Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM
02V146000NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.from 06/21/2001 to 01/29/2002V (Vehicle)9050007/29/2002MFRNISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.05/30/200206/03/2002
Defect SummaryOn certain passenger vehicles, the pin at the end of the front suspension transverse link (lower control arm) could break where it is mounted to the frame.
Consequence SummaryThis can cause a knocking sound and abnormal steering. this could result in difficulty controlling the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Corrective SummaryDealers will replace the transverse links on the left and right sides with new ones. owner notification began july 29, 2002. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.
NotesCustomers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY
NTB0205605/07/2002633599Subject regarding rear suspension bottoms out. *jg09/23/2002

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
SUSPENSION
01/31/200533077110/01/2001
 The driver took the vehicle to dealer for a suspension problem. driver noticed while driving vehicle shook. the driver was able to maintain control of vehicle, and drove to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic determined that a part for suspension needed to be replaced. . *ak the defective lower control arm part has not been replaced yet. all contact with nissan corp pertaining to this matter has been ignored. *bf *nm
403/12/2001
 Vehicle has had broken struts, spring realignment, wheel bearings and hub assembly.
SUSPENSION - FRONT
09/26/201097000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2001 nissan maxima. the contact stated that when he goes over a bump he hears a knocking noise. the local mechanic advised that the lower control arm needed to be replaced. the contact referenced recall nhtsa 02v146000, suspension front lower control arm. nissan was contacted and nissan advised that his vin was not included in the recall therefore the repairs would be at the owners expense. the current and failure mileages were approximately 97,000. rd
04/10/2009887221
 The pin at the end of the front suspension transverse link (lower control arm) broke off where it is mounted to the frame. this is causing a knocking sound and abnormal steering. this is resulting in difficulty controlling the vehicle. the right front wheel fell off. i called the manufacturer regarding recall notice 02v146000. they stated that my vin number is not included in this recall, even though i am experiencing the same problem with the same make, model, year of auto. we have tried to replace the pin, but have been unsuccessful. *tr
09/18/2008127000107/30/2006
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 nissan maxima. while driving approximately 45 mph, the contact heard a squeaking sound coming from the vehicle. the vehicle then began veering to the right. a month later, the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop due to a flat tire on the driver's side. the tire was replaced. within the same month, the vehicle was returned to the repair shop due to the tire and alignment. the mechanic stated that the transverse link was defective in the front suspension, which caused the vehicle to lean to the right. the mechanic further stated that there was a recall relating to this failure. the dealer and manufacturer were notified and stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. the current mileage was 137,000 and failure mileage was 127,000. updated 01/06/09. *lj updated 01/06/09. *jb
SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM
11/27/200562560111/18/2005
 My control arm on my '01 maxima broke. although there is a recall for this year, my vin # isn't included so nissan won't fix. seems like this is a comon problem for this car. i do not understand how nissan can know exactly which vehicles this recall affects if mistakes were made. thankfully i wasn't on a freeway at the time. if you have had same problem, my contact is onefaida@yahoo.com. *nm
02/09/2005320001
 While driving at any speed the steering would be hard to steer. recall 02v146000 concerning front suspension arm was issued. dealership would not repair free of charge because the vin was not included. *ak
SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM
04/10/2009887221
 The pin at the end of the front suspension transverse link (lower control arm) broke off where it is mounted to the frame. this is causing a knocking sound and abnormal steering. this is resulting in difficulty controlling the vehicle. the right front wheel fell off. i called the manufacturer regarding recall notice 02v146000. they stated that my vin number is not included in this recall, even though i am experiencing the same problem with the same make, model, year of auto. we have tried to replace the pin, but have been unsuccessful. *tr
03/04/2009105000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 nissan maxima. while driving 5 mph, the contact heard a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. he stated that the steering veers from left to right repeatedly during braking. the vehicle was taken to a suspension shop and the mechanic stated that the lower control arm failed. the mechanic mentioned hearing about a recall and advised the contact to have the vehicle inspected. the dealer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 02v146000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower arm). the vehicle will be repaired because the contact feels it is unsafe to drive. the failure mileage was 105,000 and current mileage was 108,000.
10/10/2006777001
 Have a 2001 nissan maxima and the pin on the front lower control arm broke and had to be replaced at around 75,000 miles. there is a recall for this part, but my car was not eligible for some reason. this part, if defective, represents a serious safety concern and i am very suspicious as to the reasons why the recall did not apply to my vehicle's vin. the loss of controll was extremely noticable and i am concerned about the other side breaking and causing a serious accident.
