2016 Nissan Maxima
The Verdict
The 2016 Nissan Maxima has 142 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (46 complaints) and electrical (30 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 65/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Nissan Maxima, consider the 2023 model year which has 99% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2023 has 99% fewer complaints
View the 2023 Nissan Maxima dashboard →
Klunk Score: Solid Pick
Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 50 | 29 | 186 | 91 | 19 |
| 2001 | 48 | 22 | 59 | 44 | 8 |
| 2002 | 69 | 21 | 62 | 57 | 11 |
| 2003 | 29 | 5 | 65 | 100 | 6 |
| 2004 | 322 | 59 | 39 | 126 | 879 |
| 2005 | 83 | 21 | 24 | 108 | 711 |
| 2006 | 71 | 51 | 25 | 76 | 353 |
| 2007 | 46 | 22 | 20 | 29 | 12 |
| 2008 | 31 | 3 | 28 | 8 | 8 |
| 2009 | 190 | 6 | 109 | 23 | 11 |
| 2010 | 152 | 2 | 85 | 24 | 12 |
| 2011 | 38 | 2 | 33 | 15 | 18 |
| 2012 | 32 | 0 | 43 | 14 | 18 |
| 2013 | 7 | 2 | 26 | 5 | 22 |
| 2014 | 21 | 2 | 44 | 13 | 15 |
| 2016 | 46 | 17 | 30 | 29 | 20 |
| 2017 | 49 | 10 | 25 | 10 | 8 |
| 2018 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 2020 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
The car has been diagnosed with a CVT transmission problem which the mechanic stated was hard to diagnose. The car sometimes slow down to only 30 miles or less being unpredictable when driving and could cause an accident in a busy street or highway as the problem comes at unpredictable times. The car is close to 61000 miles and a car with this mileage should not have a transmission problem. According to the independent mechanic who inspected the car it might be a problem related to the design of the transmission. I had several incidents when the car really slows down and this has the potential to cause a fatality. This car had episodes of loss of acceleration, power loss and unpredictable driving behavior. One time my car was towed on 05/03/26 due loss of acceleration on a highway and i had to pull over and the police helped staying behind my car to prevent an accident. As i mentioned before the problem was hard to identify and I had to take my car several times to the shop to find out what has been wrong
I took my vehicle yesterday to Monroe Nissan to check on hvac job done last May 2025 as ac was blowing hot air again I was told the ac compressor needs replacement along with that they recommended transmission replacement at a cost of 8000 plus. My Nissan is out of warranty but it only has 20000 miles. It didn’t even reach the recommended 30000 CVTs fluid change yet but already they notice the first code of CVT failure and the second one can appear soon too. I’ve seen many complaints about Nissan cvt issues while my car has yet to give me any dashboard notification I’m very concerned how this can happen at such a low mileage. Monroe Nissan said is because of not using the car frequently but I’ve researched online and it said that can’t be the direct cause of it as there is a well known issue with Nissan CVT with many complaints
The 2016 Nissan Maxima (VIN: [XXX] ) I purchased in January 2025 has been confirmed by a certified mechanic to have no driver airbag installed and no passenger side curtain airbag installed, despite a previous airbag deployment shown on the vehicle history report. There is no record of any airbag replacement or repair. The vehicle was sold to me in this unsafe condition without disclosure. Driving the vehicle presents a serious safety risk because no airbags will deploy in a collision. Nissan and the selling dealer did not repair or disclose this federally required safety equipment failure (49 U.S.C. §30122). Safety Risk: This defect puts me at severe risk of injury or death in a crash. The airbag system is nonfunctional, and the vehicle is being operated on public roads without any airbags installed. This vehicle should not have been sold or financed in this condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate properly. The vehicle was shifted into neutral, and the RPMs revved up. The vehicle failed to move forward and shut off unintendedly. Several hours later, the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was shaking abnormally while driving, with an unknown warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was shaking abnormally while the brake pedal was depressed. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Auto Zone, where it was determined that the failure was a CVT failure. The contact called the local dealer, and a diagnostic test was advised. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
There was a thermal combustion that caused a fire. Yes, the caught combusted at a local business. I had just entered the building and was told that my car was on fire. The police and Nissan inspected the car but refused to provide the inspection report. A light came on. I do not know the exact date that it appeared. I just received the recall notice and did not have the opportunity to get the car repaired.
My vehicle has experienced recurring failures where it will suddenly stop accelerating while driving, placing me in a dangerous situation. The engine remains on, but the car will only coast forward or backward with no throttle response. This has happened multiple times, and I have had to pull over for safety. Restarting the car occasionally works temporarily, but the issue returns within minutes. I understand that Nissan has previously extended warranty coverage for CVT issues in similar models
I had been trying to get the transmission changed on several occasions but was unsuccessful and was told to wait until 100,000 miles. So, I complied to suggestion. On 7/3/25 for a scheduled oil and transmission service, it was told that the transmission was throwing a P17F1 code and it would be best no to do anything with the transmission. So, at this point with no knowledge of what the code meant I refused the fluid change until I could get the understanding of what was happening. Researched code finding that this is a common problem that affect this make and model for this brand of vehicle. It's the means of transportation I have. How should I proceed?
We started noticing the speed gauge losing speed while driving at around the first of May through June gradually getting worse. When in the last week in June, if you tried to go 70 MPH, on the highway, the vehicle would lose power, everything would shut down. Yes it could be harmful on the highway to the passengers and other cars passengers, if it just stalled in the middle of the highway. We have taken the car to a local transmission shop last week. It is at the transmission shop. It was determined that the CVT transmission would have to be replaced. The shop is repairing it now. I thought it was a wonderful car, that would last longer than 3 years. Therefore, I am extremely worried about the cost to fix it. I still owe around $7,200 on it.. I turned [XXX] this year and [XXX]. I would not have bought it if I knew this would happen. Nissan knew about the problem before I bought it. Then I read about them fixing the problem as of July 3. I did report this to Nissan about us having something going wrong with the car. I have not received any word back from Nissan. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic pending repairs after the contact was involved in a crash, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The independent mechanic requested a Carfax report and found the discrepancy, and that the vehicle had been involved in a crash in the past. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 78,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was approximately 118,000.
The power on the dashboard goes out and I have no way of knowing my speed, the milage, or any other information on how the vehicle is operating. The radio and other dashboard instruments are off the screens are black and I can't receive any information on how the vehicle is operating. Our safety is at risk since when this happens, we don't know if it would stop abruptly and cause an accident. We have not taken it to a dealer yet but are scheduling an appointment. No other parties have inspected the vehicle yet. The Warning that came across the radio screen was this: Check the Map SD Memory Card Please see the owner's manual in detail SET: QY8100NA Application: 102 SNO: 00010697 Application: 107 E-CODE: NK-SD-11 This first happened in the later part of March on the 28th of this year. The Dash does this off and on thing randomly and sometimes it runs fine. The owner's manual didn't help.
Battery light keeps turning on and brake light. Replaced alternator and battery after my vehicle stalled on me on the road, but the issue and problem is still on going.
The headlights are dim. I have replaced them with brighter H11 bulbs but I still cannot see. Others who have driven my car have indicated that the headlights are noticeably dimmer than normal. I literally cannot see the roadway. Also, I started having problems with the CVT shortly before 60,000miles. The problem was diagnosed as rudder codes. I was not financially able to replace the CVT at the time although I did ultimately replace it. The headliner inside the car has been falling down for years and I keep re gluing it around the rear view window. The panoramic sunroof has a seal that is melting away on the two side panels at the rear of the car. I keep trying to seal them, but they keep getting sticky and melting towards total deterioration.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving 20-25 MPH, the sunroof assembly completely separated from the vehicle, struck the front of the roof, struck the passenger's side of the vehicle, and flew underneath the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was taken to Gerber Collision and Glass, where it was determined that the sunroof and the bracket had separated from the vehicle. The mechanic provided an estimate for the sunroof repair and collateral damages repair. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,491.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and driving over a bump in the roadway, there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the sway bar bracket was fractured, and the bushing needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
I can be going at a regular rate of speed and my car would stall completely the abs light comes on and it drains my battery causing my car to shut off.
Cvt transmision not working
On [XXX] approximately around [XXX] My Nissan Maximum was on fire while I was at work. I begin working at 8:30 am and the vehicle was parked two hours later my coworker ran telling me my car was on fire. The police and fire rescue was called to the scene. The police inspected my vehicle and I have the police report. On 12/13/24 at 1:32pm I spoke with Vaibhav the consumer Affairs Representative from Nissan Manufacturer and he confirmed the vehicle has two recalls on the ABS braking system. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
No matter what speed you’re going it puts itself in false neutral. Abs , traction control comes on battery light flashes. No power steering and will not accelerate. Have almost been ran into and ran over. There is no warning when this happens and not yet find a service department or garage that can fix the problem. Very dangerous especially for a new driver, I bought this car for my daughter. This has happened more than once and now we do not drive the car due to it not being safe. New battery and alternator checks good. Has been scanned for codes several times.
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.
The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Alpine Nissan of Denver (2400 W 104th Ave, Denver, CO 80234) where it was diagnosed and determined that the alternator had stopped routing electricity after overheating. The contact was advised by the local dealer that the transmission needed to be replaced and related to failure to Technical Service Bulletin: NTB17-039P (Transmission Judder); which was related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,800.
142 total