2014 Nissan Maxima

Routine

Owners filed 96 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags. No safety recall has been issued.

When it fails
020k40k60k90k120k200k
50,400 milesMedian miles at failure

69 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 010,000 miles.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Air Bags24
402
Power Train15
000
Exterior Lighting14
000
Unknown or Other6
000
Engine6
000
Electrical System6
101
Steering3
101
Service Brakes3
100
Fuel/Propulsion System3
100
Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly2
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Power Train
Filed Sep 14, 2026UT

The transmission would begin slipping and causing power loss after driving it for more than 20 minutes causing it to slow down rapidly especially on hills

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 7, 2026NY

I have a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The passenger side door abruptly stopped working and will not open from the inside or outside. Upon speaking with a mechanic, I learned that this is a very common issue with a Nissan and also that there is a class action lawsuit against Nissan because its believed to be a defect they knew about. Quote i received for repair would be over $400

Air Bags
Filed Oct 7, 202546,000 milesNJ

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The air bag located in the seat failed to activate as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the passenger’s side seat sensor was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the occupant sensor was inoperable. The dealer confirmed that the part was no longer in production. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Aug 13, 2025GA

Date(s) of Incident: Multiple incidents from [June 3, 2025] to [July 1, 2025] Summary of Complaint I am filing this complaint against Best Price Transmissions for negligence, non-compliance with automotive repair safety codes, and unprofessional conduct that has resulted in substantial financial loss, vehicle damage, and emotional distress. I have patronized this shop for years, trusting their work, but my vehicles have repeatedly left their care with more problems than they arrived with. The most recent incident involved an air conditioning repair that led to a coolant leak, the recommendation of unnecessary part replacements, and ultimately damage to my vehicle’s performance. Details of Incident 1. Unqualified Workers & Code Non-Compliance Mechanics admitted to not being certified automotive technicians. One employee intentionally released refrigerant from my AC system, claiming there was “too much pressure.” Repairs involving refrigerants must legally be performed by certified personnel; this was not followed. Several workers could not speak English, making communication difficult and contributing to repair errors. 2. Damage to Vehicle My AC and defrost no longer function. Vehicle now runs irregularly, despite having no such issues before their service. Owner previously promised to replace damaged parts caused by their negligence but has not contacted me or honored that agreement. 3. Evidence Collected I recorded both video and audio of conversations, mechanical work, and

Exterior Lighting
Filed May 19, 2025107,270 milesDE

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights became inoperable. The contact stated that the headlights failed to function properly, and the lights were dim. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the headlight assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,270.

Electrical SystemCrash1 injured
Filed Oct 16, 2024PA

While pulling into a parking space, I heard my engine racing. Immediately, I felt the car lurch forward. To avoid misapplying my foot to the gas pedal, I withdrew both my feet to the floor, next to the seat. The car continued forward at a fast rate. The car stopped going forward after it struck s building. However, the tires kept spinning, especially the front left tire. The engine ran briefly, until it stopped spontaneously. A few days previously, while driving at about 40 miles per hour on level ground, I felt the gas pedal to be unresponsive. Then it quickly reengaged. I mentioned this to my husband and he suggested that there may have been an air bubble in the fuel line. I don't know if the two events are related. Also, possibly related, I stopped using cruise control, because the car would surge and lapse during use. My insurance company is pursuing spontaneous acceleration. I visited my primary care physician the afternoon of the accident and was diagnosed with whiplash.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Jun 16, 2024NC

The dim lights on the vehicle are very dim, the fog lights are brighter than the dim lights. I’ve replaced the bulbs and headlights and neither fixed the issue. You can barely see in front of the car with the dim lights. It’s very unsafe to drive at night.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Apr 2, 2024AL

Low beam headlights are extremely/dangerously low even if the lights are brand new. In my opinion it's extremely dangerous to drive with only my high beams on but thats the only way I can see at night theres no confidence in relying on my low beams.

Power Train
Filed Apr 1, 202450,400 milesNC

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and displayed symptoms relating to transmission failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the CVT. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 50,400.

Air Bags
Filed Mar 22, 2024FL

Code B1018 failing Occupant sensor in the passenger seat

SteeringCrash1 injured
Filed Jan 17, 2024AZ

Failure of multiple systems upon impact with a pothole causing the vehicle to light up brake warning light, traction control system warning light, and spin out with no steering capability, resulting in a total loss of the car, including the rear passenger tire and wheel to sheer off, snapped the tie rod, ripped off the rear bumper, and bent the vehicle rims. I suffered a closed head injury and whiplash, as well as soft tissue damage to right shoulder and knee. Airbags did deploy.

