Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 2008 Nissan Maxima, assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its VIN to decode that exact car, its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment, alongside these records.
Open a VIN recordRecalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Nissan Maxima year.
The parts named most often across 78 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this make, model and year.
2 crashes · 2 injured
2 crashes
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so read this as where to look rather than as a defect rate.
Heavy Rust/corrosion/hole in driver & passenger floorboard. Visible from underneath vehicle when the vehicle is up on the lift. I’m concerned my feet will go through the floor. Inspected by an authorized auto body shop and they confirmed this is very unsafe and a manufacture defect.
THE CAR IGNITION WILL NOT LET ME TURN IT
AIRBAG LIGHT HAS TURNED ON. THEY WHERE NOT DEPLOYED. TRIED TO RESET THE LIGHT BUT IT STILL CAME ON. TRIED TO ERASE THE LIGHT WITH OBD2 READER BUT THE CODE NEVER SHOWED. THE LIGHT TURNED ON OUT OF NOWHERE. ITS BEEN ON FOR MONTHS.
VEHICLE STOPPED FORWARD MOVEMENT IN MIDDLE LANE OF I-95 NORTH. ENGINE REVOLUTIONS JUMPED TO RED ZONE BUT NO FORWARD MOVEMENT. HAD TO COAST, IN LIGHT TRAFFIC, TO EDGE OF ROADWAY MERGE LANE. ENGINE THEN DIED. ENGINE RE-STARTED ABOUT 35 MINUTES LATER AND TRAVELED TO US HWY 1 WHEN SAME THING HAPPENED. VEHICLE DIED IN OUTER LANE. STATE POLICE ARRIVED AND ASSISTED IN PUSHING VEHICLE TO BUSINESS SHOULDER/DRIVEWAY ENTRANCE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES TO TRANSMISSION SHOP IN FREDERICKSBURG, VA WHERE THEY TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. THE INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED FOR THE PAST WEEK. THE DEALER (94 NISSAN OF SOUTH HOLLAND, LOCATED AT 16269 VAN DAM RD, SOUTH HOLLAND, IL 60473, (708) 333-2000) WAS CONTACTED BY PHONE AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT A DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOULD BE PERFORMED TO VERIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, BUT THE CONTACT DECLINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000.
THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONERS PREMATURELY WEAR, CAUSING A WHINING NOISE AS THE CHAIN RUBS AGAINST THE TENSIONER WHILE THE VEHICLE IS TURNED ON. THIS WEAR EVENTUALLY GRINDS THROUGH THE TENSIONER RESULTING IN COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE WHICH CAN LEAD TO A CRASH OR INJURY. THIS BEGAN TO HAPPEN FOR ME JUST OUTSIDE OF THE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY, AND IS A COSTLY REPAIR FOR A PART OF THE ENGINE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE MAINTAINED WITHIN THE ENGINES EXPECTED LIFETIME.
HAVE A 2008 NISSAN MAXIMA AND JUST FOUND OUT I NEED A TRANSMISSION AFTER ONLY HAVING IT 2YRS ..DEALER NEVER TOLD ME THAT IT HAD A PROBLEM WHEN HE SOLD TO ME HAD I KNOWN NISSAN HAD A PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL I WOULD NEVER HAD PURCHASE IT...I NEED A WHOLE NEW TRANSMISSON AND FOR 3700 DOLLARS I FEEL NISSAN SHOULD RPLACE IT AT NO COST TO ME SINCE IT SEEMS THAT THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE WITH ALL THERE MODELS NOT JUST MINE...IT JUST CRAP THAT IM STUCK TRYING TO FIX IT...NISSAN NEEDS TO MAKE THIS PROBLEM OR RATHER FIX THIS ISSUE THAT IS SO COMMON IN THERE VECHICLE THEY NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE ...CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER CAUSE IT WOULDNT SHIFT AND THERE IT WAS A BIG HEFT BILL TO TELL ME THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND HAD THE NERVE TO TELL ME NISSAN ARE KNOWN FOR BAD TRANSMISSION...NOT WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR...
FLOORBOARDS RUSTED OUT.
