drees said:
Leafer77 said:
I received a response from the BBB which states, "There is nothing confidential about your case or the decision." If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, since I am happy to share or help in anyway.
Good news - are you able to summarize your BBB arbitration process from start to finish?
I suspect there will a significant number of people who will lose their 4th capacity bar just outside of warranty and a BBB arbitration may be their only hope at getting a replacement battery pack.
Based on what I went through, here's what worked for me:
1. Get a service record for all four or more battery tests.
2. If you've taken your car into the dealer previously for battery degradation concerns, then get copies of those.
*** This is important because it shows to the Arbitrator that you gave Nissan a chance to acknowledge the issue and they refused to repair the problem ***
3. Go to the dealer again and ask that them to inspect the battery, due to severe battery degradation.
4. Ask that it be replaced under the 8 year 100k warranty, since the degradation amounts to a defect in the battery.
*** Bring data on each capacity bar disappearing (Mileage/Date) for each occurrence.***
5. Ask the dealer to open a Case with Nissan North America about the severe battery degradation. If they refuse, then call Nissan North America and open a case yourself.
6. If Nissan North America rejects your claim, then open a case with the BBB Auto Line.
*** In your BBB Auto Line Case: Provide Warranty Manual information on 8 year/100k mile Battery Warranty information, Nissan Marketing Material about the battery lasting 8 - 10 years, along with all the documentation from steps 1 and 4. If possible, request a 3rd party technical assessment of the vehicle (I had to wait until the appeal portion of the process to do this). ***
7. If you lose your case with the BBB, you can appeal it. (I had to do this in order to get all my evidence considered and a technical assessment.)
8. If they accept your appeal, then a formal meeting with the Arbitrator should be called at this stage, and you'll probably need witnesses and all your documentation again. A technical assessment may occur at the trial or be scheduled later on.
I went into these meetings without a bunch of technical information, because I wanted them to know that I relied on what I was told by Nissan and that the car's battery was not performing per their documentation or marketing. I also let them know how this problem impacted me personally and my family, due to the inability to complete certain commutes (pick up kids from sport, school activities, etc.), which I was initially able to. I didn't argue over the technical details or get upset with the Nissan counsel. Lastly, I had two witnesses, which you might want to have to support your case.
This process took nine months to complete and occurred here in San Diego. I'm not sure what the experience might be like at other locations.
I cannot tell you how much relief this has given me and my family. I really hope that this information helps someone else out. I'd be curious to hear about other experiences following these steps. Feel free to reply and share.