Reprogram ECM dealer says no warranty

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holyearth
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Joined: Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:35 pm

Reprogram ECM dealer says no warranty

Postby holyearth » Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:37 pm

I have a 2011 Nissan Pathfinder. 41,900 miles. I am in West Palm Beach.

"Service engine" light is on ... pulled codes via my reader and it shows a P0101 - which corresponds to "MAF CIRCUIT RANGE" - I replaced the mass air flow sensor because this is the usual culprit and is not covered under my 3/36 warranty. Two days later I get the same "Service engine light" - I call Nissan and find out that this is a known issue with a TSB: NTB12-051d

The TSB advises technicians to reprogram the ECM with the latest software.

I took it to my dealer (name undisclosed) and they say that this reprogram is NOT COVERED under the long term federal emissions warranty and it's normally covered under the BASIC warranty. I have researched this issue thoroughly and I have seen dozens if not hundreds of various Nissan owners stating online that the dealer has reprogrammed their ECMs (for their vehicles) under the long-term warranty. Furthermore, the long-term warranty sheet specifically states that the "Engine Control Module" is a covered part until 96 months or 80,000 miles.

I spoke to Nissan's consumer affairs department and this bologna is what they are telling me. Apparently their position is that reprograms fall under the basic warranty and REPLACEMENTS fall under the federal long-term emissions warranty.

My view is that if the part is malfunctioning then it's covered. How the dealer chooses to fix it is their problem. If they can reprogram it and solve the problem without replacing it that's great. Mind you that this issue is not wear and tear. It's strictly software.

I spoke to another dealer (2 hours away though) and they acknowledge that this reprogram would be covered under the long-term emissions warranty.

Based on this experience I am unlikely to support Nissan in the future as the dealer and their consumer affairs have decided to be sneaky and claim that reprograms are not covered - only replacements. That is a twisted position to take.


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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:43 pm

When a warranty claim is submitted, there is a "primary failed part number" that goes with it that determines the warranty in which it fails under. For example, if the fuel pump failed, the parts list covered under the warranty would be the fuel pump and the fuel sender "O" ring, but the primary failed part number would be the part number of the fuel pump. ECM software shares the same part number as the ECM, so whether an ECM was replaced or reprogrammed, the primary failed part number would be the same and therefore since ECMs are covered under the long-term emissions warranty, the ECM reprogram should be covered under such.

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2012Pathfinder_EB
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Postby 2012Pathfinder_EB » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:23 am

just out of curiosity, how much $$ did they dealer want to reprogram/update?


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