NHTSA Complaint #10927184 — 2014 NISSAN VERSA

I WAS APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT. AS I APPROACHED THE STOP LIGHT I BEGAN TO GRADUALLY APPLY THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN, BUT THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE. THE PEDAL FELT LIKE NORMAL RESISTANCE WAS THERE WHEN PUSHING ON IT WITH MY FOOT, BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK TO SLOW THE VEHICLE. I QUICKLY REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE, LOOKED AT MY FEET TO MAKE SURE I WAS ON THE BRAKE, THEN SLAMMED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL ONCE AGAIN WENT TO THE FLOOR. WHILE MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE THE BRAKES ENGAGED AND LOCKED UP ABOUT 2 TO 3 SECONDS AFTER SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES. ONCE I REALIZED THE BRAKES WEREN'T WORKING I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME AND I REAR-ENDED THEM. AS I FOLLOWED THE VEHICLE THAT I HIT TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE BRAKES STILL WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. WHEN PUSHING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL IT WOULD ENGAGE, BUT NOT WITH THE NORMAL LEVEL OF RESISTANCE. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION WE WERE GOING TO PULL OVER AT THE BRAKES WERE WORKING NORMALLY. WE CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS ABOUT THE INCIDENT AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION UNLESS THE CAR WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED IT AND SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. WE CHECKED BACK WITH NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH AN INVESTIGATION AND WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING UNLESS A RECALL WAS ISSUED. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD US THAT THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED OVER $6,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE AND THAT THE FRAME IS DAMAGED.