05/22/200652500101/04/2002
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving on rough surfaces 15 to 40 mph the vehicle's steering was unstable. the steering wheel wobbled and there was a knocking sound heard coming from the suspension. the vehicle hesitated when the brakes were applied. the problems progressively worsened. there is nhtsa recall # 02v146000, regarding the front control arm; lower arm. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin. updated 06/07/2006. *ak
03/01/2005300000008/16/2004
 I have a 2001 nissan maxima se 20th anniv. (vin# jn1ca31a51t307055) and recently (about 2-3 months ago) i started having problems with my front suspension - whenever i go over bumps or any sort of road cracks, i hear the banging (knocking) sound in my front suspension on both sides and the steering (handling) has become really sloppy. this week i was about to take the car to the mechanic but i accidentally came across some information on the internet regarding the same problem with over 90,000 2001-2002 maximas that have been recalled by nissan for free fixing. to be exact the safety nhtsa recall number is 02v146 and the description is the pin at the end of the front suspension transverse link (lower control arm) could break where it is mounted to the frame, causing a knocking sound and abnormal steering, resulting in difficulty controlling the vehicle and increasing the risk of crash. dealers should replace the transverse links on the left and right sides with new ones. owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan. anyways, this morning i called nissan canada and was told that my car was not recalled, because apparently when they began recalling on june 24, 2002, they determined the manufacturing date range from june 2001 to january 2002. my car was manufactured in october 2000; however if it has been a safety issue for over 90,000 same vehicles - how accurate their decision is??? all i want is to feel safe driving my car but in my case nissan do not wish to cooperate. please let me know if there is a way to help me and to resolve this issue. the best way to contact me is e-mail: minbel@hotmail.com and/or minbel@tut.by or cell (416) 561-3910 or (647) 836-3910. please let me know, how long will it take to process and resolve the issue because i do not want to drive the car knowing what the problem is and especially knowing that it is a recall. thank you very much for your attention!
141254
 Vehicle wasn't part of the recall regarding the suspension due to the vin, but experienced the problem stated on the recall. *la the vehicle had to get a realignment, the bottom cover was loose and the vehicle constantly pulled to the right/left and there was an alternator problem where the battery did not charge. the consumer requested assistance with getting the vehicle fully checked since the problems encountered occurred during the warranty period. recall#02v146000. *sc *jb
SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT
02/01/2006100000307/05/2001
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 nissan maxima. while driving various speeds, the contact heard a constant knocking sound coming from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the brakes were the cause of the failure. they test drove the vehicle and diagnosed it as unsafe to drive. the dealer claimed to have repaired the vehicle; however, the noise recurred and the contact also began experiencing steering failure. the dealer stated that the recent failure was due to the lower arm suspension. she found a recall regarding the suspension:front:control arm:lower arm, but nissan stated that her vin was not included. the contact believes that her vin should be included in the recall. the recall number was unknown. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 125,000.
10/10/2006777001
 Have a 2001 nissan maxima and the pin on the front lower control arm broke and had to be replaced at around 75,000 miles. there is a recall for this part, but my car was not eligible for some reason. this part, if defective, represents a serious safety concern and i am very suspicious as to the reasons why the recall did not apply to my vehicle's vin. the loss of controll was extremely noticable and i am concerned about the other side breaking and causing a serious accident.
SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT
04/04/2004
 I believe the right front strut i purchased for my 2001 nissan maxima is being incorrectly manufactured by kyb america, llc (subsidiary of kayaba industry companies). proper installation of the abs line and the main brake line can not be achieved due to reasons documented in the excerpt of correspondence between myself to kyb america below. this month i have begun to notice some dangerous wearing on my brake line caused by improper manufacturing/installation. kyb has only responded to my initial form filled out online with a generic auto responder email listing their contact information. the picture i referencebelow is available at the web address: http://www.astuteinnovations.com/strut.htm the following is from an email i sent on april 15, 2004: the reasons i think it may be manufactured wrong are shown on the picture, here is the main points. i can't get the retainer clip for the brake line onto the kyb strut because of a bent lip. the bent lip in the picture is referring to the overall shape of the metal not the rounded top edge. the rear abs sensor mount is the same as the nissan strut but the front sensor mount has a mount that opens facing down. this forces the abs sensor to take a sharp turn down in order to get to the opening of the kyb mount. i think i mentioned that my abs light came on but it is now off. this is a safety concern for me even though i'm fairly sure the abs system is fine. i also had to zip tie the brake line to the kyb mount because of the retainer clip issue & this also scares me because if the zip ties fail then my break line would end up dangling loosely and might get damaged as a result (i check the zip ties every time before i drive the vehicle). thank you chuck christiansen. *ak
SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING
02/03/20053
 Front wheel bearing went wrong after less than 55k miles. *nm
02/28/2005210/29/2004
 Loud knocking under front of the car, i replaced the bearings and noise stopped for a while. the knocking has come back and the steering wheel will be hard to move and sometime jerks to the side. also the whole tail light goes out, i have changed the light bulbs four times already within a month.*ak
SUSPENSION - MULTIPLE AXLE
403/12/2001
 Vehicle has had broken struts, spring realignment, wheel bearings and hub assembly.
SUSPENSION - REAR
06/01/2001
 Rear suspension is not designed to accomdate 4 adult passengers. trunk was empty with four passengers and rear suspension would bottom out. dealer notified, unhelpful, and most likely stalling until the warranty expires.*ak