Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Nissan Altima Brake Questions

13»

Comments

  • delthekingdeltheking Member Posts: 1,152
    Sp what rotors or brake pads do you suggest?? Rotors mainly...How are Frozen rotors,raybestos rotors? Are there any other recommended rotors that you suggest? Thanks.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    well you really can't go wrong with anything from tirerack.com, they offer a couple of different ones; to be honest, it was so long ago that I don't even remember the names of the pads and rotors I put on, I would have to go look it up!

    I'm no expert on the subject matter, I only went by what a third party mechanic told me to do! I'd recommend going to an outside place, like a American Tire & Auto, or PepBoys, or better yet, a place near you that specializes in sports cars/sport sedans! they deal with this all the time and most, at least the ones I talked to, all you have to mention is Nissan or Infiniti and rotor problems and they'll tell you what to get!! :D

    Lost of Luck To You!!!

    FYI - just make sure, no matter what brand you get, that the rotors are cross-drilled!!
  • bobb5bobb5 Member Posts: 3
    My 2008 Nissan Altima started with a "soft brake pedal and really didnt stop well.

    At 6,000 miles it was squealing like a pig so I took it in and they "CUT THE ROTARS" without asking me and replaced the pads. They should have replaced the Pads and rotors.

    I expect they will tell me soon that the rotors need to be replaced because they cant be "Cut Again. The car now 2 years old has 17,000. miles and its starting to Squeal slightly AGAIN.

    I had a similar problem with my New Ford and Ford recalled and replaced the brake pads with a softer pad that wears out quicker but is not so HARD IT TRAPS Sand or Gravel and EATS ROTORS. Depending on where you drive desert sand or salt in snow or down a gavel raod once in a while the grit my get into the HARD Pads (designed to last longer but then they eat rotors.) Then your squealling and soft brake and poor stoping begins.

    Since the pads are cheaper they go back to soft pads.

    PLEASE REPORT THIS TO THE NTHSA AT :

    "http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

    Maybe if the people here make a complaint at NHTSA they will investigate and or read these post. Also make a complaint to Nissan USA. Maybe then they will act on these brake problems.

    Good luck
    Bob
  • bluealtima08bluealtima08 Member Posts: 6
    Thank you, Bob. I cant tell you how nasty my Nissan Service people are. They always have an excuse and I had my brakes changed 3x. Same as you @ 6000 miles they put a brand new brake kit on then told me about it. I also have an 08 Altima. When I brought these posts to them they said they dont pay attention to blogs. Im so frustrated!!!
  • nboceangrlnboceangrl Member Posts: 1
    My 2009 Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5L V6 was purchased brand new from the dealership 6 months ago. All 4 rotors were badly warped and all four brake pads were thinned at 2,300 miles - ALL were replaced by the Nissan dealership 3 times. After multiple brake and rotor replacements by the dealership, the brakes have failed (2 documented freeway accidents) within 6400 miles. Both accidents were reported to the NHTSA (once at 4400 miles and a second time at 5685 miles), but they never responded. The Bureau of Automotive Repair can only document complaints and act as a liason between myself and Nissan North America. Four lawyers were quick to request this case on my behalf due to the above circumstance and wilfull neglect upon Nissan North America. All I have to do now is sit and wait.
  • cnblathamcnblatham Member Posts: 1
    For the love of God what can I do about my brake problem! I've had the brakes replaced 5 time on my 07 Nissan Altima 2.5S and I have never had problems like this on the other 7 cars I've owned. It's not me like the dealer says. I all so had an electrical problem the dash and tail light keep going out. Any help!
  • victor2k6victor2k6 Member Posts: 6
    try after market brakes and go new rotors too maybe that wil work
  • grumpfishgrumpfish Member Posts: 19
    You havent exactly explained what the brake problem is.

