2004 Nissan Maxima

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 25 MPH AND APPLIED THE ABS WHEN THE BRAKES LOCKED ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE ABS SENSORS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER THE REPAIR, THE BRAKES WERE NO LONGER LOCKING BUT THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE SPORADICALLY. THE CONTACT HAS NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC TO INSPECT THE CAUSE FOR THE ABS WARNING LIGHT BEING ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE BRAKES WOULD LOCK AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE A CRASH. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,500.

PARTIAL BRAKE FAILURE WHEN APPROACHING HIGHWAY STOP LIGHT AT 45 MPH, DRY CONDITIONS. BRAKING DISTANCE MORE THAN DOUBLED AS FRONT BRAKES MADE VERY LOUD SCRAPING AND GRINDING SOUNDS (NOT TYPICAL ABS SOUND) WHILE NOT HAVING ANY STOPPING POWER - I APPEARED TO ONLY HAVE REAR BRAKES. WAS ABLE TO STOP JUST INSIDE INTERSECTION. LUCKILY NO TRAFFIC WAS IN WAY, AVOIDING AN ACCIDENT. DEALER IDENTIFIED PROBLEM AS CAUSED BY RUST BUILDUP ON REAR HUBS DUE TO LACK OF A DRAINAGE CHANNEL/PORT ON REAR "KNUCKLES" (SAID DRAINAGE PORT WASN'T THERE), A KNOWN PROBLEM. WATER BACKUP IN KNUCKLE CAUSES RUST ON HUB AND ON ABS SENSORS, RESULTING IN PREMATURE FAILURE OF BOTH ABS SENSORS, WHICH IN MY CASE CAUSED AN UNEXPECTED STOPPING PROBLEM. BOTH REAR HUBS AND ABS SENSORS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT COST OF OVER $1300. CAR IS VERY LOW MILEAGE AND GARAGED. DEALER IDENTIFIED THIS AS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND NISSAN DESCRIBED THE REPAIR IN SERVICE BULLETIN REFERENCE NTB07-016B, ALSO IN NHTSA DATABASE AS SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 07016, NHTSA ITEM # 10021681. THIS FAILURE WAS NOT ROUTINE AND ONLY THE LUCK OF THE SITUATION ALLOWED AN ACCIDENT TO BE AVOIDED. THIS KNOWN PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED IN 2007 AND I WAS UNAWARE OF IT, THOUGH NISSAN WAS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE ABS BRAKES AND SHOULD TRIGGER A RECALL SO THAT OTHERS MAY BE ALERTED TO HAVE THIS REPAIR BEFORE MORE ACCIDENTS OCCUR.

I HAVE A NISSAN MAXIMA THAT I HAD TO REPLACE ALL TIRES BECAUSE OF A DEFECT THAT CAME TO ME IN THE MAIL AFTER I BROUGHT MY NEW TIRES AND WAS NOT REIMBURSED. I ALSO HAD PROBLEM WITH FRONT ROTORS THAT THEY KEPT REPLACING NUMEROUS TIMES UNTIL MY WARRANT RAN OUT AND THAN I HAD TO REPLACE THEM WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE ROTORS SO IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.NOW AFTER ALL OF THAT AND MORE I AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION BECAUSE OUT OF NOWHERE MY TRANSMISSION BLEW UP AFTER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY RAN OUT BECAUSE OF YEARS NOT MILEAGE AND NO MATTER WHERE I WENT I WAS TOLD THAT IF I WOULD REPLACE IT WITH A NEW OR USE TRANSMISSION THAT I WOULD HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND NO ONE WANTS TO WORK ON IT.I WAS TOLD BY MECHANICS THAT ONLY THE 2004 HAS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *TR

THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM BROKE DOWN SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT FAILED ALL TOGETHER. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE DUE TO A FAULTY DESIGN THAT ALLOWS RUST TO BUILD UP BETWEEN THE WHEEL SENSORS AND THE HUB, WHICH APPEARS TO BE MOST PREVALENT IN THE SALT STATES. THE INITIAL SYMPTOMS INCLUDE THE ABS FIRING DURING REGULAR BRAKING, WHICH COULD BE A SAFETY CONCERN AT HIGH SPEEDS. EVENTUALLY, THE MISFIRING ABS WILL CAUSE THE ABS CONTROLLER TO BURN OUT COMPLETELY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS ACTUATOR WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE, RATTLE AND KNOCK VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE FAILURE AND WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED TO REPORT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,000.

2004 AND NEWER NISSAN MAXIMAS HAS A SERIOUS STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION AFTER 40MPH. NISSAN DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY ARE NO COMPLAINTS, BUT THE INTERNET IF FULL OF CUSTOMERS HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM. MY CAR IS 6YEARS OLD BUT ONLY HAS 34,000 MILES. NEW TIRES, BRAKES,ROTORS,ALIGNMENT MULTIPLY TIRE BALANCES HAS NOT FIXED THIS PROBLEM. ON THE INTERNET CUSTOMER HAVE REPLACED STRUTS, BEARING,CV AXLES AND PROBLEM STILL EXIST. THIS SEEMS LIKE A PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE WHEN I PUT ON BRAKES WITH PEDAL & STEERING WHEEL VIBRATIONS DEC 2009, I TOOK IT TO 2 DIFFERENT MECHANIC SHOPS FOR THE PROBLEM & WAS TOLD I NEEDED FRONT & BACK BRAKES & ROTORS WHICH I PURCHASED COSTING OVER $700.00 AND THE PROBLEM WASN'T RESOLVED, I TOOK THE CAR TO JEFFREY NISSAN DEALER IN ROSEVILLE,MI AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, THIS WENT ON FOR OVER A MONTH AND FINALLY THE ABS LIGHT & BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON, I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE SAME NISSAN DEALER AT WHICH TIME I WAS INFORMED THAT MY ABS SYSTEM HAD WENT, COSTING ME $2400.00 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS(IN ADDITION TO THE $700.00 DOLLARS ALREADY SPENT FOR A TOTAL OF $3100.00 DOLLARS). I BELIEVE THE ABS SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED BY NISSAN AND LOOKING AT ALL THE OTHER COMMENTS REGARDING THE 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. *TR

I HAVE BEEN TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS. I HAVE SPENT OVER $2000 ON THE ABS SYSTEM AND IT IS STILL NOT CORRECTED. I REPLACED A RR SENSOR AND ALSO THE ABS MODULE. NOW I AM GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE ANOTHER SENSOR IN THE LR AND REPLACE THE MODULE AGAIN. THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND ALSO THE BRAKE LIGHT. THE BRAKE PEDAL JERKED AND I COULD HEAR A NOISE UNDER THE PEDAL THAT SOUNDED LIKE WIRES BURNING. I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT I HAVE SPENT $2300 AND I AM STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND I SEEMS LIKE I AM GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND ANOTHER $2300 TO HAVE PROPERLY FUNCTIONING BRAKES. THANKS NISSAN. *TR