Update on clutch/slave cylinder problem

Inspector71

As posted before, in May 2014, my clutch pedal went to the floor and I had to drive home in 3rd gear stopping for nothing. I made it home (it was late at night) and, as soon as I pulled in the driveway and rpms dropped, it stalled and died. I had it towed to the dealer. According to this forum, it was most likely the slave cylinder which is in the tranny. I told them this as the fluid was not low in the reservoir. They flushed the system, told me it was dirty, and was good to go. It was fine until September when it happened again. I got the car there, they flushed the system, charged me, and it was good to go. I argued about the slave cylinder and that my warranty expired in the middle of October. Yep, on Friday November 28, it happened a third time. It is there now. They said that Nissan is unlikely to honor the warranty as it expired in October. I argued the car was brought in twice, same problem, before the warranty expired, was not fixed, and should be covered. I waiting to see what they say. I told them do no work, I need a diagnostic. I also asked where the clutch fluid went? No leak in my garage or in the car. I don't have the money to fix this out of warranty (they said around $1500). Any ideas? At this point, I am ready to sell the car.

eastwest2300

damn dude, im sory bro... Im afraid of this happening to me. sh1t, this sucks.

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Infiniti QX70 & Toyota Supra 3.0 Premium

TreeSemdyZee

I would raise a major stink. Since you had at the dealer more than once for the same problem, it should be covered.
It sounds like you have the same bunch of jack-wads working at the dealership you go to as the one that I formerly went to. In typical Nissan dealer fashion, they "know it all" and think those of us on the forums are idiots.
I wish I could find the post that Joe from Zspeed posted years ago showing why the CSC is poorly engineered and what he designed to overcome it. It makes perfect sense when you see it.

Inspector71

The service manager said he never heard of this problem before. I went on this forum and found pages of this problem, copied them, and am taking them with me. It is a design defect, it is poorly engineered, and it should be subject to a recall. Now, anytime I go anywhere, I'm afraid to drive my car any distance and have to look into renting a car. This shouldn't be. I've had it with this problem.

Zbrah

I would call Nissan HQ and file a complaint detailing for your situation. This is BS and Nissan should cover it, make your voice heard otherwise they're only hearing from your dealer and deny your claim. Best of luck.

Inspector71

Thanks, should hear from them today or tomorrow. They told me they had new mechanic and a new set of eyes might see what the others have missed. Did not inspire me.

Zbrah

Here is the contact info in case you need it:

Nissan Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin, TN 37068-5003
Phone: (800) NISSAN-1 (or 800-647-7261)

Monday through Friday:
7:00 AM to 7:00 PM CST

jaytirbhaw

as stated above contact nissan above, they're usually really good at wanting to keep customers happy.

blackcherry20

I agree
Escalate it.
Be very professional, unemotional.
Give them facts, dates, names, the info from other members here (search this site-lots and lots of facts here).
They will come through for you.
Good luck!!

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Grand Sport Corvette Arctic White

kenchan

if you call nissan consumer affairs, you are talking to a dumbarse canned message lady..you're not going to get anywhere.

that said, give maximum emotion... tell them how you REALLLY feel

Inspector71

The dealer called and told me that Nissan told them a "special" clutch fluid will fix the problem. I asked what "special" fluid is and they just repeated the claim. Online, I found 3 special fluids...DOT 3, 4, and 5. How can "special" fluid fix a clutch pedal that goes to the floor every 2 months? Also, if clutch fluid of any DOT, leaks into the transmission because the CSC is bad, what does this do to the transmission? Is transmission fluid the same? If not, this must screw things up. was told; "We told Nissan your car has been in 3 times in 7 months for the same problem and they said try the special fluid and we'll go from there." In short, a ticking time bomb when it goes again leaving me stranded and, if the fluid is bad for the transmission, that goes too. At this point, I am considering getting rid of the car before it all breaks down. I'll call Nissan consumer affairs and give them a shot at this today. Thanks for your help. I feel sick every time I get into the car, which has been well taken care of, babied, never raced, touch the clutc, and it doesn't feel right.

Chuck33079

The clutch fluid cannot contaminate the transmission fluid. It may cause damage to the clutch, but it can't get inside the transmission.

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2011 MB Touring-Sport-6sp-Nav/GTM TT/FI TT TDX/JTran/Kosmic/Eibach/Hotchkis/SPC/CSF/RPS/SoThatsWhereAllMyMoneyWent

JARblue

Take a look at the FSM, and you will see the bell housing containing the CSC is separate from the transmission fluid housing.

My guess is the "special" clutch fluid is Nissan's GT-R clutch fluid.

And yup, it is a ticking time bomb. I replaced mine before it failed. With aftermarket solution. So I don't ever have to screw with it again like some of the guys on here that have replaced it 3 times or more

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The Dimer

If it's the CSC you definitely need to call customer affairs as stated above. Do you research ahead of time and don't take no for an answer. I just went through this exact ordeal last month.

Went to the dealer, told them I thought it was the CSC when I dropped it off. They call two days later and confirmed that was the problem only to tell me it wasn't covered under warranty and would cost me $1,200 to fix. I argued with my service guy, the tech, and the master mechanic with them telling me that because it's in the bell housing it's not covered under the transmission. I told them regardless of where it is it's still a part of the power-train and not a wearable part so it should be covered. They conceded that it was a part of the power-train but there system only showed it as being covered by the 3 year 36,000 mile basic warranty and not the 5 year 60,000 power-train warranty. They showed it to me on the screen so there was not much left for me at the dealership and that's when I called customer affairs.

The first lady I talked to was a total dunce. Typical canned responses from someone who didn't know what they were talking about. She even went as far to tell me the CSC wouldn't be covered because the warranty only covers mechanical failures. When I informed her that it was an internal part and there was no other way for it to fail she must have hit the bottom of her list of excuses because she forwarded my case to the next level up which is where you want to be.

This guy called me to discuss my case and then told me he was going to need a few days to do some research. Sure enough a few days later I get a call back and "the powers that be" determined that the part would be covered under my warranty.

Now I don't know how many miles you have on your car, but if you're within the factory power-train warranty there is no reason it shouldn't be replaced for free. If you're not and you don't have an extended warranty I don't think you have much room left to argue unfortunately.

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K&N Drop-Ins, Z1 Post-MAF Tubes, FI 18" CF TDX, TWM Short Throw Shifter w/ A6 Leopard Knob, 'esfourteen' clutch helper spring, 'kellyefields' hood struts.

Inspector71

And others, this really helps me big time. I am calling Nissan consumer affairs today and get started on this. I have no doubt it is the CSC. Again, thanks everyone.