2004 Nissan Maxima

MAXIMA 2004 HAS EAGLE RS-A 245-45 TIRES WHICH BECAME CRACKED IN A CIRCULAR PATTERN AT 32,000. GOODYEAR REPLACED TIRES AND OFFERED PRORATE, BUT COST WAS STILL $555.00. INTERNET MAXIMA OWNERS HAVE FOUND CRACKS ON INSIDE OF TIRE AS WELL AS EARLY AS 16,000 MILES. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS DANGEROUS. THE NOISE WAS GREATER, THE GRIP OF THE TIRE SEEMED TO BE LESS, THE BUMPS ON THE ROAD WERE MORE NOTICEABLE, AND THE TIRES FELT "WISHY-WASHY" AT TIMES. ONCE I PUT ON THE NEW TIRES AGAIN WITH EAGLE RS-A THE CAR FELT TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND BETTER, ALTHOUGH IT WAS BITTER SWEET TO HAVE THE SAME TIRES AGAIN. CAN YOU HELP IN THIS MATTER PLEASE? *NM

BOUGHT THE NISSAN MAXIMA ON AUGUST 10, 2004 FROM VOB NISSAN IN ROCKVILLE, MD. UNDER 100 MILES, TOOK BACK TO DEALER DUE TO UNACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF VIBRATION IN THE FRONT WHEELS FELT THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL GENERALLY BETWEEN 40 AND 70 MPH ON SMOOTH SURFACED HIGHWAY DRIVING. INITIALLY I WAS TOLD THIS IS PROBABLY DUE TO FLAT SPOTS ON THE TIRES PER CAR SITTING IN THE LOT FOR AN EXTENDED TIME. BUT THE VIBRATION CONTINUED. WHEN CRUISING MORE PRONOUNCED. DEALER INITIALLY PERFORMED WHEEL BALANCING WHICH DIDN'T WORK. THEN THEY REPLACED THE FRONT TWO CONTINENTAL TIRES WHICH STILL DIDN'T WORK. THEY PERFORMED ??ROAD FORCE BALANCING?? CHECK. THE TIRES HAD READINGS OF CLOSE TO 40 WHERE THE ACCEPTABLE READING SHOULD BE BELOW 10. THERE WAS ALSO AN ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES. WHEN DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE STEERING WAS VISIBLY VIBRATING. VOB ALSO NOTICED THE WARPED ROTORS IN FRONT AND RE-SURFACED THEM. DEALER REPLACED THE CONTINENTAL TIRES WITH MICHELIN MXV4. NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENT IN HANDLING BUT NOT QUITE. DEALER DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE PER WRITTEN TSBS, ETC. AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING ELSE HE COULD DO, THEREFORE CALL THE MANUFACTURER. 3/22/05 I CONTACTED DARCARS OF ROCKVILLE. THEY REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS WHICH WERE UNEVENLY WORN AND ALSO RE-SURFACED THE ROTORS IN A SPECIAL MACHINE WHILE THEY WERE ATTACHED TO THE CAR AS RECOMMENDED BY NISSAN. VIBRATION PROBLEM WAS MARKEDLY BETTER AFTER THAT. HOWEVER, I STILL FEEL THE PROBLEMS WHEN PRESSING THE BREAK PEDAL LIGHTLY GOING AT SPEED. ALSO WHEN DRIVING ABOVE 60 MPH ON STRAIGHT ROADS. I AM DEBATING WHETHER TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER NOW OR WAIT FOR IT TO GET WORSE. IT HAS BEEN A CONSTANT FRUSTRATION.

I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA SE. WHILE THE CAR WAS AT THE DEALER FOR ROUTINE SERVICE, THE TECHNICIAN TOLD ME THAT THE INSIDE SIDEWALLS OF ALL 4 TIRES WERE SHOWING CRACKS, AND THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE HAD CRACKS AND A BULGE COMING OUT. THIS WAS WHEN THE CAR HAD ONLY ABOUT 26,000 MILES. HE SAID THE COST TO REPLACE THE TIRES IS $245 EACH TIRE, PLUS INSTALLATION COSTS. HE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT I REPLACE AT LEAST THE TWO FRONT TIRES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I THEN TOOK THE MAXIMA TO A DIFFERENT NISSAN DEALER FOR THEIR OPINION AS WELL. THAT DEALERSHIP AGREED THAT ALL 4 TIRES HAD CRACKS ON THE INSIDE SIDEWALLS, AND THE BULGE WAS THERE ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES. I TOLD THEM IT SEEMS ABSURD THAT TIRES THAT ARE SO NEW WOULD NEED REPLACEMENT, AND THEY SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE TIRES AND I SHOULD GO TO GOODYEAR TO SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER ALL OR PART OF THE REPLACEMENT COST. I CALLED NISSAN HEADQUARTERS (1-800-NISSAN-1) AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING, IT IS NOT NISSAN'S RESPONSIBILITY, BUT GOODYEARS'. GOING TO GOODYEAR THIS AFTERNOON TO HAVE THEM CHECKED -- AND IF SAFETY RISK EXISTS I WILL OF COURSE HAVE TO BUY NEW TIRES. I HAVE A WIFE AND A 21-MONTH OLD BABY, AND CANNOT RISK A BLOWOUT OR SOME OTHER CATASTROPHE THAT MAY CAUSE INJURY TO MY FAMILY. NO TIRES SHOULD FAIL LIKE THIS SO QUICKLY. GENERAL RULE IS IF SOME OBJECT OR THING GOES INTO A TIRE, THAT IS JUST A RISK THAT THE OWNER MUST BEAR. BUT IF THE TIRES SHOW PROBLEMS COMING FROM THE INSIDE OUT, THAT INDICATES A TIRE DEFECT. I WILL UPDATE THIS AFTER MEETING WITH GOODYEAR. *NM

IN SEPTEMBER 2004 I TOOK MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA IN FOR SOME WARRANTY WORK, AND SCHEDULED MAINTAINENCE. I ADVISED THAT MY FRONT END FELT FUNNY, I EVENTUALLY HAD TO BRING IT BACK IN FOR THE SKYROOF RECALL AND AGAIN ADVISED THAT THE CAR STILL FELT ROUGH, I WAS ADVISED IT WAS JUST FROM THE TIRE ROTATION AND WOULD EVENTUALLY SMOOTH OUT, IT NEVER DID. THE SKYROOF STARTED LEAKING AND IT TOOK THREE MORE TRIPS TO GET IT FIXED, EVERY TIME I TOOK MY CAR IN I TOLD THE SERVICE DEPT. THAT THE CAR STILL FELT ROUGH. ON JUNE 15, 2005 I TOOK MY CAR BACK IN FOR THE 30,000 MILE MAINTAINENCE. THE SERVICE DEPT. CALLED AND SAID ALL FOUR OF MY TIRES WERE COMING APART ON THE INSIDE SIDEWALL, THE TIRES WERE ACTUALLY SPLITTING THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFRENCE OF ALL FOUR TIRES. THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER SEEN TIRES SPLIT LIKE THAT. THE SERVICE DEPT. CALLED GOODYEAR AND WERE TOLD THEY WERE HAVING A FEW PROBLEMS WITH THOSE TIRES AND WOULD SELL ME NEW ONES FOR $900.00 THE DEALER DECLINED THAT PRICE AND GOODYEAR CAME UP WITH A PRICE OF $550.00 FOR NEW TIRES I WAS CALLED AND TOLD OF THE FINAL PRICE AND ADVISED THE DEALER I WOULD BE CONTACTING AN ATTORNEY. THEN DEALER THEN CALLED ME BACK AND SAID THEY HAD A SET OF TIRES AND RIMS THEY WOULD SELL ME FOR $400.00 I AGREED BECAUSE I WAS LEAVING FOR A TRIP TO INDIANA THE NEXT MORNING. THE TIRES THAT THEY PUT ON MY CAR WERE THE SAME EXACT GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A P245/45R18 THAT WERE DEFECTIVE. MY HUSBAND CALLED A FRIEND AT A LOCAL TIRE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THEY WERE SEEING ALOT OF THOSE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE GOODYEAR EAGE RS-A. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT A COMPANY WOULD ENDANGER THE LIVES OF THE VERY CONSUMERS THAT BUY AND TRUST THEIR PRODUCTS TO BE SAFE. I SENT A LETTER TO NISSAN NORTH AMERICAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPT ON JUNE 20, 2005 DOCUMENTING ALL THE PROBLEMS, AND HAVE HAD NO RESPONSE SO I HAVE TURNED TO YOU FOR SOME GUIDANCE AS TO MY RIGHTS TO BE WARNED AND PROTECTED WHEN THEY KNOW THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR DIASTER WITH THEIR PRODUCT.

ON TWO (2) SEPERATE OCCASIONS I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MY VEHICLE (2004 NISSAN MAXIMA) WHEN MY BRAKES HAVE WENT OUT COMPLETELY. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ON THE FLOOR WHEN I WENT TO USE, LEAVING ME WITH NO BRAKING POWER WHATSOEVER. ON BOTH OCCASIONS, AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE AND TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, THE BRAKES RESUMED NORMAL FUNCTION AFTER A FEW MINUTES. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP, WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED, AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. CLEARLY, THIS MALFUNCTION IS THE RESULT OF AN ELECTRICAL/COMPUTER PROBLEM.