1996 Nissan Maxima problems
Owners have filed 117 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Nissan Maxima. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 16% of complaints. After that come air bags (15%) and transmission (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 117 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 16% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 15 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 10 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 100,000 miles 22 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 | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Among the 22 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 100,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 15 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 10 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 83% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1996 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Nissan Maxima with enough data (59 complaints in that window).
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.
There is a blind spot that blocks out vision for short drivers. Owner can't see oncoming vehicles from left at intersections. Large blind spot created by left outside mirror and bar between windshield and left front window.
Consumer was sitting at a light & was hit from behind. Rear bumper was pushed in the back seat. Airbags didn't deploy & the seatbelt didn't lock. Consumer sustained facial & dental injuries. Manufacturer had an inspector to look at vehicle & found seatbelt & airbag in good working order.
On two occasions hood latch snapped. This could have caused injures to the consumer while making repairs under the hood.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the air bag indicator constantly flashed on the instrument panel. She took the vehicle to the dealer and paid $125 for an estimate. The dealer stated that the failure was incapable of being repaired. In the summer of 2007, the manufacturer stated that they would not assist in repairing the failure. The current mileage was approximately 84,000 and failure mileage was approximately 75,000. Updated 11/28/08 the vehicle was loosing power steering fluid.