lightonthehill

I hadn't replied because I felt your post was very reasonable. Although I have had excellent luck with my Maximas (I have owned nothing but Maximas since October of 1984), I am aware some other Maxima owners have not been so lucky. I actually base my high opinion of Maxima reliability more on the thousands of replies Consumer Reports receives from Maxima owners than on the experiences of one person (me).

I am not what I would call a 'shill', but have been very pleased with Nissan products since driving Datsuns around Tokyo and Yokahama in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and again in the U.S. between 1978 and 1984. I do try to get to the assembly plant in Smyrna just ahead of the release of each new Maxima generation, and do know a few folks in headquarters in Franklin and with their PR company in Chicago.

But There have been details on the Maxima that I have criticized here, as I like to call things as I see them. As examples, I think a sunroof should be on every Maxima model. I think the outside mirrors should be power-folding. I think Nissan should be clearer that regular octane gasoline is perfectly acceptable in the Maxima. I feel the coordination of the fobs with the multi-occupant seating positions on the 2016 is unnecessarily complicated. And so on.

Peace.

BlakMaxiJoey

done with the last three recalls. incl. a 20k service (only maint serv done on car), and a driver side seat minor fix - cover that hooks deep under the seat came off.

took about a whole day with appt and not so busy dealer on a thursday morning.

bonus fix: no more steering wheel vibration/shaking during braking from a fast downhill.
(california I-5, over Tejon mountain pass)

but, a little iffy about "bring-in the car when the abs light goes on" part...

lindros2

I got the same f'ing comment from my dealer.

jc53

So what is the situation? Is every Platinum recalled? My ABS light goes off immediately.

lindros2

worry if it stays on

BlakMaxiJoey

yeah, according to nissan sb, only bring the vehicle for recall work when abs stays on.
and the scary part, what if it decides to catch fire trying to bring it in???

imo, nissan should just replace all modules, since they have "no clear idea" which lot of them caught fire... call bs.

MAXIE06SE

I am nervous about driving my 16 SL since my car is effected by this recall. I took my car into the dealer and they confirmed I do have this issue.

What is the likely hood of the ABS kicking in and staying on?

gizzsdad

Small.

lightonthehill

Lots of cars have this particular part from the batch that is causing problems, but only a very small percentage have reached the point where the ABS light stays on, and only some of those whose ABS light stays on have caught fire. Until that light stays on, I am going to drive normally, knowing the chances of mine failing are very slim.

If, however, my ABS light ever fails to go out in less than ten seconds, OR comes on while driving, I will be calling my dealer to arrange to either have it towed or driven straight to the dealer. That ABS light staying on means the car could catch fire at any time, even while parked in my garage.

DrummerBoy00

Just got my ABS recall completed today on my Max Platinum.

I took it in two weeks ago and they determined that it was part of the recall. Actually, the ticket says, "there was no serial # on the abs control module so replaced as per recall and re tested system, all normal".

They had to park it at the dealership, per Nissan, until they could get the part in. They gave me a loaner Altima for the two week period.

Glad to finally have my Max back, and glad to not have to worry about it bursting into flames.

BlakMaxiJoey

mine will get replaced soon... hopefully, no issues arise before then.

stodge

I wonder if dealers would mention the recall if you test drive a Maxima..

lightonthehill

Nothing new here, but I did get yet another letter from Nissan today regarding this recall. Same thing - Continue to drive your Maxima normally.

BUT

If the ABS light stays on more than 10 seconds after starting the car, STOP DRIVING IMMEDIATELY AND CALL NISSAN ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AT 1-800-225-2476 to arrange towing to a Nissan dealer at no cost to you.

I am going to keep that number in my car, just in case.

The letter did say that my car was 'in the VIN range' of affected vehicles, and they would notify me when replacement part is available. They said this would probably be in late December.

Quickgtp

I traded mine in just waiting for the new car (not a Nissan) to be delivered. After the last three recalls and them keeping my car for weeks then rather then replacing they leave it open with a warning that the car may catch on fire was a last straw for me. Wish you all best of luck.

