Brake Sensor problems of the 2004 Nissan Maxima

Anti-lock brakes engage almost every time brake is applied. TSB says rust has to be cleaned out of the right rear wheel hub and a drain hole has to be added, right rear abs($250 +) sensor has to be replaced, with possible replacement of abs actuator($1000 +) required.

The failure is with the abs system on my 2004 Maxima. There is a documented TSB for this problem for 2004-07. A poor design of rear wheel assembly(by Nissans own admittance) causes wheel sensor to prematurely fail, causing abs controller/solenoid to fail. This has been documented to occur with less than 40,000 miles on a vehicle. This in turn completely disables the vehicle's abs system. Nissan refuses to issue a recall or even assist with repairs, even with all of the reported incidents. In most incidents that I found, it fails right after the factory warranty has expired. In my particular case, I have an extended pre-owned warranty through Nissan. Though, Nissan says that it isn't covered under my warranty. Repairs are estimated to cost in the area of $2100. 00. As heavy as the vehicles are, not having functioning abs can be very dangerous. I don't know exactly how many people have had this problem, but a quick search of automotive forums for the Nissan Maxima returned a great amount, completely describing the problem and fix needed.

The contact owns 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the antilock brake sensors came on as soon as the brake pedal was engaged. There was also a loud noise when the brakes were applied. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the sensors and wheel hub needed to be replaced by drilling new drain holes into the wheel assembly. The repair would cost $1700 since there were no related recalls or warranties for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and gave him the NHTSA hotline number to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 05/24/lj updated 05/25/11.

Partial brake failure when approaching highway stop light at 45 mph, dry conditions. Braking distance more than doubled as front brakes made very loud scraping and grinding sounds (not typical abs sound) while not having any stopping power - I appeared to only have rear brakes. Was able to stop just inside intersection. Luckily no traffic was in way, avoiding an accident. Dealer identified problem as caused by rust buildup on rear hubs due to lack of a drainage channel/port on rear "knuckles" (said drainage port wasn't there), a known problem. Water backup in knuckle causes rust on hub and on abs sensors, resulting in premature failure of both abs sensors, which in my case caused an unexpected stopping problem. Both rear hubs and abs sensors had to be replaced at cost of over $1300. Car is very low mileage and garaged. Dealer identified this as a known problem and Nissan described the repair in service bulletin reference ntb07-016b, also in NHTSA database as service bulletin number 07016, NHTSA item # 10021681. This failure was not routine and only the luck of the situation allowed an accident to be avoided. This known problem was identified in 2007 and I was unaware of it, though Nissan was. This is a serious safety problem with the abs brakes and should trigger a recall so that others may be alerted to have this repair before more accidents occur.

Second time the rear abs sensors and actuator have to be replaced. Come on Nissan. You knew there were problems here. I will probably never buy another Nissan.

Anti-lock brakes would fire during normal braking, at higher speeds. Had to have multiple wheel sensors replaced. Dealer claims is it corrosion related.

The abs braking system broke down several times before it failed all together. The problem appears to be due to a faulty design that allows rust to build up between the wheel sensors and the hub, which appears to be most prevalent in the salt states. The initial symptoms include the abs firing during regular braking, which could be a safety concern at high speeds. Eventually, the misfiring abs will cause the abs controller to burn out completely.