Q: I just purchased a used 2004 maxima se with 46000 miles on it. 2 days...yes 2 days after I purchased the car, It started to have problems. The service engine light just turned on...the problem is when I put my car in drive and step on the gas, I have to push my foot completely down in order to get the car to drive, I was thinking its the transmission but then when I was making a right hand turn, the steering wheel locked and all the lights on the dashboard came on (brakes, oil, and so on). I shut the car off, then turned it back on and everything was ok, except the service engine light was still on. I have a warranty for up to 100,000 miles, I just wanted to see if anyone else has had this kind of issue. Please help!! Thanks.
A: Hello, The vehicle should be brought in to a dealership to be checked.The car has a fail safe procedure that allows the car to go into limp mode when it senses a malfunction. This is so the car can "limp" to the side of the road even when a failure happens instead of just leaving you stranded. The steering wheel locks and lights come on because the car is stalling and cutting out on you. The problem could be an electronic sensor, throttle body or even fuel related. bring it into dealer if the check engine light is on they can go into computer memory and see what caused light to come on. It stores a code which corresponds to the failed component. The dealer should get you back on the road in no time. Good Luck