1990 Nissan Maxima problems
Owners have filed 138 complaints with NHTSA about the 1990 Nissan Maxima. Fuel system is the most reported problem area, at 30% of complaints. After that come wipers, windshield & visibility (16%) and lighting (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 138 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 7 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 7 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 128,000 miles 13 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 13 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 128,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 7 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 7 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1990 ranks 28th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Nissan Maxima with enough data (31 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While at an intersection getting ready to make a left turn another vehicle, going about 30 MPH, rearended nissan, driver's seat collapsed backwards and twisted, upon impact vehicle was totaled.
Due to significant corrosion of the fuel filler tube resulted in fuel leaks, which in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire. In addition, the left rear seat belt retractor is mounted to the wheel housing and in the event of significant corrosion, and the mounting could fail in a vehicle crash. I have already contacted nissan and dealer in this regard; the nissan is not giving response from last one month to the dealer.
Driving vehicle started shaking; had replaced motor oil; vehicle still shakes; driving & noticed smoke from A/C & underhood; vehicle lost brakes; pulled over & called fire department. Underhood noticed engine had melted (aluminum block). Fire dept. Said fuel related.
The fuel and brake lines on my nissan maxima are corroded and due to the brake line failure I had a loss of brake power. I was able to stop and call a tow truck, thankfully. Also, the fuel lines are corroded and started to leak which could have caused my car to explode very easily. The placment of these lines and the carlessness of nissan motors needs to be looked at here. People could die very easily from these corroded lines.
The vehicle's gas filler tube corroded. A recall (95v244000) was issued for the vehicle, however the dealer refused to repair it at no cost. Please provide any additional information. *nlm