I was hoping I could get some feedback in an attempt to help me get more information on a serious problem I've been having since the colder weather hit here in the Northeast last month.

Intermittently, I've been having a situtation where I'll be driving and none of the buttons on the steering wheel or center console will work. Nothing dims, but when I press them, nothing happens. Luckily, in the few times this has happened, it lasted for a couple of minutes and they started working again. But other times, I've had to pull off the road, shut the car off and turn it back on to get any of the buttons to work.

Originally I thought I had a battery issues but now it seems to be more electrical. I was hoping to get some thoughts on this. It has been into the Nissan dealer once already. They could not find anything wrong, as usual, but did some sort of Nav/computer TSB and sent me on my marry way. It has happen 3 times since getting it back last week and it is going back in on Tues.

Any thoughts, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated. The car is only 2 yrs old with 27k miles, this stuff shouldn't be happening.

 

pretty sure it isnt the battery's problem... maybe a short somewhere

 

i believe im having a battery shortage problem as well with mine. mine goes back tuesday as well. mine just will start n die n its a year n half old lol

 

Smarty - This is the first time i have heard of this problem on the 7th gen. It won't be a weak battery, because the battery is starting the car, which requires vastly more battery power than powering simple instrumentation. And it shouldn't be a fuse, or the functions would not work again after simply stopping for a moment.

This is clearly an electrical problem, and almost has to be a short in the wiring somewhere. Those can be a beast to find, especially if the dealer does not have someone very proficient at researching electrical problems.

The problem can probably be recreated by having someone jiggle the wiring harness serving these instruments, but they are virtually inaccessible behind the dash. The one good thing is that, with all instrumentation gone, the problem might be near the 'head' of the wiring harness rather than in one of the final distribution wires, and that might narrow things down quite a bit.

But this problem is totally unacceptable, and MUST be fixed. I certainly sympathize with your situation, because it is so tough to get a dealer working on any problem unless you can recreate it right in front of his eyes.

 

^ Thanks Light for the information. I hope they can track it down b/c if not, I'll be in for my 3rd time and I'll qualify for Lemon Law. I hope it doesn't come to that. Unfortunately, every time this happens it is either after service department hours, or when it is during business hours, by the time I get to the dealership, the buttons have started to work again. It is beginning to drive me crazy.

 

smarty666,

ive been reading up on the maxima lately since i have gotten my problem with my car. it seems to be there are a majority of people out there with electrical problems with this car. i hope you and well me arent one of these people. good luck man.

 

^ Do you know where I can read any of that? I'm asking b/c in all honesty, I haven't read or heard of any electrical issues with the Maxima. I've read some 1-2 year old Maxima owners having some battery issues but nothing like this. It would be much appreciated!

 

a little better info would help like does the horn work,directionals,radio, anything else that dosent work along with the buttons would be very helpfull. it could be a relay or a main hot lead off the battery for acceserorys and more info what work and what dosent is always a plus for us and nissan.

 

Sure, directional signals still worked, the radio continued to play and not shut off. I didn't test the horn but I assume that still worked. It just was that any of the buttons did not work, bluetooth, cruise control, volume controls, climate controls, or nav controls.

 

imm not sure where the problem is but i do know this car has selph test that will show codes for the nav system,climate control,as well as other feateres in the car nissan should have no problem looking into the memory of the radio system for one and seeing any faults. it is amazing what nissan can get readouts on bi-passes people are doing to the nav and stuff i would think if the buttons are not showing a fault or being pushed a conection is probably a fault.

 

google: 2010 maxima electrical problems. theres a ton of people on edmunds that have it and a couple of other sites