2003 NISSAN MAXIMA Complaints

SEVERE VIBRATION ON FRONT END WHEN VEHICLE IS TRAVELING AT 45 MPH OR HIGHER. *LA THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO ICE BUILD UP IN THE WHEEL WELLS. THIS WAS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE DESIGN OF NISSAN ALLOY WHEELS. THERE WAS A HALF DOZEN OR MORE VEHICLES WITH THIS PROBLEM AT THE DEALERSHIP. *SC *JB

WHILE PULLING INSIDE OF THE PARKING LOT VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES, AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER PLACED BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. THEN, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND COLLIDED INTO A BUILDING. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. BUT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES, AND WENT TO THE HOSPITAL ON HIS OWN. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP. *AK

IN BETWEEN MY 12000 MILE OIL CHANGE, AND 15135 MILES, A CLUNKING AND LOOSENESS IN THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME APPARENT AS I DROVE OVER IRREGULAR OR BUMPY SURFACES. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER AND TOOK THE CAR IN ON 5/26/2004. THE DEALER FOUND THAT BOTH FRONT STABILIZER LINKS HAD FAILED INTERNALLY. THE LINKS BALL JOINT DID NOT BREAK, BUT WERE SEVERELY WORN. BOTH LINKS WERE REPLACED. SINCE THE DEALER HAD LINKS IN STOCK, I WILL ASSUME THAT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST FAILURE OF THIS TYPE. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF BOTH ACTUALLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING? THE LINKS BALL JOINT IS MERELY SEALED WITH A RUBBER BOOT, AND NOT GREASED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THIS CAUSED THE DRIVER TO CRASH INTO A GUARD RAIL. UPON IMPACT, BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. *AK

HID HEADLIGHTS STOLEN FROM 2003 NISSAN MAXIMA. POLICE, INSURANCE COMPANY, AND REPAIR SHOP ALL INDICATED THAT THIS IS A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE SPECIFIC TO THIS VEHICLE. THIS IS POOR VEHICLE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURER SHOULD DEVELOP A SOLUTION AND RECALL AND CORRECT THE CONDITION. DEALER INSTALLED AN ADDITIONAL ALARM FOR HEADLIGHTS AT A COST OF $400 TO ME. THE ALARM FAILED TO FUNCTION.*AK

DRIVER SIDE POWER WINDOW MALFUNCTIONS WHEN USING THE "AUTO CLOSE" FEATURE OF CLICKING THE BUTTON ALL THE WAY UP (2 NOTCHES). THIS IS SUPPOSED TO CLOSE THE WINDOW ALL THE WAY WITHOUT HAVING TO HOLD THE BUTTON. WHEN I DO THIS, THE WINDOW SHUTS AND THEN RETURNS TO HALF OPENED POSITION. *AK

THE SUN-ROOF ON MY 2003 MAXIMA SE WOULD OPEN RANDOMLY; ONCE WHEN I WAS DOING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AFTER THE FIRST OCCURRENCE AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM (SEE "RANDOM"). I CALLED AFTER THE SECOND OCCURRENCE AND THEY STILL HAD NO FORMAL KNOWLEDGE OF ANY PROBLEM WITH THIS EQUIPMENT. AFTER THE 3RD OCCURRENCE, WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE OIL CHANGE, I AGAIN MENTIONED IT TO THE SERVICE TECH. HE LOOKED IN THE TECHNICAL BULLETINS AND FOUND THAT THIS WAS A DOCUMENTED DEFECT. I WAS UNABLE TO FIND IT ON THE NHTSA SITE HOWEVER, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS WORTHY OF A CONPLAINT SO THAT OTHERS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WILL KNOW THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THE DEFECT AND CAN REPLACE THE MALFUNCTIONING COMPONENT.*AK

WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE. I PUSHED HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO KEEP FROM BEING LAUNCHED INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME AS THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I PUT THE GEAR SHIFT IN NEUTRAL AND TAPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL TO SEE IF THAT WOULD AFFECT THE REVVED UP ENGINE. I DON'T KNOW THAT THIS WAS THE SOURCE OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM BUT IN A COUPLE OF SECONDS THE ENGINE DID RETURN TO REGULAR IDLE SPEED. I DIDN'T THINK TO LOOK AT THE TACHOMETER TO CHECK THE RPM BUT CAN TELL YOU FROM THE NOISE INSIDE THE CAR IT WAS HIGH. ALL OF THIS TOOK PLACE IN A PERIOD OF ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS. *JB

LOUD THUD/BUMP WHEN GOING OVER AN UNEVEN SURFACE FROM RIGHT FRONT. HAD SERVICED AND WAS ADVISED IT WAS THE "BUMP STOP" THAT WAS DRY. I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED AT EACH OIL CHANGE. I REVIEWED MY MANUAL AND THERE IS NO MENTION OF LUBRICATING THE BUMP STOP - EVER. IN ADDITION, THE DEALER DID NOT MENTION THE SERVICE WAS DONE WHEN OIL CHANGES WERE DONE THERE.*AK

PAINT BLISTER. SUBMITTED TO DEALER FOR WARRANTY REPAIR. WAS ADVISED THE CLAIM WAS DENIED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAINTED. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE BEGINNING AND HAVE NEVER EVEN APPLIED TOUCH UP PAINT ANYWHERE. HAD A SECOND OPINION ELSEWHERE TO FIND THAT THE GOLD FLECK IN THE PAINT WAS NOT DISTORTED, RENDERING THE "REPAINT" THEORY FALSE. ALSO, PAINT CHIPS ALL OVER THE HOOD FROM THE POOR PAINT JOB.*AK