2000 Nissan Maxima GLE from North America - Comments

What are the symptoms that indicate the ignition coils fail? is the Service Engine Soon light come steady or blinking? is the engine idling steady or rough? If the SES light is on steady, how do I know if is the ignition coil problem or other problems?

To previous comment - sounds like exactly what my 2000 was doing along with symptoms of Feb 26 reply. Just replaced 6 coils today. My question: they also charged for ECM re-program ($185) Is this necessary?

I just purchased my 2000 Nissan Maxima on 10/07/04 and on 10/27/04 my ignition coil went out (service light came on).

The Dealership tried to sell me extended warranty and told me that it would cost $600 to fix.

I proceeded to leave and then the manager ran out and said that they would split the cost with me, so it would cost me $300 instead.

I think this is ridiculous, I just purchased this car and it is my very first Nissan.

Thank You all for your constructive and informative comments. I was considering purchasing a 2000 Maxima. Now I know to ask the seller about the ignition coils.

To the person who posted about the NISSAN goodwill policy, how do you ask them about this? do you tell them about the car's problem that they knew about this problem and did nothing about it? I mean how do you basically ask them to help you with this problem that ovbiously they knew about? please help. thanks!

I have a Maxima GLE 2000 whose service engine soon light just came on. A guy who ran a diagnostic said all 6 ignition coils need to be replaced. However (he is a friend of a friend) told me that if it were him, he would wait until the car started jerking before replacing the coils. Do any of you know if there are any downsides to just waiting for the problem to get worse before I get it fixed?

Contact Nissan North America at 800-647-7261 then select option 7 to reach Consumer Affairs. My 2000 Maxima GLE was just diagnosed with the ignition coils problem. Nissan denied my request to have my bill picked up, because they claimed “I” have not built up enough goodwill (i.e. have not been utilizing their over-priced maintenance services, or have not own enough Nissan vehicles, etc.) towards them. Total bill to replace all 6 coils is going to be around $700. My wife and I are shopping to replace her car, and it will definitely NOT be a Nissan. Toyota or Honda all the way.

Now I know I will not get a nissan.

OK, Yes, Nissan customer service leaves a lot to be desired. I am the proud owner of an 86' 300ZX and a 2000 Infiniti I30 (Maxima). Yes, I had the coilpack issues with the I30, but anyone with the slightest bit of intelligence can replace them. I ordered mine online from a Nissan dealer out of Texas. Shop around, price varies tremendously by dealer! Once you get them, it takes no more than 10 minutes to replace them. I wouldn't even consider paying anyone to change them. They are so easy! Oh, and whoever said they all have to be replaced is lying. They don't all go bad at the sametime. The problem is determining which ones are bad. And ruling out Nissan, because of a few negative experiences? That's not fair. All cars have their problems. Honda with their terrible transmissions, Toyotas with the oil sludging motors, and VW with both and more! Nissan builds a great vehicle. My 00' Infiniti I30 has had nothing, but regular maintenance except for the coils, The coils didn't go bad until 125k miles. My 86' 300ZX has 175k miles and runs like a champ. I have owned 2 honda accords, and honestly Nissan biulds a far superior product. The Hondas were a little more reliable. But they were boring and were not fun to drive. I love revving my Nissan V6s up to their redline and just hearing the sound engineering at its best. I am also in the market for a Pathfinder. I was actually the first person in my family to buy a Nissan, but man did I start a trend!

My coils went bad at 85K. Sounds like I was lucky. People, these things are easy as pie to replace yourself and you can get six of them for under 300 dollars on EBAY. These will be the "redesigned" OEM coils. Get some spark plugs at the same time and change those too. Our maxima has been great. It is a very solid car.

Honestly, do NOT buy these from a dealer and do not have them do the work. I can't believe some of you paid over 700 dollars to have these installed. I would put them in for a 12 pack..LOL.

Also, there is an emissions warranty that covers anything dealing with the cataletic converter or ECU. If you have under 80K miles, then the reflashing of the ECU is free. I had this done and they tried to charge me. I kindly reminded them of this warranty and they backed off.