[Vector]

Well this morning was great. We received 12" of fresh snow and I had a funeral to go to for a dear friend today. When I warmed up the Titan all was well. Then I put her in 4Hi and backed out of my driveway. The streets were not plowed yet, but what did that matter I have a 4X4. So I made it 580 feet up the street and made a left turn. As I was mid turn the Titan made a LOUD POP noise from the front axle. Low and behold I am now the proud owner of a Nissan Titan LE 4X2.

It wont shift in to 4 hi or 4 low so I am screwed. It made some strange noises for the first mile like a bad solenoid but I cant be sure. So with under 33,000 miles I have now lost one rear axle and one front axle. Whole new drive line.

 

[AgTitan06]

No wonder Nissan is about to cancel the Titan. They need a permanent fix for our diffs, so the expensive warranty claims go down, and they can actually make a profit.

 

[pogi69x]

In my opinion I would have waited until I got stuck before putting her in 4 by. Was the snow powder or wet snow maybe your tires were still hitting pavement by chance?

 

[SJYokel]

In my opinion I would have waited until I got stuck before putting her in 4 by. Was the snow powder or wet snow maybe your tires were still hitting pavement by chance?

Are you f'n kidding me? Let's wait until I'm upside down in the ditch, then I'll shift to 4wd and see how that helps. What part of 12" of snow covered roads isn't compatable with 4wd in your world? Bring out the 4wd mafia to tell us we shouldn't actually use the 4wd on these trucks b/c the diffs won't handle it...but blame it on the user.

Anyway...Vector, sorry about the loss of your friend and the front drive. At least the truck parts are replacable.

 

[Vector]

Thanks SJYokel

I appreciate the sympathy. I have known him for 38 years. He will be missed.


Pogi69x
As for my POS Titan. I was unaware that Nissan had a clause in the owners manual that said "Don’t use 4WD until you are completely stuck". I missed that. Since this is only the 2nd time I have ever put the truck in 4wd in 4 years of ownership, it says a lot about how crappy our front differentials are. I'm so happy I purchased the extended warranty on this POS. Otherwise I would be shelling out a ton of cash to keep it functional. The sad part is I don’t even use this thing to go off roading with. Its strictly used to tow my car and snowmobile, neither of which do I use 4wd for because 100% of the time this truck is on the pavement. Nissan needs to do something pretty big to get me to buy another Titan after this one, or any Nissan for that matter. I am really getting tired of this truck snapping parts at the drop of a dime.

The other thing I am starting to notice is the distinct smell of Glycol when I exit the truck, I am sure the Radiator is heading south also.

 

[anmut]

Dude that is bull**** - I hope you can get it fixed under warranty and I hope that you can find a way to continue the Titan Love.

 

[Vector]

Hi Anmut,

Thanks, I really like a lot of things about my Titan, I just hate the fact that major things keep failing on the truck. I would not mind if little things would go, but there are major driveline problems with this thing that really irritate me.

 

[HudsonValleyTitan]

We've had over a foot of snow here within the past 3 days and 2 storms and, although I'm sorry to hear about your front diff, this truck is just amazing in the snow! 4L with the rear end locked?...shiiiiit....it'll go through anything. The difference between having it in 2WD and switching to 4WD was like going from January to July. Outstanding traction. I have had my rear and front diffs replaced but I've never had any problems while using 4WD. The front diff had a leak and the rear end chewed a few gear teeth that came out during a fluid change.
I tow a heavy TT and have done so for over 3 years now. Other than a number of rear ends having to be replaced, the Dana 44 is strong enough to handle it. Harder gears might be something they should look into if they haven't already done so.

 

[RckyMtnTitan]

Same thing happened to me last winter. Luckily it was covered and Nissan had it taken care of within a few days. Good luck with the fix.

 

[Vector]

Thanks guys,

I have an appointment tomorrow at D!ck Scott Nissan, they seem to take great care of the truck, the only problem is that they are 45 miles away.

 

[Juday]

Well I hate the be the bringer of bad news, but this might happen to you too. Like you I had put my Titan into 4Hi driving through some adverse conditions and turning left when I heard a loud pop. I took it to the Nissan dealership the next morning to figure out what happened to the front differential. Turns out I had broken the left front axle at the knuckle. Nissan (being the kind, loving people they are) decided to not cover my front axle due the the PRG 2.5" lift kit I had installed. They claimed that since I added the lift (or any aftermarket part for that matter) I changed the angle of the front axle and put too much strain on the knuckle so it broke. I was so pissed at the dealership that I had to walk out of the service department for about 10 minutes to cool down so I wouldn't explode on someone. They said it was going to cost me $750 to replace that axle. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the service manager (know that he was f-ing me). Seeing how I had no chance in hell of fixing the problem under warranty, I just drove (more like limped over) to my local mechanic who charged me half that price to get it fixed.

So, I'm just warning you if you have any aftermarket parts that could affect your suspension setup, don't be surprised if they deny your warranty.