Air Bags
Filed Aug 17, 2023MD

11/2022 dash air bag warning light started flashing in 2014 Nissan Maxima. Dealership said air bag sensor (part #873009DH5B)was bad and seat needed to be replaced est cost~$1600. In January, I called dealership to schedule seat replacement and was told part was on back order with no timeline for availability. Called Nissan Consumer Affairs, as recommended by dealership, and was given 3 locations where a seat was in stock. Called first site, seat was no longer available, called second site and purchased seat (~$1670)which was shipped here and installed by dealership for ~$300 on 22 February 2023. Air bag warning did not resolve with new seat, so spent ~$400 to install sensor (next step in the algorithm), still did not resolve warning. So, dealership tested a seat from one of their personal vehicles which did resolve the air bag warning. They determined the new seat that I had purchased was not functional. Since February, dealership has kept the 'new' seat and has been attempting to get it replaced under warranty as it is a new part that malfunctioned. I have had two case numbers with Nissan consumer affairs, made many calls, sent multiple emails detailing this with no response since January when they gave me the 3 in-stock locations. When I call to check on case #, reps say someone tried to call but couldn't leave message. They were able to reach me in January and I have no record of any calls nor issues receiving other calls/voicemail. I will not risk the safety of my family

Engine
Filed Jun 15, 2023AR

Over the last couple months I've noticed my vehicle delay acceleration after coming to a stop. I've also noticed jerking while driving at a constant speed. First I thought it was bad gas but the problem has persisted for several fill ups now. I thought maybe the transmission fluid needed to be replaced so I paid a couple hundred bucks to have it serviced. The problem continued. I took it to a local car shop to get it scanned. There were no codes present at the time. A few weeks later and after nearly being struck by three different vehicles in one day, I decided to try a different car repair shop. At the tune of another $91.00 for the diagnosis, this time it threw 5 codes all for transmission. The mechanic proceeded to tell me about all of the problems people have been having with Nissan's and their CVT Transmissions. It's $5k to fix the issue and I'm outside of the extended warranty timeframe. I read about the recent lawsuits against Nissan for this issue. Would be nice if they extended that warranty a little further.

Air Bags
Filed Mar 9, 2023LA

Passenger air bag light warning came on. Diagnostics confirmed the passenger front seat cushion Assy with OCS unit required replacement. The cost is $2108.10 and the part is on back order. This vehicle was purchased new and the passenger side seldom has a passenger. I believe this is a manufacturer responsibility as evidenced by the many recalls documented. The new seat order is placed through Premier Nissan of Metaire, LA. Please consider placing this claim into recall. Thank you for your assistance.

Engine
Filed Jan 23, 202356,500 milesMO

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Napleton St. Louis Nissan (10964 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63132) where the mechanic replaced the crankshaft and camshaft; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and diagnosed with and intelligent power distributor module (IPDM) failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,500. The VIN was not available.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Sep 27, 2022FL

Low beam headlights are dangerously low. No matter the quality of bulbs or the clarity of the lights the low beam headlights offer extremely limited visibility. Requires high beams when driving at night. I have had numerous mechanics look at the issue and it stems from a failure of the projector in the headlamp.

Engine
Filed Sep 22, 202231,000 milesMA

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. The contact stated he was able to pull over and was only able to restart the vehicle by shifting the gear shifter into neutral(N). The contact stated that the vehicle was operating while in neutral(N), however, while driving the vehicle failed to exceed 5 MPH despite depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the engine was revving abnormally. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure occurred on various occasions while driving at various speeds. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure and was informed that there were no known recalls related to the failure. The contact was informed to schedule an appointment for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000.

Power Train
Filed Jul 11, 2022CA

Transmission valve body goes bad.

Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Jun 27, 202290,000 milesIA

The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights failed to adequately illuminate the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer performed an unknown TSB; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Power Train
Filed Jun 13, 2022AZ

CVT transmission suddenly gets stuck on a lower "gear", often going from Drive to 2nd, while driving freeway speeds, causing the engine to rev to very high rpm's and the car to quickly loose power and slow down. The power loss is so dramatic it is difficult to change lanes within traffic in order to pull off the freeway to safety. Often the vehicle speed drops by 30 mph or more. I have taken the car into Nissan on numerous times and they tell me I need a new $7000 transmission even though my car only had 60k miles on her when the issue first started. They know they have an issue with this transmission and they have recalled and replaced transmissions for other vehicles withbthe CVT, Altima and Marano, but not the Maxima. They say because it's a beefier transmission, but it is the same faulty component in all the transmissions despite the size of the transmission. Through my research, this isba widespread problem for Maxima owners within the years of this transmission issue.. It is interesting to note that Nissan decreased the powertrain warranty from 100k mi down to 60k mi for the model years that have this CVT issue, and bumped it back to 100k after the issue was resolved for newer model year cars

20 of 96 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2004
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20231000Routine
20225010Routine
20213000Routine
202022100Routine
201918100Routine
201836210Routine
2017103420Routine
2016142840Routine
20151000Routine
2014 — this page96010Routine
201362010Routine
2012107020Routine
2011106010Routine
2010275120Above average
2009339120Above average
200878000Routine
2007129110Routine
2006576240Above average
20059482100Above average
20041,4252162Fatalities reported
2003206421Fatalities reported
2002205906Fatalities reported
2001172740Routine
2000360362Fatalities reported
1999165450Routine
19981136121Fatalities reported
19971026160Routine
199696530Routine
1995152550Routine
199489530Routine
199378640Routine
1992110530Routine
199176420Routine
1990106430Routine

Compare every Maxima year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.