Brake fluid leaking. Brake light turns on intermittently.

- Orlando, FL, USA

I am requesting that dot NHTSA investigate the driver's contribution to a leak with the master cylinder and to request that dot NHTSA force Nissan to issue a recall. The vehicle is 2007altima 27K miles this leak causes loss of brake fluid. When enough brake fluid is loss, the brake system is not able to generate enough pressure to squeeze the brake pad to the brake rotors. End result is that the operator of the vehicle cannot stop the car (no brakes!!!). this poses serious danger to the vehicle operator, its passengers and the public. Please formally investigate and when found valid, force Nissan to do a recall. My personal experience: It started with the brake light turning on then after a few minutes, turn off. All the while my brakes starts to diminish. I looked the brakes system and found that the brake fluid level is low. Topped it off and everything was back to normal.around 60 days later, brake light again turned on and a few minutes turned off. Same problem. I had it checked with a professional mechanic. He??S conclusion is that the master cylinder has a leak and needs to be replaced. A 5 year old car with 27K miles should not have a problem with the master cylinder. This is a defect that Nissan needs to address with a recall before somebody gets seriously hurt due to loss of brakes. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Jamaica, NY, USA

My brake light kept coming on while driving. The Nissan dealership service said that I am leaking break fluid from the brake master cylinder. The is in reference to the action #PE11020.

- Warwick, RI, USA

Brake problem light came on then went off after the car warmed up. My brakes failed to work, the pedal pushed all the way to the floor. Come to find out the brake fluid has leaked out of the brake master cylinder. The Nissan dealer said he has seen this before on 2007 Altima vehicles. The brake problem light should have stayed on, this is very misleading and very dangerous to have the light go off after a while.

- Montgomery, TX, USA

"brake" light comes on after 5-10 seconds when I first start traveling at a very slow speed for about 15 seconds and then it goes off. I notice this always happens. It appears from the maintenance manual that the brake fluid is low and needs to be filled up. I don't see a problem there.

- Longmont, CO, USA

06/30/09 (24,999 miles): The brake pedal was pressed to the floor of the car and the car would not start for two-three days before the pedal automatically depressed. The brakes began to squeak and the brake light was on. Nissan dealership replaced front caliper assembly per ntb08-057A and replaced rear pads and hardware per ntb08-047A. 01/21/2011: The brake pedal was pressed to the floor of the car and the car would not start for one day before the pedal automatically depressed. The brakes began to squeak and the brake light was on. 02/17/2012 (69,504 miles): The brakes began to squeak and the brake light was on. Nissan dealership diagnosed that the brake master cylinder was leaking fluid into the brake booster. They found the brake fluid level low, causing the brake light to be illuminated.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

The day I purchased my vehicle around Dec 2007, the brakes were squeaking. The service department and dealership where I bought the vehicle from told me it was just dust on the brakes and it could be washed off with a pressure washer. This problem has never been solved even when my brake pads had been replaced. I began to have a serious problem with my breaks a few months ago when every time I would push on my break pedal, the break pedal would kick back, car would jerk, and I would have to reapply the break pedal to stop/slow my vehicle. I finally took it to my Nissan dealership/service dept and was told the vehicle's master cylinder had a leak and needed to be replaced. This is a serious problem and an expensive price for something that should be under warranty.

- Fresno, CA, USA

My brake light randomly turns on/off regardless of the speed I am going. Also when I apply the brakes, it is definitely a rough and jagged slow down, compared to previously owned vehicles. Nissan should take responsibility of the issue, otherwise their reputation may suffer from this. I am hoping word of mouth and individual research will result in more documented incidents, and the NHTSA will grant a long awaited recall.

- Antelope`, CA, USA

Emergency brake light flashes on and off.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

2007 Nissan Altima - my dashboard brake warning light sporadically flashed on and off beginning a couple of weeks ago. I took the car to a nearby Nissan dealership for a brake inspection. The service department representative, prior to inspection, shared that the warning light might indicate that the master cylinder might be leaking and the brakes might be good. The service mechanic observed that brake fluid levels were low and due to the master cylinder leaking into the booster. The brake pads were good. The mechanic added brake fluid. The dashboard brake warning light stopped flashing. I was quite surprised that the service department manager had a good idea that there was a master cylinder leak. I asked him about it. He said that brake master cylinder leaks were a common problem for the 2007 Nissan Altima. I am taking the car to a different facility for another brake inspection and repair, if necessary.

