1999 Nissan Maxima review from North America

Ignition Coils- Replaced one, then another, then six.

Now, we are told air flow sensor is bad.

We have oil changed regularly in our 2000 Nissan Maxima, and have been battling the Service Engine soon light for about 8 months now. Had one ignition coil replaced at a non-Nissan mechanic and a tune-up as well, only to have the service Engine light come on again. Had another ignition coil replaced at same mechanic (he had said that he needed to determine which coil was bad). These two repairs have cost us nearly $500 USD.

Service Engine light came on again, and this time was accompanied by little to no acceleration at low rpms, and knocking noise. Car seemed fine at higher speeds. Decided to take the car to a Nissan dealer to make sure the problem was eliminated and resolved. Asked that they determine EVERYTHING wrong with the car, because at this point we were deciding whether to upgrade to a bigger family car or not. Nissan dealer said that diagnostic test showed all six ignition coils were bad, and must be replaced. Code listed on our bill is P1320. This set us back $835 USD. We have now spent nearly $1200 to resolve a coil issue, but were hoping this would eliminate the problem!

Now, my service engine soon light is back on less than one week after the service is performed. Took back to the Nissan dealership, and now they say that the Air flow sensor must be replaced at $350. They also said this includes a new diagnostic fee, and labor.

After this research, I am aware that this is a problem that Nissan is VERY familiar with, but has done little to resolve. I feel that we should not be forced to pay repeated diagnostic fees, and labor, when these issues could've been resolved at one time. My husband specifically asked if there was anything else wrong with the car, and they said NO. Apparently, this will lead to a string of repairs that may never end, and we would never have proceeded with these repairs had we known.

I have owned 3 Nissans in my lifetime, and the Maxima is the first that I've had this issue with. Nissan's response has left me with a sour taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure I will be a repeat customer.