CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012 Nissan Maxima is a very good reliable vehicle, continuing a stretch of good model years from 2010. Beware of Maximas from 2009, and 2004-2006 though.

The 2009 Maxima has an expensive problem where the steering lock prevents the car from starting, & costs upwards of $1,000 to fix.

Nissan Maximas from 2004-2006 have a widespread transmission defect, but judging from our complaint data, Nissan fixed the transmission problem starting with the 2007 model.

For the 2012 Maxima, so far so good!

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
37,945 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.

2012 Nissan Maxima miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2012 Nissan Maxima Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #23

Jun 092022

Maxima

  • miles

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

On June 9, 2022 @8:50am I was driving my Nissan Maxima to work and as I was at the stop light waiting to go through the intersection, the car shut off completely cutting off all power. I have push button and no electric was working. My jumper cables were in the trunk but I could not access them because the trunk would not operate without power. Without power my hazards did not even work so I could not let traffic flow know that I was in distress. My car almost was hit 3 separate times because of a faulty part or system built by Nissan needs to get their stuff together and quit putting people in danger. I-€™m scared to drive it now because it could shut off as I am in the act of driving and that could be catastrophic not only for me but for other innocent people. I will be contacting Nissan and they will be fixing this properly! The car was finally jump started and I was able to drive the rest of the way to work. Let-€™s see if it starts when I have to leave work? So not cool.

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #22

Oct 012021

Maxima

  • miles
Pressing door lock/unlock button on the door handles fails to lock/unlock all doors consistently. Rear door locks respond intermittently or not at all. Driver door often takes four button pushes to get it to unlock. Although it hasn't happened to me, I've heard other drivers mention difficulty getting into the gas cap (it locks when driver's door is locked). This issue has occurred in the last 6 months.

- Herriman, UT, USA

problem #21

Feb 212022

Maxima

  • miles
Dashboard melting/sticky, glare.

- Gulf Shores , AL, USA

problem #20

Mar 092022

Maxima

  • miles

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

We are having issues with "melting" or "sticky dashboard of my 2014 Nissan Maxima. Difficult to see when is sunny outside.

- Orange Park, FL, USA

problem #19

Oct 162021

Maxima 6-cyl

  • miles
This CVT control variable transmission in these cars go out so fast. The CVT transmission went out at around 115,000. We replace it because we pressed the gas and no acceleration when stop light turned green. Then missed the light then it accelerated late and almost got hit by on coming car. We just replaced this CVT transmission in July 30, 2020 at around about price of $5000. The only place that it can be replaced is through the Nissan dealership. They only guarantee their work for 1 years time. It is starting to malfunction in just over 14 months time. This is only after a little over a year worth of driving. This is ridiculous the amount of money people pay for them on to get $5000 worth of quality equipment. This is a safety hazard driving through Dallas traffic and no shoulder to pull over on because of construction. I have seen on the internet so many complaints about these CVT transmissions. This is the second time transmission problems already replace CVT at 115, 000 miles. Now needs another replacement at 139, 000?

- Cache, OK, USA

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problem #18

Sep 272021

Maxima

  • miles
Transmission problems.

- Waldorf, MD, USA

problem #17

Mar 152021

Maxima

  • 75,500 miles

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

We own a 2012 Nissan Maxima (VIN [xxx]). while driving on the 215 freeway near henderson, nv our middle portion of our panoramic sunroof exploded/shattered for no reason. Have been trying to get it repaired but no parts availability in vegas, the replacement part arrived cracked in phoenix and we are now on our way home to Oklahoma. The area was taped down in vegas and we have been in contact with Nissan Consumer Affairs to see if this will be covered by them due to class action suit listed on internet. They suggested we take to our local dealership in Oklahoma. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Haskell, OK, USA

problem #16

Jun 172020

Maxima

  • miles
Dashboard seems to be melting/ gets extremely hot and as a result is sticky.

