10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
12,973 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.

2016 Nissan Maxima engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Nissan Maxima Owner Comments

problem #15

Aug 122024

Maxima

  • miles

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

This is third time this has happened. I already filled out one, but they have already replaced my altenator. My car worked fine for about a month, and then it did the same thing where I can't excelarate and the car limps at 1 MPH till it eventually shuts off and will not start up. If you jump the car it will work again, but not for long until it does the same thing. On the Nissan Forums alot of people are talking about this same issue, but nothing is being done and the only fix is to find an OEM altenator, but Nissan doesn't make one anymore. This is really starting to become a huge problem.

- Noblesville, IN, USA

problem #14

Jun 172024

Maxima

  • miles
Alternator loses power and car doesn-??t accelerate. Vehicle shuts down and will not start after. When running diagnostics after everything shows fine and after a jump car works again and reads fine. Happens again after driving for 40+ mins

- Nobleaville, IN, USA

problem #13

Sep 152023

Maxima

  • miles
I recently purchased this vehicle from HHGreg in Tampa, Fl in May 2023. We found out it was associated with a recall regarding the brakes within 60days of having the vehicle, which Brandon Nissan took care of. My car only has 40,000 miles on it now. We bought it with only having 36,000 miles on it. Therefore, we've only driven it 4k miles. However, for the last 3 months, this car will literally shut off while driving, mainly when taking a turn. Which, as you can imagine is extremely unsafe, especially in the middle of a main intersection, which has now happened to me three times. We have had 3 mechanics look at the car, including someone from Brandon Nissan, and no one is able to figure out why the car keeps losing power. When you run a diagnostic on it, all the codes come back as passing. After sitting for a day or so, it will start back up, maybe run 24-72hrs, then it will completely power down again. The car has a brand new battery in it. The alternator is giving out the correct voltage. But something in the charging system and or electrical system is not working. There has to be a shortage or a defect in this models engine. A vehicle with this low of mileage is basically brand new and should NOT have these issues! I am paying for a car I can't even use or rely on. Very frustrated. This will be the last time I ever purchase a Nissan Vehicle.

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #12

Aug 192022

Maxima

  • miles

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

What component or system failed or malfunctioned etc. -The Nissan CVT transmission that is used in all Nissan models and has a known history of premature failure. My 2016 Maxima has 48,000 miles and a completely failed transmission. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk" -My two kids were in the car with all three times the accelerator stopped working while in motion due to the CVT transmission. All happened in Chicago city traffic. Luckily I was able to coast into a safe position each time but I was lucky not to get stuck in the middle of intersection. -Incident order was the same each time. Accelerator would stop working while in the drive gear. After a minute in park the car would seemingly work again, only for the accelerator to fail again shortly thereafter. Then eventually the electrical system shorted due to the transmission and the car was completely locked up, to the point of not being able to shift into neutral or move the steering wheel. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -The problem has been confirmed via Nissan's settlement of lawsuits relate to the CVT transmission, yet they continue to put them in all new models. My car was inspected by an independent transmission shop and they confirmed the engine computer is producing the "kill code" meaning the transmission is failing. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others" -I took it to a Nissan dealership for service (Berman Nissan in Chicago) and described exactly the same problems I later found via research about the CVT transmissions. Their service techs said I needed to replace the alternator, which made zero sense so I declined. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? -No warning lamps, only infrequent acceleration problems in the months prior

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #11

Apr 262021

Maxima

  • miles
driving the vehicle gives no indication it power off car will not start up when you try half an hour later it may start may not start driving it shut off again power shortage code may not come up when it happens it don-??t give any warning when you driving on the highway regular roads it just gives no warning sign it just power off completely at is not safety to drive

- Ansonia , CT, USA

problem #10

Jul 162021

Maxima

  • miles
Four times while I was driving the accelerator was unresponsive. Then the car completely died while driving. The problem is definitely a safety issue due to engine and accelerator stopping while driving. We took it to a good year dealer who originally thought it was battery and replaced it. But that did not solve the problem. Then a Nissan dealer received a code that it-??s the cvt transmission.Nissan has had this issue with many of their cars and had a class action suit brought against them. I spoke with Nissan Corp about extending warranty and repairing the cvt transmission which is an expensive repair. They refuse. The car is extremely unsafe to drive since it may not accelerate and then completely die at any time.

