skx172

battery problem here as well. its cold in NYC. 2009 maxima about 8 months old. dies after 3-9 hours. will update

Hpnotiq

Wow I thought nothing of it..until now...but when I picked up the car I was cleaning out my old car...transferring things to the new car...the doors were open but the car was off/nothing was on(that I recall) when I went to start it up...BAM it was dead... I had no idea why

jhuynh8

this happened to my max about a month ago...had a faulty battery......had to get a replacement...no problems since....

09Maxima_Sam

I wonder what would be a good Maintence-Free Battery to put in the Maxima?

Helo-Tech

Happened to me yesterday. Went in for an eye exam for about an hour, came out and car was dead. Tow truck guy jumped the battery and to the dealer I went. Dealer tested the battery for a few hours on their super-duper, high-tech battery tester and guess what??? Of course, it was fine. Then they re-installed it and sent me on my way, surely be stranded somewhere else at an in-oppourtune time.
I will not, be so understanding on the second go'round. This is making me really doubt the quality of Nissan products. This is the 4th trip to the dealer in 6 months.

Michael76

I apologize if this seems like a dumb question, but what exactly is distilled water and where do you get it? Thanks!

Hpnotiq

Michael--it's a form of a bottled water. YOu can get it from Walmart, Target, etc..not expensive at all...I drink it it's a form a purification

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=10818575

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distilled_water

RAZ76

iTrader: (8)

Im having the same issue on my 06 Maxima. This is not a daily car but I do start it everyday and let it run for 10-15 minutes. Few days ago, I go to start it like I alwas do and nothing, just click, click nothing. I install my small charger and 10 minutes later, it starts. Next day, same thing. Put the charger on and leave it for a full day. Come back, nothing, it's like my charger didn't do crap. I take it to Autozone to have it tested.
They say that they can't test it because it not charged. I let them charge it and I come back later. They run the test and say, good battery. Come home, car starts great. Later last night I go to try it, same ****?? What is up?? I have no lose wire or anything?? Could the test been wrong and battery be bad??

NCSUpilot

I had the same issue and after 3 trips to the dealer, they finally had to contact Nissan. Nissan had them run a bunch of tests over 3 days and the dealer finally got the battery to test 'replace.' This is happening way too much to be a fluke - must have battery issues.

computer87

I have same problem it seems. I posted in the new have question thread earlier.
When temperature dropped to around 15F , car didn't start. Couple of days later when someone finally gave me jumpstart, battery was completely dead. Couldn't even open the car with remote. Had to use mechanical key. Took about 10 min to jumpstart it from another car.
Nothing was left on. It's 2009 Maxima S , 1.1k miles on it, 9 month since bought it. After drove for about 100 miles after the jump so far it's holding but it seems weaker when starts. I scheduled with dealership to check my battery. Also after the battery died the low tire pressure light came on. Can't get it reset either. All tires have 38 psi in them. (dealer filled it to that psi). Spare had 30 got it up to 60 but not sure if it has tpms in it. It seems a lot of people got bad batteries.
Will see what dealership will say.
One thing no one seems to know about this car , how do you start it in cold weather with giving extra gas? You have to hold break and press start, but in very cold weather you normally have to press gas. Not sure how this combo works with push button ignition. Manual mentions it as well but it doesn't work the way they say. You can't press start and gas without holding break.

ratdoc

I don't think you've had to pump the gas pedal in cold weather since accelerator pumps disappeared...like two decades ago.

computer87

I still had to do that in 2000 nissan maxima. For 2009 it's even in manual about pumping gas just not explained clearly the sequence.

Jaggrey

I haven't seen anyone mention this issue about a 2010 Maxima. Has it not been long enough yet?

gizzsdad

The only time you should have to touch the accelerator to start is if you managed to flood it. This applies to all cars from mid 90's on. Fuel injection and computer controls are the key.

On my 7th gen, touch the button (quickly - don't hold it) and let the computer do the rest. Has worked every time for me, including several times below -22F.

gizzsdad

[QUOTE=computer87;7392512]It seems a lot of people got bad batteries.[QUOTE]

Batteries have one of the highest failure rates of all parts. Nissan, Toyota, GM, etc. don't make them. Johnson Controls and Exide make a big % of them, and you will find folks who have bad expereinces with each of them.

lightonthehill

This fits with my experiences. From when I began starting my uncle's tractor trailers in the mid-1940s until I bought my '85 Maxima in 1984, I almost always gave the gas pedal a quick pump or two before turning the key, and sometimes held the pedal part way down until the motor started. Gradually, I stopped doing that, and know I haven't done it since Y2K.

computer87

Went to dealer today. They tested battery for 3 hours and determined it needs to be replaced. The check tires light they said came on because battery was fully dead and computer got reset. After replacing battery they reprogrammed tpms / computer and so far all ok.
2 days ago pressure read at 38 but today with 10F it's reading around 34 so will just leave it as is.

lightonthehill

Glad the problem was the battery. I think you are ready to roll now.

