GTR: Use of Launch Control System Voids Warranty

[Bruce Nunnally]

Interesting reading at the Nissan boards here and here

The new Nissan GT-R is a US import version of the famous Nissan Skyline. The GT-R is a Corvette competitor, offering a 480hp twin-turbo 3.8L V6 but putting up heroic acceleration numbers. Partially the success of the GT-R in testing was attributed to its Launch Control System. This is an electronic system which, when engaged, monitors wheel spin and torque delivery and launches the car in the quickest time possible.

The only problem? 1) Transmissions are dying and 2) Nissan is refusing warranty coverage if you used the LCS.

Minor detail is that a new transmission is US$20K.

So I purchased my gtr with the understanding the car had a feature called 'launch control', I questioned my dealer regarding this and was told 'it may void your warranty' and that 'the transmission will fail after 10 or more launches' .

[Texas Jim]

So... according to THAT...If you use something that the maker INCLUDED in the car.. it voids your warranty.

And if you use it about 10 times ... the transmission fails... and then you have no warranty.

Sounds like good engineering to me.

[Cadillac Jim]

The Corvette was faster on a closed road race course with Stabilitrak engaged the first year, 1997, as I recall from a Car & Driver article of the time. According to the posts in the first thread, the Nissan equivalent, VDC, makes it slower, and it's 11 years later.

They have an exacerbated traction control called electronic launch control (ELC) that allows the car to achieve 3.4 second 0-60 mph times that, when used, exceeds the capability of the transmission. Thus ELC overrides the transmission torque protection. Nissan advertises ELC on TV and have demonstrations of it in their commercials.

Traction control is through VDC, not separately from Stabilitrak, so apparently spinning the differential through asymmetrical wheelspin damages it. Thus the warranty is voided if VDC is turned off "too much," whatever that means, and Flicker will tell the tale and void your warranty, apparently even if you haven't done any wheelspin -- but a lot of people drive around without VDC because the car is faster.

It sounds like a fantastic engine and PCM/VDC/ELC but without the rest of the drive train designed to match. No American car would willingly sell a car with that kind of non-viable feature to the general public. They have a black-box capability called Flicker that keeps track of when VDC and ELC are used. Because VDC makes their car slower, many people drive with it off, and thus void their drivetrain warranties. Those that use ELC void their warranties, and if they use it more than 3 times they are likely to blow a $20K transmission.

Excuse me, but if the transmission is a paddle-shift auto/manual 6-speed that handles something like 480 hp, why does it cost $20K? Does the STS-V transmission cost $20K?

[Bruce Nunnally]

In this application the rear transaxle twin-clutch gearbox also functions as the differential for the car's AWD system.

Gmpartsdirect lists an STS-v Transmission as $2,305 but discounts it to $1,918. Then we'd have to add cost for the labor to remove & replace.