- Manorville , NY, USA

problem #9

Aug 032021

Maxima

  • miles

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

Vehicle shut down, while driving would not accelerate

- Vernon , NJ, USA

problem #8

May 032021

Maxima

  • miles
05/21/21--2016 Nissan Maxima with CVT tranmissions problems. No current recalls, but lots of lemon law cases from 2012-2018 with all models except the maxima. Have 94K on it and was driving and it stopped mid street almost threw my son out the front windshield. Took it to Nissan $4800 to replace. Bought vehicle with CVT transmission being sold as "smoothness". but in reality it has been a complete nightmare that Nissan ignores on the maximas.

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #7

Feb 052021

Maxima

  • 80,000 miles
Tuesday, Dec. 22 my 2016 Nissan Maxima just shut off while driving in hayward, ca near industrial rd. Called triple aaa who jumped the battery and a short distance later on hwy 880 the car shut off again, I was towed off the freeway by caltrans. On January 4, it shut off again while on a city streets. A co-workers husband replaced the battery and I was able to safely drive it home. Jan. 30 a mechanic looked at ran diagnostics and found nothing wrong. I drove it without issue several times from el cerrito to san rafael the week. On Feb. 5 while driving on the streets in oakland, the car just shut off. While waiting for aaa it started again by the time aaa arrived it had stopped again. Luckily this hasn't caused me to have an accident. It is extremely unsafe. And while I see there are several complaints about this issue reported here the service department at the dealership only wants to charge me $190 to diagnostics when they know this is an issue. This issue is a ticking time bomb for a serious accident occurs and Nissan needs to address as soon as possible.

- El Cerrito, CA, USA

problem #6

May 252020

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
Car idling, jerking and hesitating at 30mph. When accelerating it does not. The car is going but from a slow speed going to a higher mph, it will stay stuck and if you floor it, it just won't move. This is dangerous. It's happened on the freeway three times. Now the brake fluid is leaking everywhere. This is a second issue. Transmission. Engine. Cvt, ECM issue and mass air flow sensor and pvc sensor must not be on correctly. I have videos. The service dept has seen them but they can't seem to duplicate the issue.

- Compton, CA, USA

problem #5

Mar 252020

Maxima 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 54,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph in the rain, the vehicle suddenly shut off causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a guard rail. Additionally, after the crash the 4 doors were unable to be opened from the inside or outside of the vehicle. The police and fire department were called to the scene and rescued the driver from the vehicle by breaking the window. The contact indicated that approximately 40 minutes after the crash the doors were able to be opened from the outside. No injuries were reported and no medical treatment was required. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was towed away. The manufacturer was notified of the vehicle. The contact indicated that the vehicle had randomly shut off while driving on two separate occasions. The cause of the failures were not determined. The contact stated that the manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 54,000.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #4

Feb 282017

Maxima

  • 13,131 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. While driving 50-55 mph and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle stalled. The contact lost power steering, power brakes, and other electrical functions. The contact stated that the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the dealer replaced the valve assembly, seal lip, strainer assembly, clip, oil pan gasket, O-ring seal, washer drain, and ns-3 cvt transmission; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 13,131.

- West Islip, NY, USA

problem #3

Nov 172016

Maxima

  • miles
Front bumper clip broken car stalls when driving up an incline at low speeds. Car pulls to the left when driving. Alignment was checked, but was fine according to a Nissan dealer technician. The steering wheel seemed to momentarily lock when making a swift and sharp left turn.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #2

Sep 142016

Maxima 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 462 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. While driving 15 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning and the engine indicator remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 462. Updated 10/28/16

- Parkville, MD, USA

problem #1

Aug 082015

Maxima

  • 2,000 miles
Sunroof transmission front bumper clip fuel sonar senor not working

- Lafayette, LA, USA

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