You are wise to leave the psi at 34 at 10F. When a warm spell comes along (if one ever does), and the temp gets up to 60F, your psi will be right back up at 38.

robf

Been having the same problem w/my 2009 Maxima. I'm in NYC.

It first happened when I hadn't used the car in 3 days and temps were in teens. Jumped it and it started immediately, then no problems for a month.

Was away for a week and when I came back it was completely DEAD - had to use the key to open the door... that dead. AAA jumped the car and I drove it about 15 miles. Stopped at the gym, came out, DEAD again! Another call to AAA. (BTW, $5 tip both times, so $10 in the hole already) Started fine and we let it run/charge for 5 mins. While AAA was there we turned it off; then tried to start it, and nothing. Guy said it was definitely the battery - i.e. not alternator or something else.

Going to dealer on Monday and see what they say and will report back. Rob

lightonthehill

One thing to keep in mind: Unlike the old days when a generator could recharge a battery in ten miles of driving, it can take as long as fifty miles of driving for the alternator to recharge the battery in today's cars.

'Letting it run for 5 minutes', or even driving the car for 15 miles might build enough charge to work the lights, etc, but if the battery was completely dead, such actions in cold weather will not usually build enough charge to start the car.

Today's cars have a plethora of devices that use electricity. As we drive using such things as heater or AC or lights or audio system or any function that uses electricity, that greatly slows down the recharging process.

The problem sounds like it may be that your battery has a dead cell, and will no longer hold a charge. But do be aware you can't recharge a dead battery in today's Maxima by running the motor for 5 minutes, or by driving 15 miles if you are using any device that requires electricity.

robf

Thanks for the reply and excellent info. Not sure if it was worth mentioning that I have the (dealer added) auto-start feature. Also, after the second jump (today), I did drive the car about 25 additional miles and it did restart after that. Guess I'll see what tomorrow brings.

I will be sure to let everyone knows what the dealer says.

Thanks again.
Rob

Helo-Tech

I went and bought a Die-Hard portable jump start battery pack that now resides i my trunk. It was $45 at K-Mart, **** on being stranded and waiting.

computer87

I bought guide gear jump starter for previous maxima 2000. It worked for a year then battery on that one died. Don't let the battery on that jump starter fully discharge , in my case i couldn't charge back again.
It was 900 with 400 cold cranking amps. In warm weather it worked in cold it couldn't jump start the car.
I got emergency road assistance from geico instead now. It's about 10 dollars a year. Cheaper then aaa, but they only come for same problem once. If happens again you have to prove you fixed it and it's different issue. Up to 100 dollar per regular incident , 50 for lockout they pay.
But definitly go to dealer and see if they will replace your battery.
They didn't even argue with me, just replaced it with new after testing.

mkaresh

A few owners with various makes have told me they've had to buy trickle chargers for their cars, to keep the battery topped off when the car either isn't driven often or isn't driven far when driven.

In cars where the 12v outlet is live with the car off (usually domestics) some cell phone chargers will drain the battery pretty quickly if left plugged in. This was a problem with my father's Cadillac CTS.

robf

OK, so I got back from the dealer about 2 hours ago and they did, in fact, replace my battery. They said they performed a thorough test which lasted about 90 minutes and determined it was faulty. No real specifics were given, just that it was faulty. This was a relief as I didn't want to have to go through that again... and beg to have a new one put in! They were very good about it.

Also, this will extend my battery warranty another year.

The battery is the same type - 84-month - part#: 999M1-NB24F

Also, while I didn't have to pay anything, the parts and labor would have been $140.

Rob

draconas

I noticed a lot of people mentioned repeat issues even after the battery is replaced. Has anyone just gone ahead and installed their own so they don't have to deal with the failures? If so, what brand?
I just got my 2010 Maxima (SV with Tech) in late December as I wanted something reliable, but if I can replace the cruddy stock battery to help with that, I will.

