"How reliable is the 2003 Nissan Maxima?"

"Based on 249 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Nissan Maxima has a median complaint mileage of 88500 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Nissan Maxima?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Nissan Maxima is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 249 total complaints filed."

2003 Nissan Maxima: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 249 complaints

249

Total Complaints

88,500mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

36,350 25th Percentile

88,500 Median Mileage

134,425 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

AIR BAGS

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"UNDER LOW LIGHT DRIVING CONDITIONS SUCH AS EARLY MORNING OR AT DUSK, DURING RAIN, SNOW, OR HAZE, WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE REQUIRED FOR SAFE DRIVING, MY INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS CAN BLEND WITH THE DIALS AND UNDER THE RIGHT LIGHT CONDITIONS CAN BECOME UNREADABLE. I DROVE FOR OVER ONE HOUR ON ONE DAY AND CO..."

"AUTOMATIC WINDOWS DO NOT HAVE A SAFETY STOP BUTTON. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK"

"GAS MILEAGE IS VERY LOW. CURRENT GAS MILEAGE IS BETWEEN 15 MPG AND 20 MPG"

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