915 of the
8,853 complaints filed about the Nissan Maxima
are about the electrical system —
10% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2000.
Car was parked outside husbands work since 7 at 12:15 pm he was advised by a co worker that my car was on fire ! When I ran outside my his workers where trying to put out the fire with the fire extinguishers from the work warehouse ! The fire department ended up finish putting out the fire ! The whole engine compartment was burnt to a crisp and a huge hole was burnt through the hood on the passenger side along side the firewall of car !
NHTSA complaint #11746526 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle experienced a no‑start condition and was towed to a dealership. The dealership performed major engine and timing repairs without authorization and kept the vehicle for nearly four months. After the repairs, the vehicle still cranks but will not start, requires jump‑starts, and now has new electrical issues and a nonfunctional A/C system.The safety risk is that the vehicle can fail to start unexpectedly, stall, or lose electrical power, which could leave occupants stranded in unsafe conditions. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership, but they were unable to diagnose or repair it. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership and a warranty company.There were no warning lights before the failure. The symptoms began immediately before the vehicle was towed and have continued after the dealership’s repairs.
NHTSA complaint #11744323 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2019 Nissan Maxima (approximately 70,000 miles) displayed a hazard warning indicating a vehicle failure and began stalling without warning. The vehicle was brought to Mossy Nissan on May 28, 2025, where it has remained for over 11 days. The dealership has been unable to identify or repair the root cause of the electrical failure. The vehicle has been observed stalling while in the dealership's possession. This is a safety defect — a vehicle that stalls without warning poses a direct risk to the driver, passengers, and others on the road. I am formally requesting NHTSA investigate this issue as a potential safety defect in the 2019 Nissan Maxima.
NHTSA complaint #11742646 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving at night when I got a headlight system error message on my instrument panel and I noticed my driver side headlight was not on. A few seconds later the light came back on and a minute or so later it went off again and came back on and I got the error message again. It came back on and has worked pretty much since but I have seen it flickering at night on a few occasions. The next day when it was light out I looked at both headlights and noticed a lot I mean a lot of condensation inside the headlight assembly. I know some fogging and some light condensation is normal on these LED lights but the amount inside the driver side headlight is not normal. And I was lucky enough to have the error and light go off and on in a fairly well lit area so thankfully I was not in an accident or driving on road that’s not well lit. There’s clearly a defect in the sealing of the headlight that’s allowing that much water in. And not having a headlight working because of an error caused by water that can disable my visibility especially on the driver side to due to the headlight not being sealed properly. There is not physical damage like a crack or anything in the housing of the headlight. And since the whole headlight needs to be replaced since it’s LED that’s $2200 before labor. And there didn’t appear to be anything wrong with the headlight no condensation when I looked at it on the car lot when I bought it on 3-4-26. I tried to have my Nissan dealer repair/replace it using the Endurance Apex Unlimited warranty I bought when I purchased the car but they won’t cover it due to a faulty seal. I’ve seen a couple post about the same side headlight on others 2019 Maxima’s with the same issue so this doesn’t appear to be a one off. And I would think headlights going out from moisture and condensation causing errors to the electric contacts controlling the headlights would be a serious safety issue that could potentially cause bodily harm or even death from an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11727083 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Nissan Maxima. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact stated that the mileage on the title was not available. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 150,000. The vehicle was taken for Texas State Inspection and the VIN was entered on the Inspection Station website and the mileage of 246,450 was displayed.
NHTSA complaint #11711387 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle jerked before stalling in the middle of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The Police were called to block traffic. The vehicle was towed. The tow truck driver had issues while attempting to tow the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle failed to start. The contact would turn on the engine, and several minutes later, the vehicle stalled. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. It was unknown if the contact's husband had replaced the battery. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was informed that the vehicle warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
NHTSA complaint #11682977 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the instrument panel was intermittently dim upon starting the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving the instrument panel eventually brightened before returning to a dim setting. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions however, the technicians were unable to duplicate the failure. The failure persisted, and the contact stated that the instrument panel had gone blank before returning to a dim setting later. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, and the contact was informed that the Around View Monitor (AVM) unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,434.
NHTSA complaint #11671034 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic pending repairs after the contact was involved in a crash, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The independent mechanic requested a Carfax report and found the discrepancy, and that the vehicle had been involved in a crash in the past. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 78,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was approximately 118,000.
NHTSA complaint #11669745 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The power on the dashboard goes out and I have no way of knowing my speed, the milage, or any other information on how the vehicle is operating. The radio and other dashboard instruments are off the screens are black and I can't receive any information on how the vehicle is operating. Our safety is at risk since when this happens, we don't know if it would stop abruptly and cause an accident. We have not taken it to a dealer yet but are scheduling an appointment. No other parties have inspected the vehicle yet. The Warning that came across the radio screen was this: Check the Map SD Memory Card Please see the owner's manual in detail SET: QY8100NA Application: 102 SNO: 00010697 Application: 107 E-CODE: NK-SD-11 This first happened in the later part of March on the 28th of this year. The Dash does this off and on thing randomly and sometimes it runs fine. The owner's manual didn't help.
NHTSA complaint #11662859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Battery light keeps turning on and brake light. Replaced alternator and battery after my vehicle stalled on me on the road, but the issue and problem is still on going.
NHTSA complaint #11659998 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving my car down the road the vehicle randomly shut off lost power and I had to quickly pull into a plaza but was almost hit, looking through many different Nissan forums a lot of mechanics and owners are saying that the original crankshaft/camshaft position sensors on the Altima/maxima have experienced faulty mechanics over time that cause it to overheat and stop working and locking up the system completely. This is a huge problem as I can’t afford to fix this myself and it could have caused a serious accident this should be investigated due to other recalls on the Altima with the faulty sensors, the maxima 3.5 is also starting to experience these issues if you look through multiple forums and research the issue that’s happening. Please investigate this soon so that nobody gets seriously hurt.
NHTSA complaint #11646032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Maxima. The contact received notification of an undisclosed recall. The contact stated that while the vehicle was off, the push-to-start button was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to start. The immobilizer warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the key fob and the steering lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
NHTSA complaint #11639330 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While pulling into a parking space, I heard my engine racing. Immediately, I felt the car lurch forward. To avoid misapplying my foot to the gas pedal, I withdrew both my feet to the floor, next to the seat. The car continued forward at a fast rate. The car stopped going forward after it struck s building. However, the tires kept spinning, especially the front left tire. The engine ran briefly, until it stopped spontaneously. A few days previously, while driving at about 40 miles per hour on level ground, I felt the gas pedal to be unresponsive. Then it quickly reengaged. I mentioned this to my husband and he suggested that there may have been an air bubble in the fuel line. I don't know if the two events are related. Also, possibly related, I stopped using cruise control, because the car would surge and lapse during use. My insurance company is pursuing spontaneous acceleration. I visited my primary care physician the afternoon of the accident and was diagnosed with whiplash.
NHTSA complaint #11620050 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
No matter what speed you’re going it puts itself in false neutral. Abs , traction control comes on battery light flashes. No power steering and will not accelerate. Have almost been ran into and ran over. There is no warning when this happens and not yet find a service department or garage that can fix the problem. Very dangerous especially for a new driver, I bought this car for my daughter. This has happened more than once and now we do not drive the car due to it not being safe. New battery and alternator checks good. Has been scanned for codes several times.
NHTSA complaint #11613181 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Alpine Nissan of Denver (2400 W 104th Ave, Denver, CO 80234) where it was diagnosed and determined that the alternator had stopped routing electricity after overheating. The contact was advised by the local dealer that the transmission needed to be replaced and related to failure to Technical Service Bulletin: NTB17-039P (Transmission Judder); which was related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,800.
NHTSA complaint #11602938 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2016 nissan, noticed while stuck in traffic on highway on rainy day the vehicle seemed to want to loose power and battery light was coming on. I was able to exit highway an make it home. Later that night while at laundry mat headed to get food the car wouldn't accelerate eventually died an wouldn't start. Next day go to get it towed yet started no problem acceleration was fine alternator voltage was normal range. Few weeks later battery was dead which I have replaced. Alternator voltage still reads normal. I get about 20 minutes driving and battery light pops on eventually soon power steering and traction control goes out then car will die. If leave it few hrs 2-4hr an come back is fine. But can't drive 20min before it is a problem again. Has caused serious finacial strain and still paying for vehicle close to loosing employment it dies everyday then I have to pay for ride home and to go back to get it later. Have gotting stuck in intersection car just stops working. People have almost crashed into me because i cant get it off the road. Electrical or software computer problem somewhere.
NHTSA complaint #11597107 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This Vehicle is Severely Defective. This Vehicle is not safe to be on the road. This Vehicle has had several repairs for the same repair issue but the problem still exists. I have spent thousands on this Vehicle and this vehicle is still inoperative and not drivable. This Vehicle is a hazard for the road. VEHICLE IS UNSAFE! VEHICLE has still not been Repaired. Please I like to be Compensated and Reimbursed for the Loss I have suffered. Please compensate and/or reimbursed me for the $10,000.00 I lost in a Defective, Inoperable, and Unsafe Vehicle. Thank God My Child and I did not get seriously hurt while I was driving this vehicle. I remember one incident while I was driving this vehicle: Right in the middle of me driving this vehicle I was going about 40-45 mph on the highway, the vehicle just shut down all of a sudden. The entire Electrical System just Shutdown. That was very frightening! So, yes I like to be Fully Compensated for all my troubles with this vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11589401 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I see multiple issues online about people replacing alternators on multiple Nissan vehicles and I can only imagine the frustration that Nissan has not been ordered to address their IPDM issue. Dealers and repair shops continue to struggle with this diagnosis.
NHTSA complaint #11579677 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.