# 2008 Altima Coupe Power Seat issue



## electra77 (Jul 18, 2013)

The car is a 3.5 and has 40k miles and I have two warranties--the Certified Pre-owned and the Security Plus Preferred warranty. The power seat stopped going up and down, but it will go back/forward and recline. Took it to dealer who said it is not covered under any of the warranties. Said the part is $934 plus three hours labor. This is just to raise the seat a little. They said the part "wears out"? A part that wears out and is not covered by a wraparound warranty costs $1,300 to fix, with 40k miles on the car? So it can keep wearing out? I'm really kind of shocked that the top of the line Nissan warranty that cost $1,500 does not cover a power seat malfunction. If this is a sign of expensive maintenance to come, I may just get rid of this car I love altogether. Is this for real?


----------



## FriendlyNismoTech (Oct 28, 2012)

Unfortunately the dealer is correct. The power seat motors and gearing are not covered by powertrain warranties and typically are only covered by Platinum style extended warranties. Certified Pre-Owned only covers powertrain parts. Depending on which security plus you have, from the sounds of it gold, again it's not covered by the warranty. The warranty that would cover this part would have been around $2500. You can request a used part to be used but there will be no warranty on it. The entire seat frame has to be replaced is the problem. If it softens the blow, I recently did a g35. $1700 for just the part. I wish you the best of luck.


----------



## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Here are two options you might want to consider: 

A) Contact Nissan customer service hotline (1-800-NISSAN-1) and complain. Also, if the dealer is the same as the one that sold you the vehicle, talk to the sales manager and/or general manager. Squeaky wheel gets the grease! Maybe they'll work with you. They probably won't cover the whole repair, but in interest of customer satisfaction, they may offer to cover the cost of the part if you cover the labor, or split the entire cost 50/50. The phone call and talk cost you nothing, so you have nothing to use by trying!

B) Get some quotes from independent shops...and don't leave out body shops (where the labor rate is usually lower) or auto upholstery shops. You can even consider purchasing the part yourself (try 1stAAANissanParts.com) and have them install it. I wouldn't recommend a used part in this case.


----------



## electra77 (Jul 18, 2013)

*Power Seat Issue*

Thank you for the replies and advice. When I took the car to the dealer I bought it from--AutoNation Nissan in Clearwater, FL--they told me no problem--it was totally covered! I don't know if the first dealer diagnosed it incorrectly, but it is certainly possible. Not only was everything covered, but they told me I could take a rental for the day as that was completely covered as well. In any event I am very happy. I cannot recommend this AutoNation dealer highly enough. They have an excellent service department and everyone there is very professional and courteous. Maybe it is because I bought the car from them but they treat their customers like gold, and from what I have seen they treat all their service customers very well. I drive an hour to take the car there but it is well worth it!


----------



## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Glad you got it resolved!


----------



## webturtle (Jun 6, 2010)

I just fixed a similar problem on my 08 3.5 coupe. The part that goes bad is a flex drive cable that conects the 12V motor to a 90 degree gear box that drives a screw that raises & lowers the seat. That flex drive cable is probably a $20.00 part. I was able to find one through an exhaustive search. It works great now and I didn't have to buy an almost $2000.00 part to make the seat work again.


----------

