NHTSA Complaint #10082528 — 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA

I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN OCT 1998. AFTER MY 60,000 MILE SERVICE AT THE DEALER (RTE. 22 NISSAN, HILLSIDE, NJ) IN DEC 2003, I NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE STUTTERED WHEN I PUT THE GEAR IN REVERSE. THE RPM METER OSCILLATED BETWEEN 0 AND 1000 CONTINUOUSLY BEFORE STABILIZING. I TOLD THE DEALER ABOUT THIS AND DURING MY REGULAR SERVICE, THE DEALER INSPECTED AND TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS AN IDLING PROBLEM AND THAT HE WOULD TRY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THE CAR APPEARED TO BE FINE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS BUT THEN STARTED STUTTERING AGAIN WHILE TAKING A REVERSE. THIS PROBLEM USED TO HAPPEN ONLY OCCASSIONALLY AND AND SO I COULD LIVE WITH IT. MEANWHILE I MOVED OVER TO CALIFORNIA, AND IT WAS ALSO TIME FOR MY NEXT SERVICE (66,000). I ASKED THE DEALER (MAGNUSSEN NISSAN, FREMONT, CA) TO HAVE DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM SINCE IT HAD STOPPED ONCE OR TWICE BEFORE AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND AFTER BEING $118 POORER, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2,700 AND THAT ONE IN 50 NISSAN CARS HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE UNFORTUNATE PART OF THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED IN A WORSE CONDITION THAN BEFORE. NOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ALWAYS LIT UP AND THE VEHICLE STARTED STOPPING WHENEVER THE CAR CAME TO A HALT (STOP SIGNS, TURNS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS) AND ON SOME OCCASSIONS NARROWLY ESCAPING SOMEONE FROM REAR-ENDING MY CAR AT STOP SIGNS. MY CAR IS NOW IN A NON-DRIVABLE STATE FOR THE FEAR OF IT STALLING ANYTIME ON THE ROADS AND GETTING HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND FINALLY GOT TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE MY CAR WAS OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD (3 YRS/36,000), THEY COULD NOT ASSIST ME WITH FIXING THE CAR. THE REAL PROBLEM WITH THE QUALITY OF THE PART THAT NISSAN HAS PROVIDED MY CAR WITH. THE WIRING HARNESS IS NOT A MOVING PART AND IS NOT SOMETHING THAT ANYBODY HAS ACCESS TO AND ITS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO HAVE A $2,800 SERVICE PENDING AFTER 5 YRS OF PURCHASE FOR A NON-MOVING PART. *AK