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Nissan Maxima Reliability by Model Generation
Results are for year ending June 30, 2018. Only successfully completed repairs are currently included in the analysis. Routine maintenance, most wear items, recalls, and problems fixed with just a reflash or warning light reset are not included.
| Year and Model | % of Average Repair Frequency | |
 2016 - 2018 Nissan Maxima |
Best
110%
Worst
|
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What Our Members Are Saying about the Reliability And Durability of the Nissan Maxima
| Nissan Maxima Reliability And Durability: Pros | ||
| Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
| 2009 | 4dr Sedan 290-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed shiftable CVT FWD |
car that will last a long time with very little problems full 2009 Nissan Maxima review |
| 2009 | 4dr Sedan 290-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed shiftable CVT FWD |
This '09 Maxima was built in Sept 2008, and I bought it new. This car has the smoothest brakes I have found in over 65 years of driving. Still has original pads, original tires approaching 40K miles. Rotated tires twice, no balancing or realignment ever necessary. Tires wearing evenly, ride is smooth well over 80 MPH. I had internal antenna (intelligent key system) replaced at 30K miles, but no other repairs necessary. I did step up to a more powerful battery at 35K miles, but the OEM battery never gave me any trouble. This has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. full 2009 Nissan Maxima review |
| 2003 | 4dr Sedan 255-horsepower 3.5L V6 4-speed automatic FWD |
It is incredibly reliable and durable full 2003 Nissan Maxima review |
| 2002 | 4dr Sedan 255-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed manual FWD |
It has far fewer problems than the Taurus and is predicted to age with more grace than the 4th generation Tauruses could ever hope to achieve. full 2002 Nissan Maxima review |
| 2002 | 4dr Sedan 255-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed manual FWD |
Great engine, gets good reviews. Fit and finish is very good, even for this older car. No squeaks or rattles. full 2002 Nissan Maxima review |
| 2002 | 4dr Sedan 255-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed manual FWD |
I Beat the Hell out of the thing day in and day out. I take corners as fast as I can then pin the throttle out of the whole and the car never falters. This thing really takes a beating every day from me with no questions asked. full 2002 Nissan Maxima review |
| Nissan Maxima Reliability And Durability: Cons | ||
| Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
| 2004 | 4dr Sedan 265-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD |
The sheet metal is prone to rusting. full 2004 Nissan Maxima review |
| 2003 | 4dr Sedan 255-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed manual FWD |
I strongly hesitate to list this as a con, because the Maxima is a very reliable car in general. In 3 years of ownership, I have only had to replace the battery, tires (knew it when I bought it), rear brakes (knew when I bought it), and I incorrectly replaced the clutch slave cylinder thinking it would fix an issue I was having with the shifter. I replaced some bushings on the shifter and flushed the transmission and put in new shift fluid, but these are regular items to replace at 150k miles and were done as preventative maintenance. These year Maximas tend to use some oil between changes, it varies based on how its driven but I have observed with high mileage oil the consumption has slowed considerably and now uses a quart maybe every 1,500 miles. While this is certainly not great, the car has no other notable reliability faults so as long as you maintain the oil levels there isn't much that goes wrong. My particular Maxima has the synchronizers starting to go bad in a few gears, but this was due to the previous owner abusing the transmission and not a particular flaw with the transmission itself. full 2003 Nissan Maxima review |
| Nissan Maxima Reliability And Durability: Neutral | ||
| Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
| 2002 | 4dr Sedan 255-horsepower 3.5L V6 4-speed automatic FWD |
full 2002 Nissan Maxima review |
