Brake Light On problems of the 2008 Nissan Altima

The switch that allows the car to start and lights the brake lights is sticking, this is a common problem that Nissan is aware of. The car not starting is annoying, if the switch sticks after the car is started then the brake lights will fail to illuminate, that is dangerous. The car fails to start with regularity, if the switch is manipulated it starts, I do not know if the break lights are failing but I assume this is occurring. These cars should be recalled for replacement of these switches.

In December of 2012 my car started to give me problems with starting. (45000 miles)I push the brake and push to start button, but only the lights come on. I had it towed to the dealer, and they said it is a brake switch problems, and that others have come in with the same problem on the 2007 and 2008 Altima. They fix the problem for $268 which was a complete waste of money, because in April 2013 and the same problem happening again. (48000 miles) I had the car towed back to the dealer and they replace the brake switch for me for free this time, and said that it maybe a bigger problem such as the sub harness for the brake light switch. But I will have to pay $125 for the diagnosis charge and I told them to call the corporate office have the Altimas recalled and some other "kind words". I read online from various posts that others alitmas 2007 and 2008 are having this problem. So for now I am left to pay to fix the problem out my pocket which is a complete headache, because Nissan should be fully aware of this problem.

The contact owned a 2008 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the brakes became unresponsive, causing the contact to crash into the rear of another vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to the left hand and the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic. A police report was not filed. Prior to the crash, the contact received notification of a manufacturer¿s recall however she was unable to have the vehicle serviced because the dealer did not have the necessary parts to complete the recall repair. In addition, the brake lights had illuminated prior to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.

I have 2008 Nissan Altima 2. 5 s which has push button start. I. E. Person has to push button and press brake at same time to start the engine. There is a switch / sensor near brake pedal which sends signal that brake has been pressed (and also turns on rear brake lights). One day, all of sudden, when I tried to start car it didn't start. It keep saying press brake (accessories / radio etc all turn on). So the cycle of accessories - on- off kept on happening. I thought battery is weak and even tried jump start. So, after trying pushing brake + button for 30minutes , car finally started. This happened 2-3 times and I got very frustrated. . . . Finally I started reading online about this problem. Many people have posted same complain / issue. They suggested to check whether rear brake lights turn on when I press brake or not. . If not then the switch is bad . . I saw many people were able to fix problem by replacing switch ($50 expense). I did the same and car has been working fine since then (2-3 months). Dealer tries to charge $150 only for switch and then $500 for other stuff to eliminate root cause of issue. . As many people are effected by this issue, I firmly believe that Nissan should recall and fix this issue at their cost. Dealers are making tons of money off 2007-2008 Altima owners.

Pursuant to appearance of brake warning light vehicle taken to Nissan dealer for replacement of leaking master cylinder.

The foot brake light comes on randomly during driving.

I took my car for service at the Nissan dealer for a oil change and to check up my brakes pad because the car feel weird when braking. Come to find out that my brake pads are good but my master cylinder is leaking . I refuse to pay for the service because this is a manufacture problem because my brakes light hasn't came on. Please investigate if this is a defect from manufacturer because they don't want to replace it and they have more than 400,000 cars report it their system.

Leaking master cylinder caused brake light and vdc/slip lights to come on intermittently. My car has 54,000 miles. This same issue happened at 31,000 miles, but the dealer told me it was my brake pads and replaced the front and rear brake pads at that time. The brakes have squeaked horribly since the pads were replaced. Now having trouble finding a part because apparently this is happening to many, many Nissan owners.

Brake light keeps coming on, suggesting I need to add brake fluid. I've read this is becoming a common problem for this vehicle model and people are having to spend a lot to replace a leaky master cylinder. Please initiate a recall to correct this defect.

Brake light began going on/off intermittently starting on January 10, 2012. Definitely more common on days with temps at freezing or below. Light would eventually go out once car warmed up, but would come back on after using the brakes to slow down or stop. Brakes did seem to stop okay, although there were a few times very recently that they made an unusual noise. Checked/added brake fluid several times over the past two months. Had car serviced at local Nissan dealership last week and was told that master cylinder needed replaced due to a leak. Cost was $100 out of pocket -- remainder covered under extended warranty as my vehicle now has 41,494 miles on it.

The brake light started flashing intermittently even though the hand-brake wasn't on and there was no noticeable problem during braking. The dealer said there was a leak in the brake booster and that I would have to have it replaced. It was not covered under warranty. I reluctantly agreed to pay the $560 for the replacement because the dealer said it was never a good idea to take risks with your brakes.

The contact owns a 2008 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the brake light on the instrument cluster was illuminated so the contact took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer advised that the master cylinder needed to be replaced. The contact stated there was an unknown manufacturer's recall that was previously released but the contact did not confirm with the manufacturer if the vehicle was included. The failure mileage was 17,000.

While driving, and even a few seconds right after stopping, the brake light continues to stay on, sometimes blinking. After checking that my pads were still in good shape, I did some research and found a lot of Altima owners that were having issues with their brake master cylinders. I checked my mc but found no visible signs of leakage. However, I noticed that my fluid level was on the minimum line. After having a certified mechanic look at it, he advised me that the mc was faulty and was leaking into the brake booster. After reading that are more than hundreds of documented cases, and possibly thousands of undocumented cases, I feel that Nissan has an obligation to inform their customers about the faulty brake master cylinder and replace the faulty part free of charge.

