Total Complaints
137 filings
NISSAN MAXIMA · model year
137 NHTSA complaints, 10 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
4 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2012NISSANMAXIMA carries 137 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 10 crashes, 2 fires, 12 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 4/5 rating, with 3/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2012 MAXIMA is air bags with 26 filings, followed by unknown or other (23) and electrical system (19). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2012 MAXIMA. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
137 filings
Crashes Reported
10 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 26 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 23 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 19 |
| POWER TRAIN | 17 |
| ENGINE | 11 |
| STEERING | 10 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 6 |
| SEATS | 6 |
| VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY | 4 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
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.
Mileage: 246,450
2012 Nissan Maxima with 94,000 miles began hesitating upon accelerating and jerking on [XXX]. Vehicle diagnosed at Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY with bad transmission. Transmission replaced. Then on [XXX], while driving vehicle, a loud noise from front passenger tire, traction light come on, pulled to side and found wheel side ways and upon investigation, Ball Joint had come part damaging axle and wheel. Found no bolt for ball joint in place. Towed back to Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Since 2018 to present day. I been having difficulties with the visibility from my front windshield at sunny days. The dashboard has this sticky substance that make the dashboard really shinny, and reflect the sun light on the windshield, blocking the view and make it hard to see the road and vehicles. I had to use sunglasses to block this issue, but in some cases this will not improved and can make it worst. I had couple of near miss, and I have to stop driving my car at times to avoid this issue.
Passenger airbag notifi action blinks and will not show it is activated to function in a crash. Airbag has never worked. Also driver seat belt keeps releasing without being pushed to open. Seat belt issue just began Dec 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag failed to turn on while the front passenger's side seat was occupied. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known issue, and that the front passenger's side seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Mileage: 70,000
Green wire burn throughout the entire wiring harness..From alternator to engine fuse box and also to inside fuse box.. Bypassing the blown fuses and/or relays!!
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.
Mileage: 122,000
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.
Mileage: 122,000
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.
Mileage: 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.
Mileage: 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.
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.
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.
Pressing door lock/unlock button on the door handles fails to lock/unlock all doors consistently. Rear door locks respond intermittently or not at all. Driver door often takes four button pushes to get it to unlock. Although it hasn't happened to me, I've heard other drivers mention difficulty getting into the gas cap (it locks when driver's door is locked). This issue has occurred in the last 6 months.
Pressing door lock/unlock button on the door handles fails to lock/unlock all doors consistently. Rear door locks respond intermittently or not at all. Driver door often takes four button pushes to get it to unlock. Although it hasn't happened to me, I've heard other drivers mention difficulty getting into the gas cap (it locks when driver's door is locked). This issue has occurred in the last 6 months.
Dashboard melting/sticky, glare.
We are having issues with "melting" or "sticky dashboard of my 2014 Nissan Maxima. Difficult to see when is sunny outside.
This CVT control variable transmission in these cars go out so fast. The CVT transmission went out at around 115,000. We replace it because we pressed the gas and no acceleration when stop light turned green. Then missed the light then it accelerated late and almost got hit by on coming car. We just replaced this CVT transmission in July 30, 2020 at around about price of $5000. The only place that it can be replaced is through the Nissan dealership. They only guarantee their work for 1 years time. It is starting to malfunction in just over 14 months time. This is only after a little over a year worth of driving. This is ridiculous the amount of money people pay for them on to get $5000 worth of quality equipment. This is a safety hazard driving through Dallas traffic and no shoulder to pull over on because of construction. I have seen on the internet so many complaints about these CVT transmissions. This is the second time transmission problems already replace CVT at 115, 000 m
This CVT control variable transmission in these cars go out so fast. The CVT transmission went out at around 115,000. We replace it because we pressed the gas and no acceleration when stop light turned green. Then missed the light then it accelerated late and almost got hit by on coming car. We just replaced this CVT transmission in July 30, 2020 at around about price of $5000. The only place that it can be replaced is through the Nissan dealership. They only guarantee their work for 1 years time. It is starting to malfunction in just over 14 months time. This is only after a little over a year worth of driving. This is ridiculous the amount of money people pay for them on to get $5000 worth of quality equipment. This is a safety hazard driving through Dallas traffic and no shoulder to pull over on because of construction. I have seen on the internet so many complaints about these CVT transmissions. This is the second time transmission problems already replace CVT at 115, 000 m
Transmission problems.
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.