2002 Nissan Maxima problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (19) · Exterior Lighting:headlights (17) · Engine And Engine Cooling (14)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Maxima model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
128 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2022-08-09 · campaign 22E066000 · 375 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag inflators designed to fit Infiniti 2002-2003 QX4, 2006-2010 M35 and M45; Nissan 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, and both driver and passenger-side inflators designed to fit 2007-2012 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback vehicles. Please see Nissan's recall report for the specific
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the inflators as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 14, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-01-09 · campaign 20V008000 · 307,962 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. T
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or Infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
Air Bags 2015-05-15 · campaign 15V287000 · 1,090,569 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: On December 18, 2015 Nissan informed NHTSA of an amendment of this recall to remove 2004-2005 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 vehicles.
Service bulletins (82)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
window glass warranty information this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
removing foreign material from the window glass this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
windshield cracking this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 82 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-03-24 · Vehicle Speed Control“ [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)…”
2025-03-05 · Unknown Or Other“driving vehicle on road and the accelerator pedal no longer working vehicle. coasted to the side. car had to be towed. vehicle cranking without problem but will not accelerate pedal goes to floor. at consideration of purchase of vehicle, car fax and all details about vehicle were viewed for possible purchase. items on recall are now a concern as…”
2025-01-27 · Unknown Or Other“unknown. vehicle on roadway and it just stop accelerating in the middle of traffic. research of vehicle before purchase refers to several issues that i would like to verify that those items are not a factor in my use of my vehicle. i have concern about lights, airbag, sensor, and i dont want to have a problem where i am in danger or others. …”
2022-11-09 · Wheels“the vehicle failed front wheel bearing replacement. i took it to the mechanic because when i was driving there was a very loud noise and didn't feel well. the mechanic told me that i could have had an accident because the tire was about to come off the vehicle.…”
2022-08-12 · Air Bags“the contact owned a 2002 nissan maxima. the contact received notifications of nhtsa campaign number: 20v-008000 (air bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list as he is no longer the owner of the vehicle. the local dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was contacted.…”
2021-12-28 · Steering“when i first purchased this car i had immediate problems with the power steering fluid. the check engine light has remained on the entire time. but the car was hemorrhaging fluid, groaning, whining, and my steering was becoming extremely loose. i call the dealer that sold me the car, because i dropped 4 grand on what seemed like a nice vehicle with…”
2020-08-21 · Air Bags · 123,000 mi“tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2002 nissan maxima. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v008000 (air bags). the vehicle was taken to the gilman nissan fort bend located at 26001 southwest fwy, rosenberg, tx 77471, and after two days it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. the contact stated that when she …”
2020-06-02 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 130,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2002 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the dealer was not informed of the failure. the manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 03v455000 (engine and …”
2020-02-18 · Tires · 68,000 mi · 💥 crash“[xxx] power steering system tires fuel pump air bags battery everything has been falling apart since 2018, it's been fixed and couple months later, the same problem comes up. every mechanic that touches this car, said the same thing to check up the recall status. because there are too many issues with it, and the mileage is low. so there i…”
2019-05-22 · Seat Belts“car starts but dies down after a few miles…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.