NHTSA Complaint #10394938 — 2007 NISSAN MAXIMA

AFTER LEAVING HOME & DRIVING 1 MILE THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEED AND HAD DIFFICULTY GOING OVER 30 MPH. AT JUST OVER 40 MPH THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AT OVER 4,500 RPM. NOT WANTING TO RISK DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALER (20+ MI.), I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A SHOP CLOSER TO HOME. WHEN I DROVE TO THE SHOP IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN ANY SPEED OVER 40 MPH AND THE CAR SLOWED TO UNDER 25 MPH GOING UP AN INCLINE. HALF WAY TO THE SHOP, APPROX. 4 MILES, SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP ON THE DASH. AT THE SHOP THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM WAS SHOWING A PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT REAR SENSOR, AFTER TALKING TO THE NISSAN DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE RIGHT REAR ABS SENSOR SHOULD BE REPLACED. THAT WAS DONE BUT IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MORE PHONE CALLS WERE MADE AND THE CONSENSUS WAS THAT THE ABS ACTUATOR (CONTROL UNIT) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE NISSAN DEALER INDICATED THAT ABS BRAKE SYSTEM PROBLEMS ARE COMMON WITH THIS VEHICLE. A FAILURE OF SUCH A CRITICAL PART IN THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM WOULD BE VERY DANGEROUS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.. THIS WAS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND THE ABS SYSTEM CONTROL UNIT IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. WITH A VEHICLE WITH JUST OVER 50,000 MILES, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING PROBLEM HERE.