"How reliable is the 1997 Nissan Maxima?"

"Based on 123 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Nissan Maxima has a median complaint mileage of 85892 miles. The most common issue is Alternator/Generator/Regulator."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Nissan Maxima?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Nissan Maxima is Alternator/Generator/Regulator, accounting for a significant portion of the 123 total complaints filed."

1997 Nissan Maxima: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 123 complaints

123

Total Complaints

85,892mi

Median Mileage

Alternator/Generator/Regulator

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

63,569 25th Percentile

85,892 Median Mileage

102,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Alternator/Generator/Regulator

Frontal

Front Underhood

Electrical System

Engine And Engine Cooling

Air Bags

Fuel System, Gasoline

Windshield

Emission Control

Rack And Pinion

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED PREMATURE FRONT WHEEL LOCKUP, CAUSING EXTENSIVE UNDERCARRIAGE DAMAGE, SUCH AS STRUDS/CONTROL ARM, ETC. *AK"

"WHEN MAKING A COMPLAINT ABOUT AN OIL LEAK TO THE DEALERSHIP, DEALER DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS POWER STEERING FLUID THAT WAS LEAKING. A POWER STEERING RACK HAS BEEN ORDERED AND WILL BE REPLACED ON APRIL 9, 1998. AS OF YET NO REPAIRS WERE DONE. *AK"

"WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE AUTOMATIC TRUNK OPENS UNEXPECTEDLY. IF AN OBJECT WAS TO FLY OUT OF THE TRUNK IT MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. BEEN TO DEALER FOR A YEAR, DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Alternator/Generator/Regulator 27 complaints

25th: 79,875 mi Median: 98,000 mi 75th: 102,391 mi

Electrical System 5 complaints

Median: 100,000 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 4 complaints

Median: 94,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 24 NY: 14 FL: 11 MA: 10 NC: 7 IL: 5 PA: 5 NJ: 4 GA: 4 OH: 3

Who Files Complaints?

30.1%

Original Owners

69.9%

Second+ Owners

Nissan Maxima — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	138	128,000	Power Window Devices And Controls	7
1991	99	134,097	Recliner	10
1992	140	139,000	Power Window Devices And Controls	23
1993	102	108,000	Frontal	13
1994	128	100,000	Power Window Devices And Controls	7
1995	195	131,000	Frontal	18
1996	117	100,300	Frontal	15
1998	133	110,000	Air Bags	14
1999	215	80,000	Ignition	9
2000	467	60,000	Ignition	33
2001	224	75,000	Air Bags	15
2002	278	67,500	Air Bags	37
2003	249	88,500	Engine	20
2004	1725	78,950	Automatic Transmission	43
2005	1152	86,000	Power Train	32
2006	733	84,000	Power Train	30
2007	168	85,001	Body	5
2008	99	75,000	Air Bags	9
2009	460	70,000	Steering	7
2010	399	67,000	Steering	9
2011	138	70,000	Air Bags	9
2012	136	52,000	Air Bags	9
2013	71	65,500	Power Train	1
2014	126	52,725	Air Bags	20
2016	223	44,307	Power Train	16
2017	147	27,907	Unknown Or Other	11
2018	44	39,178	Unknown Or Other	2
2019	26	17,000	Unknown Or Other	6
2020	32	8,296	Body	2

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28