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.
We own a 2001 Maxima, purchased new, and like lots of other people on this web site, have experienced rotor problems. We have had them resurfaced and replaced at least 4 times since we have owned the car. The car only has 64,000 miles on it, not driven on dirt roads, I do not jam on the brakes, or anything like that, and we have owned other vehicles and never have had this problem with them. We also own a 1999 Chevrolet pickup with more miles on it, and have never had this problem on it. Nissan says, like it tells everyone else, that it is the driver's habits which is untrue, and they just do not want to take the responsibility for this obvious defect. We are tired of having to fix these brakes, and spend unnecessary money every 12,000-15,000 miles. It feels like it is not safe when we are trying to stop the car, as it vibrates in the steering wheel terribly, and feels like you could very easily lose control of the vehicle. Next time we purchase a car, we would probably not consider a Nissan because of this.
I have experienced repeated problems on at least 6 occasions since I have owned this car with the rotors. Everytime I have this fixed the dealer determined that this was caused by my driving habits which I did not agree with seeing as how I have owned 3 cars prior and have never experienced this problem. I have had to have the catalytic converter replaced, 3 oxygen sensors replaced, and 2 wheel sensors. These occurrences have spanned over 18 months and have cost lots of money! the calipers have locked, and the car caught on fire in the wheel well, also. I have tried to get assistance from the dealer I bought the car from, no assistance from the local Nissan dealer in raleigh, and last, but not least - Nissan themselves - they even lied to me on the phone and told me that it was sent back to the local Nissan dealer, who had the right to cover the costs, but was denying the charge. The local Nissan dealer disputed this and it left me with nothing but frustration and with a lemon of a car! I purchased this car with less than 40000 miles and checked the VIN through carfax. I also checked what consumer reports said about the make and model. From what I have experienced, and the complaints I have seen on this site, I will never purchase another Nissan again, and feel that the rotors and sensors should be investigated by Nissan.
The steering wheel would pulsate when slowing down on the highway to pay a toll, making the car difficult to steer. I brought the car to a Nissan dealer and was told the rotors were warped. The car has only 30,000 miles and was still under warranty but the dealer refused to cover the obviously defective rotors. Instead they charged me $150 to resurface the two front rotors to fix this problem. I believe this is only a temporary fix, and the rotors will warp again just because they are a defective part, and Nissan doesn't want to take any responsibility for this problem.
The rotors malfunctioned, causing them to warp. When the rotors warped and the brake pedal was depressed steering wheel shook. The faster vehicle was driven and when the brake pedal was depressed the worse the steering wheel shook. This could result in consumer losing control of the vehicle. Dealership resurfaced the rotors, but they warped again within 17,000 miles.
While driving 60 mph, the driver applied the brakes and the vehicle vibrated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for an inspection and the mechanic determined that the rotors needed to be replaced. The problem still continued at this time. The front rotors were replaced and turned. On a later date the rotors needed to be resurfaced. The dealer would not fix the vehicle under warranty.
- Morristown, NJ, USA
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My rotors had to be turned at 17,000 (11/30/2001) and 32,000 (11/15/2002) miles due to vibration on braking. The service rep claims it is due to the rotors warping due to heating up and claims it is due to driving habits. I drive primarily highway miles and limited city driving and this reasoning doesn't seem likely. Especially twice. I've also owned a Honda Accord (112,000 miles) and a Toyota Camry (70,000 miles) and never had any such problems. This makes me question the claim that it is my braking habits.
Numerous problems with vehicle's front rotors. This was the consumer's third set of front rotors and the latest set warped. The vehicle vibrated and pulled to the side when the consumer applied the brakes. The vehicle had been in the shop for brake work six times. The consumer owned many Nissan's and stated that this was the first major problem ever experienced. There was still a slight vibration coming from the rear brakes, moaning/groaning sounds from the front right, creaking/popping when turning, when setting the cruise at 70 mph(cruise control cable was not properly adjusted), it felt as if the gas was applied, and bumps could be felt in the road through the steering wheel.. it took a long time for the air condition to cool the vehicle.
Every 15000 miles front brake rotor has to be replaced due to warping. Consumer owns two vehicle of the same make/model, but different years, and they are both suffering the same problem.
Within 50,000 miles roters have been replaced three times and have been resurfaced once. The first rotor replacement occurred at 15, 000 miles. Symptoms of the problem range from shaking steering wheel, having to pump the brakes to reduce shaking and grinding sounds that occur during breaking. The car is driven on the highway with infrequent city stop and go driving. The dealership has replaced or resurfaced the roters on all four occassions free of charge, but fails to admit that there is any defect and cites possible driving habits as the cause of the problem.
Warped rotors resurfaced once 18,000 miles ago because of heavy vibration in steering on braking (close to loss of control of car). Experiencing same problem again and dealer claims it's due to drive habits and refuses to service under extended warranty. The warped rotors causes you to have to pump the brakes to slow the car down which would explain the wear on the brake due to defective rotors. I do mostly highway driving so brakes not used extensively. Need to look at the possibility that some component is causing the rotors to overheat and warp and not a result of heavy braking. Spouse experiencing same problem on 2002 pathfinder with 22,000 miles. Please investigate as I think this is a widespread problem that Nissan is trying to attribute to the consumers' drive habits. Let's not wait for severe injury to occur before taking action.
Almost every 10,000 miles there is a problem with the brakes. On 7/18/2003 vehicle was taken to the dealer who resurfaced the rotors on the front and back.
Rotors warp and cause steering to shake when brakes applied - on my Maxima I have needed to have the disks turned 3 times (1st time at 13K miles) and then the rotors replaced before I had 30K miles on my car. Now at 44500 I need to get the disks turned again. I had a 98 Maxima before the 01 and never had to get work.
Every 3,000-6,000 miles brake rotors become warped, causing a shaking in the steering while while braking. Nissan, acknowledging a problem with their part, would repair rotors or replace them, but it was only a temporary repair, as they would become warped again after a few thousand miles. Nissan has now refused to repair/replace new rotors that warped only after few thousand miles.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New Port Richey, FL, USA