2006 Nissan Maxima stability control problems

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I BOUGHT THIS 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA SL WITH 137,806 MILES. I DROVE IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY, IT WOULD NOT START, I WENT AND BOUGHT A BATTERY, ON THE WAY THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON., THEN THE TCS AND SLIP LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC SHOP, HE KEEP IT ALMOST 4 WEEKS, AND THEN TOLD ME IT WAS NOT WORTH FIXING/REPAIRING IT. I COULD NOT BELIEVE, I JUST SPENT OVER $4,000.00 ON THIS CAR AND I ONLY DROVE IT HOME!!, I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER WELL KNOWN MECHANIC SHOP, HE TELLS ME THAT IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION, MOTOR MOUNTS, SENSORS AND PROBABLY MORE. IT IS NOT WORTH FIXING IT. I AM A 57 YEAR OLD LADY AND I DONT HAVE THE MONEY TO BUY ANOTHER CAR AND I DONT HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX IT. I HEAR THAT THESE CARS HAVE ALOT OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND MORE. I WISH I HAD KNOWN THAT BEFORE BUYING IT.

NHTSA complaint #11360137 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I WAS DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA AND SUDDENLY STEERING WHEEL GOT STIFF, BRAKES SEEMED TO BE ON, DASHBOARD LIGHTS APPEARED WITH "TCS OFF" "SLIP" AND "CHECK ENGINE " ALL APPEARED ON DASHBOARD. I ALMOST CRASHED DUE TO THIS.

NHTSA complaint #11281178 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

"TAKATA RECALL" IN MOTION, SHIFTING HAS A LARGE CLOCK SOUND I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF IT'S A RECALL ON THE COIL. BOTH CITY STREET AND HIGHWAY, WHEN ACCELERATING IT SEEMS TO STALL IN MOVING TO THE NEXT GEAR OR ACTUALLY NOT EVEN SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR IN MOTION, SO WILL NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO PICK UP ANY MOMENTUM. REVERSE IS VERY LOUD WITH A SOMEWHAT BANG TO IT. AS I SAID BEFORE IT COULD BE THE COIL BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO IDENTIFY IF IT'S ALSO A DRIVESHAFT.

NHTSA complaint #11245962 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ABS, TRC,BRAKE, STABILITY LIGHT ON, CAR JUMPS WHEN BRAKING AND LOUD NOISE WHEN BREAKING 25MPH AND LOWER. DEALER REFUSE TO DO THE REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY, THIS IS A LARGE PROBLEM FOR NISAN OWNERS. COST OF REPAIR 2-3000.00

NHTSA complaint #10972092 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

AT 12,500 MILES I WAS DRIVING AND IT WAS LIKE SOMEONE PUT IT IN NEUTRAL. TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION. AT 34,000 MILES, IT STARTED KNOCKING AND SMOKING WHEN YOU FIRST START IT. BROUGHT TO DEALER AND THE GAS WAS MIXING WITH THE OIL. MY CLAIM WAS DENIED SO I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. NOW AT 110,000 MILES THE CAR WON'T SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. I'M A SINGLE MOTHER AND DO NOT HAVE ANY MORE MONEY TO SINK INTO THIS LEMON.

NHTSA complaint #10855204 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WHEN GOING TO ACCELERATE OR CHANGE GEARS (PARK TO REVERSE) THE CAR JERKS. WHEN DRIVING IN CITY AND I BREAK THEN TAKE OFF, THE CAR ENGINE REV'S LIKE THE GEAR HAS SLIPPED ..