- Antelope, CA, USA

My brake warning light keeps coming on.

- Capitol Heights, MD, USA

The brake light on my car came on. I took the car into the dealership to check the brakes and was told the master cylinder was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle is a 2007 model. It seemed too new a vehicle to need such a repair. The cost was $638.95 to repair it. When I picked up the car, and started driving it again after the master cylinder was replaced, the brakes were worse than before. Pedal went all the way to the floor. They had installed the new master cylinder, but the new one wasn't holding pressure, so I had no brakes. All of the brake fluid leaked from my vehicle. The car had to be towed back to the dealership. They had to replace the master cylinder yet again. I looked online and saw that the master cylinders were needing replacement in this make and model quite frequently, but a recall has not yet been issued on the problem. Therefore, I am adding my complaint to the list toward that end.

- Louisville, KY, USA

Brake warning light displayed at 48,000, indicating low brake fluid. Topping fluid off in master cylinder, light went off. Light reappeared 2 months later. Now adding brake fluid every 2 months. Inspection reveals leaking master cylinder.

- Silver Creek, GA, USA

Brake light is illuminating. Investigation shows that the brake fluid level is low. I have filled the brake fluid multiple times but it continues to lose fluid. This complaint is being filed based on car forums on the web that there is a known issue with a faulty master cylinder. There is also an open NHTSA investigation for this issue.

- Cranberry Township, PA, USA

My 07 Altima has a braking problem. I push the brakes at any speed and it has a residual pop and jerk. It begins to slow down as normal and then it seems to catch again and it will jerk and become a extreme brake. I took the car to my mechanic and they replaced the pads and turned the rotors initially and bled the lines. That did not fix it. They then recommended that I take it to Nissan and I did and they said it was the brake booster and I had that replaced and they realized that the master cylinder was leaking and they were both replaced but that did not fix the problem. My mechanic can not figure out what it is and it is a definite safety hazard but I have no recourse because I have to get to and from work. He has also contacted Nissan and they told him that is normal for the Altima's. I read that there are other Altima's that have a similar type issues. I just want the issue resolved. I have a discount on my insurance that involves my good driving and I can not apply that because of the breaking issue. My insurance monitors my driving and base my discount on my driving performance.

- Bryan, TX, USA

After noticing that my brake light was coming on intermittently for a couple weeks, I took it to my Nissan dealership for service. While servicing the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a crack in the brake master cylinder. I was informed by the service department that they had serviced a number of Nissan Altima for the exact same issue. My service advisor mentioned that there is an on-going investigation into this problem and that there is a possibility that Nissan may issue a recall for this defect.

- Mountain View, CA, USA

Master cylinder cracked and leaking. Apparently, we're not the first to have a faulty master cylinder in this vehicle.

- Middletown, CT, USA

The first instance of an issue was the brake light would blink on and off in my car. I was told at the dealership that I simply needed to change my brake pads. After I changed my brake pads, the problem went away temporarily. The dealership then told me that I was simply low on brake fluid and they topped the fluid off. The light went away temporarily again. Then I started to notice that my brake pedal started sticking when it was pressed. I was then told at the dealership that my break booster was bad and it needed to be replaced. I left my car at the dealership for repair. An hour later I was called by the dealership and told that they discovered my brake master cylinder was leaking and it also needed to be replaced. This is a dangerous issue with the vehicle and it needs to be addressed. I have read several other complaints of Nissan Altima owners having this issue.

- Nashville, TN, USA

Brake warning light on, so I took to dealership. Dealership tells me there's a leak in the brake master cylinder and it needs to be replaced.

- Coppell, TX, USA

Since I have gotten my 2007 Nissan Altima, there has been various issues/problems with it. One of my complaints has been the brakes. I was told by my dealership that the squeaky screeching noise is normal for all Nissan's which I thought was a bunch of crap. Through the years, no matter if replacing brake pads to calibers I should not have the squeaking still.

- Clinton, MO, USA