ABS module or sensor failure on the 2006 Nissan Maxima
When abs module or sensor failure gets reported
Owners of the 2006 Nissan Maxima report ABS module or sensor failure at a median of 85,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 60,000 miles and a quarter after 90,000 miles, from 20 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 95,000 miles. It is the 6th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 40,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 105,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 63,482 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
5% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41,518 miles | 59,414 miles | 83,500 miles | 90,850 miles | 105,000 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $500–$2,400 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 8 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2002, at a median of 25,000 miles, and latest on the 2005 at 85,000 miles.
By volume the 2004 carries the most reports, with 35; the 2006 has 21. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 nissan maxima. On september 5, 2008, while driving approximately 15 MPH, the contact heard a grinding noise. He drove to his residence and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. A diagnostic was performed and they stated that the ABS sensors were corroded due to a build up of moisture, which caused the grinding noise. The mechanic drilled a hole in the rear hubs to release the moisture so that the ABS sensors would not corrode again. The contact called the manufacturer after the repairs were made and they stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. They would not cover the cost for the repairs. The current mileage was 43,338 and failure mileage was 43,278. Updated 11/6/08 *cn updated 11/10/08. *jb
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the ABS activates on its own. He took the vehicle to a dealer and they stated that dirt enters through the speed sensor and causes the failure. The contact would be responsible for the repairs since the warranty was expired. The manufacturer did not assist. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 37,000 and current mileage was 39,000. The consumer was informed the sensor failure caused the pump motor and actuator relay to fail. The consumer stated he dismantled the ABS in order to drive the vehicle properly. Updated 07/08/09.*jb
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 nissan maxima. While driving approximately 30 MPH on normal road conditions and applying pressure to the brake pedal the vehicle began to shake violently. The failure occurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The failure was contributed to a manufacturer's design flaw within the brake system. The rear passenger wheel speed sensor was replaced. The repair cost was $540.63. The failure mileage was 42,020. Updated 02/13/10 *bf updated 02/16/10 updated 2/17/10 *cn updated 02/19/10. *lj updated 08/26/10
Also reported on the 2006 Nissan Maxima
Other powertrain problem
Complete transmission failure
Other engine problem
Other brake problem
Other speed control problem
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 21 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does abs module or sensor failure happen on the 2006 Nissan Maxima?
Across 20 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 85,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 60,000 miles and a quarter after 90,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is abs module or sensor failure on the 2006 Nissan Maxima?
21 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.6 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed