CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2011 Nissan Maxima is a good reliable vehicle overall. There's a slight trend of transmission failure just before 100,000 miles, but not widespread enough to be a major concern. Beware of Maximas from 2009-2010, and 2004-2006 though.

The 2009-2010 Maxima has an expensive problem where the steering lock prevents the car from starting, & costs upwards of $1,000 to fix.

Nissan Maximas from 2004-2006 have a widespread transmission defect, but judging from our complaint data, Nissan fixed the transmission problem starting with the 2007 model.

3.3

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,533 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Nissan Maxima engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Nissan Maxima Owner Comments

problem #12

Aug 172022

Maxima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Cvt transmission jerking, engine is always idling hard sometimes wants to even shut off, accelerating sometimes takes a lil while to respond, rack and pinion assembly faulty I would like for nissan to fix my car or get a lump sum check for all faulty errors these cars have

- Hickory Hills, IL, USA

problem #11

Mar 032021

Maxima

  • 113,000 miles
My car has less than 113,500 miles and started losing power and coasting, the speed would fluctuate and something sounds loose in the engine. I took it to lithia Nissan in fresno ca on blackstone and they told me the cvt belt needs to be replaced thereby causing the car to need a whole new transmission at $5738.96. The car was in motion.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #10

Dec 242020

Maxima

  • 74,000 miles
This is my third Nissan Maxima and they all had the same idsue with the mass air flow sensor. Set off check engine light and makes car hesitate when accerlerating. My mom owns a 2013 Maxima 45000 miles and has the same issue with check engine light.

- Albany, NY, USA

problem #9

Mar 302019

Maxima

  • 114,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My transmission messed up on me with 114,000 miles! brand new almost and when it would go over 45 it won't catch my gears the RPM would go stay put and make a loud whining noise!!

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #8

Jan 012018

Maxima 6-cyl

  • miles
Letter from senator boozman on behalf of constituent re 2011 Nissan Maxima consumer complaint against Nissan corporate. The consumer stated the vehicle was making a horrible knocking noise. The consumer was advised the transmission was going out. The manufacturer was notified, but did not offer any assistance. The consumer requested to be reimbursed for the repairs and the rental.

- Decatur, AR, USA

problem #7

Jan 222017

Maxima

  • 0 miles
Vehicle is parked and engine wont start. Had a 2009 Maxima that also had the same issues. Checked battery and it is fine but car wont start. I have jumpstarted it and that has turned the car back on but after a few months I have the same issue. This last time my car did not start, not even with a jump start.

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

problem #6

Jul 302016

Maxima

  • 67,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Check engine indicator light has come on intermittently 3 times in the past two months. Upon getting a diagnostic test at a Nissan dealership, the second time the light came on, I was told they needed the car another day, for a longer time to further investigate the two codes that came up during the test. The check engine light went back out a few days later. Now two months later the light is on again and this time as I was leaving a shopping center parking lot, turning onto a main road the car made a jerking/surge-stop motion as if it did not want to accelerate. It continued to do this same motion any time I slowed down or stopped at a light or slowed down to make a turn during my 2.5-3.0 mile trip to my house. I did not drive the car for the next 24-28 hours. Upon driving the car to the dealership to drop off for service I did not experience the jerking/surge-stop motion. After assessing the vehicle today I was informed that the rear timing chain cover has deteriorated causing problems with oil pressure to the engine, code P0011. There were also two other codes for heating system P1217 and transmission fluid pressure P0868. Total cost of repairs $2984. My car is 5 years old, approximately 67,000 miles on it so it is outside of the warranty. After reading others similar complaints about transmission issues just outside of the warranty period, knowing that previous model years had problems that ended up extended warranty it is very disturbing and disappointing to know that Nissan is not further investigating these issues further. Also, other issues I have had tire pressure indicator light coming on intermittently and car not starting but all dash lights staying on had technical bulletins. The latter should be a quick resolve yet I was charged almost $400 for something not mentioned in the related bulletin. Nissan lacks responsible customer service!!!

- Centreville, VA, USA

problem #5

Jun 232015

Maxima

  • miles
2011 Nissan Maxima. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle shuts down while driving. The consumer stated the vehicle jerked three times, before it shut off. The consumer was informed, the air filter had not been changed in a year. The dealer claimed, the consumer refused to have the air filter changed.

- Jasper, TX, USA

problem #4

Dec 292014

Maxima

  • miles
I purchased my 2011 Nissan Maxima brand new in may of 2011. About a year after I purchased my car, the dealership notified me that my engine mount was seriously damaged and needed to be replaced. I contacted my warranty company and found out the particular piece needing to be replaced wasn't covered under my warranty. I was facing a $1000+ repair bill. Needless to say, I have still not been able to repair my engine mount. I am trying to understand how, on a brand new car, can an engine mount be damaged to the point of needing repair and then my warranty not covering that particular piece? also, for the last 6-7 months, the service engine soon light has been coming on and going off. The car wasn't riding or operating any different so I dismissed it. Recently however, at roughly 85K miles, my service engine soon light has been on and will not go off. When I was at a stop light, my car just shut down. I was able to restart it but while I was accelerating, around about 40mph, the car began to jerk as if it was trying to shift but was confused. The gas tank was at about 1/4 of a tank when all of this occurred. My car is only 3 years old and I am having major issues and cannot understand why, when I bought this car brand new and keep up with all of the regular maintenance.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #3

Nov 202014

Maxima

  • 55,400 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel seized. In addition, the vehicle stalled as all the warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,400. Mailed out 01/13/15

- Marietta, OH, USA

problem #2

Oct 232014

Maxima

  • 41,000 miles
Tsb ntb12-071- factory bearing problems 2009 " 2012 Maxima; engine knock from #1 main bearing 2009 " 2012 Maxima (A35) no.1 main bearing knock noise confirmation use the following criteria and symptoms to confirm the knock noise is coming from the no. 1 crankshaft main bearing. Knock noise from no.1 main bearing is confirmed if all of the following symptoms exist: " not heard at cold start. " can be heard at warm idle (not a cold start condition). " heard best from under the engine with the vehicle lifted. " using stethoscope, the knock can be isolated to the lower front of the engine (near the # 1 or # 2 main bearing). " cannot be heard driving at highway speeds. " cannot be heard sitting in the vehicle with the radio on. Planet Nissan -5850 centennial center blcd- las vegas nv 89149- refused to resolved or fix this problems [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Las Vegass, NV, USA

problem #1

Dec 092012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 22,000 miles
The car has a push button start and could not be turned-off. All emergency procedures in the manual were followed and the car could not be turned-off. The deal actually let the car run until it ran out of gas. There was no evidence there was any issue with the car until I went to turn it off, then the engine would not shut-off. A driver could be in need of gas, or need to stop with children in the car and would be in a situation where the car will not stop running. The doors would not lock with the car running.

- Tampa, FL, USA

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