"How reliable is the 2002 Nissan Maxima?"

"Based on 278 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Nissan Maxima has a median complaint mileage of 67500 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Nissan Maxima?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Nissan Maxima is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 278 total complaints filed."

2002 Nissan Maxima: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 278 complaints

278

Total Complaints

67,500mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

24,737 25th Percentile

67,500 Median Mileage

123,204 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

STEERING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TIRES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"HEATED STEERING WHEEL SOMETIMES REACHES 119 DEGREES, WAY TOO HOT. NISSAN SPECS SAY 95 IS MAX TEMP. I'VE MEASURED IT UP TO 119 DEGREES. NISSAN HAS REPLACED THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT DIDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING. NISSAN AND THE DEALER SAY IT MEETS NISSAN SPECS, BUT THEY HAVE NEVER MEASSURE IT, AND REFUSE ..."

"ON FEB 2, 2002 MY MAXIMA WAS PARKED ON MY DRIVEWAY (ON A SLIGHT HILL) MY HUSBAND'S TRUCK WAS PARKED BEHIND IT. I WAS ATEMPTING TO MOVE MY CAR FORWARD. I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL. CAR JERKED BACKWARDS DAMAGING BOTH VEHICLES. I IMMEDIATELY LOOKED DOWN AT THE GEAR SHIFT AND ..."

"CAN PROVIDE DETAILS-ISSUE AT HAND IS THAT NISSAN HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND CANNOT CONFIRM CAUSE OF FAILURE AND NOW I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THE CAR AND REQUESTED TECHNICAL CONFIRMATION OF THE SAFETY IN WRITING OR A NEW CAR-THEY HAVE NOT ADEQUATELY RESPONSED TO ME. PLEASE CONTACT FOR DETAILS...SINCERELY, ..."

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

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