    I have an 07 and for whatever reason when I have to hit the brakes hard there is a loud rubbing sound. This even after having the pads replaced. I'm not sure if it has to do with the ABS, but as this is my umpteenth Nissan, I have never experienced anything like this before.
  • tarpit76tarpit76 Member Posts: 2
    I will definitely complain, thanks for giving this information.....
    I've had the same problem, they "resurfaced" my rotors and then tried to convince me that "resurfacing" is different than "turning or cutting" .....byt this was at Urban Nissan in Duncanville TX. I have 24,000 miles on my '08 Altima and am already on my third set of brake pads (front and rear). I wonder if Nissan understands that I will never buy another Nissan nor will I recommend ANYONE buy one until they fix this problem.
  • tarpit76tarpit76 Member Posts: 2
    Hey bobb5! I may have a solution to our and many others problems with these problematic Nissan Altima brakes. I was told by a dealership that it is not as uncommon as Nissan would like us to believe. I was also told that if I replace the brake pads with ceramic pads this will resolve the problem entirely! I am waiting to hear back from the regional manager (as my brake problem has been escalated....for about the 4th time hahahah). I was told that even if Nissan will not supply "free of charge" these brake pads, I can buy them and they will install them for free! Sooooo hopefully this is a fix to all our problems...FINALLY!
  • altgirlaltgirl Member Posts: 10
    edited December 2010
    Tarpit, you are correct you do need ceramic pads. I've also had brake problems on my 08 Altima. Nissan would like us to believe that replacing the brakes and rotors at 12,000 miles is normal. They want to call it normal wear and tear. I contacted Nissan since the dealer was not very helpful. Nissan changed the brakes and resurfacing the rotors once at 12,000 miles then again at 14,000. The second time I had to do a lot of complaining directly to Nissan, not the dealer. The second time Nissan sent a Tech from Georgia ( I live in Florida). He replaced the rotors and changed the brake pads to third party high performance brakes. He said that I should continue to use the same type of pads when they wear out. Apparently that is every 20,000 miles since I now need new pads again. The pads that were placed on my car were Adaptive One pads from NAPA (these are ceramic pads). They run around $54 for front or rear brakes plus another $145 per axle to install at the Nissan dealer. That's $400 just to have both front and rear brakes changed.

    This will be my third brake change in under 36,000 miles. I contacted Nissan again, except this time Nissan refuses to do anything further stating "normal wear and tear and brakes are a consumable item". I believe they will not help me because my warranty just ran out. They try to smooth things over until the warranty expires and it is to late to file for the Lemon Law. My only solution right now is to purchase brakes and take them to the dealer to have them install. I called to find out the price to install using third party brakes that I will provide. They stated that they will not warranty any work done with parts other than Nissan even if they install the product themselves, even though that is what the Georgia tech installed. Each time I go it is a different person, no one is helpful at this point I am very angry and frustrated.

