I own a 2001 Maxima SE. Ever since I bought it I noticed that this car has a very dangerous design flaw. When I need to press the brake pedal hard, the top of my foot (toes, 10 1/2 shoe size) is pressing against a bump which is sticking out of the steering column. This bump is situated right behind the brake pedal. So as I try to press harder, my foot is actually pushing against the bump and not pressing the brake any harder. I can avoid the bump by angling my foot to the right, but that's the last thing I think about when I need to stop in a hurry. I've come across a few situations where I needed to stop quickly but that stupid bump was getting in the way. Luckily, I haven't rear-ended anybody (yet). This flaw (as well as a few other irritating flaws. Another that comes to mind is I can smell the windshield washer fluid when I spray it on the windshield while the fan is running) has convinced me to get rid of this car. Pretty disappointing showing from the so-called flagship of the nissan corp. I have come across a few other maxima owners who have experienced the same thing. I was just wondering if anyone else is having this problem, if they resolved it and if nissan knows about this and has done something about it. Any help would be appreciated.

 

No offense meant but sounds to me like you will find a flaw in any car you own I have almost rear ended a couple cars also but because I was going to fast and these cars don't have good brakes not because of the bump? As for the washer fluid buy it sentless,just put water in it, or keep the ac on recycle. Good luck with your next car.

 

Anyone reading this message, please give this a try and let me know. With the engine running, plant the center of your foot onto the center of the brake pedal with your toes pointing straight up. Then press down hard and see if the top of your foot (toes) pushes against that bump. Let me know. Thanks.

 

No problem here with size 11's.

 

i have the problem with my big @ss size 13.
but i usually just angle my foot anyway. when i move from gas to brake my heel stays in the same place.
my biggest problem is the right side of my foot catching the plastic lip next to the gas pedal.
o well. adapt and overcome

 

Your 10.5 shoe gets in the way but mine doesn't?
Do you brake with your heals?? I seem to stop well without "hitting" the column.

 

Yeah, that's what I do as well. The problem occurs during panic stops when I need to brake in a hurry. Unfortunately, that is also when I need all the available braking power. I already had a few close calls. Don't want to deal with it and then end up getting into a accident. Pretty frustrating.

 

Yeah, I have size 14 and I've never hit this so called 'bump' and the only problem I have sometimes is that my dress shoes are wider than the alloted space between the brake and the trim when pressing on the gas...

 

you dont need your whole foot for panic stops!! thats all in your head trust me. you "think" you have to "slam" the brake. you can get "all the avaliable braking power" from your toes. go to a parking lot and try it. using just the front part of your foot, slam on the brakes. you will stop just the same as if you are using all your weight.

 

Yeah, I brake with my heel. How did you post those pics? I'm going to take a picture of the brake pedal and post it.

 

that too!!!
its a tight squeze to get just the gas pedal. i always clip the corner of the brake pedal!!

 

you brake with your heel??????
you get all the braking power you need from the ball of your feet. your heel NEVER needs to leave the ground!!
if NASCAR drivers can brake like that...SO CAN YOU, go practice

 

Trust me, I know that. I've been behind the wheel long enough. But the plan and simple truth is that there absolutely, positively shouldn't be anything obstructing the path of the brake pedal/foot in any situation and with any shoe size. It all comes down to bad design. You would think this car was designed using japanese test feet. I'm surprised the Highway safety agency (or whatever the name is) didn't catch this problem.

 

when you said heel brake, I thought you meant if I roll my foot on my heel (which is what I do).

How did you get your pics? I'm going to take a pic and show you guys what I'm dealing with.

 

why would they catch a problem that is really just you not braking properly? whats really "in the way" is your foot being in the wrong place on the brake pedal. you are creating the "obstuction"
if i try and brake with my left foot and cant reach the pedal is it nissan's fault for bad design? or is it me not driving properly?

 

your picture has to be hosted on a webpage somewhere
then copy and paste the url to the picture with this on either side
[img]your url[/img]

 

Hey, when you say you're maxima obsessed, you're not joking. You are blinded by your obsession. It shouldn't matter how I brake. I could brake with both feet and both hands, with my butt if I wanted to. But the fact is, the brake pedal and it surrounding design is this difference between stopping the car or having it stopped by the car in front of you. And when you say "wrong place" on the brake pedal, there shouldn't be a wrong place on the brake pedal!!! A car should stop by hitting the brake pedal at any and every spot available. I never knew that automakers recommended using a certain spot on the brake pedal versus another. How stupid would that be. I understand when the say they recommend using premium gas, but when they recommend using the bottom right corner of the brake pedal for optimum brake performance, now that is just a little far fetched. Come on, open your eyes. It's bad design and you know it.

 

it does matter how you brake. it is designed for the way the majority of people brake.
i meant you are using the wrong part of your foot. the brake pedal (and all others) is designed to be depressed with the top part of your foot not your whole foot.
so cars should be designed so that you can press the brake with your butt? well the design is all wrong. the steering wheel and dash are in the way!! DAM NISSAN DESIGN PEOPLE!!
btw, the "maxima obsessed" is something that automatically changes after a certain number of posts. kinda like yours says "I finally posted something!" since you only have 7 posts

 

I have had the exact same problem as you since the day I bought the car. I have come very close to smashing into people quite a few times. I have found that placing your foot just a little bit further back/lower fixes that little braking problem.

 

Talk about obsessed and blinded by it!!! Geez...should a car also be designed so you car make hairpin turns using your knees or elbows? How about from sitting in the back seat? Should a car have automatic shields pop out if you DECIDE to drive with your head stuck out the window or out the sunroof? And so on and so on... Cripe! Sounds like you should spend more time driving properly and less time *****ing that the universe isn't EXACTLY to your specifications.

