Brake Switch causes myriad of problems
02-01-2019, 10:54 AM
#1
Brake Switch causes myriad of problems
Sorry for the lost post but this is invaluable. This post is for Nissan/Infiniti owners alerting you to a problem that may arise and seems to cause havoc and stress unnecessarily. For the past few months my 09 g37x 106k had a vibration when braking, and also on certain roadways without braking, and was intermittent in intensity but always there. There was a dull thud that slowed when the car slowed, typical symptom of bad rotors, probably in the rear. When I replaced the front wheel bearings there was no obvious warpage or wear of the pads. Since I needed to get the tires rotated shortly, I planned to have the rear brakes looked at in the process.
About 3 weeks ago the car had no power when accelerating, like it wasn’t getting gas. I floored it to get it to 55mph. The next morning it was fine but I cleaned the mass air flow sensors and no repeat of the problem. Last Friday it did the same thing so I made an appointment at the Nissan dealer. This past Saturday, the coldest weekend so far this season, the car wouldn’t start. All lights came on, battery is a year old, pressing the button did nothing. Looking up the symptom the next day indicated it was the brake switch located under the brake pedal arm. REALLY!!?? A $50 switch prevents the car from starting? Well in the cold weather I took it out, went to AutoZone down the street. It would take them 2 days to get a new one, but they cleaned up the corrosion on the switch contacts and I put it back it. Car started right up. I even went to my house to blow snow (we had a house fire and currently living at an extended stay hotel until the insurance settlement), shut the car off and on and no problem. The next morning it wouldn’t start. Got a switch from NAPA since they were close. Switch was only $27. Aftermarket part, that fit in properly but the opening for the electrical plug did not fit! That’s why it was that cheap! Went to the Nissan dealer, got the switch for $47 installed it and drove. Within 150 ft. ABS, VDC OFF lights came on the brake was extremely touchy. Shut it off and the same thing happened. Drove it to the dealer about 15 miles away, that evening, and all seemed fine but about halfway there got a real bad vibration, and I could smell brakes. Luckily it was a straight shot with no traffic lights. I was expecting the worse, rotors and brake replacement, master cylinder, or worse. Next day the dealer said all is fine, they adjusted the switch and all diagnostics said the car is doing well. Now there is no vibration either.
Here’s the explanation. Brake switch spacing between the brake pedal pad and the switch was incorrect. The “adjustment” is getting the switch in the proper position to actuate the plunger. If it’s out of adjustment you will either have no brake lights which I also had, brake lights staying on when pedal is not pressed. The sluggishness was the switch signaling the car to cut power as a safety measure. The error lights was also caused by the switch. The brake problem on the way to the dealer was due to the booster not sucking enough vacuum and causing the brakes to engage. I think this caused the vibration I have been experiencing the past few months. Once the switch is replaced and in the proper position, all the symptoms disappear. All this from a faulty brake switch. There are DIY on YouTube with Altimas which has the same switch, and is probably for most Nissan/Infiniti cars. What they don’t tell you is the position of the switch. I pressed the brake pedal to get the switch in and out. That was a mistake, as it changed the spacing of the switch to the pedal. I lucked out when I put the old switch in, dumb luck that it was in the correct position. The 2nd time I had it in the wrong “position”.
So if you experience any of these symptoms check your brake switch 1st. If it’s bad you will either have no brake lights or they are on all the time. If you get intermittent extreme sluggishness it may be a brake switch starting to go bad. Nissan should own up and just replace them all with a robust switch. There isn’t even a TSB for it! Good luck hope this helps!
About 3 weeks ago the car had no power when accelerating, like it wasn’t getting gas. I floored it to get it to 55mph. The next morning it was fine but I cleaned the mass air flow sensors and no repeat of the problem. Last Friday it did the same thing so I made an appointment at the Nissan dealer. This past Saturday, the coldest weekend so far this season, the car wouldn’t start. All lights came on, battery is a year old, pressing the button did nothing. Looking up the symptom the next day indicated it was the brake switch located under the brake pedal arm. REALLY!!?? A $50 switch prevents the car from starting? Well in the cold weather I took it out, went to AutoZone down the street. It would take them 2 days to get a new one, but they cleaned up the corrosion on the switch contacts and I put it back it. Car started right up. I even went to my house to blow snow (we had a house fire and currently living at an extended stay hotel until the insurance settlement), shut the car off and on and no problem. The next morning it wouldn’t start. Got a switch from NAPA since they were close. Switch was only $27. Aftermarket part, that fit in properly but the opening for the electrical plug did not fit! That’s why it was that cheap! Went to the Nissan dealer, got the switch for $47 installed it and drove. Within 150 ft. ABS, VDC OFF lights came on the brake was extremely touchy. Shut it off and the same thing happened. Drove it to the dealer about 15 miles away, that evening, and all seemed fine but about halfway there got a real bad vibration, and I could smell brakes. Luckily it was a straight shot with no traffic lights. I was expecting the worse, rotors and brake replacement, master cylinder, or worse. Next day the dealer said all is fine, they adjusted the switch and all diagnostics said the car is doing well. Now there is no vibration either.
Here’s the explanation. Brake switch spacing between the brake pedal pad and the switch was incorrect. The “adjustment” is getting the switch in the proper position to actuate the plunger. If it’s out of adjustment you will either have no brake lights which I also had, brake lights staying on when pedal is not pressed. The sluggishness was the switch signaling the car to cut power as a safety measure. The error lights was also caused by the switch. The brake problem on the way to the dealer was due to the booster not sucking enough vacuum and causing the brakes to engage. I think this caused the vibration I have been experiencing the past few months. Once the switch is replaced and in the proper position, all the symptoms disappear. All this from a faulty brake switch. There are DIY on YouTube with Altimas which has the same switch, and is probably for most Nissan/Infiniti cars. What they don’t tell you is the position of the switch. I pressed the brake pedal to get the switch in and out. That was a mistake, as it changed the spacing of the switch to the pedal. I lucked out when I put the old switch in, dumb luck that it was in the correct position. The 2nd time I had it in the wrong “position”.
So if you experience any of these symptoms check your brake switch 1st. If it’s bad you will either have no brake lights or they are on all the time. If you get intermittent extreme sluggishness it may be a brake switch starting to go bad. Nissan should own up and just replace them all with a robust switch. There isn’t even a TSB for it! Good luck hope this helps!
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