1997 Nissan Maxima problems
Owners have filed 123 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Nissan Maxima. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 33% of complaints. After that come engine (11%) and air bags (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 123 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 33% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 19
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 86,000 miles 39 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 | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 12 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 6 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 39 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 86,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 94,000 miles (13 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 19 complaints mention a fire; 9 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 90% 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 1997 ranks 21st most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Nissan Maxima with enough data (52 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.
Travreling 45MPH when another vehicle was making a turn in front, consumer's vehicle swerved to avoid hitting the other vehicle. Instead, hit vehicle on driver's side then on passenger's side. Upon impact, the air bags beployed but must have popped or fizzled out. Driver's head made contact with the front windshild and there was smoke inside of vehicle.
Vehicle stopped in traffic. I was hit in the rear by a 2000 ford f150 truck. I was propelled forward, then back into the seat, the seat back collapsed. I sustained neck, shoulder, back, hip and knee injuries. My car was pushed into another car in front of me. The airbags in my car did not deploy!
Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled however it would restart. This had occurred since the vehicle was purchased. It was taken to a dealer who could not determine the cause of the problem. There have been several repairs to the vehicle including the replacement of three oxygen sensors, the alternator and starter. There was a recall #02v171000 pertaining to the electrical system. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. Updated 12/15/06.
1997 nissan maxima se - cruise control malfunctions causing either unwanted acceleration or unwanted deceleration. Has happened on multiple occasions with different drivers to the point we no longer use the cruise control feature in this specific vehicle.