There are 10 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2002 Nissan Maximain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TAKATA RECALL!!! MY PASSENGER AIR BAG SEAT LIGHT IS FLASHING. ALSO I BOUGHT THE TOP CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND IT HAD A RECALL, IS MY VEHICLE COVERED? MY CONTROL ARM NEEDS TO BE CHANGED CAN YOU PLEASE ADVISE ME ON THE NEXT DECISION I SHOULD MAKE.. I'M TAKING IT TO GERALD NISSAN IN NORTH AURORA FOR THE SECOND TIME FOR THE AIRBAG.
THE CAR HAD A RECALL PERFORMED ON 08/02/2011 TO REPLACE CRANKSHAFT AND CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSORS, THE CAR RAN PERFECTLY BEFORE THE SAID RECALL. THE MENTIONED RECALL ALSO INCLUDED AN EARLIER RECALL WHICH WAS INEFFECTIVE. SOME TIME AFTER THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED THE CAR WOULD STALL INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT TRIGGERING A CODE. FINALLY THE STALLING TRIGGERED A CODE ON 01/29/13 WHICH WAS A CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR CODE WAS TRIGGERED BUT DENIED THAT IT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE STALLING PROBLEM AND RETURNED THE CAR WITH THE INTERMITTENT STALLING CONDITION WITHOUT A DIAGNOSES. EVENTUALLY THE CAR WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BAD CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND REPAIRED ON 11/08/2013 AFTER TWO MORE VISITS TO THE DEALER AND NUMEROUS CALLS TO NISSAN NORTH AMERICA. THIS WAS VERY SAME CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR INSTALLED BY THE RECALL #R3022 WHICH WAS BAD AND IN EFFECT RENDERS RECALL #R3022 (NISSAN) INEFFECTIVE, AT LEAST IN MY CASE. NISSAN REFUSED TO PAY FOR DIAGNOSES AND REPAIR OF THE FAILED RECALL. THIS FAILED RECALL COST ME $656.08 AS WELL AS ENDANGERED MANY LIVES. NOTE: THE CAR ONLY HAS 26,000 MILES ON IT. *TR
PURCHASED 2002 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH UNDER 30K MILES 11/09. AT 35K MILES HAD TRANSMISSION SERVICED. NOW THE TRANSMISSION IS COMPLETELY SHOT AT 38K MILES. NISSAN IS REFUSING TO ADMIT A DEFECT OR A FAULT WHEN THERE ARE OVER 100K COMPLAINTS ONLINE TO VARIOUS WEBSITES AND THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS PATHETIC AND OFFENSIVE. THE VEHICLE HAS LOST 3RD AND 4TH GEAR AND IS LOSING 2ND SLOWLY BUT SURELEY. THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED YET NISSAN IS DENYING THE CLAIM BECAUSE OF THE YEAR IT IS. A QUICK SEARCH OF GOOGLE TELLS ME THAT 2002-2006 NISSAN MAXIMAS HAVE HORRIBLE TRANSMISSION ISSUES. THIS SHOULD BE ESCALATED TO A RECALL DUE TO THE DANGERS OF HAVING THE TRANSMISSION DROP OUT OR HAVING IT CATCH FIRE WHICH WILL HAPPEN IF I CONTINUE TO DRIVE MY CAR THE WAY IT IS. I CANNOT AFFORD A $2500 TRANSMISSION WITH THE ECONOMY THE WAY IT IS. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE THIS RIGHT. *TR
PER NISSAN, NO RECALLS ON THE FOLLOWING= 1.CD PLAYER DOES NOT WORK, SHOWS ERROR 2. FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT WORK, SHOWS FULL ALL THE TIME AND HAVE RAN OUT OF GAS-COMPLETE SAFETY HAZARD!! 3.TRANSMISSION NEEDED REPLACED-DID NOT HAVE REVERSE-COMPLETE SAFETY HAZARD 4.CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED REPLACED-STALLED ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY DUE TO LOSS OF POWER AND AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT-COMPLETE SAFETY HAZARD 5.MOTOR NEEDED REPLACED-MOTOR QUIT WORKING WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY-AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT WHILE I LOST POWER. I WENT OVER AND BEYOND ALWAYS REPLACING THE MOTOR OIL & FILTER AT 3000 MILES 6.SPEAKERS QUIT WORKING AND WILL BLARE BACK ON UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING STARTLING ME, THE VOLUME DOES NOT WORK-COMPLETE SAFETY HAZARD 7.FRONT AIR BAG SENSOR CORRODED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED-THANKFULLY NO INJURIES AS A RESULT IF I HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT! 8.FRONT SUSPENSION REPLACED INCLUDING PIN-NISSAN SHOWS A NOTICE ON THIS BUT NOT A RECALL!!!!????? 