"How reliable is the 2012 Nissan Maxima?"

"Based on 136 NHTSA complaints, the 2012 Nissan Maxima has a median complaint mileage of 52000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2012 Nissan Maxima?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2012 Nissan Maxima is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 136 total complaints filed."

2012 Nissan Maxima: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 136 complaints

136

Total Complaints

52,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

31,150 25th Percentile

52,000 Median Mileage

85,354 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN

ENGINE

STEERING

SEATS

STRUCTURE:BODY

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC START BUTTON, WHICH THE CONTACT BELIEVED CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. IN ADDITION, WHILE SHIFTING INTO DRIVE THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND WAS INVESTIGATING THE FAI..."

"TODAY I FOUND MY NISSAN MAXIMA 2009 MAKING A REPETITIVE GRINDING SOUND. UPON INVESTIGATION I DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS THE MOTOR FOR THE ADJUSTABLE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN. IT IS CURRENTLY STUCK IN THE HIGHEST POSITION AND IT IS EXTREMELY CLUMSY TO DRIVE AND BLOCKS VISION TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IN R..."

"PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG INTERMITTENTLY (A LOT!) DOES NOT HAVE AN AIRBAG FOR 130+ POUND PERSON, BUT DOES HAVE AIRBAG FOR 80LB CHILD. HAVE HAD TO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES, NISSAN REPORTS THAT THIS IS WITHIN THEIR SPECIFICATIONS; THEY HAVE DISMISSED THE COMPLAINT. I HAVE FURTHER REPORTED TO NISSA..."

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