2007 Nissan Altima SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT FLASHES ON AND OFF. *TR
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. *TR
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. *TR
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. *TR
MY BRAKE WARNING LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. *TR
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. *TR
BRAKE FLUID LEAKING. BRAKE LIGHT TURNS ON INTERMITTENTLY. *TR
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). *TR
"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. *TR
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. *TR
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. *TR
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. *TR
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.
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 ALTIMAS 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. *TR
MASTER CYLINDER CRACKED AND LEAKING. APPARENTLY, WE'RE NOT THE FIRST TO HAVE A FAULTY MASTER CYLINDER IN THIS VEHICLE. *TR
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. *TR
I NOTICED AROUND 55K MILES THAT MY BRAKE LIGHT STARTED COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY. IT WOULD GO AWAY IF I PRESSED DOWN THE BRAKE, AND SEEMED TO COME ON MOST WHILE I WAS ACCELERATING. I NEEDED AN OIL CHANGE ANYWAYS, SO I TOOK IT IN AND ASKED THEM TO LOOK AT THE BRAKES AS WELL. THEY SAID MY PADS WERE FINE. EVENTUALLY THE LIGHT STARTED COMING ON MORE AND MORE UNTIL IT WAS ON MORE THAN OFF. I STARTED SEARCHING AROUND AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF 2007 ALTIMAS WITH MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER FAILURES WHERE THEY START TO LEAK. I WENT OUT TO MY CAR AND CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID, IT WAS JUST ABOVE MIN. I STOPPED OFF ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK, PURCHASED SOME DOT 3 FLUID, TOPPED IT OFF, AND THE BRAKE LIGHT HASN'T BEEN ON SINCE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THOUGH, BRAKE SYSTEMS ARE CLOSED SYSTEMS MORE FLUID SHOULD NOT NEED TO BE ADDED. I WILL MONITOR IT TO SEE IF THE FLUID LEVEL GOES DOWN, BUT IT APPEARS THAT I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS EVERYONE ELSE WITH THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER PROBLEMS. APPARENTLY SENTRAS HAVE ALREADY BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS, SO I HOPE IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE ALTIMAS ARE. I REALLY DON'T WANT TO SPEND $500 TO GET THIS FIXED IF IT IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AND EQUIPMENT FAILURE OF NISSAN. *KB
AT 50,000 MILES, THE BRAKE LIGHT WARNING INDICATOR ON MY 2007 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S BEGAN INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATING ON THE DASHBOARD. UPON DEPRESSION OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE LIGHT WOULD TURN OFF. AT FIRST, THE WARNING LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE AGAIN AFTER ANOTHER WEEK OF DRIVING. HOWEVER, DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS, THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY AGAIN AND AGAIN DURING DRIVING. NOW, IT IS ON ALMOST ALL THE TIME UNLESS I AM DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL IS JUST NORTH OF "LOW." SO, PERHAPS REFILLING THE RESERVOIR WILL CORRECT THE ISSUE. ADDITIONALLY, MY PADS ARE FAIRLY WORN AND SIMPLY MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED. HOWEVER, I HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE THAT INDICATE THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER MAY BE FAILING, AND THAT IS MY CHIEF CONCERN. I HAVE NO DIFFICULTY STOPPING THE CAR AT THIS JUNCTURE. BUT, I HAVE NOTICED THAT, IF I DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL JUST BEFORE STARTING THE CAR, THE PEDAL DEMONSTRATES A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MECHANICAL RESISTANCE. THE AMOUNT OF DEMONSTRATED RESISTANCE IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE DURATION BETWEEN ENGINE STARTS (E.G., IF THE CAR SITS FOR A FEW HOURS, THERE IS MINIMAL PEDAL STIFFNESS. HOWEVER, IF THE CAR IS NOT DRIVEN FOR THREE DAYS OR MORE, THE PEDAL IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DEPRESS UNTIL THE ENGINE TURNS OVER). I AM UNCERTAIN IF THIS IS A RELATED ISSUE, BUT IT IS WORTH MENTIONING. *TT
I NOTICED A LEAK ON THE GARAGE FLOOR AND A FLASHING ON/OFF OF THE DASH BOARD BRAKE WARNING LIGHT. I AM TAKING IT INTO THE DEALER TODAY TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. I HAVE A FEAR OF A MASTER CYLINDER AFTER READING ABOUT ALL THE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL. CONCERN AS WELL DUE TO RECALL SUMMARY RESEARCH ABOUT THE DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS RELATED TO ALTIMA BRAKES. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # PE11020. *KB
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. *TR
AFTER NOTICING MY BRAKE LIGHT COMING OFF AND ON AT RANDOM TIMES OF DRIVING I DECIDED TO HAVE THE ISSUE CHECKED OUT. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IS FROM MY MASTER CYLINDER LEAKING. I'M EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED AT THE FACT THAT THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS SO EXPENSIVE. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2007 NISSAN ALTIMA MODEL AND I'M HIGHLY SUGGESTING A RECALL BE ISSUED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! *TR
I WAS TOLD WHEN I GOT MY OIL CHANGED AT AN EXPRESS OIL CHANGE THAT MY BRAKE FLUID WAS A LITTLE LOW AND TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT. WITH IN A COUPLE DAYS THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS COMING ON AND THEN IT WOULD GO OFF. IT WOULD DO THIS ON AND OFF EVERY TIME THE CAR WAS DRIVEN. TOOK THE CAR TO MOORE NISSAN IN BESSEMER, AL AND TOLD THEM OF THE PROBLEM. THEY CHECKED OUT THE CAR AND I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED REAR BRAKES AND THAT MY MASTER CYLINDER WAS LEAKING. THEY SHOWED ME THE LEAKAGE AND I INQUIRED AS TO WHAT WOULD CAUSE THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER TO LEAK IN A CAR THAT IS ONLY 4 1/2 YEARS OLD. THE TECH SAID ITS ACTUALLY A COMMON ALTIMA PROBLEM. I SAID, REALLY. I HAD THE REPAIRS MADE. *TR
THERE HAS BEEN NO INCIDENT, BUT I HAVE A CONCERN OF FUTURE FAILURE. MY CAR IS LOSING BRAKE FLUID, AS I'VE HAD TO REFILL THE RESERVOIR PERIODICALLY WHEN THE DASH LIGHT ILLUMINATES. TODAY, THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THERE ARE NO EXTERNAL LEAKS IN THE BRAKE SYSTEM, SO IT IS LIKELY INSIDE THE MASTER CYLINDER. FIRST OCCURRENCE OF LOW BRAKE FLUID WAS AT ABOUT 75000 MILES. I AM CONCERNED THAT THE CORROSIVE FLUID MAY BE CAUSING DAMAGE THAT WILL LEAD TO A SUDDEN FAILURE IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM. I KNOW THERE IS AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION FOR THIS PROBLEM, SO I WANTED TO REGISTER MY CAR AS HAVING THE PROBLEM.
BRAKE FLUID LEAKING INTO MASTER CYLINDER ON 2007 NISSAN ALTIMA . BRAKE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON IN CAR AND BRAKES ACTS AS IF IT DOESN'T WANT TO STOP. TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP SUTHERLIN NISSAN AND THEY EXPLAINED IT JUST NEEDED A NEW MASTER CYLINDER AND THERE WAS A LEAKAGE. NEVER MENTIONED A POSSIBLE RECALL OR ANYTHING. SAD THING IS 9 TIMES OUTTA 10 THEY WERE MOST LIKELY AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND STILL CHARGED ME TO DIAGNOSE THE SYMPTOM. THEIR GREED TO GET PAID 467.00 FOR THE JOB ITSELF , THAT THEY NEVER WENT INTO DETAILS OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN OR THE DANGERS OF CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE CAR, MAINLY WHAT THE CAR NEEDED. I GOOGLED THE ISSUE AND TO MY SURPRISE I WASN'T THE ONLY CONSUMER AFFECTED. I NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICES ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND NOW WANTS TO KNOW WHY. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND DEEMED UNSAFE . I'M THANKFUL MY INSTANCES LED ME TO GOOGLE THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP NEVER MENTIONED IT. *TR
AFTER THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS SPORADICALLY COMING ON AND OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING, I BROUGHT MY 2007 ALTIMA INTO THE DEALERSHIP. THE TECHNICIANS DIAGNOSED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER IS LEAKING. THE CAR HAS JUST OVER 27,300 MILES ON IT. THE MECHANIC TOPPED OFF THE FLUID AND ADVISED ME TO BRING IT BACK IN A FEW DAYS WHEN THEY HAD AN OPEN APPOINTMENT. I AM THE FIRST AND ONLY OWNER. *TR
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2007 Nissan Altima has 49 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.