IllustrationNO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
1990 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1990 Nissan Maxima do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 99.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Maxima years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 11 of 106 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports3 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
106 reportsTHE WINDOW PROBLEM I HAVE SEEMS TO BE WITH A LOT OF THIS CAR MODEL. EACH TIME I HAD A WINDOW FIXED, IT COST ME $220.00. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS A DEFECT THAT NISSAN SHOULD BE PAYING FOR. OTHER THAN THIS PROBLEM MY OTHER WITH THE TRANSMISSON JUST STARTED AND I DO HAVE 100,000 MILES ON THE CAR. I WOULD EXPECT SOME THINGS TO GO…
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THE WINDOW PROBLEM I HAVE SEEMS TO BE WITH A LOT OF THIS CAR MODEL. EACH TIME I HAD A WINDOW FIXED, IT COST ME $220.00. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS IS A DEFECT THAT NISSAN SHOULD BE PAYING FOR. OTHER THAN THIS PROBLEM MY OTHER WITH THE TRANSMISSON JUST STARTED AND I DO HAVE 100,000 MILES ON THE CAR. I WOULD EXPECT SOME THINGS TO GO WRONG. THE WINDOW PROBLEM STARTED ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO. ALSO WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN TO HAVE THE FIRST WINDOW REPAIRED I ASKED ABOUT MY RADIO ANTENNA NOT GOING UP AND DOWN ANYMORE. IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS THE SAME KIND OF PROBLEM I HAD WITH MY WINDOWS. THE OPERATING MECHANISM IS MADE OUT OF PLASTIC. MOTOR RUNS BUT NOTHING GOES UP AND DOWN.
TRANSMISSION STICKS IN REVERSE!*AK
CONSUMER HAS REPLACED CRANK ON BOTH REAR WINDOWS. CONSUMER IS NOW HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ROLLING UP DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR, DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW IS STUCK.*AK
ABS ACTUATOR IS LEAKING BRAKE FLUID FROM ONE OR MORE SEALS. *AK
WE NOTICED THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT (HIGH MOUNTED STOP LIGHT) WAS BURNED OUT ON THIS VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, THE HEAT FROM THE 2 LAMPS INSIDE THE UNIT HAD MELTED THE HOUSING HOLDING THE BULBS AS WELL AS THE RED LENS. THE MELTING WAS SERIOUS ENOUGH TO DEFORM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE UNIT. I ATTEMPTED TO LOCATE A REPLACEMENT UNIT AT A…
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WE NOTICED THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT (HIGH MOUNTED STOP LIGHT) WAS BURNED OUT ON THIS VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, THE HEAT FROM THE 2 LAMPS INSIDE THE UNIT HAD MELTED THE HOUSING HOLDING THE BULBS AS WELL AS THE RED LENS. THE MELTING WAS SERIOUS ENOUGH TO DEFORM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE UNIT. I ATTEMPTED TO LOCATE A REPLACEMENT UNIT AT AN AUTO WRECKING YARD, AND FOUND THAT THE ONLY UNIT AVAILABLE OUT OF ALL OF THE COMPATIBLE CARS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS MY CAR. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS EVIDENCE OF A WIDESPREAD FAILURE OF THIS NECESSARY SAFETY ITEM AND POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD. *AK
WHEN TURNING LEFT AT SLOW SPEED THERE IS A CHATTER LIKE GROWL THAT WAS IN THE CAR AT DELIVERY. DEALER HAS ROAD TESTED CAR 5 TIMES, BUT REFUSED TO REPAIR WHILE IN WARRANTY. "WAIT UNTIL THE NOISE GETS WORSE". PER DEALER. AM CONCERNED WITH WIFE'S SAFETY AS PRIMARY DRIVER. COULD BE IN STEERING RACK WHICH COULD CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL …
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WHEN TURNING LEFT AT SLOW SPEED THERE IS A CHATTER LIKE GROWL THAT WAS IN THE CAR AT DELIVERY. DEALER HAS ROAD TESTED CAR 5 TIMES, BUT REFUSED TO REPAIR WHILE IN WARRANTY. "WAIT UNTIL THE NOISE GETS WORSE". PER DEALER. AM CONCERNED WITH WIFE'S SAFETY AS PRIMARY DRIVER. COULD BE IN STEERING RACK WHICH COULD CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL AND POSSIBLY BAD ACCIDENT. *AK
TRANSMISSION BLEW OUT COMPLETLY AND THEN THE OIL STARTED LEAKING . ALSO, BRAKES SPEEDOMETER ARE HORN IS NOT WORKING. *AK
THIS IS THE FIRST AND LAST NISSAN I WILL EVER OWN.
RIGHT AND LEFT FRONT PASSENGERS' AND DRIVER'S RADIO SPEAKERS BURNED OUT, OVERHEATED, CAUSING SMOKE TO FILL THE PASSENGERS COMPARTMENT, RESULTING IN A FIRE HAZARD. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
Official recalls
195V244000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:filler Pipe And Cap
Dec 15, 1995
IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A MIXTURE OF MUD AND SALT TO GET TRAPPED BETWEEN THE FUEL FILLER TUBE AND WHEEL HOUSING. THE TRAPPED MUD AND SALT CAN RESULT IN CORROSION OF THE FUEL FILLER TUBE AND THE WHEEL HOUSING.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: SIGNIFICANT CORROSION OF THE FUEL FILLER TUBE MAY RESULT IN FUEL LEAKS WHICH IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE. IN ADDITION, THE LEFT REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTOR IS MOUNTED TO THE WHEEL HOUSING AND IN THE EVENT OF SIGNIFICANT CORROSION, AND THE MOUNTING COULD FAIL IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THESE VEHICLES AND CORRECTIVE ACTION WILL BE TAKEN DEPENDING UPON THE EXTENT OF THE CORROSION.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.