By the way, a car WILL stop when pressing the brake pedal at any location on the pedal. The force from your leg (well most peoples' legs) WILL be transmitted through the pedal and pedal assembly to the braking system, which with ABS does NOT need to be slammed to get results. Firmly pressing and holding is more than sufficient.

 

ive been trying to tell him
"you can get "all the avaliable braking power" from your toes"
"you dont need your whole foot for panic stops"
"you get all the braking power you need from the ball of your feet"

 

YES!! Finally, someone who knows what I'm talking about!! I agree, moving the foot lower and back eliminates the problem. But one shouldn't have to worry/think about that. That's all I'm saying.

Did you ever try to get it fixed?

 

All I'm saying that no one should have to think/worry about foot placement when it comes to braking. I have driven dodges, mazdas, chevys, etc... and I have NEVER experienced this problem. Come on you maxima fanatics, just admit it to yourselves that the brake pedal design needs improvement.

 

you both are driving wrong. who taught you how to drive?!?
i would have to "think" to lift my whole foot off the freakin ground to push in the pedal.
you shouldnt have to MOVE your foot lower and back....ITS ALREADY THERE from being on the gas!! unless you press the gas with you whole foot off the ground. im telling you, you heel NEVER needs to leave the ground, just swivel on your heels so the top part of foot hits the brake. thats why my mat has a hole in it from where my heel sits.
it isnt something you can FIX! you FIX a problem and the car isnt the problem.
you can FIX the way you drive.

 

then buy a dodge, mazda, chevy, etc
you will get an inferior, slow, ugly car that isnt reliable.......but you will finally be able to brake properly

 

No kidding...remedial driving school enrollees here....

Also, it is interesting that others actually have things like this to say...

http://www.ambulancedriving.com/extr...e4-pce-02.html

http://www.1adsi.com/seating.html

and so on....

What I find laughable about this is this joker says WE can't admit to something all the while disregarding common sense and examples that prove HIS case wrong. Talk about hard headed!

 

"place your heel at a comfortable pivoting point between the brake pedal and the gas pedal"

 

I too have a size 14 shoe. In 3 1/2 years of driving this car in all kinds of traffic, I have never had the problem being addressed in this thread. And I agree with others here, you don't have to stomp your whole foot on the brake to stop. Just my .02

 

I AGREE WITH WHAT ALL OF YOU ARE SAYING.
YES, I ROLL MY HEEL.
YES, I USE THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAKE PEDAL.
YES, I USE MY TOES.
YES, 99% OF THE TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL WORKS FINE.
IT'S THE REMAINING 1% THAT ****ES ME OFF!!!!
THAT F'IN 1% COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STOPPING AND KISSING THE WINDSHIELD!!!
FORGIVE ME FOR NOT BEING THE SUPERB DRIVER THAT YOU ALL CLAIM TO BE!!
AN F'IN $25000 CAR SHOULDN'T HAVE THIS KIND OF F'IN ISSUE!!!
F'IN END OF THE F'IN STORY!!!

 

dude, im not trying to be a d1ck about this.
all im saying is that you can brake the same way 100% of the time. you dont have to use a diffirent technique for slamming on the brakes. the only diffirence is the speed with which you press the pedal. i have said that over and over. i drive in rush hour DC traffic so i know all about slamming the brakes on.
like jjs said
"WILL stop when pressing the brake pedal at any location on the pedal. The force from your leg WILL be transmitted through the pedal and pedal assembly to the braking system, which with ABS does NOT need to be slammed to get results. Firmly pressing and holding is more than sufficient."

 

Hey Arak....not to beat on you in any way, but....it seems to me that your technique of braking with the heel (or the lower half of the foot) is going to potentially hurt you in any car u drive simply because you are substantially increasing the overall distance you are moving your foot as you move from the gas pedal to the brake pedal.

Put another way, unless you are also accelerating with your heel on the top of the gas pedal, moving your foot from the normal gas pedal position to the position you're indicating -much higher up on the brake pedal than is normal- is going to cause an increased delay in transitioning from the gas pedal to the brake pedal, hence lengthening your overall stopping distances.

Bump or not, poor design or otherwise, in my humble opinion, I dont think you're doing this right and as a result impacting your stopping distances...

 

Do you find this amazing?? I know you and I have been on opposite sides of many other issues. This might be a first!!

 

and another thing. The clutch pedal is way too high...

 

i dont understand this at all??
i know, we are agreeing!! dont tell anyone

 

so your foot is hitting stuff on top of the brake pedal...but the cluth is to high?????

 

Shhhhh!!! I won't tell if you won't!!

 

No. The clutch play is too long. It comes up too high when you release it. Let me guess, I don't know how to use the clutch either. Right?

 

Try driving with a size 13 shoe. You will have the exact same problem regardless of how you drive. My heel does not move when I drive.
I dont have this problem all the time, maybe 10% of the time but it still scares the hell out of me those times that I cant stop.

 

ok i took some pictures on my way home from work so you could see what im talking about.
i realized that my heel is actually underneath the brake pedal since this is the one you need to have the quickest reaction time to. and i turn the top of my foot to hit the gas.
this is just instinct for me and most other people.
btw, the braking picture was "slamming" and i stopped just fine. notice my heel is still touching the ground.
so take note of these picture. this is the PROPER way to drive. drive like this and you wont have a problem. if i dont have a problem with a size 13 there is NO reason you should.

GAS


BRAKE

 

i gotcha. i thought you meant high off the ground meaning you couldnt reach it. didnt realize you meant when you release it. that you can adjust