Illustration1999 NISSAN MAXIMA. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON. FAULT CODE INDICATES ENGINE MISFIRE. SEVERAL COILS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BUT THEY NOW INTERMITTENTLY FAIL ON CYLINDER 4 AND 6. *JB
1999 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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
20–25K
1125–50K
2950–75K
1375–100K
28100–150K
6150K+
89 reports with mileage · 76 unknown
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 83 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 18 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 reports5 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
165 reportsI AM LOOKING AT $1400 TO REPLACE 6 IGNITION COILS, THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED. MY CAR HAS LESS THAT 60,000 MILES ON IT, AND I HAVE BABIED IT AND MADE SURE ONLY THE BEST HAS BEEN USED ON IT. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS, AND THE PROBLEM REMAINS. I AM FINIS…
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I AM LOOKING AT $1400 TO REPLACE 6 IGNITION COILS, THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED. MY CAR HAS LESS THAT 60,000 MILES ON IT, AND I HAVE BABIED IT AND MADE SURE ONLY THE BEST HAS BEEN USED ON IT. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS, AND THE PROBLEM REMAINS. I AM FINISHING THIS AND WRITING A LETTER TO MY CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS. I BOUGHT THIS CAR ON NISSAN'S REPUTATION AND KNOWING THAT THEY ALLOW THIS TO EXIST, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN, PERIOD.*JB
I BEGAN HAVING MISFIRES ON MY 1999 MAXIMA IN MAY 2005. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS WAS GOING BAD BUT WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON BEFORE BEING ABLE TO TELL WHICH COIL WAS MALFUNCTIONING. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP A…
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I BEGAN HAVING MISFIRES ON MY 1999 MAXIMA IN MAY 2005. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ONE OF THE IGNITION COILS WAS GOING BAD BUT WOULD HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON BEFORE BEING ABLE TO TELL WHICH COIL WAS MALFUNCTIONING. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE COIL AT A COST OF AROUND $250. LESS THAN TWO MONTHS LATER, IN JULY, ANOTHER COIL BEGAN MALFUNCTIONING (MISFIRING), THE DEALER REPLACED IT FOR AROUND $250. NOW A THIRD COIL IS MISFIRING. *NM
TL* - THE CONTACT DROVE HIS 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA SE (130000) TO THE INSPECTION STATION. THE INSPECTOR STATED THAT THE CONTACT DID NOT PASS INSPECTION DUE TO EGR SYSTEM AND KNOCKING SENSOR FAILURE. THE VEHICLES FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 130000. *NM
CAR STILL HAS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON AFTER REPLACING IGNITION COILS AND KNOCK SENSOR. *NM
AT ABOUT 30,000 MY 1999 MAXIMA GLE STARTED TO MISFIRE RANDOMLY. I WAS TOLD BY A DEALER THAT THERE WAS NO TEST THAT COULD ISOLATE A BAD IGNITION COIL AND THAT ALL SIX COILS WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT $900. I DID NOTHING FOR A WHILE, BUT WHEN THE PROBLEM BECAME WORSE I CONTACTED MY LOCAL MERCHANT TIRE DEALER AN…
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AT ABOUT 30,000 MY 1999 MAXIMA GLE STARTED TO MISFIRE RANDOMLY. I WAS TOLD BY A DEALER THAT THERE WAS NO TEST THAT COULD ISOLATE A BAD IGNITION COIL AND THAT ALL SIX COILS WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT $900. I DID NOTHING FOR A WHILE, BUT WHEN THE PROBLEM BECAME WORSE I CONTACTED MY LOCAL MERCHANT TIRE DEALER AND ASKED IF THEY COULD REPLACE THE COILS WITH NEW COILS BOUGHT BE ME FROM AN AUTO PARTS DEALER. MERCHANT TIRE AGREED TO MAKE THE REPLACEMENT FOR $130. I PURCHASED REPLACEMENT COILS FROM BRIGHTAUTO.COM FOR A TOTAL COST OF $364.63. THE REPLACEMENT COILS ARE IDENTIFIED BY NISSAN AT NISSANHELP.COM AS 22448-31U11, RH COIL (#89057915) AND 22448-31U16, LH COIL (#89057914). I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM SINCE THE REPLACEMENT. *NM
1999 NISSAN MAXIMA HAS BEEN IDLING ROUGH, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, TOOK TO MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC. NEEDS ONE IGNITION COIL AND KNOCK SENSOR REPLACED. FROM RESEARCH THIS IS AN APPARENT COMMON PROBLEM IN THIS CAR. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 3 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED, BUCKED, AND NEARLY STALLED. THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY VIBRATION IN THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE IGNITION COIL WAS NOT FUNCTIONAL AND THAT THE CALIPERS ON BOTH REAR BRAKES HAD LOCKED UP ON…
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DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 3 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED, BUCKED, AND NEARLY STALLED. THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY VIBRATION IN THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE IGNITION COIL WAS NOT FUNCTIONAL AND THAT THE CALIPERS ON BOTH REAR BRAKES HAD LOCKED UP ON THE WHEEL. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS MADE ON THE CALIPERS.
ALL COILS HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT SEEMS LIKE A VERY HIGH NUMBER OF MAXIMAS PRODUCED IN 1999 HAD THIS PROBLEM. MINE STARTED OCCURRING AT 39000 MILES. DEALER REFUSED TO COVER REPAIR COST THAT (INCLUDING PARTS) WAS QUOTED AT $1200. *NM
COULD GET INSIDE OF VEHICLE WITH KEY, BUT COULD NOT START VEHICLE THROUGH IGNITION SWITCH. ELECTRONIC DEVISE WOULD NOT READ KEY, AND COMPUTER HAD LOST THE COMBINATION. *AK DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE KEY. *SLC
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.