Battery warranty replacement claim - how to begin?

[SageBrush]

I flat-out told them if the offer isn't enough for a lightly used Leaf with 110+ miles of range I'll probably have to lawyer up.

Has anyone else faced this?

I see a happy lawyer in your future. You ? Not so much

[johnoffen]

I flat-out told them if the offer isn't enough for a lightly used Leaf with 110+ miles of range I'll probably have to lawyer up.

Has anyone else faced this?

I see a happy lawyer in your future. You ? Not so much

Yeah. "Don't feed the sharks" - We'll see what they offer.

[SageBrush]

^^ There is that, but I live by the motto to never threaten lawyer involvement. it just closes down any communication channels.
Enrich a lawyer if you want to, but threats are worse than useless.

[LeftieBiker]

The closest I'd come to threatening to Lawyer Up would be to say something like "The offer sounds pretty good. I just want to have my Lawyer friend/cousin/golf buddy confirm that it's ok." That way it isn't a threat, just a bit of normal due diligence that might make them consider making the deal more "ok."

[cwerdna]

I will second what Sage said. I can't speak to Nissan, but some automakers have policies that will cut off all communications channels with you/on your vehicle or issue if you mention make legal threats or bring up lawyers. At that point, it will likely be between the lawyers of the two parties.

Side note: Awhile ago, I came across stories about this buyback case involving Nissan vans back in the 90's:
"Nissan to Buy Back 33,000 Defective Minivans : Autos: All owners will receive up to $7,000. The action on the fire-prone vehicle could cost more than $200 million."
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

This must've been super embarrassing for Nissan and super costly given that they had to do the engineering, tooling, homologation (https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/ ... ally-cost/), support work and many other costs just to bring the van to the US...

[johnoffen]

At this point I'm beyond frustrated, because I was told (by the dealer) that I couldn't keep driving the car because Nissan had requested the battery be taken out and drained for shipment

Well, I show up today to get photos of the car (as requested by the Nissan arbitration fellow) and... It's still got the battery in it. It's still drivable.

This was my response

I've included the requested documents and photos with the exception of the sales details which I cannot provide at this time (I'll keep looking.)

In the meantime, I was told the battery had to be removed as part of the warranty claim process. It turns out this was a lie as I see that my car still has its battery installed and is still in the same condition (as far as I can tell) as I dropped it off two months ago. In other words, it's still drivable with its diminished range.

Simply put, why can't I be given my car back and continue to drive it while I wait for a battery? And I am aware that many other Leaf owners have been permitted to do this, so why was I lied to about this?

If you want to "make me whole" simply return my car to me and allow me to drive it while I wait for a new battery. If a new battery isn't available in six months we can revisit your offer to buy back the car.

As for the lawyer comments, I basically said "I hope the offer is generous because if I can't buy the equivalent of a well-maintained Leaf with a excellent battery with the proceeds I'll have to speak with an attorney about my options." (I never say the "l-word" ending in either "yer" or "suit")

We shall see, as they say.

[dang10010]

Update, took my car in to the dealership in January, new battery failed, they ordered another battery, got it back today with new battery today. Guess I meter gives a 160 range. So relieved.

[johnoffen]

Update, took my car in to the dealership in January, new battery failed, they ordered another battery, got it back today with new battery today. Guess I meter gives a 160 range. So relieved.

Lucky you!

I went back and forth with the arbitration department, and after starting at a $9K offer (used car price I paid three years ago + fees - my use) we eventually reached a deal of just over $16K (Price when brand new + taxes + gas while car was shop - total use)

Best of all, no lawyers involved.

I think I'll take the offer and use it to get a used SV Plus. Especially as I'm hearing stories of folks getting refurbished 40 KwH batteries as replacements.

[SageBrush]

As for the lawyer comments, I basically said "I hope the offer is generous because if I can't buy the equivalent of a well-maintained Leaf with a excellent battery with the proceeds I'll have to speak with an attorney about my options." (I never say the "l-word" ending in either "yer" or "suit")

That could work ... in kindergarten. Or on 'truth social.'

[johnoffen]

That could work ... in kindergarten. Or on 'truth social.'

Ouch. Actually, for it to be on 'truth social' I'd have to first disable my spell checker and turn on ALL CAPS.

Well, it got the latest offer up over $7k from the initial offer, so I'll literally take that to the bank.