HI All,

I came to see if anyone can help me with this. I had rear ended last week while stopped and only sustained minor damage to the bumper. The impact felt much harder than what the vehicle showed. At the scene of the accident, the police officer had to give me a boost off. This had never happened before. My 2011 Maxima has approx 37k miles. I went and had the battery and alternator tested and they kept coming back as fine. Some times the car starts, sometimes it doesn't and I have to get a boost off. Sometimes when it don't start and I let it sit for a few hours, it cranks up just fine. As of this past Friday, it will not crank at all. Does anyone know if something electrical or maybe a sensor was possibly knocked loose in the accident? The insurance company is claiming that they do not think its related but it only start AT the accident. I appreciate all help and comments.

 

Sounds more like the fuel pump got shaken up especially considering you got hit in the rear which is the location of the fuel pump.

 

This thread might be helpful

https://maxima.org/showthread.php?p=8850438#post8850438

 

I'd have someone check the codes, maybe bring it to the dealership. At least you have a neutral party determine if the accident had an effect. A rear end collision can have negative effects across the board. For example, one time in my 6th gen I got rear ended pretty hard, bumbler wasn't bad but impact was. Anyways, it wasn't until several months later that I noticed my AC had a leak, caused by the rear end collision I experienced months prior.

 

I think the accident and the no starting problem are coincendantal and not related. Early year Maximas 09-12 have a very weak battery and tend to go out in a couple of years depending on the amount of use. A lot of people on this site have had the problem and corrected it by changing the battery. If you choose to use a Nissan OEM battery for a replacement make sure it is 700 CCA. If your battery is the 540 CCA version then I would lay money that is your problem.

 

OP stated he checked the battery and alternator, and those checked out fine. This has to be a sensor of some sorts....

 

Since the car started normally some of the time immediately after the accident, and the alternator and battery check out, I tend to think the problem may not be under the hood.

If you press the start button and the starter is not turning over the engine, and there is no sound whatsoever, I suspect a wiring or sensor problem. It may be that the safety system that turns off the ignition in order to reduce the risk of fire after a collision has been damaged, worked intermittently for a while after the accident, but is now locked in the 'off' position.

If pushing the start button results in a clicking sound, but no engine turnover, then the problem is that the full power of the battery is not reaching the starter. I would check the battery terminals very carefully. Sometimes corrosion forms between the clamps and the battery posts.

If the starter turns the engine over, but the engine will not catch, the problem is almost surely the fuel pump system and associated wiring, and probably resulted from the accident. If done correctly, this is a fairly expensive repair - probably $1000 or more.

 

Wow, that really sucks. I'm sorry about that and I hope that you can get to the bottom of it. That reminds me of when I got rear ended in my 6th Gen. The car did something like that but it wasn't the battery. I would have to constantly wait for about 3 to 4 hours to start the car after the accident. Come to find out it was the camshaft sensor or the crankshaft sensor (I can't remember the right name) and after they replaced that it ran perfectly. Though that could have been unrelated and the being the sensor is in the front of the car and not the back, the dealership still felt that's what it was and they turned out to be right. In your case, however, I don't know but I hope someone does. Good Luck.

 

I am starting to suspect the fuel pump as the engine will not catch. I have had the terminals checked and cleaned. I am trying to get it to Nissan as well to see if they will diagnose the problem however Nissan is saying this won't be a warranty issue since the vehicle is in an accident and insurance company is of course saying they don't think its related to the accident. I do not want to be out of money for something that just not basic wear and tear. Thanks for all your replies.

 

Why would Nissan know about the accident is beyond me cause the fuel pump would have been covered under warranty.

I suggest going to another dealer and starting all over it and not telling them about the accident.

 

I called to ask about doing a diagnostic on them and told them what happened. However I haven't went yet nor do they know who called about it so I will still try to get them to cover it under warranty.

 

The way this should work is your insurance should pay for the repair then they'll duke it out with the other insurance to get reimbursed. Your not the at fault party, u pay your insurance to handle te grunt work