Is my car a lemmon or is this typical?

Question

This last June, I bought a Nissan Rogue. I notice that sometimes when I reverse, I hear a loud clunk in the rear of the car, almost as if I spit up a large rock into the wheel-well.

Also, it has just over 2000 miles and the "service engine soon" light came on for about a week and then dissapeared.

Last, sometimes when I go downhill and am tapping the break, my RPM's go up as if if the car can't shift down.

I know I should take it in, but I don't want to have to pay for service for a car I just bought, nor pay to have the service dept. look at it and tell me there is nothing wrong. Just wondering if this is normal before I take it in and pay.

Answer 1

What's a lemmon?

Answer 2

Take it to the dealer.  Your car is under warranty for at least the first 32000 miles - they will fix any problems for free.  The only thing you pay for during the first 32000 miles are regular maintenance (basically oil changes).  Most new car dealers include the first service with the purchase of the car, which for the last Nissan I bought was at 3000 miles.

Answer 3

If the car is new and is having several different problems, the repairs should be 100% covered under warranty.  If you don't get the problems fixed to your satisfaction by 1 dealer's service department, take it to a different dealer's service department.  Any Nissan dealers with service deparments can do warranty work - you don't necessarily have to get service at the dealer you bought the car at if they aren't fixing the problems.

To officially qualify as a "Lemon" (legally anyway), your car has to have something like the same major problem 3 times before Lemon Laws apply.  Having an assortment of problems 1 time doesn't legally qualify the car as a "Lemon" (although it is extremely annoying to have so many problems with a new car).

Answer 4

If this vehicle has the low mileage that you said it does, then it is still under warranty. Take it to a dealer and it shouldn't cost anything

Answer 5

Take it to the dealer. Should be under warranty.

The check engine light could have simply been a lose gas cap. Yes a lose gas cap will turn on the light. It's part of the emissions system.

Answer 6

Rogue should still be under warranty, they just came out with that vehicle.

The service engine soon light is the only thing that bothers me.  Even though the light went off it will still have the code in the computer.  If it's under warranty take it to the dealer to get it checked out for the light.  It's very common to have a bad sensor in a new vehicle.

The other issues you are noticing are due to the transmission.  That car uses an unconventional transmission called a CVT or continuously variable transmission.  It doesn't have gears like a normal transmission but a belt that slides along a cone to change the gear ratio.  Think of it like a bicycles gears on the back wheel except there are an infinite number of gears.  That transmission acts very differently than you are used to--on acceleration you don't feel shifts, deceleration feels different (like going down a hill for instance).  There are several advantages to this new style of transmission.  They claim, better mileage, better acceleration, smoother operation, longer lifespan.  Who knows about longer lifespan at this point as these transmissions are relatively new.  The clunk going into reverse is nothing to worry about either.

Lemon laws are very specific.  You have to have the same problem three times and have taken it to the dealer for repair three different times with them either not being able to repair it or the same problem occurring shortly after they repair it.

Lemon laws also only apply to the first owner of a brand new vehicle.  No such thing as a lemon law on a used car.

Sounds like you're having a little buyers remorse.  Don't worry about it, the Rogue's a cute little car and Car & Driver magazine liked it so how bad can it be?