I wanted to wait until everything was neatly resolved before updating my glowing original review…read more But the truth is, there's been no resolution. Just a carousel of half-measures, unanswered questions, and absurdities that only escalated. Then it hit me: a review isn't about waiting for a tidy ending. It's to inform. To warn. To guide the next person toward a smarter decision.
It's a Sunday night in the dead of summer and, for the second time that day, I'm stranded by my Nissan Grief (I mean Leaf). The nickname gets more accurate by the hour. In 24 hours, I've plugged into six public chargers -- six -- and still needed a tow to limp to one of them. "Road trip?" you ask. "Hardly," I reply.
Unfortunately, I pulled the short straw. The car I bought had major performance issues within days. A full charge reading 187 miles gave me 28 before dying on the CO/WY border. I got it back to Fort Collins Nissan at my own expense, on my own time, my struggle alone. Less than three weeks into ownership, and still under their vaunted "3,000 mile / 30-day Limited Warranty" (emphasis on LIMITED -- it covers everything except what actually goes wrong), I was already in breakdown city.
What followed was a circus of evasions, contradictions, and betrayals. My car spent 29 days disassembled in their service bay. [Now, let me be clear... I understand this isn't the norm. Fort Collins Nissan has a long list of glowing 5-star reviews, and I don't doubt that many of those customers had the experience I thought I was getting. I'm sure there's a reason people speak highly of this dealership.]
All of this spiraled (despite having been inside three warranties) when this dealership claimed the battery needed for my vehicle was on "infinite backorder" (the long range battery for every Leaf since 2019 was effectively obsolete, unfixable) and that their hands were tied.
That was a lie.
Turns out, after much dialogue with Nissan Corporate, there might be a slight delay (like everything these days -- from eggs to airport departures), but the part does exist. It's not discontinued, and it's not on eternal backorder. They just didn't want to replace the electric motor and uphold their Used Car Limited Warranty.
But wait! There's more. "The grand finale?" you ask. Read on.
The Loaner (which I'll title the true story film coming out in 2027). Fort Collins Nissan gave me a 2023 Nissan Rogue while mine was being "studied." Then, after Nissan's Consumer Affairs Department explicitly told me to keep possession until resolution, Fort Collins Nissan reported it stolen.
On July 22nd , 2025 at 8:54 a.m., I received an email (which I didn't even see until I bonded myself out of jail) giving me until noon the same day to return the loaner. And when the clock ran out, the cops rolled in.
This led to my traumatic, humiliating arrest at gunpoint. If you know anything about Loveland/Fort Collins PD, you know exactly the type: fresh-faced academy grads, some still looking prepubescent, living out AR-15 action-hero fantasies with a permanent Call of Duty filter glued to their retinas.
All of this, over a loaner vehicle I was told to hold onto while waiting on Nissan's own promised resolution.
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS S*** UP.
That's right. My "customer service resolution" ended with an automogimp (she's still real pretty though). No compensation. No apology. No thank you, either. Charge: 3rd degree FELONY. Half my belongings trickled back through property and evidence. The other half vanished. Gone without a trace. Oh, and my gig work account -- deactivated.
You guys suck, seriously.
In the end, it wasn't the car that failed me.
It was Fort Collins Nissan who promised they'd stand behind it, and didn't.
And honestly? I'm still trying to understand how or why this happens.
Why is it considered acceptable?
Why is basic responsibility so neglected in business?
BUYERS BEWARE: If you're in the market for a Nissan, I urge you: DON'T. Not at Fort Collins Nissan. Not at any Nissan. Simply turn around and leaf.
Truth walks slow and steady, but it never gets lost.