FEBRUARY 2009 I PURCHASE A 2009 NISSAN MAXIMA VIN#1N4AA51E29C....... THERE HAVE BEEN MINOR ISSUES THAT I HAVE DEALT WITH. LET ME EXPLAIN, FIRST THE MOTORS THAT MOVE THE STEERING COLUMN UP/DOWN (WARRANTY COVERED) AND IN/OUT (A $600 ESTIMATE) BOTH HAVE GONE OUT. SECONDLY, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR ($186) WAS FOUND TO BE FAULTY ON FEBRUARY 20, 2015 WITH MILEAGE OF 47,859. THIRDLY, THE FRONT LEFT STRUT ($142) HAD TO BE REPLACED AND BOTH FRONT STRUT MOUNTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED ($176), WHICH IS A RECALL FOR SOME VEHICLES BUT NOT MINE. I'M CONFUSED BY THIS BUT LET'S MOVE ON THE BIGGEST PROBLEM I'M HAVING WITH NISSAN. TODAY THE ONLY RECALL ON MY 09 MAXIMA HAS BEEN THE ESCL, WHICH WAS REPLACED ON JULY 21, 2017 WITH 73,429 MILES OF THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED A DIFFERENT SOUND WHEN STARTING THE CAR. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE SOUND, SO I DROVE THE CAR HOME. SHORTLY AFTER, THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD STARTED BLINKING AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG INDICATOR CAME ON. ON FEBRUARY 19, 2018, MY CAR WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO GET THE AIRBAG SYSTEM FIXED WITH 76,443 MILES ON THE CAR. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT RAN A DIAGNOSTIC REPORT ($95) FINDING CODE DCT B1018 AS A PROBLEM. THEY REPORTED THEIR FINDINGS TO ME AND GAVE AN ESTIMATE OF THE REPAIRS TO BE BETWEEN $2,000 AND $4,000, A BIG DIFFERENCE. I TALKED WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT WHAT HAD TO BE DONE TO FIX THE AIRBAG SYSTEM, HOW MUCH TIME THE REPAIRS WOULD TAKE, WHY SUCH A WIDE SPREAD IN THE FINANCIAL ESTIMATE AND WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THIS PROBLEM. I LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS CONVERSATION. THE BIGGEST SURPRISE WAS LEARNING THAT NISSAN CHANGED HOW THEIR AIRBAG SYSTEM SENSORS WORKED FROM ALWAYS ON TO OFF UNTIL A SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. I WOULD FEEL MORE LIKE A VALUED CUSTOMER WHEN NISSAN PAYS 100% OF A PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN CAUSED BY 'NO FAULT' OF THE CONSUMER.
AIRBAG LIGHT KEEPS FLASHING. SENSOR IS DEFECTIVE. NISSAN SAID THEY DONT COVER. ITS NOT INCLUDED ON THE WARRANTY. CLUSTER LIGHT ON DASH IS BLINKING ON AND OFF MAKING CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE.
MY CAR ACCELERATED CAUSING DAMAGE TO MAILBOX, TELEPHONES POLE AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE? AND MYSELF, ALONG WITH OTHER PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT, WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WHEN A CAR PULLED IN FRONT OF ME, I SWERVED TO KEEP FROM HITTING THEM, WHEN I DID THAT MY CAR ACCELERATED TO HIGH SPEED, WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE THE WHOLE TIME AND BOTH HANDS ON THE STIRRING WHEEL WHILE IT PROCEEDED TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION UNTIL IT CAME TO A STOP, FOOT STILL ON BRAKE WHILE IT STARTED TO BACK UP SLOWLY BACK INTO THE INTERSECTION I PRAY TO GOD AND THEN STIRRED THE WHEEL INTO THE SIDEWALK AND INTO THE BACK OF A POLE IS WHERE IT STOPPED FOOT STILL ON BRAKE WHILE THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE GOT THERE. I NOTICED A WEEK BEFOR IT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF ME DRIVING IT, I THOUGHT MAYBE THE KEY NEED A NEW BATTERY SO I STRARTED USING THE KEY IN THE EGNITION WHICH I USUALLY DON'T DO BECAUSE OF IT BEING A KEYLESS ALSO NOTICED THE SEAT BELT WAS HAVING ISSUES WOULD NOT RETURN TO ITS PROPER PLACE AFTER RELEASING THE BELT.? I KNOW THIS WAS A ELECTRICAL OR MALFUNCTION AND SOMEONE NEEDS TO FIND IT BECAUSE I DID NOT MISTAKE THE GAS FOR THE BRAKE.
MY AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON WHEN I'M DRIVING AND I'M SURE IT IS FAULTY. ALSO THE LIGHT INDICATOR FOR MY TIRE PRESSURE STAYS ON EVEN THOUGH I'VE PUT ADEQUATE AIR IN THE TIRE. THIS OCCURS WHILE THE CAR IS MOTION AND WHEN IT IS NOT IN MOTION.
Showing 12 of 78 complaints.

NHTSA frontal crash test
1 open NHTSA investigation into this model. Investigations come before recalls, so these are potential defects not yet covered by one.
Rated configuration: 2008 Nissan Maxima 4-DR. w/SAB
20.9 mpg average · 14–30 range · EPA says 21
Over 5 years this costs $7,000 more in fuel than an average new vehicle.
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