NISSAN ALTIMA RANDOMLY WON'T ACCELERATE ABOVE 25MPH!!

In today's video we take a look at a2015 Nissan Altima w/ a 4 cyl 2.5l engine. The customer complaint is that the accelerator pedal will randomly stop working while driving and the vehicle will not go over 20mph! The owner has already replaced the throttle body and the accelerator pedal sensor assembly. There are no codes or DTCs stored in the computer, so we have to figure this one out the hard way! We catch a break when we realize the brake lights are intermittently getting stuck on! Follow along as I walk you step by step through my troubleshooting and diagnostic procedure. I hope this video helps someone! Refer to Technical service bulletin NTB15-111 for more information!
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*********************Tools used in this video!***********************
LAUNCH X431 PRO3S+ Bi-Directional Scan Tool
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Advanced Level Auto, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Advanced Level Auto assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Advanced Level Auto recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Advanced Level Auto, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Advanced Level Auto.

[Offensively-normal]

The biggest take away for me, is the fact you genuinely seam to care. That shop and customer are extremely fortunate they had such a great resource to turn to. How many people would be getting ripped off or replacing a perfectly good car over a relay.

[mikeklimavicius]

Dude, this is EXACTLY what happened to my son’s Altima. Now we know what to recommend to the mechanic. You rock brother!

[adamgomez]

I like this guy I wish I had him as my mechanic it looks like he cares about his customers very thorough

[Fwatson]

He’s got to be nothing short of the best diagnostic tech that I’ve ever seen.

[ADVANCEDLEVELAUTO]

Thanks to "Charlie R" who commented that there is infact a Technical service bulletin about this problem. Nissan wants you to bypass the relay! If your interested Google search "NTB15-111".

[michaelaboya]

Thank you so much for this video; it saved me from spending a lot on parts to find the problem. I had the same exact issue with my 2018 Honda CRV Touring. I drove two hours away from the city for work, and my car would randomly slow down numerous times. The RPM would drop, and the car slowed down as if the brakes were being applied. Then the RPM would go back up, and I'd regain speed, all without any check engine light or warning signs. Upon returning to the city, I had it checked and scanned, but no fault codes were found. They inspected the throttle body and cleaned it, checked the plugs (which were fine), and examined the fuel pump (which they also cleaned). They even removed the differential, but the problem persisted. The only option left seemed to be buying a new throttle body. However, I came across your video after extensive research before making a decision to purchase the new throttle body.

To confirm that the issue was related to the brake switch, I turned on the cruise control to see if it would turn off on its own without touching the brake. It did indeed turned off, confirming that my car was applying the brakes randomly. I replaced the brake switch, and the problem was solved. My car now runs like new again. Thank you! 😊

[chadliby]

I'll throw my two cents in here. You could have this problem, but mine was even simpler, but MORE bizarre. our 2014 Altima, had a sudden power loss. Nothing above 2k RPM. I followed this video, but it didn't seem to make sense. We just happened to shut off the headlights on one of our "test drives" and BOOM the car took off like a rocket. I turned the headlights back on and the engine immediately dropped to 1500 RPMs. I noticed that when the headlights were on, the 3rd brake light (in the back windshield) stayed on... it was always on... regardless of the brake pedal. Come to find out, one of the rear brake lights had part of a filament break and it landed across the "parking" and "brake" filaments in the same bulb. This back fed the brake circuit as when the lights were on. So if you see the 3rd light on all the time regardless of your brake pedal, check those brake bulbs... they probably won't look burnt out, but you can have a bad one. We replaced the bulbs and it's back to normal..

[stevenlatham]

I’m noticing a pattern with Nissan brake light switches, this is like the 7th video I’ve seen about Nissans having weird problems because of faulty brake light switches.
Almost to 100k, I can’t wait to see that. You deserve many more.

[johnjohannemann]

At 64 years of age this is a new one on me. Excellent diagnosis and presentation as always. Thank you for what you do.

[lnielrid]

I've had the same issue with my 2012 Altima since probably 2014 .. here we are 9 years later and finally someone smart enough to narrow it down to what the problem is. Thanks, Eric!

[kingzionmusic]

Being a diagnostic tech is a whole other level i know mechanics that don’t really work on cars but are extremely good at figuring out issues like this guy.

[Sothrnbluz]

I love watching Eric's video, cause it's like watching Columbo solve another mystery.

[GarrettUhde]

I think your video just saved me thousands of dollars and many hours. I have a 2013 Nissan Maxima. I’ve been having a very similar issue issue but not stuck at 25mph my car will basically buck through acceleration randomly but I can get up to speed 50-60 if need be. Totally intermittent it took a long time to get worse and is very concerning when driving. No codes. Had the car looked at by 2 mechanics on was Nissan. Replaced the spark plugs for routine maintenance and did tranny fluid not to long ago. Nissan told me replace the transmission which is a awful answer.

My engine mount is also bad so we thought maybe the engine moving caused something to be loose or crack letting air in. So we check d all tubing and wires to see if anything looked bad, we tested the car a whole bunch shaking it and braking quick hard Corning and realized something felt like it was sticking, and causing the brakes to go off. No Abs warning but we thought maybe that was kicking in for some reason. Watched your video and it all clicked together. It’s bucking on acceleration after hitting the brakes… the brake switch is sticking… my father was driving behind me and saw the brakes flicker a few times meaning it was engaging when I wasn’t hitting it. I just switched the plugs for $100 and no issues so far. Thank you so very much

[sogbryan]

@ADVANDED LEVEL AUTO. You are in your name.. "Advanced Level"!!! Your thought process and then also, your attention to detail is No Less then "Advanced"!! Thanks for taking the time! Much appreciated!!!

[michaelbradfordofficial]

This is a really great diagnostic. Congratulations on solving the problem. It also makes sense that there would be no codes, because if the ECM thinks that the brakes are on, it will do what it was designed to do: protect the engine by limiting its revs. This is really thinking outside the box!

[DejNtab]

I'm in a mechanic master or technician BUT I've been search stuff on good search and YouTube video on how to troubleshoot in fixing Toyota Camry and Corolla that auto repair shops have no idea what I'm talking about. I've became a ROOKIE in fixing my Camry and Corolla maintenance. I've hardly ever taken my Camry and Corolla for maintenance to auto repair shops unless I absolutely have no idea and can't find anything on Google or your videos... this saves me a lot of $ and time.

[alexdragomirescu]

Nice one! 👍 interesting case. You were fortunate to see the braking lights, otherwise it would have been a much longer diagnosis and head scratching 🤯

[RyanFixesCars]

I'm a tech as well and just wanted to add that there's technically only 1 brake switch on these cars. The other is a "Cruise Cancel Switch". I always go OEM and replace both. Great diag btw!

[maureendasilva-xvph]

You is the only person that talks the truth about the problem blessing 🙏 to you

[JohneeJohnson]

I just encountered this problem (limited acceleration, trac control light turns on) on a 2021 Hyundai Accent, but I received a P0121 code (throttle body). Found out it was replaced at the dealer, but code and symptoms returned. Just for your video, I’ll ask the dealer to check the brake switch and relay now. Thanks for your great videos. You’re a great teacher!