This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
There was a noise in the car and it was time for regular maintenance. Needless to say I was shocked to learn that the motor mounts were rusted and needed replacing. The paint job has deteriorated badly even I had kept it clean and waxed.
The sub frame is rusting out. The front motor mount is only partially attached as the main beam is severely rusted. I can't believe there isn't a recall on something so dangerous, as a failure of this component can result in the hood latch giving way or the motor dropping from the car.
My son was driving this car and heard the engine making unusual noise and a clunking noise. I took the car to a mechanic to have it checked out and found out the front sub frame is completely rusted out. The front motor mount isn't attached to anything. The motor isn't supported up front. He told me the car is not safe to drive. I can't believe there isn't a recall on something so dangerous. I'm filing this report in case I have to take legal action at a later date.
My vehicle, as with many Nissan Maxima's from 2000 to 2003, is affected by a defective radiator core support. The part is extremely prone to rusting and decaying while the surrounding parts remain intact. The part on my car has developed holes and chunks are constantly falling off, possibly causing a safety hazard.
During routine inspection at Nissan dealership technician discovered that the stuctural support for the radiator was rotted. The structural support also supports the engine. Dealership informed me that this is very dangerous and requires immediate attention. The structural integrity of the engine mount is compromised. This seems to be a common defect, as I observed at least 5 other similar complaints posted on the NHTSA website. Owners of these vehicles should be notified of this dangerous condition.
- Clinton, MA, USA
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I checked my oil and transmission fluid about a week and a half after buying the car and right when I shut the hood the check engine light popped on and stayed on obviously very temperamental. About a week later while stopped at a red light the engine felt a little weird then when I started driving right away the car lost power shut down and all the light popped on I had my 2 year old and 3 year old and fiance in the car and the steering wheel locked up and I almost got hit trying to steer it out of traffic into a mcdonald's. called the dealer and he just left us sitting there in the heat. Called the tow truck and I was trying to restart the car but it would turn over but not stay on. So I wait and wait and decide to try starting it like 20 minutes later after looking under the hood and it starts right up as the tow truck is pulling up but he charged me anyway even though I was able to drive it from there to the dealers on my own the dealers mechanic kept trying to diagnose this thing and kept saying oh its fixed now about 4 different times...first he said it was the coil pack, then he said it was the maf mass air flow sensor, then they said bad gas was put in it by them and they cleaned the gas rail, then finally they listened to me and replaced the isc (idle speed control) motor now it started working and not dying on me when I slow down or stop at red lights because they gave it back to me like three times saying it was fixed and it wasn't but now when I'm in the park position with the car running within about 20-30 seconds the RPM drops and the car lights up and dies but at least it starts right back up and drives not like before but this is still a problem. Look on identifix website and you will see that 4 components need to be recalled. The maf, ignition coils, isc, and most expensive of all the ECM which it says is usally damaged once the isc is done for.
My Nissan was parked on the street about 11:00 pm. The following morning, just before 7:00 am, I had knocking at my door and it was the fireman wanting the keys to my car so they could access the latch to open the hood. Smoke was coming out of the sides of the hood and the firemen were already spraying my hood as the engine was on fire. Since the latch did not work, an electric saw was used to open it. The engine was doused with the fire hose till the smoke stopped. You could see that the whole engine was black. The fire was so strong that the front was sitting on top of the front tire. It has been reported as an accident with cause unknown and must have been burning anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. Odd that a fire would start since the car was sitting overnight for 6 to 7 hours, cold. I was fortunate not to be in the car. It was lucky that it was a rainy day and caught early by a neighbor before it affected any other cars, people, and residential area by blowing up. It will be interesting to see Nissan's explanation to this incident.
The contact owns a 2000 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that when restarting the vehicle, the engine would misfire and the vehicle would shake abnormally. The vehicle would also shake abnormally when driving at various speeds and would sporadically begin to lose power. The dealer performed a diagnosis on the vehicle and determined that the ignition was defective. Most recently, the check engine warning light was illuminated and would not shut off. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 34,000 and the current mileage was 36,000.
Check engine light flashed during acceleration, and then stayed on, coinciding with poor engine performance. Occurred repeatedly over several year period. Eventually replaced all ignition coils which solved the problem (old coils kept).
The contact owns a 2000 Nissan Maxima. One year ago, the engine warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the coil ignition failed. The coil ignition was replaced. Several months later, the engine warning light illuminated again on the instrument control panel and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The dealer replaced all of the coil ignition springs. One week later, the light illuminated again and the dealer stated that the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The oxygen sensor was replaced. Five months later, the failure recurred and the dealer stated that the catalyst needed to be replaced. The vehicle has not been repaired because the expense exceeds $1,200. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance because the warranty expired. The failure mileage was 74,000 and current mileage was 88,000.
My 2000 Maxima has a check engine light illuminated. Normally, the cars runs fine but approximately 10 times over the last several years in extremely humid conditions and when the temperature is around 50 degrees (F), the idle gets extremely rough. I had the fault codes read and they were P1320 (three times) and P0420 (once). After being read, the codes were reset, but immediately returned. This defect has existed on and off for over two years and has been reset several during this time. When reset the last time, the weather was exactly as described above. The car has 36K miles and is driven around 4K miles per year. My investigation indicated defective coils, which are known problems to Nissan and should have been recalled a long time ago. The car was purchased due to consumer reports great ratings but because of this defect I can safely say that I would never purchase a Nissan automobile again. Asking consumers to pay over $1000 to repair a vehicle built with defective parts is almost criminal. Nissan should own up to its responsibility and recall the known defective parts thus restoring customer satisfaction and vehicle reliability.
I have a check engine light on at 60,000 miles on 2000 Nissan Maxima, but code was P1320 which dealer ask to replace all six coils of cylinders costing 2000$.
The contact owns a 2000 Nissan Maxima. The contact claimed to have an ignition coil failure, engine ping, and a decrease in power when accelerating. The contact replaced the ignition coil twice within three months, and could provide repair invoices if needed. The failure mileage was 75200. Consumer states that dealer will not provide copy of diagnostic and C-rt stating only for internal use. Update/23/07tr
2000 Nissan Maxima. Problem with engine misfiring related to ntb01059. Problem continues to recur though coil packs (6) are replaced. This is expensive. Nissan knows about it. There are websites and petitions with over 3000 names of people having this recurring problem.
2000 Maxima had problems with the ignition coil assembly. The ac compressor was replaced. The malfunction indicator light illuminated. The dealer recommended replacing all 6 coils, because it could not be determine which coils were defective.
Beginning at 17,000 miles and continuing to 73,000 miles repeated harness wiring breaks resulting in engine coil failure, emission control malfunctions, catalytic converter failure, and engine misfiring. Car lost power and became unusable for brief time periods. Apprehensive driving car for fear of problem occurring unexpectedly. Car had been repaired eight times. Emission control module replaced and emission control system reprogrammed. Coils replaced on several occasions and frayed wires repaired. Catalytic converter replaced.
2000 Maxima engine failed. Piston rod broke into pieces and totally damaged the engine. The rotors were turned and the doors were hard to open. The drive belts were replaced. The deck lid light bulb was replaced. The consumer was unable to pull out the dip stick. Updated 03/20/06.
Car was leased in 2000, brought it in to the Nissan dealership in 2002 for a repair. The car was almost stalling out at lights. Dealership said there was a faulty coil and replaced. However, 4 years later the same thing happened and when I brought this to the local mechanic they said there was a tsb from 2001 that said Nissan recommends replacing all 6 coils. When I called Nissan after finding this out, they basically said your car isn't under warranty and we don't grandfather these in. My question is, why didn't the Nissan dealership look a their own tsb and replace all of these while under warranty?
The check engine light came on while traveling. Vehicle was taken to the mechanic, and the engine coils were found to be defective. A complaint was registered with the manufacturer. However, manufacturer refused assistance.......these coils have a flaw in design which results in one or more engine misfires. Nissan has improved the design in newer models. However, Nissan refused to help customers. Total cost of replacing the coils was $750.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Maitland, FL, USA