2000 Nissan Maxima

I PURCHASED A USED 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA THAT HAD 28,000 MILES ON IT ALMOST 3 YEARS AGO. I HAVE ONLY PUT 6,000 MILES ON THE CAR, BUT HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC WHEN IT HAD TO PASS SMOG INSPECTION. HE TEMPORARILY FIXED THE ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM, BUT SOON AS I ACCELERATED OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR, THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES, WHICH HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED TWICE, THE IGNITION (CAR WOULDN'T START), AND, A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR WHEN DOWNSHIFTING (ENGINE SEIZES UP VIOLENTLY). THERE IS ALSO A SUSPENSION PROBLEM, AS CAR MAKES LOUD NOISE EVERY TIME I HAVE TO GO OVER SPEED BUMPS. MY SON IS READY TO GET HIS DRIVER'S LICENSE, AND I WILL HAVE TO GET RID OF THIS CAR AT A LOSS, AS I DO NOT FEEL THE CAR IS SAFE FOR HIM TO DRIVE. *JB

SERVICE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON 8/19/02 @ 53,532 MILES AND FOUND O2 SENSOR WAS BAD AND REPLACED. $188.00 TO REPAIR. SERVICE CHECK LIGHT AND TCS/SLIP LIGHT CAME ON 10/24/03 @ 74,000 MILES AND FOUND IGNITION COILS FAILING INTERMITTENTLY. REPLACED IGNITION COILS AND SPARK PLUGS TO PREVENT IGNITION COILS FROM FAILING. $707.00 TO REPAIR SERVICE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON 4/13/05 @ 95,000 MILES AND FOUND AIR MASS CONTROLLER FAILING. REPLACED AIR MASS CONTROLLER. $421.00 TO REPAIR SERVICE CHECK LIGHT AND TCS/SLIP LIGHT CAME ON 715/05 @ 97,980 MILES AND FOUND IGNITION COILS FAILING INTERMITTENTLY AND POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL HARNESS FAILURE. THE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN ISOLATED AND REPAIRS HAVE NOT BEEN AS OF 7/22/05. REQUESTING OLD PARTS FOR CURRENT FAILURE .

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, CHECKED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC. HE CALLED MILLER NISSAN (WOODLAND HILLS) TO VERIFY THE PROBLEM. ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS HAD FAILED, AND NISSAN ADVISED HIM THAT ALL 6 NEED TO BE REPLACED ($77 EACH) BECAUSE EVEN IF ONE IS REPLACED, MORE WILL INEVITABLY FAIL. I LOOKED THIS UP ON THE WEB AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS, AND THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT SEEM TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY NISSAN MOTORS.

I HAVE A 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA SE. IT HAS 50K MILES ON IT PRESENTLY. IN JULY 2003 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH 35K MILES ON IT. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE DEALER STATED THAT ONE OF THE SIX IGINITION COILS WENT BAD. IT WAS REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. ON 05/11/05 ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE THE CAR TO THE SAME LOCAL DEALER THAT I DID IN 2003. THE LOCAL DEALER SAID I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM OF AN IGINITION COIL GONE BAD. I WAS ASKED TO PAY A $89.95 UP FRONT FEE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I INFORMED THE DEALER THAT WHEN I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THE CAR I ALSO PAID FOR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT IT WAS A GOOD THING THAT I HAD PURCHASED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY BECAUSE THE IGINITION COILS GO BAD ON THE MAXIMA MODEL FREQUENTLY. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT ONCE THE OLD IGNITION COILS ARE REPLACED THEY DO NOT GO BAD ANYMORE. I ONLY HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY UNTIL 85K. AFTER THAT, IF ANY OF MY OTHER IGINITION COILS GO BAD IT WILL BE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE. IF THE PROBLEM IS AS BAD AS THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT STATED, THEN I FEEL NISSAN SHOULD RECALL THE IGINITION COILS AND REPLACE THEM ALL.

THE CAR BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN HOOKED UP TO DIAGNOSTICS, THE IGNITION PROBLEM CODE CAME UP. THE PROBLEM WOULD CLEAR UP AND THEN REPEAT AGAIN. I WAS TOLD ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS TO THE SPARK PLUG WAS THE PROBLEM....I WAS GOING TO WAIT TO DETERMINE WHICH ONE IT WAS. I TALKED TO THE PARTS PERSON AT THE NISSAN DEALER - HE TOLD ME THEY HAD HAD PROBLEMS WITH THESE COILS AND HAD UPDATED THEM. HE ALSO SAID I MIGHT AS WELL REPLACE THEM ALL, BECAUSE THE REST WILL FAIL SOON. THE PRICE FOR EACH WAS QUOTED AS $76.77! THE CAR NEEDS SIX TO REPLACE THEM ALL. THE PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE EXCEPT THROUGH NISSAN. I CHECKED AT OTHER DEALERS AND GOT THE SAME RESULTS, EXCEPT I WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE THE SIX COILS AT $47.33 EACH, PLUS SHIPPING. MY CAR HAS ONLY 45,000 MILES ON IT. REPLACING THE COILS FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE NEW COILS ARE DESIGNATED AS UPDATED BY THE WHITE CIRCLE THEY HAVE NOW PUT ON THE PART. I CONTACTED THE 800 NUMBER TO LODGE A COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN. THEY WERE ESSENTIALLY NOT VERY HELPFUL, OTHER THAN GIVING ME A CLAIM NUMBER. (CLAIM NUMBER 48940766) WHEN LOOKING FOR THESE PARTS, I ALSO FOUND SOME ON E-BAY. THE INDIVIDUAL SELLING THEM MADE SURE TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THESE WERE THE "GOOD" OR "UPDATED" PARTS, NOT THE PROBLEM ORIGINAL ONES. THE PART NUMBERS (TWO DIFFERENT COILS ARE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE FRONT AND REAR PARTS) ARE 22448-2Y000 AND 22448-2Y005.*AK

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA ABOUT 80K MILES. IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS I HAVE HAD MY CAR IN THE SHOP 4 DIFFERENT TIMES FOR MY SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT. MY INDEPENDENT SERVICE STATION TRIED WHAT THEY COULD, BEFORE FINELY REPLACING AN OXYGEN SENSOR. THIS KEPT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT OFF FOR THE BETTER PART OF TWO WEEKS. BUT IT'S BACK AND THIS TIME THE COMPUTER CODE IS REGISTERING A FAULTY AACV VALVE. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THESE ENGINES AND THAT NISSAN MIGHT HELP FOOT THE COST OF REPAIRS CONSIDERING THAT THE SEAL INSIDE THE ASSEMBLY IS THE KNOWN CULPRIT. MY MECHANIC COULD MAKE THE REPAIRS HIMSELF BUT THEN THE CAR WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED TO NISSAN SINCE THE SECURITY CODES WOULD NEED TO BE RESET AND ONLY NISSAN CAN DO THAT. I CALLED MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP (WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR) AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE I HAD USED AN INDEPENDENT RATHER THAN THEIR SERVICE CENTER FOR REPAIRS, THE BEST I MIGHT GET WOULD BE A HAND SHAKE. IS WHAT MY MECHANIC SAID CORRECT? IS THIS IS FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM? AND, IF SO, HOW DO I GET NISSAN TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY IN AS MUCH AS THEY USED FAULTY MATERIALS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE AACV VALVE?