Anyways, I'm sorry to hear about your truck, but I'm even more sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. Like SJYokel said, " At least the truck parts are replaceable." My thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

[Vector]

Well I hate the be the bringer of bad news, but this might happen to you too. Like you I had put my Titan into 4Hi driving through some adverse conditions and turning left when I heard a loud pop. I took it to the Nissan dealership the next morning to figure out what happened to the front differential. Turns out I had broken the left front axle at the knuckle. Nissan (being the kind, loving people they are) decided to not cover my front axle due the the PRG 2.5" lift kit I had installed. They claimed that since I added the lift (or any aftermarket part for that matter) I changed the angle of the front axle and put too much strain on the knuckle so it broke. I was so pissed at the dealership that I had to walk out of the service department for about 10 minutes to cool down so I wouldn't explode on someone. They said it was going to cost me $750 to replace that axle. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the service manager (know that he was f-ing me). Seeing how I had no chance in hell of fixing the problem under warranty, I just drove (more like limped over) to my local mechanic who charged me half that price to get it fixed.

So, I'm just warning you if you have any aftermarket parts that could affect your suspension setup, don't be surprised if they deny your warranty.

Anyways, I'm sorry to hear about your truck, but I'm even more sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. Like SJYokel said, " At least the truck parts are replaceable." My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Thanks Juday,

I appreciate the thoughts about my friend. As for the dealer, I would be worried if I were to take it to a local shop, but the dealer I am taking it to has worked on the truck before and has no problems with the items I have on the truck. I think they will warrant the work and take care of it for me.

I will let everyone know tomorrow or Wednesday once they have a chance to look over the issue with the truck.

 

[pogi69x]

Are you f'n kidding me? Let's wait until I'm upside down in the ditch, then I'll shift to 4wd and see how that helps. What part of 12" of snow covered roads isn't compatable with 4wd in your world? Bring out the 4wd mafia to tell us we shouldn't actually use the 4wd on these trucks b/c the diffs won't handle it...but blame it on the user.

Anyway...Vector, sorry about the loss of your friend and the front drive. At least the truck parts are replacable.

Well let's see, 4WD is not going to help you stop so if you see yourself going to a ditch 4WD is not going to help. I was just saying that maybe the tires we're hitting pavement I wasn't bashing on the user. I have lived in Alaska for 20 years and really haven't a need for 4WD during the winter unless I wanted a quicker take off from stop.

 

[HemiETR]

^^^^^ What he said!! Only helps on acceleration!

 

[bsimpson145]

I live in Pennsylvania and drive in snow whenever we get it. Here is Southwestern Pa, 4WD helps me make turns. It's unfortunate that the parts break, but if I'm in 2WD and am trying to turn left, in deep snow/mud the rear tires will just push the truck straight. My 4WD Titan will pull me through the turn. Maybe I've been driving wrong all these years?

Sorry for the loss of your friend and for the inconvience of not having a truck temporarily. I would have been in 4WD if in the same situation as you.

 

[carver1titan4x4]

i was not aware i thought it was o.k. to drive in 4whi really no matter what the conditions i did not know that you were only supposed to use it if your stuck i mean i would consider 4wlow for that and 4whi is just for added stability in bad terrain
and sorry about your friend man i pray that he is was right with the lord and i hope you see him again someday

 

[matt33]

Well let's see, 4WD is not going to help you stop so if you see yourself going to a ditch 4WD is not going to help. I was just saying that maybe the tires we're hitting pavement I wasn't bashing on the user. I have lived in Alaska for 20 years and really haven't a need for 4WD during the winter unless I wanted a quicker take off from stop.

:bangit:
I'd assume you've never driven a 4x4 and a 2x4 in snow, but you say your from Alaska. You didn't have to turn or go up hills there? The difference is night and day. My Truetrac rear is not nearly as capable alone as when combined with 4wd.

 

[Vector]

Well I dropped her off at the dealer tonight. They did not seem surprised by what had happened. Apparently there have been others with the same problem. When I mentioned the cir-clips on the half shafts they said more than likely the gears let loose, because I was able to drive it for so long without half shafts knocking around. So they should have a diagnosis for me tomorrow. They were not very busy so they were going to be able to get her right in for repair. I will update everyone once I know what is wrong.

 

[Deepwater]

They said to u 2 only use 4 wheel drive when your stuck ? :huh:

So why then dose Nissan claim in the owners manual that u can shift from 2wheel drive into 4wd going at speeds as high as 60mph.
Heck it's even in their sales brochures on the 4wd trucks!

This sounds 2 me like a total cop-out an i would 4 sure push them to cover the total repair cost. give it 2 them good! :bangit:

Deep.

 

[EVO8]

Can't believe that happened. I've driven in 4x4 with or without snow and have never had such a problem with any 4x4. I even run at 80mph on the highway in 4x4. I know others that do over 100mph in 4x4 that have never had any problems in 4x4. Good luck! :dunno: