CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012 Nissan Maxima is a very good reliable vehicle, continuing a stretch of good model years from 2010. Beware of Maximas from 2009, and 2004-2006 though.
The 2009 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.
For the 2012 Maxima, so far so good!
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
45,086 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.
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately and started shuddering. The oil warning light, ABS, coolant temperature, and the ESP warning light were illuminated. Additionally, the driver's side window failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
The contact owned a 2012 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that after returning from lunch and parking the vehicle at work, almost three hours later he was informed by someone that the vehicle was on fire. The contact walked outside and saw the engine compartment in flames. The contact stated that the engine compartment was completely burned. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The fire department filed a fire report. The contact stated that the security cameras showed that no one had tampered with the vehicle before the vehicle caught on fire. The contact stated he was unsure what started the fire, but the hood of the vehicle was completely melted. No one was injured. The contact stated that the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 138,000.
On June 9, 2022 @8:50am I was driving my Nissan Maxima to work and as I was at the stop light waiting to go through the intersection, the car shut off completely cutting off all power. I have push button and no electric was working. My jumper cables were in the trunk but I could not access them because the trunk would not operate without power. Without power my hazards did not even work so I could not let traffic flow know that I was in distress. My car almost was hit 3 separate times because of a faulty part or system built by Nissan needs to get their stuff together and quit putting people in danger. I-??m scared to drive it now because it could shut off as I am in the act of driving and that could be catastrophic not only for me but for other innocent people. I will be contacting Nissan and they will be fixing this properly! The car was finally jump started and I was able to drive the rest of the way to work. Let-??s see if it starts when I have to leave work? So not cool.
The air conditioner stopped cooling while driving. The traction light comes on and the mechanic said it was the mass air flow sensor.(that have been replaced twice) aamco said that they have had several Nissan Altima and Maximas come in with a bad compressor and brakes. I know at least four of my family members with the same issue and they drive Altima and Maximas as well.
- Hattiesburg, MS, USA
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Everytime I drive the vehicle they're a clunking noise when the it reaches 35 mph. Also when I start the car they're a different idling noise, I'm not sure how if it's the exhaust system or if they're a loose bolt that's causing this. When to Nissan numerous times and they couldn't fix the problems.
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. While driving various speeds, the vehicle would vibrate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that two of the motor mounts failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage and VIN were unknown.
Released brake, started rolling forward to cross traffic, step on accelerator and nothing happened. No engine rev or anything. Pumped accelerator many times and finally engine engaged. Nearly causing passenger side to be hit by oncoming traffic. This has happened in similar situations with both my wife and myself driving.
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. While driving various speeds, the contact noticed an abnormal smell of antifreeze coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 33,000.
While driving my 2012 Nissan Maxima, I was slowing to a stop at an intersection. The car unexpectedly stalled due to a problem with the power steering pump. I was luckily able to push the brakes and emergency brake to get the vehicle to stop. After stopping, I restarted the car, and was without power steering after that. I have read online that there are many other 2012 Nissan Maxima owners who have had similar problems, others reporting the loss of power steering at highway speeds, which could lead to serious crashes or worse. My car is outside of Nissan's factory warranty, but given the car is only 2 years old with 43K miles, it seems it is still far to new to be having a problem such as this. Based on the comments online, it would be in Nissan's and the public's best interest for Nissan to issue a recall on the power steering mechanisms.
I was driving South of the NJ turnpike I heard a loud boom sound and vibrations on the accelerator I looked in the rearview mirror and saw debris and a cloud of smoke. Smells of something burning also there was a tremendous amount of smoke coming from underneath the hood of my car. I immediately started pulling over from the middle lane as I'm pulling over almost causing a major accident the car went dead everything just blew out coast off to the shoulder almost killing myself and others. I immediately rushed out of the car and started running on the shoulder because I thought my car was going to blow up. I called roadside assistance and they called puleios tow truck of North brunswick NJ which was a horrible experience they towed me off the turnpike I had to pay $150 out of pocket for third party towing that I had no knowledge of no control of and no money! Nissan roadside supervisor[xxx]told me "that's your bill to pay and soon as you pay we will dispatch our tow tuck to take you to Nissan dealership. Where I had the car serviced." After the money was paid I still had to wait another 2 1/2hr. After being stranded from quarter to 9am. Just heartless for a customer who was almost killed on the NJ turnpike all from there manufacturer defect in the battery which exploded and blew two big holes in the engine. Diagnostic done by North plainfield NJ...my engine is completely blown and the car is only 14 months old. Now how do you explain that! information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pomona, CA, USA