- Ellenton, FL, USA

problem #15

Aug 022020

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 35,684 miles
While my son was driving on the highway (straight and at a steady speed) the hood suddenly opened completely, mostly broke off the car, and flew into the windshield. The mechanic that inspected the car told me that the main hood latch was corroded and not functional, and that the safety latch was completely frozen in the open position. Nissan currently has a recall on Altima for hood latch failure. I contacted the company to request that the car be inspected, but was told that the wait would be 6 - 8 weeks, during which we should of course not have the car repaired, and would not be provided with an alternate means of transportation. When I objected, it was suggested that we could drive the car while waiting. When I pointed out that it now had no hood, I was told that whether or not to drive it was my personal choice. My inability to wait 6 - 8 weeks was deemed a refusal of the inspection, and the case (Nissan case #[xxx] was closed. Because my son's friend was recording a car driving ahead of them at the time, the entire incident is on video. (I tried to upload the video but was unable to. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Newton, MA, USA

problem #14

May 112020

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 179,000 miles
I had an a.C. compressor issue 3 years ago and had it replaced by trophy Nissan mesquite, Texas in 2017. Now 3 years later may of 2020 my compressor has locked up again. It was working fine until a week ago when I was on my way to work it was great but after my shift was done and I came out to go home my a.C.compressor wasn't working.so I was wondering if there were any Nissan recalls with a.C. compressor issues on my Maxima.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #13

Dec 192019

Maxima

  • 55,000 miles

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

While driving on the highway this morning, the panoramic sunroof on my 2012 Nissan Maxima spontaneously exploded and shattered. Had the sunroof been open, there could have been extensive damages to me personally, my unborn child (7 months pregnant), and others driving around me if I had lost control of my vehicle.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #12

Nov 172019

Maxima

  • 50,000 miles
Car will not start, steering wheel locks, key fob light is on, brake is stiff. This is not the first time Nissan had this problem. My car only has 50,000 miles on it.

- South Richmond Hill, NY, USA

problem #11

Nov 182019

Maxima

  • 50,000 miles
The car streering wheel wont move and the car wont start.

- South Richmond Hill, NY, USA

problem #10

May 052019

Maxima

  • 50,600 miles
While driving my car at extremely slow speeds my car completely turned itself off and was unable to start back up for 15 minutes. During this time there was no power to the entire car, thus resulting in having to unlock my door manually and crawl through the back to get my son out. 2 months later my car started losing all power when I stopped, once again resulting in having to manually unlock my car and unable to lock the doors behind me.

- Thibodaux, LA, USA

problem #9

Apr 252019

Maxima

  • 116,000 miles
I have had my vehicle for less than 5 months and the transmission has gone out on it. After doing a research online, I have realized that hundreds of people have had this same problem. I have also realized that Nissan has had transmission recalls on several Nissan Maxima's through different years except for the 2012. My vehicle was in motion on a highway, when it would not pick up speed after 10 mph.

- Englewood, NJ, USA

problem #8

Nov 152018

Maxima

  • 0 miles
The dashboard is cracking and melting

- Weston, FL, USA

problem #7

Nov 042018

Maxima

  • 66,954 miles
Car was parked in driveway. Moved out of gear on its own rolled across street crashed into car in another driveway.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #6

Jun 032018

Maxima

  • 55,000 miles
My sunroof shattered on Sunday, June 03 at 12pm while I was driving East bound towards Chicago on 290 highway. I was driving at 60mph on the highway and all the sudden I heard a loud pop noise and my sunroof glass shattered. The road was clear and there weren't many cars around me. Luckily, I wasn't injured. I have already checked with several body shops yesterday, and the cost is over $1000 to fix my panoramic sunroof. I also reached out to Nissan corporate, and reported this issue. The case number is 31546264 and I spoke with barbara, badge#7319182. She called me, 6/5/18 at 10:34am and told me Nissan will not be responsible since there's no sufficient evidence. I told her I have photos of the damage and she asked me to send it to her for review. I find it strange that she didn't ask for any photos or evidence yesterday when I called to report the incident.

- Bloomingdale, IL, USA

problem #5

Dec 252013

Maxima

  • miles
Everytime I drive the vehicle they're a clunking noise when the it reaches 35 mph. Also when I start the car they're a different idling noise, I'm not sure how if it's the exhaust system or if they're a loose bolt that's causing this. When to Nissan numerous times and they couldn't fix the problems.

- Ozone Park, NY, USA

problem #4

Dec 152017

Maxima

  • 78,000 miles
On Friday, December 15, 2017 I was driving on a city street at approximately 45 mph and I heard a loud boom. I pulled off and saw that my sunroof had exploded. There was a large hole in the middle of the sunroof with the edges of the glass raised upward. The remaining glass was popping and cracking.

- Winterville, NC, USA

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