IllustrationI NEED DIRECTIONS ON WHERE TO GO WITH MY PROBLEM. I BOUGHT A CAR FROM MY BROTHER LAST YEAR. I FOUND OUT THE CARS WERE SWITCHED AT THE DEALER AND NOW THE DEALER IS NOT WILLING TO COOPERATE.
1996 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 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: 15 of 96 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports3 fire reports7 injury reports
Unknown Or Other complaints
6 reportsNO SUMMARY
WITHIN 4 WEEKS OF PURCHASE, THE PAINT BEGAN TO WEAR THIN ON THE SIDE MOULDINGS ON THE DOORS. MY CAR IS BURGUNDY AND I NOTICED THAT QUITE A FEW OTHER CARS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED NISSAN'S CONSUMER HOTLINE AFTER GETTING NO ASSISTANCE FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND FOUND OUT TWO INTERESTING THINGS. 1) WHEN THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTU…
Read full complaint
WITHIN 4 WEEKS OF PURCHASE, THE PAINT BEGAN TO WEAR THIN ON THE SIDE MOULDINGS ON THE DOORS. MY CAR IS BURGUNDY AND I NOTICED THAT QUITE A FEW OTHER CARS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED NISSAN'S CONSUMER HOTLINE AFTER GETTING NO ASSISTANCE FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND FOUND OUT TWO INTERESTING THINGS. 1) WHEN THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY EXPIRES, ANY REPAIRS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE UNDER THAT WARRANTY ARE NOW DONE ONLY AT THE DEALERSHIP'S DISCRETION, NOT BY NISSAN. 2) WHEN YOU REPORT UNSATISFACTORY CUSTOMER SERVICE AT A DEALERSHIP, THEY GET "IN TROUBLE" AND ARE MORE WILLING TO WORK WITH YOU AT THAT POINT. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE DEALERSHIP TO PAY HALF FOR PAINTING AND REPLACING THE MOULDING, BUT IT TOOK A LITTLE WORK. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT STAYS ON, AND THE GEAR STICKS FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT FAILED.
ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED TWICE.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.