Quickgtp

This was me but instead they gave the car back without replacing. Screw Nissan.

lindros2

Note that I had my car in for service, but the NHTSA still says:

RECALL STATUS: Recall INCOMPLETE

when I input my VIN...

Clouded

Got this in the mail today. Note the last bullet.

lindros2

Just got the follow-up letter that parts are available.

mrgooch

See my new post concerning this recall.

Randy

Question : My son just had his SR ABS recall
completed and tells me the brake pedal needs to travel further before the car starts to slow down.

Question:Anyone that had the ABS recall completed have issue where the brake pedal has to travel further then before recall was completed?

Randy

mrgooch

Not me.

maxud

the brake system likely needs repeated bleeding. If air got trapped in a brake line, it would give appearance of weaker brakes.

Randy

I got a chance to drive my son's car and he is correct the brake pedal goes to far before brakes engage. So he is going to bring car back

Randy

Randy

Update: My sons SR is now ok after they re bleed the brake system.

Randy

lightonthehill

Took my car in for oil change, etc, and made the mistake of asking them to take care of any outstanding recall work. Fifteen minutes later, the writeup tech entered the waiting room and told me the actuator on my ABS system had a serial number in the recall range, and that they could not let me drive the car until it was fixed. She said they are not allowed to stock the item, and must go through Nissan and have the new actuator shipped directly to the dealership. I could have argued with them, but have actually wanted this recall attended to for some time.

That was Tuesday, and the actuator was supposed to arrive at the dealership late Friday, and my car should be ready around 4PM Saturday. I'm thinking Monday. We will see . . .

In the meantime, they are paying my rental for a Pearlescent white 8th gen SR Maxima with black wheels, black sport spoiler, black rear bumper diffuser, tinted windows, etc, etc. My wife and I can't help but notice the glances we are getting in our residential community. Our HOA is very strict, and even required a neighbor to repaint his house trim because the trim was not precisely the shade specified in the 300 page HOA Guidelines.

I will be glad when we have our grey (Nissan calls it Brilliant Silver) Maxima back and the neighbors can relax. We actually appreciate our HOA, as they make sure everything is done per HOA code, and they are a primary reason everything in our neighborhood is tended to very quickly and very correctly.

wtgkb8

My dealer had the ABS actuators in stock and I was back in my Murano within 3 hrs for this recall and two other items addressed. I had no pre-arranged appointment either. This was back in Feb.

lightonthehill

wtgkb8 - That makes me feel bad. Especially since my car was not ready Saturday. The oil change, routine service, etc, was done. And the ABS actuator had arrived and was installed.

But I was also having a slight popping noise in my double-panel roof looked at, and they found a broken part that required an entirely new double-panel roof. Being Easter weekend, their best techs are at the seashore (or elsewhere), and they ran into further trouble, and have a Nissan roof expert coming Monday.

But at least I am enjoying the beautiful pearlescent white with black wheels, black spoiler, black rear bumper diffuser, tinted windows, etc, SR they have me driving during the repair.

lightonthehill

I'm not sure how his thread has risen to the top again. I have mentioned in another thread somewhere on this board that as the tech replaced the ABS actuator on my 2016 Platinum, he did not get one of the six brake fluid lines running from the brake fluid reservoir tightened correctly, and brake fluid escaped, allowing me to float out into a six lane boulevard as traffic was whooshing by in both directions. I survived, added DOT-3 brake fluid until the fluid level reached the 'full' line, then hightailed it to my dealer (nearly thirty miles away) to get the loose brake fluid line tightened. Things have been perfect ever since.

If anyone ever presses down hard on their brake pedal and has the sensation the pedal may be slightly sinking, it is time to make sure the fluid in the brake fluid reservoir is at the full line.

lindros2

Recall is BACK - Nissan has to re-replace the actuators fixed in the first one. Which took three tries with my car.
"No mention of loaner car coverage" = BULLsh-t.

lightonthehill

Yep, same problem (fire hazard) is back. In a nutshell -

IF the anti-lock brake warning light stays on for more than TEN SECONDS after starting the car, Nissan says the vehicle should be parked and certainly NOT PARKED IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE SUCH AS A GARAGE.