    I am in the process of talking to an attorney. I believe he is willing to take the case for free, that makes me think he feels that there is a good chance of winning as there seems to be an inherent brake problem with the 08 Altimas. I for one will never buy another Nissan again. Not only that but I tell everyone I know not to buy a Nissan as they do not build quality products, nor back them up.
  • eassooneassoon Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2011
    My wife drives her 08 Altima back and forth to work, approximately 10 miles. Belive me, she's real easy on the car. it has has 33K (been to Canada a few times).
    In Jan '11, we took it in to the dealer because of an intermittent brake light. Veridict.. the master cyclinder was faulty and the rotors were bad. Outcome. Both were replaced under our extended warranty. My dealerhsip, Buckeye Nissan, said the brakes need replacing and recommended that I change the brake fliud. This would be at my expense.
    Does anyone know if the faulty master brake cyclinder could'be caused premature wearing of the breaks?
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    Unfortunately, brakes are a wear and tear item no matter what manufacturer you go with and if your out of warranty no manufacturer is going to cover the cost, that unfortunately falls on us consumers. That is not a Nissan specific issue.
  • eassooneassoon Member Posts: 2
    Nissan Corporate took care of this. Way to go Nissan!!
  • quickser4uquickser4u Member Posts: 1
    I still have the OEM resurfaced rotors with pretty much like new pads. It's weird, when I replaced the front brake hardware kit, the knocking noise stopped. I replaced it like a month or so ago. Now I hear the noise again and it's pissing me off. Granted I could take it back to the place again and have it looked at. It's funny, this morning it did it once and didn't do it again. The brakes work fine and the noise occurs from like 40mph and lower, and the further I press the brake pedal, the less of a chance the noise will continue. I'm almost certain it's coming from the front left tire area. I just resurfaced my front rotors in like November, so I'm pretty sure it's not warped rotors. My steering wheel does not shake when I brake either. Anyone knows what might be happening? Any input will help. Thank you
  • lzjlzj Member Posts: 1
    I was wondering if you had any success with your attorney. My 2008 Nissan needs brake work and I had the same discussion that I've never had this kind of work on any other car I've owned (obviously I've had brake work done but this is different) anyway, i'm wondering if this is a "lemon' type situation or a flaw of the Nissan because I will be trading it in so fast instead of paying $600 for brakes every year. Just wondered what you found out.
  • rileyannrileyann Member Posts: 2
  • rileyannrileyann Member Posts: 2
    My 1994 Nissan Altima has had intermittant ABS issues since I got it last year. In the snow or rain, the brakes behave very badly, instead of the usual ABS thumping, it sounds like metal on metal and makes some frightening noises. The ABS light comes on a few times a week and sometimes as I'm pulling out of my parking space, it will make this strange swooshing noise and I can feel a change in the brake pedal as I press it down. Today, as I was backing out of my spot, the brakes pretty much just went out all together and a different brake light came on. The brakes seems to be working now at about 20% or so. I can still stop with them, but just barely and the pedal is very close to the floor. I checked the brake fluid and it seemed empty, so I filled it but it didn't seem to make any change in the brake problem. Any ideas before on what this might be? Any ideas would be helpful before I have to throw myself at the mercy of a brake shop.
  • kwmoore4kwmoore4 Member Posts: 5
    The only way that we are going to stop this foolishness is to make sure that we let Consumer Reports know. Any survey that you have mark them bad. All of us are having the same exact brake issue with the Nissan Altima. Our only hope is a class action one day and then you will only get the satisfaction of knowing that they got caught with their game. I had to go through BBB to make them respond. They did what they had to do. Now the brakes are making the same noise again. JUNK!
  • cjonesmrcjonesmr Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 Nissan Altima and I have already had it in the shop four times this year for new brakes. It's back in the shop again today and all I get is this is normal. I don't think so I may be a women but Im not that stupid. Im sick of getting the run around but actually getting Nissan to do anything about this problem is a joke. Im sick of worrying about my kids being in the car when my brakes might go out. I know its a matter of time before that happens so I think my best bet is buy a new car and I guarantee it will not be a Nissan. I do not consider Nissan family oriented because you better hope that your the only one in the car when the brakes go out.......
  • belle4948belle4948 Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone,
    After reading a lot of people's posts it seems I am not the first person to have this problem. I currently drive 2005 Nissan Altima. I love my car. There is one thing I do not love...the fact I have to replace my rotors every 2-3 years. My car has 57.700 miles on it and I will have to replace my rotors for a second time. My car is not even 6 yet. The first time was within the first two years and I have to replace all 4 rotors and all the break pads. I was told recently that my rotors were wrapped and rusted (my back rotors only). They were going to cut them but were unable to do so because the rotor is to thin. In the words of the Nissan dealership mechanic, "this rotors are not made well...they are really thin. Nissan has since made some adjustments on their newer model but there is nothing you can do about this model." So i decided this is rediculous. My sister who has the same car bought like 3 weeks before mine has also had this problem. So i took to twitter to let corporate know about this. I wanted to know if i'm the only one experience this. So i talk about my problem to @Nissannews on twitter to see if i could get a hold of corporate. Sure enough i got a phone call and after explaining my issues the customer service rep said she would look into it and get back to me. This is what she said. No dealerships have been reporting this issue to the techline (which goes directly to the engineers of the vechile). And since no dealerships have notified the tech line there was nothing she could do. But see all these posts this seems to be frequent thing. So i want to try and gather information from 05 or 06 altima user and see how often you have your rotors replaced, if they were replaced by your dealership, name of your dealership and see if we can get the dealerships to start reporting these break issues. It starts there. So any help anyone can give me or information they give me would be a HUGE help. Also remember complain to you dealership and tell them to report to the techline. Its the only way things will get done. Something fishy is happening and i want to get to the bottom of it.
    -Belle4948
  • gooddeal2gooddeal2 Member Posts: 750
    Well, I traded in my 3 years old '05 Altima about 3 years ago w/ about 23k miles and I didn't even need to change the brake pads.

    My friend just traded in his '05 Altima w/ almost 40k miles for a '11 Altima and he didn't need to change any brake as well.
  • altdriveraltdriver Member Posts: 1
    I have a 05 altima. I have replaces rotors and pads several times and my brakes still shake really bad! Almost like something is out of round, it is very hard to describe. Any one else had or heard of this problem and how to fix it? I am stumped!! Please help!
  • dmaize1dmaize1 Member Posts: 1
    Hello Altima Owners!

