CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2009-2010 Maxima has an expensive problem where the steering lock prevents the car from starting, & costs upwards of $1,000 to fix!

For more information, see this page on the Nissan Maxima Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL) defect.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
113,809 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Nissan Maxima seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2010 Nissan Maxima Owner Comments

problem #12

Jun 212022

Maxima 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 149,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima The contact stated that when attempting to park their vehicle and shifting into reverse while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward. The vehicle crashed into the side of the building in front and through the wall of the building causing the front end to be inside of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle had been towed. The decision to total the vehicle had not been finalized as of yet. The contact received injuries to their back and medical assistance was needed. The dealer was not made aware. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 149,000.

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #11

Apr 022017

Maxima

  • 790,000 miles
Steering- when turning the colum it squeeks; right or left as I am slowing down to make the turn. Suspension- strut insluators need to be replaced; this was mentioned years back in a recall and mine are needing to be replaced, I am not origional owner. Passenger air bag light- constantly on lower control arms- replaced drivers side but needs passenger side replaced as well

- Pinellas Park, FL, USA

problem #10

Sep 092016

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 147,000 miles
My wife's 2010 Maxima has issues with the airbag sensor in the passenger seat and it doesn't operate correctly. It is the same issue with the 2013 Nissan recalls but that recall doesn't go back far enough. I've contacted Nissan headquarters and they just blew me off. The contact person's name is [xxx] with Nissan Consumer Affairs and he has yet to contact me by my cell. They keep calling me on my home number and we aren't home most of the time. I've recently called them again this past Friday and the representative said someone will contact me in a few hours. Today is Wednesday September 14, 2016 and still no phone call. I was advised a few weeks ago to take the car to the dealer and get a quote by Nissan hq and call them back with the information. I've done that and now they won't return my calls. [xxx] contact number is [xxx] and md case # [xxx]. Nissan keeps closing my case number and won't address this issue. I just don't want my family put at risk if the passenger side airbag doesn't deploy because of a faulty sensor in the seat. I want Nissan to take care of this problem before something horrible happens. The contact person at the dealership for Nissan is [xxx] and that number is [xxx]. he can verify how much it would cost by the quote he gave us. It's approximately $1,100 to fix. Thanks for your assistance in this matter NHTSA. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Kyle, TX, USA

problem #9

Jun 192015

Maxima

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. While driving various speeds, the contact's vehicle was struck twice by another motorist on the front and rear ends. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact and passenger were injured and required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Lakeland, FL, USA

problem #8

Sep 162015

Maxima

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. While driving 20 mph, the passenger side air bag indicator illuminated when a passenger occupied the seat. The contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the air bag compartment at the time of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Naples, FL, USA

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problem #7

May 272015

Maxima

  • 54,654 miles
I was hit broadside, on the driver's side, by another driver going approximately 25-30 mph but my side air bag did not deploy. The other car crashed into the front three-quarters of my driver's door plus the rest of the driver's side in front of the door. My car repair facility says the air bag on this model will only deploy if the car is hit precisely on the frame between the driver's door and driver's side rear door so because my driver's door was hit slightly in front of that -- the front three-quarters of the driver's door not the back one-quarter -- it didn't deploy. That doesn't seem safe; is that correct??

- Bethesda , MD, USA

problem #6

Jan 032011

Maxima

  • 10,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passenger airbag indicator remains on when adult (~110 lbs) is present in the passenger seat. Ensured seated properly, passenger airbag still disabled. Complained many times to dealership over the course of 3-4 years with a response of "everything is functioning properly". finally the seat bottom was replaced to ensure the sensor was good - problem persists, Nissan dealers no longer willing to attempt to fix. This vehicle was purchased with a five-star crash safety rating, but I hardly believe that would be true with the passenger airbag not functioning. A potentially grave safety concern.

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #5

Mar 152011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 21,000 miles
Shortly after purchasing this vehicle (new), my wife noticed that when she is in the passenger seat, the passenger air bag status light stays on, indicating the air bag is turned off even though an adult is sitting in the seat. The dealership look at it and claims that it is working correctly and blamed that my wife was sitting in the seat wrong. It is not an occurrence that always happens, just periodically.

- Clarksville, MD, USA

problem #4

May 012013

Maxima

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the front passenger's air bag warning light illuminated, stating that the passenger's air bag was not activated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure where a diagnostic was performed however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The dealer replaced the front passenger air bag sensor as a precaution but the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that the front passenger air bag was performing according to standards. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000 and the current mileage was 33,000.

- Louiville, KY, USA

problem #3

Apr 252011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 3,000 miles
To whom it may concern: August 5, 2013 my husband and I own a 2010 Nissan Maxima that we purchased new in 2010. Occasionally we have noticed that the passenger air bag light remained on for differing lengths of time and didn't think much of it. At some point we read the owners manual about this warning signal. It said the light should come on when you start the car and go off about 10 seconds later. This wasn"?T always the case. This warning light tells me that the air bag will not deploy in case of an accident and a passenger in the passenger seat will have no protection. I view this as a very serious problem. Air bag light on reads, "air bag"?" at this point, August 2013, the car has only 19,000 miles on it. Through the last couple of years the problem has recurred, but more frequently. In the spring of 2013 we took the car to the dealer where we purchased it. They tested it with their computer and detected no problem. They said the computer didn't record any instances of that event occurring. Recently we started doing some research on line about this problem and discovered that many people are having this very same problem. Some responses that were given by Nissan included passenger not heavy enough. One woman weighed about 110 pounds and another woman weighed about 145 pounds. Their response wasn't logical. Another response was that the leather wasn't soft enough. The seats in our car are fabric, and very soft. Nissans response was stupid!! apparently Nissan has no idea on how to solve this problem. My husband and I are very uneasy about using this car with this very serious safety issue. An easy fix that I would recommend is to disconnect the warning light and arm the airbag full time, even if no one is in the seat. Looking forward to hearing from you. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- North Wales, PA, USA

problem #2

Jan 202011

Maxima

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the passenger air bag warning light would illuminate on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they advised her that she would need to replace the seat. The passenger seat was replaced and two weeks later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken in to the dealer again and they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #1

Jun 162010

Maxima 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,057 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic stop, two vehicles struck the contact's vehicle from the front. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and back. There were no additional injuries. A police report was available. The contact's insurance company performed an investigation on the vehicle and advised the contact that there was not enough impact to the vehicle for the air bags to deploy. The current and failure mileages were 1,057. Updated 10/21/10 the consumer was informed the air bag sensors were in the floor board.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

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