Nissan will inspect the pump serial numbers and replace the pump if the serial falls within the 'problem' range, starting OCTOBER 15.

This type problem is a bit awkward for those of us living over 30 miles from our dealer, and who never park our beloved Maxima outdoors overnight. Also, I don't want to make the long trip to the dealer to have the pump serial checked until they have a replacement in stock and are prepared to install it. But it is what it is, and we have little choice but to roll with the punches.


PS - Along with lindros2's complaint about taking three tries to get it fixed, After mine was 'fixed', I rolled through a six lane wide intersection on a red light with no brakes because the tech had failed to reconnect one of the six brake fluid lines and the brake fluid had leaked out. Such is life.

lindros2

So with four - maybe five - trips to "remedy" this, at what point does "I don't want to burn down my house" become a lawsuit for Nissan.
Pro tip - call and email this guy (regulatory compliance @ NNA). He has a nice $1.25m house outside Nashville paid for on the heels of our ABS fire risk.

andrew.tavi@nissan-usa.com

lindros2

Today (mid-afternoon) someone in a white pickup blew through a red light and my ABS *did* work. I came six inches from destroying him and sideswiping a Honda CR-V in my blind spot.
Saved my life - and my daughter's (injury).

lightonthehill

I posted the following info on another thread here discussing this ABS Actuator problem, but felt it also belonged in this thread.

Running the VIN for this recall does not give a definitive answer. Only actuator pumps within set pump serial number ranges are involved. The dealer tech must remove the pump and check the serial number against the set list of questionable pump serial ranges. This is a situation where the VIN serial is not involved.

For those for which the dealer tech route is not convenient at this time, you may be able to delay action by this method:

EVERY TIME you start your car, immediately look at the ABS light. If it is off or goes off within ten seconds, you should be able to drive the car as usual.

IF, however, the ABS light stays on for at least ten seconds, you may be sitting on a very dangerous situation. A fire could start at any time, EVEN IF THE CAR IS PARKED WITH THE ENGINE OFF. If your ABS light stays on for ten seconds or more, you MUST NOT park the car inside any garage or building or close to your home, and you MUST have your dealer check and fix this problem as soon as possible. A fire could start at any time.

If your car is one that must be fixed, once your dealer has fixed the problem in your car, be very careful to check your brakes regularly for a few days afterwards. If he failed to reconnect any of the six brake fluid connectors he removed while fixing the problem, you will be losing brake fluid, which will lead to a gradual (eventually sudden) loss of brakes.

Stay safe out there.

Lemonhawk

Well the Dealer is holding my car hostage until the recall part comes in. I'm stuck driving an Altima loaner. I don't think they physically checked anything, I was in for something else when he said the car had some sort of code that indicated the pump needed replacing and they would give me a loaner. ABS lite does not say on - only blinks on startup. Has anyone had there car up in flames?

lindros2

Polarisdb

Got this in the mail today for my 2016 SV (without Intelligent Cruise Control) from the dealership I bought it from. No specifics about what the recall is about and nothing comes up on the Nissan or NHTSA web sites for my VIN number. Has anything new come out recently? They've been nagging me to come in for an oil change via emails even though I'm not due yet and this postcard includes a coupon for a free oil change with recall service, so I'm wondering if they're using the ABS actuator recall as an excuse to get me stop by even though my car shouldn't be subject to it. Figured I'd at least ask here before pursuing it further with them.

lindros2

FattiesGoneWild

lindros2

lightonthehill

Lindros2 - If the dealer is baiting you with an 'intelligent cruise control' recall, and your Maxima version does not have intelligent cruise control, he is either misguided or abusing the system.

But just to be sure you don't have any trouble, I wanted to confirm that you were aware (as I think you said you are are), that ALL versions of the 8th gen Maxima have ABS systems by government requirement, and some of those ABS systems were installed with faulty pump seals, allowing fluid to leak out onto a hot surface, starting fires. Only your service tech can read the pump serial and determine if your pump is on the pump recall list.

You might should call your dealer and tell them you received a recall notice for intelligent cruise control, which your car does not have. He may have confused two different recalls. The fact this is the SECOND recall for the ABS pump seals further confuses the problem.