    I have a 09 altima with 10,000 miles on it/. I recently started to notice a sound coming from the front and a vibration when I apply the brakes. I brought the car in to the dealership and they said my rotors had hot spots on them, causing them to warp. Then the shop mechanic said this was due to heavy or excessive braking. I pamper this car and have never abused it or applied heavy braking. I don't drive it very often based on the miles on it. This does not sound right to me. He also said they have not heard of any issues with the brakes. My brake pads are like new. This is not right. There seems to be a wide spread issue with the brakes and Nissan is ignoring it. I would like to hear from other Nissan owners with the same issue.
  • gooddeal2gooddeal2 Member Posts: 750
    No issue w/ my 2010 w/ 16k miles now.
  • tdenny14tdenny14 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2008 Altima with 28k miles. I've just been told the rotors are warped and need to be resurfaced or possibly replaced. The brake pads, however, are fine. I have been so happy with this car up to this point, but hearing several people with different year models having the same problems worries me. I don't have a lot of money and don't want to spend $600-700 every few years on brakes.
  • mtherouxmtheroux Member Posts: 1
    Bon ... un peu dégouter par les produits Nissan ...
    Nissan ... c'est la première fois ... et c'est la DERNIÈRE fois.

    1- Prendre les consommateur pour des épais, ca se fait pas.
    2- Changer de freins a tous les 30 000 km ... ca se fait pas non plus ... Usure normale !!! Mon c... !
    3- La CVT ... ca vaut rien. Ca fait plein de bruit bizarre... et c'est pour cette raison qu'ils ont augmenter la garantie sur cette dernière, problème de fiabilité.
    4- Les miroirs. C'est un des rare véhicules qui n'as pas de miroir rétractable. Donc tu accroche ton miroir, ça coûte cher - 350$ (ma blonde hier) !!!
    5- Bering de roue, bris après 12 000 km. (surement pris dans la rouille lui aussi)
    6- Air-Bag qui se désactive coté passager, avec une personne assis dessus. Encore la, selon nissan, tout est ok, même avec photo a l'appuie.

    J'ai eu du honda auparavant (civic, prelude, integra), les freins on durée au minimum 80 000 km (plaquette et disque) sur tous les véhicules que j'ai eu. Ce qui selon moi, est "Normal" comme usure. J'avais de plus une conduite que l'on pourrait considéré comme "Sportive".La je roule comme un pépère, et les freins s'use et se déforme... WOW Nissan !

    Je ne recommanderais se produits a personne.
  • np630ssnp630ss Member Posts: 1
    Our 2010 Altima was recently in the dealership for a scheduled oil change. The tech informed us the brake pads should be changed as approx. 20% brake surface was remaining. The car has 50k miles so I saw no reason to doubt him. I've been doing brake work since I was a teenager. I removed the brake calipers and rotors. I had all 4 rotors re-surfaced at a reputable establishment that I've dealt with for years. They informed me the front two were warped but could be turned within tolerance to correct the issue. I replaced the original pads with semi metallic pads. Installation was a breeze. No issues. Now I've noticed a noise coming from the rear brakes. Inspection revealed a cross hatch style pattern on both back rotors. I checked the front and found something similar but not as pronounced. My question - Is this normal for a Nissan brake pad break in period? I've never seen this happen on any other vehicle before. Any help is appreciated!
  • madmexmadmex Member Posts: 1
    i am also having same kind of problem.. rubbing or grinding noise from front side when i drive my 2009 altima at 0 to 15 and also feel vibration while pressing brakes
    :P
    dealer said there is no noise just bring it back when it gets worst i have put 31000 miles on it
  • neo_neo_ Member Posts: 14
    I had replaced all 4 rotors on my 2007 Altima 2.5S at 28k miles in 2010. I had to replace the front rotors again at 45k miles 2 days ago. Rear pads were replaced in 2010. Front ones replaced now. The service guy gave me the same line - you must be harsh on the brakes. I am not, at all. This does not look normal to me. I like the car otherwise but hate the fact that I have had to spend $1,000 on brakes already.

    Did the original poster get anywhere with Nissan on this issue?
  • mstrawnmstrawn Member Posts: 2

    We purchased a new 2014 Altima. one week after having it my wife was hearing a noise that sounded like the movement of baffles in the gas tank when she applied the brakes forcibly. she took it to the dealership and they confirmed the noise but are also uncertain of source. they were to contact a factory engineer but now 3 weeks later still no answer. Any ideas?

