2003 Nissan Maxima problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (37) · Engine (34) · Exterior Lighting:headlights (22)
🧭 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
147 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 (66)
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 66 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-03-18 · Air Bags“see attached document for complaint…”
2023-08-29 · Engine · 225,000 mi“the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. additionally, while driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was later towed to the residence. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the local dealer and manufacturer …”
2021-08-24 · Steering“ the steering shimmies and pulls to the right. power steering fluids are within there limits. …”
2021-06-09 · Engine“please fix your auto fill --- it just erased everything! anyway, the engine cuts out while driving in traffic. the engine cuts out while waiting at a red light. the engine cuts out while turning. it's all random! the engine code shows p0340, bank 1 and bank2, and sometimes p0345. i have replaced the camshaft position sensors five times!!!!!…”
2021-02-23 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 220,000 mi“as i was driving on the highway the car jerked and felt like it was losing acceleration. the check engine light, tcs and slid light turned on. i began to feel scared i had my child, sister and brother in the vehicle. i proceed to drive home with caution. once i arrived home, i turned the vehicle off and tried to restart it. the car would not start.…”
2020-11-09 · Air Bags“2003 nissan maxima. consumer writes in regards to airbag safety recall. consumer stated that they no longer own the vehicle. *ld *js…”
2020-10-06 · Engine · 170,000 mi“when driving down the street it just turned off. said it was crank/ cam position sensors well changed them and put new throttle body. and now to find there is a recall however my vin is not part of it. well it should be. and be fixed. i have been trying to fix for 9 months. been sitting longer. first had to figure out where to start.…”
2020-06-30 · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · 138,240 mi“the car has stalled when stopped and while driving. slip light and tsp warning lights go on along with service engine. i noticed the recall from 2003 was for similar problems. however i put in my vin # and i'm assuming my car does not apply. very very dangerous. my young daughter was driving when it died. would like to know if repairs would be cov…”
2020-06-24 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 188,000 mi“it has the check engine light on, it takes time to start and when it is driving it turns off (but it turns on).it goes off on flat surfaces, and when you are on a rise that's where it takes to catch on. *tr…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.