NHTSA complaint #10775401 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

MY MAXIMA HAS BEEN JERKING AND HESITATING AT LOW SPEEDS. IT IS ONLY WHEN THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A BIT AND IS WARMED UP. A FEW TIMES IT HAS SLAMMED INTO GEAR SO HARD I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN REAR ENDED. IT IS SO BAD THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE WITH MY HAZARD LIGHT ON. I'M AFRAID FOR MY LIFE AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. THIS PROBLEM SHOULDN'T BE TAKEN LIGHTLY AND I BELIEVE NISSAN SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

NHTSA complaint #10712908 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

BRAKE "ACTUATOR" STARTED HUMMING OR RUNNING AS SOON AS CAR ('06 NISSAN MAXIMA SE) WAS TURNED ON AWAY FROM HOME. CONTINUED TO KICK IN ABS AT EVERY BRAKE APPLICATION CREATING UNSAFE (OR AT LEAST NOT NORMAL) BRAKING SITUATIONS AND CONTINUED TO RUN WHEN CAR WAS SHUT OFF. ABS LIGHT, TCS LIGHT, AND SLIP LIGHT ALL ACTIVATED CONTINUALLY. CODES C1110 & C1105 & C1106 WERE PRESENT AFTER SCANNING AT LOCAL GARAGE. BATTERY DRAINED AFTER CAR SHUT OFF DUE TO ACTUATOR CONTINUING TO RUN WITH CAR SHUT OFF. PER RESEARCH AND OTHER TSB OR NISSAN-ISSUED TECHNICAL BULLETINS, THE REAR HUB ABS SENSOR FREQUENTLY MALFUNCTIONS DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW IN THE CAR. IF DRIVEN WHILE MALFUNCTIONING (AS IN THIS CASE) THE CONTROLLER/ACTUATOR MAY MALFUNCTION. TURNING OFF "ABS" WHILE DRIVING SEEMS TO KEEP THE ACTUATOR FROM RUNNING, BUT ALSO MAKES DRIVING LESS SAFE, ESPECIALLY IN INCLEMENT WEATHER DUE TO TURNING OFF TCS/ABS. I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THIS OUT-OF-POCKET (DESPITE BEING AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL VEHICLE). SENSORS AND ACTUATOR WERE REPLACED. VEHICLE DRIVEN AGAIN. LESS THAN 8 MONTHS LATER, SAME ISSUES RETURN. NISSAN DEALERSHIP REPLACED REAR SENSOR PER CODES, NEW CODE FOR ACTUATOR SHOWS AGAIN (AFTER SENSORS PLACED IN) AND THEY REQUIRE ME TO PAY OUT OF POCKET AGAIN FOR NEW ACTUATOR. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW IN THE CAR (PER MANY OTHER REPORTS) AND SHOULD BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY FOR REPAIR.

NHTSA complaint #10639052 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE AND THEN STALLED. THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

NHTSA complaint #10618902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

CAR WILL NOT COMPLETELY START, (AND THE START IS FINE) ALARM STATES ITS STOLE ETC. ANTI-THIEF... BEEN IN SHOP FOR WEEKS AND THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT IS HOW TO FIX IT.

NHTSA complaint #10606374 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ABS BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE AND ACTUATOR DEFECT; ABS SYSTEM SENSORS AND HUBS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED IN AUGUST 2009 AFTER NOTIFICATION TO NISSAN. NISSAN HAS FAILED TO NOTIFY PUBLIC OF AN ABS SYSTEM DESIGN DEFECT AND TO ISSUE A RECALL ALTHOUGH IT HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE PROBLEM IN ITS VEHICLES SINCE APPROXIMATELY 2004 AND THE DEALERS HAVE BEEN ISSUED AN ADVISORY. FAILURE OF THESE COMPONENTS CAN LEAD TO FAILURE IN PROPER BRAKING, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF ENGINE POWER, LOSS OF SPEEDOMETER, AND REPORTEDLY FIRE. NISSAN ALSO HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF RE-OCURRENCE BY COMPLAINANT AND REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIR.

NHTSA complaint #10567197 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AT 40 MPH IN LIGHT RAIN. AS I APPROACHED A RED LIGHT, I LIGHTLY GOT ON THE BRAKES. IMMEDIATELY, THE ABS KICKED IN. THE AMOUNT OF BRAKING FORCE WAS WELL BELOW THE MARGIN WHERE ABS SHOULD KICK IN. THINKING IT WAS A ONETIME DEAL, I DROVE CAUTIOUSLY AND TRIED BRAKING AGAIN. THIS ABS AGAIN KICKED IN IMMEDIATELY. THE ABS KICKING IN DID LENGTHEN THE STOPPING DISTANCE AS I WAS NOT APPLYING THE BRAKES HARD ENOUGH TO EFFECTIVELY SLOW DOWN. ON THE NEXT ATTEMPT, ACCELERATION, TRACTION CONTROL KICKED IN UPON ACCELERATION, CAUSING THE CAR TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. MY CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE SHOP WHERE THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR HAD BUILD UP ON IT. CHECKING FORUMS ABOUT MY CAR, THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AND SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW. UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, A COLLISION COULD HAVE RESULTED DUE TO THE ISSUE. NISSAN HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT IN MY EYES, THIS ISSUE IS SHOULD BE A INVESTIGATED FURTHER AS CONTROL OF VEHICLE SPEED IS COMPROMISED.

NHTSA complaint #10511868 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I FELT ABS SYSTEM ACTUATING VIA PUMPING SENSATION IN MY BRAKE PEDAL WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON DRY PAVEMENT. IT PERFORMED WORSE WHEN GOING UPHILL, AT LOW SPEEDS AND ON FLAT SURFACES. ERROR CODES WERE GENERATED AND "DUMMY" LIGHTS WENT ON. THE BRAKING WAS NOT VERY EFFECTIVE AS A RESULT OF THE ABS KICKING IN ERRONEOUSLY. THANKFULLY I WAS KEEPING A SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE AND WAS ABLE TO BRAKE WITH SOME ROOM TO SPARE BUT IF I HAD REGULAR BRAKES WITHOUT THE ABS MALFUNCTIONING, I WOULD HAVE STOPPED MORE QUICKLY. THANKFULLY NOBODY WAS HURT THIS TIME. MECHANIC INVESTIGATION INDICATED THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. THE SERVICE BULLETIN: NTB07-016B HAS THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO FIX THE ABS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT CAUGHT IN TIME TO HELP ME AVOID A FAILED ACTUATOR.

NHTSA complaint #10440975 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I HAVE A 2006, NISSAN MAXIMA SE. I'VE BEEN HAVING SEVERE PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION. THE CAR JERKS VIOLENTLY WHEN ITS CHANGES GEARS BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND, AS WELL AS BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM ONLINE, I'VE SEEN COUNTLESS NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. I RE-BUILT THE TRANSMISSION AT MY EXPENSE OF $3,200 AND IT WASN'T OVER YET, THEN CURRENTLY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND MY CAR WONT START, I WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE KEY ON AND OFF 4-6 TIMES EVERY TIME I NEED TO DRIVE FOR IT TO START. MY SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING, THEREFORE I CAN'T SEE HOW FAST OR SLOW I'M DRIVING NOR IS THE MILEAGE CALCULATION ARE WORKING IT HAS BEEN STUCK AT 86,745. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM FROM 2004 TO 2008. I DON'T SEE HOW THIS COULD GO ON. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE ELECTRICAL FAILS AND THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD DIM TO WHERE I AM NOT ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AND UNABLE TO USE MY SIGNALS FOR SAFETY CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY WHILE TRAVELING AT NIGHT TIME. THE VEHICLE SHAKES AND IS UNSTABLE AT TIMES. THIS IS MY ONLY TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM WORK AND I NEED A SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM. THE SAD PART IS THAT I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES NOW AND EVERY TIME I PAY THESE HIGH FEES FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND THEY CAN NOT GIVE ME A SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10404760 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

I TOOK THE CAR INTO A NISSAN DEALER FOR A ABS ISSUE I HAVE WHERE ABS,TCS AND SLIP LIGHT IS COMING ON AND MAKEN A HORRIBLE NOISE .THEY TOLD ME THE ACTUATOR AND REAR HUB NEEDED REPAIR FOR A TOTAL OF 2270.00 PLUS TAX.THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE AND IN MY OPINION AS A MECHANIC SHOULD BE A NATIONAL RECALL,FOR ALL THE PEOPLE HAVEN THIS ISSUE IS THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.

