Brake Failure

[JNV]

Hi All,

I have recently experienced random brake failure on my '15 NV3500 w/ just less than 50Kmi.  This has happened twice in the last 2 months and, of course, the dealer cannot replicate.  The second time, we got the event on dashcam.

 

Basically, brake pedal maintains normal pressure but the vehicle does not slow at all.  There is a vibration that occurs while the brakes aren't working that I suspect is related to ABS.  I would have expected a brake system to fail safe vs catastrophically, so this behavior is a little bizarre to me.

 

I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs and their position is that if the dealer cannot duplicate the problem, their process does not allow them to do anything else and that I should bring the van back to the dealer if this happens again :doh: .  This response seems like a fairly high risk and tone deaf position for Nissan take on a critical safety system especially in light of the recent issues with their Muranos.

 

Van is still at the dealer for close to 2 weeks now (and no loaner!  :(  we've been ferrying 6 kids via multiple trips in a single car ).  The dealer did say someone else brought their NV3500 for the same issue and they said it was just a fluke -- it's starting to look a lot less like a fluke from my perspective.

 

Mainly just wanted to get this out there in case anyone else was having this issue.  I took to Twitter to see if I could get someone at Nissan Corp to inject a little pragmatism into the bureaucracy and also filed an NHTSA complaint.

 

I'm an electrical engineer and usually do all my maintenance/repairs, although I have never touched the van since it's still under warranty; I am half inclined to bring the van home and work on it myself.... 

 

Anyone think of anything else I can do???

 

Thanks

Jason

 

[Firefight100]

They should be able to put data from the BCM to show what is happening.  Have they?

[JNV]

The problem is that it's not throwing a code, so without duplicating the problem, I don't know what useful data they will be able to get

[radin2son]

You eventually were able to brake? How?

 

So far, you have done all you can with Nissan until they are able to replicate what happened. Not likely, unless they drive it like they own it. Keep this thought for later.

 

If Nissan doesn’t consider this a problem, it could be costly for you to diagnose and replace part by part to get it fixed?

 

Back to “owning it.” Do you really want to drive this? At some point, I would consider trading it in on a new NV. If it sits at the dealer where you bought it, go for a trade in value for an NV without this issue. After all, Nissan says 2 are not a problem. At least, they haven’t told you poor braking is normal.

 

Filing a complaint with NHSTA helps. The only other NV brake issue was someone whose NV took too much road, in the opinion of the driver, to stop before colliding with another vehicle. The air bags didn’t deploy, which seemed to be the main concern.

Edited March 10, 2019 by radin2son

[JNV]

So, my wife was driving and she said braking started to work when the abs kicked on... Probably 2-3 seconds after pushing down on the brake pedal.

 

It will certainly be expensive to fix, though I can do all the work. However, considering the cost of a rental, that adds up too. At least while I have the vehicle, I will know some sort of troubleshooting is going on vs just waiting to duplicate. Even if the incident is duplicated, without a cel/abs code, I don't get the feeling the dealership will do anything.

 

I did finally get a response from Nissan on Twitter... They said go to another dealership. The next closest dealership that services the NV3500 is 1.5 hrs away.

Edited March 10, 2019 by JNV

[radin2son]

ABS has its place but not this way.

 

If you aren’t a risk taker, will Nissan “Twitter” approve paying upfront for a tow to the other dealership? Your insurance? If it becomes a warranty/recall fix, they should cover this retroactively. Nissan did reimburse us for a sensor fix after the warranty expired that had been documented during the warranty period.

 

If you do the diagnostics and find something wrong, will Nissan’s warranty kick in? I would check the warranty manual or contact Nissan “Twitter” if it is not clear. Maybe someone else on the forum knows.

 

Good luck.

[NissanNV85]

Was this ever resolved. Having same issue on a '12 nv3500. Freaky on slick roads

[radin2son]

This is typical. No followup post. PM JNV to see if this was resolved and how. 

 

My experience with Commercial customer service has been over the phone, as there was no form to complete. May have changed. You could contact them to see if there is a service bulletin. 

 

[GoNV]

Probably a brake booster. I've seen some models have this problem randomly. Definitely not something common.

[hemiless]

My wife just had this happen twice to her in the past two days with ther 2013 NV3500. The pedal went rock hard and the van made no attempt to slow down as she went right through the intersection.  The abs light never came on and she couldn't really feel the pulsation you normally feelin the pedal when abs is working.  its winter here and I'm not sure if something could be froze but we have been above freezing the last week as we have been getting dumped with snow.  no Nissan dealer in the area. brakes fine all the rest of the time just these two times in the past two days.

[radin2son]

Since you are well past warranty, take it a brake specialist. If it becomes a recall covering 2013, Nissan should reimburse  retroactively. Check Nissan commercial on line to get recall info. Not sure how it would work if there is a service bulletin and you get it checked/fixed elsewhere. Can’t hurt to ask for reimbursement. 

 

 

 

 

[NV 3500 brake malfunction]

We are having the same issue with our 2016 NIssan 3500 passenger van.  Has happened three times now: first two times: no problems other than a little scary.  Third time rear ended another car with very expensive body damage.  Happened at relatively low speed (about 20 MPH) on all these occasions. Each time there was no braking of teh vehiucle despite pressing the brake pedal, followed by some intermittent shuddering attempts to brake but no real slowing of the vehicle.  We asked our dealer to check it out once.  They checked pads and rotors, which were still acceptable, and the computer made no report of ABD failure. This latest time we brought it to our non-Nissan mechanic who we have known for years.  They recommended new pads and turning the rotors, but also ran a computer diagnostic test that showed no misfire of the ABS.  We'll bring it to the dealer as well to see what they have to say.  

 

Just thought I'd share in case others are having the same problem.  

[VML]

2016 NV1500 van. Brakes apply without touching pedal. At approximately 30mph in cloverleaf, right hand turns only. Brakes lock on briefly and then release. Enough to hurt wrist with steering wheel.  Fear this happening again in wet conditions causing accident. Anyone else have this problem?

[aztec]

See if it still happens with the traction control turned off.