2010MaximaSV

Well thats good that they resolved your problem

Oman

Well this happen to me today on my 2009 Maxima, it has about 21k miles.... I was in my garage removing my inspection sticker to put the new one on, and then went to start the car, and click click click click.... I have a power pack battery charger so I will jump it in the morning and go to the dealer. The car was not on when i was removing the sticker, however the drive side door was open... Will let you know tomorrow what I find...

Jaggrey

Are any Altimas having this problem?

lightonthehill

I haven't heard of this problem with Altimas, but then I'm not sure I have ever seen an Altima owner posting on this board, and I don't know the name of an Altima board where we could check.

I know the 7th generation Maxima made some serious changes between the Altima and Maxima chassi, and the Maxima wiring harness is different than the Altima, but whatever causes this dead battery problem might affect both the Maxima and Altima. I hope not, because there are far more Altimas out there than Maximas.

Oman

Well, I called AAA and got a jump and let my car run for about 30 min then went driving for about 30 min and I have not had this issue since. But I am now worried everytime I start my car, I am sure it will pass but now I have to wonder about simply leaving my car door open. The AAA guy said he believe it may have been my phone charger which I leave plugged in that may have caused the battery to fail. So now I unplug the charger when I am not in the car, however anyone with a Maxima know, the only charger that is on when the car is not is the one in the console. The other lighter is not on unless the car is turned on. So I will be more mindful to see if it happens again and continue to monitor this thread to see if it happens to anyone else.

Oman

It happen again, I was sitting in my car talking for about two hours, with the doors closed, and nothing in the car turned on. Went to leave and the battery was completely dead. Got a jump, and the AAA guy tested the battery and it came back as Bad and having a dead cell. Took it to Nissan the next morning, and they tested the Battery and it came back good, I showed them the print out of the AAA report and they said, Nissan would not reimburse them for the battery if the test that says the battery is Bad does not have Nissan at the top of it. So I was told I could have my car towed to the dealer the next time it happens and or I can come sit outside the dealership and let the battery drain, so they can test it. Therefore, I am stuck with an unreliable battery, that I can either replace on my own or wait until it fails again and have it towed to the Dealer.

LtLeary

Personally, I never leave the OEM battery installed. As soon as I can, I replace it with either Interstate or Die-Hard. It may be a bit wasteful, but then again, I don't experience battery related issues either. I figure I can spend my time on AAA or bite the bullet and spend the $ on a better battery.

yesongs

Very disappointed to read this

I'm actually picking up my 2010 later today

Disappointed, because this is a very common problem with the Inifiniti G37, (which I also own)

Many of us G37 owners have had to replace the batteries, there is a TSB on it and what they do with the G is replace with a higher capacity battery and also swap out a part from what I've read there

I had the battery swap done, it's been fine since but the Max will be my wife's daily driver, can't have these issues

Eddie

realmac

I haven't seen this problem on the Altima forums. On the other hand, some people's batteries have failed after two years or longer.

lightonthehill

The OEM battery lasted just over three years in both my 2000 SE and 2004 SL. I fully expect to get at least three years with the battery in my '09.

I think Oman has a bad cell in his battery. The dealer tested it right after it had been driven, and each cell had a charge. But if the car sat overnight, any bad cell would have lost its charge.

The only other explanation I can think of for Oman's situation is if he does mostly short drives. Whereas the electrical system in cars of the 1950s could recharge the battery in a good 15 mile drive, today's auto electrical systems need twice as much driving to fully recharge. Lots of short trips do not restore as much juice to the battery as starting this 290 HP engine uses. Everything on this car is electrically operated, and so it needs reasonably frquent real drives to stay fully charged.

gizzsdad

Well, my battery was dead this morning after 14 months and 13,000 miles. Disappointing, but I know it happens. My service guy at the dealer said Nissan will only pay 50% - after checking to make sure the battery is dead - and the testing could take a couple of hours.

As my dealer is 45 minutes away, I elected to change it myself with a WalMart EverStart, which is highly rated by CR and much cheaper than the Interstate.

FWIW - I moved up from 550 CCA to 700.

AIMRob

My 2010 max prem tech just died after parking it in my garage last night, it 'died' before but after letting the car sit for a couple hours (until it was time to leave work) it would turn on normally... First time this has happened where I'm unable to hear the clicking while trying to turn it on. Only see the security led blinking... Time to head to the dealership to get a list of things fixed. Meh