

The Quest, launched in May 2003, has had a dismal ranking -- along with the Mississippi-made Armada and Titan -- on the consumer research firm J.D. Power and Associates' April 2004 Initial Quality Survey.

Extending the warranty "is the best way to demonstrate our confidence in the vehicle," Nissan spokesman Kyle Bazemore said.

While customers who already purchased an extended warranty through Nissan before this latest move can opt to cancel their existing contracts for a full refund, Bazemore said certain extended warranty packages offer additional benefits such as roadside assistance that may not be covered under the basic program.

Not everyone is impressed by Nissan's response to Quest problems.

Nissan has twice voluntarily recalled the Quest this year. The most recent recall, of 27,700 units, was prompted by a power sliding door on the SL and SE models that opened when the driver accelerated rapidly.

A defective weight sensor that could cause air bags to inflate even with a child seated in the front passenger seat led the automaker to recall about 13,800 units in March.