NHTSA Complaint #10321367 — 2001 NISSAN MAXIMA

WE OWN A 2001 NISSAN MAXIMA, WHICH WE PURCHASED NEW FROM A NISSAN DEALER. IT HAS, ON 3 OCCASIONS, EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH "SURGING"/HIGH REVVING.*DT THE CAUSE IN EVERY CASE HAS BEEN A PART KNOWN AS AN "IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE" (IACV), WHICH FAILS AND IN DOING SO, CAUSES THE "ECM" (THE "ENGINE COMPUTER") TO FAIL. WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT HITACHI IS THE SOLE SOURCE FOR THE IACV, WHETHER THE PART IS OBTAINED FROM A NISSAN DEALER OR ANY OTHER SOURCE UNDER ANY OTHER BRAND. THIS ISSUE IS APPARENTLY A PARTICULARLY WELL-KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL SERIES OF VEHICLE, BOTH NISSAN AND INFINITI. THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE HAD THIS ISSUE, IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS SUPPOSEDLY REPAIRED BY NISSAN. HOWEVER, THE SAME ISSUE HAS RECURRED ON 2 SUBSEQUENT OCCASIONS, AND BOTH TIMES NISSAN HAS WHOLLY FAILED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. WE HAVE REPEATEDLY ATTEMPTED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH NISSAN, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NISSAN CONSUMER RELATIONS, NISSAN'S VP OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, THE "EXECUTIVE OFFICES" ESCALATION DEPARTMENT, ETC., ALL WITH NO SUBSTANTIVE RESPONSE FROM NISSAN BEYOND THEIR STATING THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, IT ISN'T NISSAN'S PROBLEM. HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT IN THIS LATEST OCCURRENCE, NISSAN INITIALLY STATED THAT THEIR REFUSAL TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WAS DUE TO OUR ALLEGEDLY HAVING INSTALLED "AN AFTERMARKET ECM" (WE HAD NOT). HOWEVER, WHEN THE NISSAN DEALER CONFIRMED TO NISSAN THAT THE ECM WAS IN FACT A FACTORY NISSAN PART, AND WE DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "AN AFTERMARKET ECM," NISSAN THEN REFUSED TO CORRECT THIS SITUATION. FROM OUR LAYPERSON'S INVESTIGATION OF THIS ISSUE, IT APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW IN THE CIRCUITRY, AND IS GENERALLY WIDELY KNOWN IN THE REPAIR INDUSTRY, BY ENTHUSIASTS, MAJOR AUTO REVIEWING COMPANIES, ETC. THEREFORE, IT SEEMS THAT NISSAN'S CLAIM TO NOT KNOW OF THIS ISSUE IS DISINGENUOUS AT BEST. *TR *DT