2020 Nissan Maxima problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (3) · Service Brakes (2) · Power Train (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Maxima model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Visibility:glass, Side/Rear 2020-09-22 · campaign 20V570000 · 150 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
Risk: Rear window glass that separates from the vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the back window glass, free of charge. The recall began November 4, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC752.
Service bulletins (99)
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
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
Lane Departure: Warning 2024-10-04 · NTB20-066C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
lane camera aiming vehicle reference values not in esm service information if the lane camera requires aiming, the values in table a on page 4 must be used. for all other models/model years, consult the electronic service manual (esm).
Showing the 6 most recent of 99 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-14 · Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal · 23,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2020 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while her husband was attempting to park and turn off the vehicle, the gear shifter failed to shift into park, the stop button failed to respond, and the vehicle suddenly accelerated, crashed into a tree in the median strip, knocked down three poles, and the brake pedal was depressed bu…”
2026-05-29 · Engine“ 2020 nissan maxima sr is experiencing cvt transmission issues that appear substantially similar to the defects described in the nissan cvt martinez class action involving prior nissan model years.…”
2025-08-25 · Power Train · 106,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. the vehicle jerked before stalling in the middle of the road. no warning lights were illuminated. the police were called to block traffic. the vehicle was towed. the tow truck driver had issues while attempting…”
2025-05-28 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“when i start driving the front collision light comes on and off and then they'll stay on…”
2025-02-26 · Unknown Or Other“nissan dealership said the front control arms are cracking and recommended having them replaced.…”
2024-08-31 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“forward collision warning turns on about 20 seconds after the car starts. there was no accident or obstructions to the sensors, this apperas to just be equipment failure on a car with only 30k miles on it.…”
2024-04-22 · Unknown Or Other“the sunroof inexplicably blew out while driving on a 3-lane interstate normally taken to work every day in the morning, windows were up. this movable portion of the sunroof is part of the panoramic sun roof. the sun shade was open, it is normally left open. some small pieces of the glass fell onto me and seats but most was sucked up and away fr…”
2024-04-18 · Lane Departure: Warning“when i start driving, sometimes i randomly see key system error and das malfunction. all other warnings such as emergency brake, traction control, blind spot detection light up. engine rpm meter keeps going to 0 and back and forth (see video in the link below). when this happens, driver assistance features like forward collision warning, blind spot…”
2024-04-12 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch · 84,214 mi“the contact owns a 2020 nissan maxima. the contact stated while driving 65 mph and changing lanes, the hood unlatched, flew open and struck the windshield. there were no warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 84…”
2024-03-13 · Structure:body“was getting into the car. as we closed the doors, we heard the sunroof shatter. the edges of the broken glass were pushed up as if the air pressure inside the car broke the glass. if the inside cover was open, we would have been showered in glass. the manufacturer inspected and replaced the glass.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.