2000 Nissan Maxima

WHILE TRAVELING CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION, WHEREBY, ANOTHER DRIVER CROSSED THE MEDIAN AT 60 MPH. CONSUMER AND PASSENGERS WERE INJURED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. THE DRIVER RECEIVED MULTIPLE INJURIES TO INCLUDE HIS HEAD, NECK, AND RIBS. THE FRONT PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BROKEN FINGER, AND HER KNEES STRUCK THE DASH. ALSO, BOTH REAR PASSENGERS SUSTAINED INJURES. ALL WERE TRANSFERRED VIA AMBULANCE TO A HOSPITAL. *AK *BF *NM

I HAVE A 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA SE. IT HAS 50K MILES ON IT PRESENTLY. IN JULY 2003 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH 35K MILES ON IT. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE DEALER STATED THAT ONE OF THE SIX IGINITION COILS WENT BAD. IT WAS REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. ON 05/11/05 ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK THE THE CAR TO THE SAME LOCAL DEALER THAT I DID IN 2003. THE LOCAL DEALER SAID I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM OF AN IGINITION COIL GONE BAD. I WAS ASKED TO PAY A $89.95 UP FRONT FEE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I INFORMED THE DEALER THAT WHEN I ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THE CAR I ALSO PAID FOR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT IT WAS A GOOD THING THAT I HAD PURCHASED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY BECAUSE THE IGINITION COILS GO BAD ON THE MAXIMA MODEL FREQUENTLY. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT ONCE THE OLD IGNITION COILS ARE REPLACED THEY DO NOT GO BAD ANYMORE. I ONLY HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY UNTIL 85K. AFTER THAT, IF ANY OF MY OTHER IGINITION COILS GO BAD IT WILL BE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE. IF THE PROBLEM IS AS BAD AS THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT STATED, THEN I FEEL NISSAN SHOULD RECALL THE IGINITION COILS AND REPLACE THEM ALL.

THE CAR BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH, THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN HOOKED UP TO DIAGNOSTICS, THE IGNITION PROBLEM CODE CAME UP. THE PROBLEM WOULD CLEAR UP AND THEN REPEAT AGAIN. I WAS TOLD ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS TO THE SPARK PLUG WAS THE PROBLEM....I WAS GOING TO WAIT TO DETERMINE WHICH ONE IT WAS. I TALKED TO THE PARTS PERSON AT THE NISSAN DEALER - HE TOLD ME THEY HAD HAD PROBLEMS WITH THESE COILS AND HAD UPDATED THEM. HE ALSO SAID I MIGHT AS WELL REPLACE THEM ALL, BECAUSE THE REST WILL FAIL SOON. THE PRICE FOR EACH WAS QUOTED AS $76.77! THE CAR NEEDS SIX TO REPLACE THEM ALL. THE PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE EXCEPT THROUGH NISSAN. I CHECKED AT OTHER DEALERS AND GOT THE SAME RESULTS, EXCEPT I WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE THE SIX COILS AT $47.33 EACH, PLUS SHIPPING. MY CAR HAS ONLY 45,000 MILES ON IT. REPLACING THE COILS FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE NEW COILS ARE DESIGNATED AS UPDATED BY THE WHITE CIRCLE THEY HAVE NOW PUT ON THE PART. I CONTACTED THE 800 NUMBER TO LODGE A COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN. THEY WERE ESSENTIALLY NOT VERY HELPFUL, OTHER THAN GIVING ME A CLAIM NUMBER. (CLAIM NUMBER 48940766) WHEN LOOKING FOR THESE PARTS, I ALSO FOUND SOME ON E-BAY. THE INDIVIDUAL SELLING THEM MADE SURE TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THESE WERE THE "GOOD" OR "UPDATED" PARTS, NOT THE PROBLEM ORIGINAL ONES. THE PART NUMBERS (TWO DIFFERENT COILS ARE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE FRONT AND REAR PARTS) ARE 22448-2Y000 AND 22448-2Y005.*AK

SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA ABOUT 80K MILES. IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS I HAVE HAD MY CAR IN THE SHOP 4 DIFFERENT TIMES FOR MY SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT. MY INDEPENDENT SERVICE STATION TRIED WHAT THEY COULD, BEFORE FINELY REPLACING AN OXYGEN SENSOR. THIS KEPT THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT OFF FOR THE BETTER PART OF TWO WEEKS. BUT IT'S BACK AND THIS TIME THE COMPUTER CODE IS REGISTERING A FAULTY AACV VALVE. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THESE ENGINES AND THAT NISSAN MIGHT HELP FOOT THE COST OF REPAIRS CONSIDERING THAT THE SEAL INSIDE THE ASSEMBLY IS THE KNOWN CULPRIT. MY MECHANIC COULD MAKE THE REPAIRS HIMSELF BUT THEN THE CAR WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED TO NISSAN SINCE THE SECURITY CODES WOULD NEED TO BE RESET AND ONLY NISSAN CAN DO THAT. I CALLED MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP (WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR) AND WAS TOLD THAT SINCE I HAD USED AN INDEPENDENT RATHER THAN THEIR SERVICE CENTER FOR REPAIRS, THE BEST I MIGHT GET WOULD BE A HAND SHAKE. IS WHAT MY MECHANIC SAID CORRECT? IS THIS IS FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM? AND, IF SO, HOW DO I GET NISSAN TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY IN AS MUCH AS THEY USED FAULTY MATERIALS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE AACV VALVE?

IN LATE OCTOBER MY "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO FOREIGN AUTOMOTIVE AND THEY RAN A SCAN OF MY ENGINE. THE FEED BACK SHOWED THAT THE CODE SHOWED THAT MY IGNITION COIL(S) WERE GOING OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE OWNER OF THE BUSINESS DID A SEARCH FOR SERVICE RECALLS OR SERVICE BULLETINS ON 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA'S AND FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN DATED SEPTEMBER 6, 2001 THAT SHOWED THAT THE IGNITION COILS INSTALLED IN CERTAIN VINS WERE FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE OWNER OF THE SHOP CALLED NISSAN AND ASKED IF THEY WERE PAYING FOR THE COILS AND THEY INDICATED THEY WERE NOT GOING TO PAY FOR THE COILS OR THE SERVICE. THE SHOP RE-SET MY "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT AND I TOLD THEM I WOULD GET THE COILS REPLACED LATER IN THE YEAR. WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS MY "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND MY ENGINE STARTED "KNOCKING". I DECIDED TO GET THE COILS REPLACED. WHEN THE SHOP ORDERED THE COILS, TWO OF THE 6 WERE ON BACK ORDER BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF FAILURES OF THESE COILS.*AK