I have a 2008 Nissan Altima 2. 5s. At around 33,500 miles I noticed my brake light coming on. I promptly took the vehicle to my local Nissan dealership and was informed that my master brake cylinder had a leak in it. I was told it needed to be replaced and the warranty on it expired at 30,000 miles. I was quoted a price around $450. Bewildered by the cost and upset that they wouldn't cover it so close past warranty I left and had a friend who works at a auto repair shop replace it w/ a genuine Nissan part for $240. I ate the cost of repair thinking it was bad luck and moved on. My Altima is now at 78,000 miles and once again the brake light is coming on. I'm positive that once again the master brake cylinder will need to be replaced. . Read more...

My brake light kept coming on. Took vehicle to dealership they immediately informed me that it was probably the master cylinder and that this was a frequent and reoccuring issue with the 2008 Altima. They checked the car out and confirmed that the master cylinder was leaking and needs to be replaced. If they know about the faulty part then why not a recall as with the sentra?? $550 to repair an issue known by Nissan to be a faulty part. That is just crooked.

Brake light warning comes on while driving.

I took my 2008 Altima in for an oil change. About 1 week before oil change appointment September 21, 2011 my brake light would appear on dashboard--it wasn't a consistent and not every time I was driving car. I didn't even have to brake for this to occur. At dealership told them about issue and they looked into it. After servicing my car I was informed that my master cylinder was leaking and need to be replaced. I also needed back brakes. I was told that I should not drive car, because the brakes might not work. I was completely shocked!! I only have 27000 miles on my 2008 Altima. Of course it was out of warranty and cost a good amount of money out of my pocket. I did some research online and noticed that there are numerous other people have the same issue with their 2007 & 2008 Altima's. Nissan has a recall for the sentra (?) vehicle that has the same issue. I believe this a manufactures defect and needs to be researched. I would appreciate this issue being looked into.

Brake light started coming on and going off spontaneous through out each drive time and continued to stay on longer as time passed. Took my car in for service to the dealership, after a thorough inspection by the mechanic as he too was puzzled why my fluid level was low since the brakes themselves were working great it was determined my brake fluid was "somehow" leaking out of the container that holds the fluid into the rubber boot around it and was advised I needed to have the master brake valve replaced at a cost of $456. I questioned why this would happen and if it's been a problem and was advised they didn't know why it was just happening and no they had not seen this as a problem with other customers. I was advised it wasn't something that had to be fixed today but would need to be fixed but they would top off the fluid and I would be good, but for how long they couldn't tell me. In researching I see I am not the first to have this issue and probably won't be the last. I wanted to log my experience in hopes Nissan will do the right thing and fix this problem before it is related to a catastrophe!.

I recently having issue with my brake light coming on and off at random times. Which after researching online it appears to be a common issue for many others, with brake leaks. I have noticed a slight difference in the brake effectiveness, which causes concern for me. I have an 2008 Nissan Altima 2. 5 se with roughly 56,000 miles. I bought this car used with only 22k miles roughly in 2009 and have other issues with electrical work in the radio. The radio has already been replaced by the dealership when it was still under warranty and now it is happening again where my volume dial doesn't turn the volume up or down it locks between three volume numbers and at times the screen fades in and out.

Stepping on brake pedal intermittently fails to activate brake-lights,which also inhibits starter. If brake lights don't work once vehicle is underway that is a safety hazard. I have been repairing thing for 50 years and am 99. 9% sure the pins of the brake pedal switches are hanging up inside the bores,since wedging snow scraper against brake pedal and pushing plungers until they popped all the way out allows starting. Phoning a Nissan dealer's parts department confirmed availability then gave me a price of $39. 17 for switch(ES). Not looking forward to hunching under the dash,I talked to service to find out how much to install. An "improved brake wiring harness"is needed for "rare" occurrences at cost of $238 and labor of $149. When I asked if this might be a recall or under warranty he said"could not make any money" that way. If it is a design/construction problem Nissan should eat the cost. Internet search has some dealer recommending pushing harder on pedal or pounding-pulsing. Some replaced switches showed pitting of contacts{too much current too often?} do dozens of cars have to get rear-ended before action takes place??????????????????????? or does my wife have to have a heart attack because the car won't start and she will lose her job?.

Brake light kept coming on and off for a week or so. Took it to the Nissan dealer where I bought it and they said it was master cylinder leaking. They have to wait on part because it is on backorder.

2008 Nissan Altima 2. 5- I have been to the dealership over 9 times with brake issues and had my master cylinder replaced once already in 2009 under warranty. My brake light has been turning on during acceleration and off when brake is applied. I brought it to the dealership today and was told the master cylinder has to be replaced again and the car is no longer under warranty and the work is not under warranty due to 12,000 mile agreement. Obviously, something is seriously wrong here. I'm on the 3rd master cylinder in 2 and 1/2 years. There needs to be a recall for this cylinder; many people are complaining of the same problem.

Master cylinder leaks on vehicle. Has potential to cause loss of braking. Has not caused any major failure at this time, but does require brake fluid reservoir to need a refill about once every 2 months (I. E. The brake light on the dash starts to come on while driving).

2008 Nissan Altima. Failed brake master cylinder at 47,000 miles. I took my 2008 Altima 2. 5sl to the dealer for service. One complaint is that my brake light comes on under acceleration. They advised that my master cylinder has a leak. Due to the mileage on my car it is not covered by the warranty. I was advised that they see this often but most people are covered under the warranty because they have less mileage. I feel that Nissan should fix this under recall.

Brakes light will comes on and off at times. Brake does not stop effectively and not to full potential this could result in an accident. . Read more...

Brake lamp switch malfunctioned at 10000 (April 2009) and 43000 (January 2012) miles, and replaced. When this occurs, the brake lights will not illuminate when the brake is applied, which is a hazard that could result in a crash. Because brake must be applied for engine ignition, the vehicle will also not start.