  • nissan_tech1nissan_tech1 Member Posts: 16

    @belle4948 said:
    Hi everyone,
    After reading a lot of people's posts it seems I am not the first person to have this problem. I currently drive 2005 Nissan Altima. I love my car. There is one thing I do not love...the fact I have to replace my rotors every 2-3 years. My car has 57.700 miles on it and I will have to replace my rotors for a second time. My car is not even 6 yet. The first time was within the first two years and I have to replace all 4 rotors and all the break pads. I was told recently that my rotors were wrapped and rusted (my back rotors only). They were going to cut them but were unable to do so because the rotor is to thin. In the words of the Nissan dealership mechanic, "this rotors are not made well...they are really thin. Nissan has since made some adjustments on their newer model but there is nothing you can do about this model." So i decided this is rediculous. My sister who has the same car bought like 3 weeks before mine has also had this problem. So i took to twitter to let corporate know about this. I wanted to know if i'm the only one experience this. So i talk about my problem to Nissannews on twitter to see if i could get a hold of corporate. Sure enough i got a phone call and after explaining my issues the customer service rep said she would look into it and get back to me. This is what she said. No dealerships have been reporting this issue to the techline (which goes directly to the engineers of the vechile). And since no dealerships have notified the tech line there was nothing she could do. But see all these posts this seems to be frequent thing. So i want to try and gather information from 05 or 06 altima user and see how often you have your rotors replaced, if they were replaced by your dealership, name of your dealership and see if we can get the dealerships to start reporting these break issues. It starts there. So any help anyone can give me or information they give me would be a HUGE help. Also remember complain to you dealership and tell them to report to the techline. Its the only way things will get done. Something fishy is happening and i want to get to the bottom of it.

    This problem happens with all rotors. It's caused by heat cracks from a hot rotor cooling off too quickly in a cold climate. Then salt and water gets in these cracks and rusts in these cracks and rust forms beneath the cracked surface and in time rust ridges are formed then it flakes the rotor. You will never see this in a arizona climate, but anywhere there are salted streets the rusted rotors thrive. My best advise to u is every rotation ask to have ur rotors checked for heat cracks, they are very small but cause big problems. if u have them resurface ur rotors and problem solved. or move to a warm climate. hope this helps.

  • nissan_tech1nissan_tech1 Member Posts: 16

    @mstrawn said:
    We purchased a new 2014 Altima. one week after having it my wife was hearing a noise that sounded like the movement of baffles in the gas tank when she applied the brakes forcibly. she took it to the dealership and they confirmed the noise but are also uncertain of source. they were to contact a factory engineer but now 3 weeks later still no answer. Any ideas?

    are you sure it's not water in the doors? for some reason, water (just from rain) gets inside the doors. there's a drain hole at the bottom of the door to let it out, but that can clog pretty easy. open each door and shake them back and forth a see if u hear the slosh noise. if its there, lift up the weatherstrip at bottom because it probably stuck to the drain hole blocking water from draining. If its a slosh in the fuel tank, and ur dealer wont do anything. just call 1-800-nissan-1 and file a claim. If they cant fix it force them buy it back after u file ur claim with 1800-nissan-1. guarantee they will have a regional engineer out to look at it.

  • arnzarnz Member Posts: 1

    2013 Nissan Altima SE Sedan, brake squeal.
    (Sounds intermittent for the first 10 months, now incessant.)
    Saturday early at the Fox Nissan in Grand Rapids, Mi
    Brake Squeal is unfortunately past annoying although service department is being responsive. Nissan acknowledges there is an issue with the front brakes.
    1st check is regarding the "shims" of the brake pads along with a possible "product" application. Really, product application is brake "goop", lubricant...more of a ploy to try and by some time
    2nd level is to replace the pads.
    3rd level is to replace the rotors.
    In at 08:00 out at 10:00
    Well, drove home and inside of the hour, the squeal was just as loud, just as annoyning.
    The following morni g tge squeal was there for going to church and wakes up the neighbors, literally when leaving the house in the morning.
    Nissan Customer care called in the following week and was advised of the continudd squeal issue. I was advised the Service Mgr would call that day and have not heard a word from Fox Nissan in two weeks. Calling Service for another appointment...
    More to follow.

Sign In or Register to comment.