Nissan Maxima start and stop problem

Hi, Last evening my car (2000 Nissan Maxima) broke down in the middle of the road. Then I had to tow it to a auto service. It would start and then stop/die almost immediately when I take my foot off the pedal. The car mechanic got back to me saying there is nothing wrong in the battery and alternator. And they need to look at the engine. Any idea what might be going wrong? Thanks.

If the check engine light was on, they should be able to get the error codes and narrow it down. It could be a bad throttle position sensor, or any number of sensors. Just a shot in the dark without the error codes.

Thanks for the quick response. My car did have a check engine light with the code saying problem with ignition coil if I remember correctly. But previously I went to a auto service who checked and said it is doing fine. So after that everytime the same code showed up, I ignored. Not sure if I did the right thing.

Any guess what might be a possible cost of repair in case of any sensor issue as you mentioned? I'm not an expert so relying on the mechanic and just praying its not going to be that expensive.

If you had the code for a bad coil, I would say it most likely failed. With the newer cars, you have individual coils for each spark plug. They usually run $40 a piece. That's after market parts. Different sensor have all different prices. With any luck it's just a bad coil pack. Will probably run you $150-$200 for parts and labor. If you take it to a dealer, it will be much more.

The Maxima has established itself as one of the most popular sedans, but there have been some common repair problems reported. I haven't heard of the start/stop issue, but some commonly reported issue include an oil leak and an AC pressure hose leak. Here's more information: https://www.carchex.com/research-center/car-repair-cost/nissan- extended-warranty-common-maxima-repair-problems/