A gentle approach could lead to more satisfying answers

I have a 2006 Nissan Frontier with about 146k miles on it. Two months ago, the brake pedal started going to the floor after stopping if I kept foot pressure on the pedal. My thinking was that the master cylinder was bad, so I had it replaced.

That didn’t solve the problem, so I took the truck to a Nissan dealer. After more than $1,300 for calipers, disc and pads, the pedal still goes to the floor. The dealer says “This is normal” and “All Nissans do this.” This truck did not have this brake problem for the six years I owned it until now. A friend has a Frontier and the pedal does not go to the floor on his truck. Would appreciate your thoughts on this issue. Thanks a lot.

— Alan

Have you considered moving the seat forward, Alan?

I think you need to make an appointment to see the service manager at that Nissan dealer. But approach the meeting calmly. Remember, these are human beings and even if all they say is “They all do that.”

If you come in screaming

and yelling about how they’re crooks or idiots, human nature dictates that they’re going to leave a fish taco in your ventilation system. But I do think they owe you.

As a mechanic myself, here’s the way I’d like to be approached by a customer in your situation: Ray, I appreciate the work you did trying to figure this out. But I spent $1,300 at your suggestion to fix the sinking brake pedal and, for some reason, it’s still sinking. I checked out a friend’s Frontier, and his brake pedal doesn’t sink like mine, so it does seem like something is wrong. Would you be willing to spend some more time with it and figure out if there’s something we missed?

Of course, no customer ever approaches me like that when I screw up. They start by calling me a crook and an idiot. And I have to tell them that I’m pretty sure I’m not a crook.

Anyway, your dealer needs to check his work. He needs to make sure the master cylinder that was installed wasn’t defective. We would do that by replacing it again. He needs to check the calipers again, because a sticky caliper slide or piston — even on just one wheel — can cause this problem and can be hard to diagnose. And he needs to bleed the system again to make sure that there’s no air in it.

He should also check your rear drum brakes. If those aren’t adjusted properly, that can create a soft pedal, too. And it could be some combination of those things. But after spending a mortgage payment and replacing much of the brake system, I think the dealer owes you a more satisfying answer.

Just seek it gently, rather than by force. I think you’ll have more success by being one of their rare, pleasant, reasonable irate customers. Good luck.