NHTSA complaint #10394124 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I TOOK THE CAR INTO A NISSAN DEALER FOR A ABS ISSUE I HAVE WHERE ABS,TCS AND SLIP LIGHT IS COMING ON AND MAKEN A HORRIBLE NOISE .THEY TOLD ME THE ACTUATOR AND REAR HUB NEEDED REPAIR FOR A TOTAL OF 2270.00 PLUS TAX.THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE AND IN MY OPINION AS A MECHANIC SHOULD BE A NATIONAL RECALL,FOR ALL THE PEOPLE HAVEN THIS ISSUE IS THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.

NHTSA complaint #10394124 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

2006 NISSAN MAXIMA 3.5 SE. ABS ACTUATOR FAILURE, TBS, ABS, BRAKE LIGHTS ON. NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE HAS EVER OCCURRED. REPLACEMENT PART PRICE EXHORBANT, UNREALISTIC. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED.

NHTSA complaint #10393132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WHILE DRIVING AT INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SPEED, VDC, SLIP, ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON AND STAYED ON. CAR WAS ABLE TO STILL BE DRIVEN WITH NO ISSUE. UPON TAKING CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, WE WERE INFORMED THE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WE DECLINED THE $2000+ REPAIR AS THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVABLE. UPON SEARCHING GOOGLE FOR THIS ISSUE THERE WERE MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF THIS HAPPENING FOR OTHER CONSUMERS AND EVEN A NISSAN REPAIR BULLETIN NOTING A DESIGN FLAW IN HOW THE WHEEL HUB CAN NOT DRAIN CAUSING THE ABS SENSOR AND ACTUATOR PROBLEMS.

NHTSA complaint #10383836 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

THE ABS SYSTEM, SPECIFICALLY THE ACTUATOR, IN THE 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA FAILED. INITIALLY, THE ABS SYSTEM WOULD ACTIVATE EVERY TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. IT FIRST OCCURRED ON DRY PAVEMENT AT HIGHWAY SPEED (55MPH) BRAKING AND THEN ALL SUBSEQUENT BRAKING THEREAFTER, REGARDLESS OF SPEED OR ROAD CONDITION. NOW THE CAR IS IN FAIL-SAFE MODEL WHERE THE ABS SYSTEM, TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, AND ELECTRONIC BRAKE FORCE DISTRIBUTION ARE INACTIVE ON THE VEHICLE. NISSAN DEALERS ESTIMATE THE FIX TO BE APPROXIMATELY $3000, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE REPAIR IN REPLACING THE ABS ACTUATOR. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN FLOODED AND HAS ONLY BEEN IN VERY MINOR FENDER-BENDERS (REPAINTING OF EXTERIOR PARTS). FROM MY PROSPECTIVE, IT SEEMS VERY UNUSUAL FOR THE ACTUATOR TO GO BAD AND APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE UNIT.

NHTSA complaint #10379534 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE ABS SYSTEM, SPECIFICALLY THE ACTUATOR, IN THE 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA FAILED. INITIALLY, THE ABS SYSTEM WOULD ACTIVATE EVERY TIME THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. IT FIRST OCCURRED ON DRY PAVEMENT AT HIGHWAY SPEED (55MPH) BRAKING AND THEN ALL SUBSEQUENT BRAKING THEREAFTER, REGARDLESS OF SPEED OR ROAD CONDITION. NOW THE CAR IS IN FAIL-SAFE MODEL WHERE THE ABS SYSTEM, TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, AND ELECTRONIC BRAKE FORCE DISTRIBUTION ARE INACTIVE ON THE VEHICLE. NISSAN DEALERS ESTIMATE THE FIX TO BE APPROXIMATELY $3000, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE REPAIR IN REPLACING THE ABS ACTUATOR. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN FLOODED AND HAS ONLY BEEN IN VERY MINOR FENDER-BENDERS (REPAINTING OF EXTERIOR PARTS). FROM MY PROSPECTIVE, IT SEEMS VERY UNUSUAL FOR THE ACTUATOR TO GO BAD AND APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE UNIT.

NHTSA complaint #10379534 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.