1998 NISSAN MAXIMA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 108 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (23 complaints · 21.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 12
  • Fires 12
  • Injuries 9
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 1997 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 23 of 108 owner complaints (21.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 23 complaints, 21.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 · 21.3% · 9 fire reports AIR BAGS: 22 complaints, 20.4% of reports AIR BAGS 22 · 20.4% · 8 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 9 complaints, 8.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 9 · 8.3% ENGINE: 7 complaints, 6.5% of reports ENGINE 7 · 6.5% · 2 fire reports STRUCTURE: 6 complaints, 5.6% of reports STRUCTURE 6 · 5.6% FUEL SYSTEM: 5 complaints, 4.6% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 5 · 4.6% · 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 5 complaints, 4.6% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 · 4.6% · 3 crash reports VISIBILITY: 5 complaints, 4.6% of reports VISIBILITY 5 · 4.6% POWER TRAIN: 4 complaints, 3.7% of reports POWER TRAIN 4 · 3.7% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 63 complaints, 58.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 63 · 58.3% · 6 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 21.3% 0 crashes · 9 fires
AIR BAGS 22 20.4% 8 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 9 8.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 7 6.5% 0 crashes · 2 fires
STRUCTURE 6 5.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 5 4.6% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 4.6% 3 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 5 4.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 4 3.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 63 58.3% 6 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1998; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2002. 1998-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 1999-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 1999-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2000-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2001-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1998 Jul 2021 Recall campaign 02V171000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V171000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 06E049000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E049000 Recall campaign 08E050000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E050000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000
  • Campaign 02V171000 was reported 1,239 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 08E050000 was reported 130 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E025000 was reported 403 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1998-Q1 Owner reports 1
1998-Q4 Owner reports 7
1999-Q1 Owner reports 6
1999-Q2 Owner reports 4
1999-Q3 Owner reports 6
2000-Q1 Owner reports 4
2000-Q2 Owner reports 7
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2000-Q4 Owner reports 7
2001-Q1 Owner reports 3
2001-Q2 Owner reports 1
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 2
2002-Q2 Owner reports 2
2002-Q3 Owner reports 5
2002-Q4 Owner reports 1
2003-Q1 Owner reports 2
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q1 Owner reports 5
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 3
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 3
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 02V171000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 06E049000
Recall campaign 1 08E050000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V171000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    IF THE COMBUSTIBLE GAS EMITTED BY THE MELTING PLASTIC DOES NOT DISPERSE DUE TO AIR FLOW THROUGH THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, IT COULD IGNITE AND IN TURN IGNITE THE FAN GUIDE IN THE ALTERNATOR.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 29, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E049000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08E050000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS, THE LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY BE AFFECTED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 108 complaints · page 1 of 5

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources