I WAS AT THE STORE WENT IN CAME OUT CAR WOULDN'T START HAD TO CALL TOW TRUCK NISSAN SAID STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED AND IF PART IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY THE PART WILL COST $800 I HAVEN'T HAD THIS CAR SIX MONTHS . THIS IS A MAXIMA 2010. *TR
2010 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Maxima years
Owner complaints for the 2010 Nissan Maxima are substantially higher than 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
238 reports with mileage · 37 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.
- Steering. Review the 158 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 79 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Steering complaints
158 reportsMY CAR WON'T START BECAUSE THE STEERING CONTROL LOCK WILL NOT DISENGAGE THUS MAKING THE CAR INOPERABLE. EVEN WITH A NEW KEY FOB, THE CAR DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AND WILL NOT CHANGE FROM "LOCK" MODE TO "ACC" OR "ON" POSITION. BASICALLY, MY CAR THINKS I'M A THIEF. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS AND NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE W…
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MY CAR WON'T START BECAUSE THE STEERING CONTROL LOCK WILL NOT DISENGAGE THUS MAKING THE CAR INOPERABLE. EVEN WITH A NEW KEY FOB, THE CAR DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AND WILL NOT CHANGE FROM "LOCK" MODE TO "ACC" OR "ON" POSITION. BASICALLY, MY CAR THINKS I'M A THIEF. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS AND NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE WITH 2009 AND 2010 NISSANS THAT HAVE A PUSH START WITH THIS STEERING CONTROL LOCK. I CALLED NISSAN TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE AND SEE IF THEY WOULD EXTEND MY WARRANTY BUT THEY DECLINED AND FORCED ME TO MAKE A CLAIM AFTER GETTING THE CAR TOWED AND SERVICED WHICH COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM $700-1000. I AM VERY SKEPTICAL ABOUT GETTING ANY MONEY BACK FROM THEM AND AM INTERESTED IN TAKING LEGAL ACTION SHOULD THEY NOT TAKE CARE OF THIS MATTER AS IT IS A MANUFACTURER MALFUNCTION AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WEAR AND TEAR OF VEHICLE. WHICH, BTW, THE VEHICLE IS IN GREAT SHAPE AND HAS HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHECKS SO MAKES THIS EVEN MORE FRUSTRATING. *JS
I CAME OUT TO MY CAR AND THE STEERING WAS LOCKED. I WAS UNABLE TO START MY CAR WHICH LEFT ME STRANDED IN A PARKING DECK. AFTER SPENDING $140 TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT HELP ME UNLESS IT WAS BROUGHT IN, THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE PART WA…
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I CAME OUT TO MY CAR AND THE STEERING WAS LOCKED. I WAS UNABLE TO START MY CAR WHICH LEFT ME STRANDED IN A PARKING DECK. AFTER SPENDING $140 TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT HELP ME UNLESS IT WAS BROUGHT IN, THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE PART WAS BACK ORDER UNTIL SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY, BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHEN, AND THAT IT WOULD COST $700+. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR MAXIMAS 2009+, 370Z, AND GT-R MODELS THAT ALL USE THE SAME FAULTY PART. THEY ARE CHARGING OVER $500 FOR THE PART AND 4 HOURS OF LABOR WHEN IT ACTUALLY TAKES ONLY 15 MIN TO REPAIR. THIS PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BY NISSAN. MY SERVICE GUY SAID THAT I AM THE 3RD PERSON TO HAVE THIS ISSUE JUST THIS WEEK. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!! *TR
MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AFTER I STOPPED AT THE STORE. MY KEY LIGHT ON THE DASH WAS ON SO I REFERRED TO THE MANUAL AND IT INDICATED A MALFUNCTION IN THE STEERING LOCK SOLENOID. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS I NOTICE THOUSANDS OF NISSAN OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE STRANDED WHERE EVER YOU SHUT IT OFF AT.…
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MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AFTER I STOPPED AT THE STORE. MY KEY LIGHT ON THE DASH WAS ON SO I REFERRED TO THE MANUAL AND IT INDICATED A MALFUNCTION IN THE STEERING LOCK SOLENOID. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS I NOTICE THOUSANDS OF NISSAN OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE STRANDED WHERE EVER YOU SHUT IT OFF AT. THEN I HAD TO GET THE VEHICLE TOWED WHERE IT COST ME OVER $1000 TO GET IT FIXED. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *TR
I PURCHASED MY MAXIMA 2010 THAT CAME WITH THE SPORTS PACKAGE, USED BACK IN SEPTEMBER OF 2011. FROM THE DAY I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS ALWAYS SHAKEN WHEN I BREAK ON THE HIGHWAY FROM DRIVING 60 MILES OR OVER. ON NOVEMBER OF 2012, MY NISSAN MAXIMA 2010 PUSH START BUTTON WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO…
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I PURCHASED MY MAXIMA 2010 THAT CAME WITH THE SPORTS PACKAGE, USED BACK IN SEPTEMBER OF 2011. FROM THE DAY I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS ALWAYS SHAKEN WHEN I BREAK ON THE HIGHWAY FROM DRIVING 60 MILES OR OVER. ON NOVEMBER OF 2012, MY NISSAN MAXIMA 2010 PUSH START BUTTON WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO A NEAREST NISSAN DEALER. THEY WANTED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE STEERING WHEEL ($700) BECAUSE THEIR DEFENSE IS DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR. IS THIS REALLY POSSIBLE ON A FAIRLY NEW CAR BECAUSE MY HONDAS,SINCE 2004, HAD NEVER HAD TO HAVE THE STEERING WHEEL REPLACED. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE ON DIFFERENT WEBSITES. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS POSSIBLE ISSUE IS DUE TO MANUFACTURER'S SIDE. *TR
I'M UNABLE TO TURN ON ACCESSORY IGNITION OR START CAR DUE TO DEFECTIVE STEERING WHEEL LOCK MECHANISM. PART #48700-JK000. MANUFACTURE IS UNABLE TO SUPPLY ME WITH A NEW ONE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY NISSAN MOTORS, NOT JUST FOR MAXIMA, BUT ALL INTELLIGENT KEY MODELS. CURRENTLY CAN'T EVEN ROLL WINDOWS UP. *TR
ACCELERATED VEHICLE TO 50 MILES UP TO 70 MILES ON HIGHWAY. VEHICLES STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE RIGHT AS IF THE SUSPENSION HAD TO MUCH POWER FOR THAT MILEAGE. *TR
THE CAR HAS ELECTRONIC STEERING AND IS A SAFETY HAZARD IN MY OPINION. THE CAR WILL DRIFT TO THE RIGHT ON ITS OWN AND WHEN YOU STEER IT BACK TO PREVENT RUNNING OFF THE PAVEMENT THE CAR VEERS TO YOUR LEFT AND WOULD RUN OFF THE ROAD TO YOUR LEFT IF YOU DO NOT CORRECT IT. ON A STRAIGHT STRETCH OF ROAD HOLDING THE STEERING WHEEL ST…
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THE CAR HAS ELECTRONIC STEERING AND IS A SAFETY HAZARD IN MY OPINION. THE CAR WILL DRIFT TO THE RIGHT ON ITS OWN AND WHEN YOU STEER IT BACK TO PREVENT RUNNING OFF THE PAVEMENT THE CAR VEERS TO YOUR LEFT AND WOULD RUN OFF THE ROAD TO YOUR LEFT IF YOU DO NOT CORRECT IT. ON A STRAIGHT STRETCH OF ROAD HOLDING THE STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT THE CAR WILL DART TO THE LEFT AND THEN TO THE RIGHT WITHOUT MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL. ON THE TEST DRIVE I RODE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND COULD FEEL THE CAR MOVING TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT, THE SERVICE MGR SAID HE COULD FEEL IT ALSO BUT SAID THAT WAS BECAUSE OF THE CROWN IN THE ROAD. THIS PROBLEM BECOMES A SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN ON NARROW FOUR LANE ROADS, YOU MUST CONSTANTLY FIGHT THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR ON THE ROAD OR KEEP FROM RUNNING INTO THE CAR ON YOUR LEFT. I HAVE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD JUST HAVE TO GET USED TO THIS BECAUSE OF THE ELECTRONIC STEERING IS DIFFERENT FROM MY PREVIOUS CARS. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO ADJUSTMENT THAT COULD BE MADE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. I AM 70 YEARS OLD AND HAVE DRIVEN A FEW CARS IN MY TIME AND CAN TELL YOU THIS CAR SHOULD NOT DRIVE THE WAY IT DOES, IT IS JUST AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. IT FEELS AS IF THE CAR IS TRYING TO DRIVE ITSELF WITHOUT TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL, THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE ELECTRONIC STEERING - IE: TOYOTA AND CHEVROLET AND JUST WONDERING IF THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME ELECTRONIC STEERING COMPONENTS.. I SENT NISSAN AN EMAIL OF MY CONCERN AND DISSATISFACTION BY THE DEALER SAYING NOTHING COULD BE DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY ARE BLAMING THEIR PROBLEM ON THE CROWN IN THE ROADS!! *TR
Official recalls
109V358000 · Suspension
Sep 16, 2009
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 ALTIMA AND MAXIMA PASSENGER CARS. THE UPPER FRONT STRUT INSULATORS MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED OUT OF SPECIFICATION RESULTING IN A POTENTIAL FOR THE STRUT INSULATOR TO CRACK.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE STRUT INSULATOR IS CRACKED, THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR THE STRUT ROD TO COME OUT OF ITS MOUNTING POSITION, WHICH COULD AFFECT VEHICLE STABILITY AND INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE FRONT STRUT INSULATORS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-NISSAN1 (1-800-647-7261).
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.
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