2018 Nissan Maxima problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (4) · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking (3) · Electrical System (3)
🧭 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
22 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 2019-11-08 · campaign 19V807000 · 391,479 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Nissan Murano, 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima, and 2017-2019 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and unrepaired, or inspected and determined to not need a repair, under recall number 18V-601. In addition, this recall expands the previous population. The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.
Risk: A brake fluid leak on the circuit board may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ABS actuator, free of charge. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available, currently expected to be during summer 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: If the ABS warning light remains illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2019-09-12 · campaign 19V654000 · 1,228,830 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible an
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Service bulletins (165)
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 2026-03-30 · NTB15-049CC · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
telematics service information hint: this bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4g network compatible tcu. tcus compatible with 3g network only are no longer supported. service information the applied vehicles that come equipped with a factory installed sos switch, located near the overhead m
Power Train 2025-10-03 · WBI/21-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
campaign bulletin cvt warranty extension in an effort to assure customer satisfaction, demonstrate our confidence in continuously variable transmissions (cvts), and to address customer concerns including those expressed by customers in a class action, nissan will extend the warranty coverage on the
Service Brakes 2025-02-20 · NTB19-042F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
automatic emergency braking warning light blinking applied systems: vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see figure 1) service information if the automatic emergency braking (aeb) warning light or is blinking (but not illuminated steadily) or the customer states it is blinking, and there are no rel
Service Brakes 2025-02-20 · NTB19-033G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
intelligent cruise control inoperative and aeb/feb warning light on or radar obstruction message displayed with dtc c1a16 or c2582 if you confirm important: the purpose of action (on the next page) is to give you a quick idea of the work you will be performing. you must closely follow the entire ser
Showing the 6 most recent of 165 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-17 · Unknown Or Other“i am submitting this as a formal complaint regarding an ongoing and unresolved safety issue with my 2018 nissan maxima (vin: [xxx] ). despite multiple attempts to have this issue diagnosed and repaired, the problem continues without resolution. the issue occurs after driving for approximately 30 minutes. the vehicle suddenly goes into limp mode, t…”
2026-02-27 · Suspension“my rear passenger side coil spring broke. this is a dealer only item. i contacted the dealer and the item is on back order. it is my only means for transportation. i didn’t cause this break, and now i can’t even get it fixed until it comes in whenever that may be. the dealership doesn’t have an estimated time for delivery. i am financing my car and…”
2026-02-06 · Unknown Or Other“in june 2019, while driving my 2018 nissan maxima, the vehicle suffered a sudden and violent mechanical failure. without warning, the steering wheel jerked forcefully to the side, and the vehicle became uncomtrollabel leading to an approx 100-foot spin across a median. i have since verified this vehicle was subject to nhtsa recall 19v-807 for an …”
2025-09-04 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:electronic Lock/Latch Actuator“the contact owns a 2018 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the power door functions on the front driver’s door failed to operate on two separate occasions. due to the failure, the contact had to enter the vehicle from the front passenger’s side before crawling over into the driver’s seat. the vehicle was initially taken to the dealer, and the f…”
2025-07-03 · Electrical System · 8,434 mi“the contact owns a 2018 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the instrument panel was intermittently dim upon starting the vehicle. the contact stated that while driving the instrument panel eventually brightened before returning to a dim setting. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions however, the technicians were unable to dup…”
2024-11-14 · Visibility/Wiper“360 cameras have stopped working on my vehicle. i've seen where there was a recall on the same thing, but my vehicle is not coming up in the recall. i did buy the car used, but not being able to use the cameras is definitely a safety issue. …”
2024-09-12 · Wheels:lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs · 40,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 nissan maxima. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact started losing control of the vehicle. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the lug nuts needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. th…”
2024-05-03 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 51,533 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact's son owned a 2018 nissan maxima. the contact stated while the driver was driving 5 mph, he noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. there was no warning light illuminated. the driver was able to pull to the side of the road. the contact stated that the driver opened the hood, and noticed that there was fire under t…”
2024-04-22 · Tires“four tires size 245/45/18 failed after 9 months and 6,500 miles. tires were rotated after 5,000 miles. dealer checked alignment at 6,500 miles all was ok. two rear tires were bald, no tread, two front tires were worn to wear bar. dealer sent tires for warranty 3/12/24 to date 4/22/24 warranty information not received.…”
2023-04-06 · Lane Departure: Lane Keep: Steering Assist · 94,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "front radar obstruction unavailable" message was displayed on the instrument panel. the vehicle independently slowed down without depression the brake pedal. as a result of the failure, several electrical features including the forward collision and…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.