I went to my car after watching the superbowl at friend's house and noticed the clock had been reset as well a the fuel economy reading. I thought it was weird but paid no attention to it. Then today, I was coming out from a CVS and unlocked my car as usual with the Viper alarm and used remote start like always. The car started right up, but the wheel didn't come down and none of the lights on the dash came on, not even the lights on the trip computer display, nor the interior lights nor the aftermarket radio. Too make matters worse, I couldn't even get the car out of park. It was like the gear stick was stuck. I turned the car off and got out and locked and unlocked the car again. When I tried to lock it, the LCD display on the Viper 2 way kept telling me a door was ajar but all the doors were closed properly. This time I used the key to start the car. It started up fine with no problems. Cranked like a champ as always but the same problems with the steering wheel and lights persisted. I called the place where I got the alarm installed a year ago and they said it couldn't be the alarm as it would only affect the car not starting and that it could be the battery. I didn't think the battery was the culprit as it was a 5 month old Optima Red Top and that I should also check the fuses inside the car and under the hood. They said they would check my battery for me. I checked the fuses inside the car and they were all good. I wasn't about to be embarrassed and pop my hood up i front of CVS to let the world know I had a problem with my max, so I didn't check the fuses under the hood. After sitting there for 5 minutes I saw the shift lock and used an old house key to push it in the hole. I was able to get the car in reverse. Initially, it wouldn't let me switch from reverse to drive with my foot on the brake but when I tried again I was successful. I was still driving with the steering wheel up and was going to take it to my parent's place close by when all of a sudden the lights on the dash, the interior lights, and the radio all came on. I was now able to adjust the steering wheel. While driving to the audio place, I would hear a click coming from the gear stick whenever I stepped on the brake as I was in a traffic jam due to the Saints flying into the New Orleans airport. When I got to the audio place, the battery checked out fine. Took it to autozone and no new codes other than the old ones from my headers. The car works like this incident never happened.
I should note that I've been having problems with the occasional delay in shifting from park to reverse or drive when the transmission is warm and that on 2 occasions last week, when I got into my car after 30 min to a hour. The car wouldn't move in to drive or reverse until 10 to 15 secs later. The gear stick was able to be moved in these positions though. It was only when the weather was in the 50s or less that this problem occurred. The first episode happened a month ago. I'm looking to get the Transgo shift kit or transmission fix in the near future. I'm not sure if this is related to what happened today or not, but I wanted to mention it just in case. Sorry for the long winded post, but I wanted to provide as much detail as possible. I called an auto electrician also. So I'll be taking her in for an appointment tomorrow morning. Thanks for your help.

 

Update: I took just got back from the auto repair/electrician this morning. He couldn't find a cause for it or reproduce the problem. He said he's heard of the ignition switch causing problems like that when it's faulty. He jiggled the key around as he cranked the car and she cranked like a champ. No problems. He told me to drive it straight to him if the problem reproduces itself again. Honestly, I hope it's just a freak thing that will never happen again.

 

Alrighty then.

 

The never ending paragraph.

 

i see why both of you dont like each other.typical attitude. try taking it to the dealer or seach for a tsb on electrical problems. with electrical problems they always repeat themselves. issac newton said energy never dissipate it redirects itself. good luck

 

thats happened to me b4, when i turn the car off and open the door the steering wheel doesnt raise, but sometimes when i open my door the steering wheel will go up then. i've checked the and reset the options in the nav screen and sometimes it still does the same ****, as long as it doesnt decide to move up or down while im driving im good, another reason for why this is my last maxima

 

There was a typo in my original comment. I corrected it. The mechanic was more than willing to help. He meant I should take my car to him whenever the situation arises. I couldn't take it to him right when the symptoms occured the first time as it was around 4:30PM and he closes at 5. Sorry for the long drawn narrative guys. I'm a medical doctor by trade; neurology is my specialty. So I'm used to all the details since it helps me make a clear diagnosis. It's a habit.

timwdv: I feel you about this being your last maxima. It's gonna be my last one as well. My 95 Maxima GXE never gave me these many problems. I miss her

 

I completely understand that, i did everything to get this car and i dont appreciate the little things like this it does

 

I spoke too soon. It happened again today. I was at Quiznos with a lady friend when my Viper Two-way pager went off. Nothing touched the car. When I tried unlocking and locking it, the remote kept telling me the door was ajar . The same problem occurred with none of the lights coming on inside, even the blinkers weren't working. After I finished eating, I went back to the car and inserted an old key into the shift lock to put the car in reverse and pull out. Luckily, my friend came in her own car. As I drove for about 10 seconds everything was working again. My radio settings were preserved but the clock time and fuel economy readings were reset. I'm beginning to think this has something to do with my Viper alarm. I'll take it to the audio shop again tomorrow to get all the connections checked.

 

Ok. The problem has become worse. In the first instance as above, the AC and heater wasn't working either. Now, the interior lights don't come back on. I wasn't able to drop my car off with the auto electrician due to him being booked up. Tonight, even after driving, the interior lights never came back on, the blinkers wouldn't work, couldn't adjust the steering wheel, and the AC/heater controls wouldn't work, cigarette lighter was out, but the heated seats were working. It sucks because it's freezing and I can't even use the heater. I checked all the fuses inside the car and under the hood and all of them checked out fine. I disconnected the alarm to no avail; it didn't remedy the situation. I did discover that one of the of sockets that plug into the positive battery connector was slightly burned (the socket facing the firewall). When I remove this connector, the car is not able to start. When it's plugged in, the car starts up fine. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with my problems, but I was bringing it up just in case. I passed by the dealership and talked to them about the problem and showed them the connector. They recommended a new wire harness even though it was only the connector that looked bad and told me the part costs $800. I'm hesitant to let them look at it as they will charge a $100 diagnostic fee and this may not even be the cause of the problem; they said they will deduct that fee from the cost to fix the problem should I choose to get it serviced by them. My problem with getting the dealership to work on it now is that they may go for replacing that wire harness at $800 only to discover it's not the cause of my problems. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I might just have to end up dropping my car off with that auto electrician and forking over cash for a rental. I'll try to replace the following part on Wednesday if the dealer has it as everywhere is closed for Mardi Gras tomorrow. I'll try to upload pics of the part that was damaged. It's one of the connectors that plugs into the part featured in the link.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/24381m-...9-p-10208.html

 

Update: Problem solved! One of the fuses on the holder-fusible links was burnt. My sound system has a capacitor hooked up to the positive battery terminal. My favorite people at Mech Tech noted that the sound system was drawing too much power from the battery and caused the short. The tech and the dealership recommended I wrap up the damaged connector with electrical tape and stick a piece of plastic in there to keep the metal pins from touching. I stuck a piece of plastic cut from a zip tie and wrapped it up in electrical tape. I purchased the holder-fusible link for like $22 from the dealership under Mech Tech and she's as good as new. I disconnect the lead from the capacitor. I have a some discussions with the audio when I seem him next to determine a better way preventing this problem. My sound system isn't anything fancy or loud, just a 500 mono amp to a 12" L5 Kicker solobaric. The capacitor is 1 Farad I think. Had the connector been destroyed, I would be looking at a complete engine wire harness! I had to make a 70 mile trip to Baton Rouge to get it fixed as every auto shop and Nissan dealer in a 3 city radius was closed for Mardi Gras. The labor was free

 

great ,good to know .