Two problems related to brake master cylinder have been reported for the 2008 Nissan Titan. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2008 Nissan Titan based on all problems reported for the 2008 Titan.
For the past 6 months, I have been having issues with the brake pedal feeling "spongy" and occasionally going to the floor without any reduction in speed. The brake pedal progressively got worse and culminated when I was travelling on the highway at 70 mph and tried to slow down due to slower traffic. I applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. I had to swerve into the breakdown lane to avoid hitting the car in front of me. I took the truck to my local mechanic who kept it for several days to diagnose the problem. He replaced several brake components including the front brake calipers, master cylinder, brake booster, and the abs module. He then bled the brake lines multiple times to get the brake pedal back to its normal range. All of this worked for several months and then the problem returned. I took the truck to the local Nissan dealer on January 31, 2018 and had the following done. They performed another brake flush, cleaned and adjusted the rear calipers, and cleaned and lubricated the slides and pad contacts. I picked the truck up and the brake pedal felt like new. It has now been a little over three months and the brake pedal is gradually falling towards the floor during braking, similar to past experience. Braking distances while the vehicle is in motion have increased and the braking power doesn't seem to be there anymore.
Brakes have a fading brake pedal, Nissan says this is ok/normal. I say this is dangerous. The brakes work fine unless you are in a panic situation. When you press on the pedal to make a quick stop if necessary on the highway the pedal travels 4" to 5". You lose seconds in a "need to stop now" situation. Not only does this make the driver try to pump the brakes but the travel is so long as to extend your leg completely and still need to compress the brake pedal more. Didn't realize this problem existed until the other day when I needed to panic stop. Almost lost control trying to compensate for the pedal travel. Also when backing my boat into the lake - constant pressure makes the pedal travel down. The brakes hold but I have to compensate for this "mushy" pedal. I have recently replaced the brakes, calipers and master cylinder to no avail. I guess I could replace all the brake components but according to my research it won't help. As I understand it the newer vehicles of Nissan (not just Titan) have the same problem. How they get away with this I don't know. Its a problem you wouldn't know about unless you've driven these vehicles awhile. . I am not the only one having this problem and being "dead ended" by Nissan. I'm 63, have worked on cars my whole life, I know what I'm talking about. Please investigate this as no doubt many have been injured or killed by this problem. I cant sell the vehicle to anyone else knowing there's no solution to the problem. Ps - Ford, Chrysler and chevy do not have this problem. The only solution it seems is to modify/replace the whole brake system -- expensive and difficult - we shouldn't have to deal with this. Please help.