9.DRIVERS SIDE DOOR ARM REST BROKE APART AND HAD CUT MY ELBOW WHILE DRIVING 10.REAR WHEEL WELLS/FENDERS ARE RUSTING THRU. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA SE. I BOUGHT MY CAR USED WITH 98,000 MILES ON IT. FOR THE FIRST YEAR IT WAS GREAT BUT THEN IT JUST STARTED GOING DOWN HILL. WHEN I WOULD SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT TO ABOUT 10 MPH AND THEN PRESS ON THE GAS THE CAR WOULD BUCK. WHEN I WOULD GO IN REVERSE AND STOP AND PUT IT IN DRIVE THE WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS AND WHEN IT WOULD FINALLY GO INTO GEAR IT WOULD MAKE THE CAR BUCK. THEN THINGS JUST KEPT GETTING WORSE AND WORSE. THE CAR WOULD BUCK IN EVERY UP-SHIFT AND EVERY DOWN SHIFT. FINALLY THE OTHER DAY I WAS DRIVING AND IT WOULDN'T EVEN HIT 3RD GEAR THE ENGINE WOULD JUST REV UP AND THEN BANG INTO GEAR. NOW THE OTHER DAY IT WONT EVEN GO INTO 3RD GEAR IT WILL JUST REV UNTIL I MANUALLY PUT IT INTO 3RD. THE REASON I AM PUTTING THIS COMPLAINT IN IS BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION ON ONLINE FORUMS AND BASICALLY EVERYONE WITH THE SAME CAR IS HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS!! PLEASE MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN WITH THIS. IT HAS TO BE A FACTORY DEFECT. *TR
VEHICLE IS 5 YEARS OLD ,2 WEEKS OUT OF WARRANTY), EXTREMELY WELL MAINTAINED WITH 43,000 MILES. BEGAN HEARING A GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION. NISSAN DEALER AND A SECOND SOURCE IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS THE BEARINGS IN THE TRANSMISSION. EVERYONE I TRY TO GET AN ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS WERE SUPRISED THAT THE BEARINGS WOULD GO OUT WITH SUCH LOW MILAGE, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE TRANSMISSION HAD PREVENTIVE MAINTAINANCE DONE BY THE DEALER AT 39,000 MILES. *AK
2002 NISSAM MAXIMA - ENGINE POWER FAILED TWO TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY AT 37,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 39,000 - NEVER FIXED UNTIL RECALL. THE ENGINE WAS RECALLED AND THE CAR FIXED AT 58,000 MILES. THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN WEEK OF JANUARY 31, 2005 AGAIN NOW THE CAR HAS 87,000. BACAUSE NISSAN FOUND NO ISSUE (NO ERROR CODE ETC.) THE CAR WENT UNFIXED THIS WEEK. THE CAR IS BEHAVING JUST LIKE IT DID WHEN THE CAR LOST POWER ON THE HIGHWAY TWICE BEFORE THE RECALL. I ASKED THEM TO REPLACE THE SAME SENOR THEY DID FOR THE PRIOR RECALL AND THEY SAID NO BECAUSE THEY HAD NO ERROR CODE WHEN I HAD THE CAR SERVICED ON FEBRAURY 4, 2005. I HAVE NOT BEEN HURT IN THIS CAR YET BUT THE CAR HAS LOST POWER NOW THREE TIMES ONLY WHEN I HAVE BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY AND I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND I CAN'T EVEN LET MY WIFE USE THE CAR FOR FEAR IT WILL LOOSE POWER WHEN SHE IS DRIVING IT.*AK
CAR HAS A PRONOUNCED HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION. CAR HAS AN ON/OFF THROTTLE BUCKING. THIS PROBLEM IS CONSTANTLY PRESENT.
ON FEB 2, 2002 MY MAXIMA WAS PARKED ON MY DRIVEWAY (ON A SLIGHT HILL) MY HUSBAND'S TRUCK WAS PARKED BEHIND IT. I WAS ATEMPTING TO MOVE MY CAR FORWARD. I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL. CAR JERKED BACKWARDS DAMAGING BOTH VEHICLES. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED DOWN AT THE GEAR SHIFT AND IT WAS IN THE DRIVE POSITION. I HAD MY CAR TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR. CURRENTLY I AM TRYING TO WORK WITH CORPORATE NISSIAN TO RESOLVE THIS SITUATION.
WHEN VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINE IT ROLLED BACKWARDS A COUPLE INCHES BEFORE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR.*AK *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026