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2016 Nissan Maxima

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan Maxima do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 99.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

73 reports with mileage · 69 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.

  • Power Train. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports4 fire reports7 injury reports

Power Train complaints

33 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 21, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

Vehicle has acceleration issues. Started June 2022 and has continued frequently since. Will randomly stop accelerating then if I try to let off the gas pedal and apply again it shudders so hard it shakes the car. After trying 3-4 times it will accelerate again. The RPM will shoot down to 1 and straight back up to 1.5-2. Maint…

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Vehicle has acceleration issues. Started June 2022 and has continued frequently since. Will randomly stop accelerating then if I try to let off the gas pedal and apply again it shudders so hard it shakes the car. After trying 3-4 times it will accelerate again. The RPM will shoot down to 1 and straight back up to 1.5-2. Maintenance shop has been unable to figure out what’s wrong but it seems many 2016 Maxima owners are having similar issues. Why has there not been a recall to fix this issue? It becomes a serious danger when driving on highways or at high speeds. Someone’s going to get hurt because if this!

NHTSA ODI #11502950

Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2022
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

What component or system failed or malfunctioned etc. -The Nissan CVT transmission that is used in all Nissan models and has a known history of premature failure. My 2016 Maxima has 48,000 miles and a completely failed transmission. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -My…

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What component or system failed or malfunctioned etc. -The Nissan CVT transmission that is used in all Nissan models and has a known history of premature failure. My 2016 Maxima has 48,000 miles and a completely failed transmission. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -My two kids were in the car with all three times the accelerator stopped working while in motion due to the CVT transmission. All happened in Chicago city traffic. Luckily I was able to coast into a safe position each time but I was lucky not to get stuck in the middle of intersection. -Incident order was the same each time. Accelerator would stop working while in the drive gear. After a minute in park the car would seemingly work again, only for the accelerator to fail again shortly thereafter. Then eventually the electrical system shorted due to the transmission and the car was completely locked up, to the point of not being able to shift into neutral or move the steering wheel. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -The problem has been confirmed via Nissan's settlement of lawsuits relate to the CVT transmission, yet they continue to put them in all new models. My car was inspected by an independent transmission shop and they confirmed the engine computer is producing the "kill code" meaning the transmission is failing. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? -I took it to a Nissan dealership for service (Berman Nissan in Chicago) and described exactly the same problems I later found via research about the CVT transmissions. Their service techs said I needed to replace the alternator, which made zero sense so I declined. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? -No warning lamps, only infrequent acceleration problems in the months prior

NHTSA ODI #11483414

Mileage unknown · Jun 12, 2022
Air BagsPower TrainUnknown Or Other

Problem 1. Airbag. Driver's side airbag prematurely failed in 2021. Dealer says requires replacement of driver's seat back at $5K Problem 2. Transmission failed prematurely (77,000 miles) after placing me in multiple dangerous traffic situations. The car would fail to accelerate and eventually stall while I was turning or si…

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Problem 1. Airbag. Driver's side airbag prematurely failed in 2021. Dealer says requires replacement of driver's seat back at $5K Problem 2. Transmission failed prematurely (77,000 miles) after placing me in multiple dangerous traffic situations. The car would fail to accelerate and eventually stall while I was turning or simply driving. Once it failed to accelerate when I was turning and I was almost struck by oncoming traffic! It was only the grace of God that saved me.

NHTSA ODI #11468911

Mileage unknown · May 13, 2022
Electrical SystemPower TrainService Brakes

It is random when it happens but this will be the third time this has happened. While driving my car will stop, the car will still be running, steering wheel is stiff and I’m not able to accelerate and sometimes brake. It is very dangerous! This car should have a recall!

NHTSA ODI #11464590

100,000 miles · Nov 4, 2021
Electrical SystemPower Train

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated the vehicle was unable to recognize the key fob inside the vehicle while attempting to start the vehicle. The contact stated a warning message was illuminated to keep the key fob close to the push to start button. The contact called the local dealer, where it was diagnose…

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The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated the vehicle was unable to recognize the key fob inside the vehicle while attempting to start the vehicle. The contact stated a warning message was illuminated to keep the key fob close to the push to start button. The contact called the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the key fob battery to be replaced. The key fob battery was changed but continued to experience the failure. The contact also stated that the vehicle was also stalling. The contact took the vehicle to Paul Miller Nissan (930 Kings Hwy E, Fairfield, CT 06825: (203) 335-3181) where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission and the crankshaft sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI #11439303

Mileage unknown · Oct 30, 2021
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainSteering

October 25, 2021 At 4:30 PM. After waiting for the light to turn green, I enter the Clear Lake Park making a left a right and left turn into the park. While turning left that’s when I notice a decreased in power, and an exclamation symbo, but the car kept advancing very smooth!! But when I tried to park the vehicle it started…

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October 25, 2021 At 4:30 PM. After waiting for the light to turn green, I enter the Clear Lake Park making a left a right and left turn into the park. While turning left that’s when I notice a decreased in power, and an exclamation symbo, but the car kept advancing very smooth!! But when I tried to park the vehicle it started shaking, vibrating with a roaring sound, it felt like even the tires ware going to get off the rims!! Making a lot of noice!! I had difficulty steering and parking between two spaces hit the concrete barrier twice or tree times, at that time the steering wheel was to hard to control. I turn the car off on parked I was puzzled, for what happened. After five or ten minutes I start the car again place it on reverse then on drive the car was moving very, very, slow with the gas paddle to the floor. Advance to the other side by the Community Center, as I turn left to park, the car started shaking again the steering wheel was very, very hard to control turning left but the force of the tires ware moving right. I was holding on to the steering wheel trying to park again at this time the car completely die on me. By then it was almost 5:00 PM. I called my insurance to request roadside assistance, and a wrecker service that didn’t arrived. After one hour and half a driver came to help to start the battery, he attempted to start the battery twice. This happened after one of my sons had tried two times too. Finally the car starts again, after dealing with it for 4 hours. Drove it for a quarter of a block and died again. The wrecker service came the next day to drive the car to Clear Lake Nissan, they kept the car for two days and supposedly didn’t find anything wrong with it. If this problem had happened on Nassau, road probably I would had been killed. Today the 29th of October, After doing some errands and returning home a symbol of a transmission came on the dashboard while the car was loosing power it hardly made it up to my driveway

NHTSA ODI #11438721

Mileage unknown · Oct 21, 2021
Power Train

The vehicle does not accelerate and it jerks, whines and cuts off. the repair shop mechanic said he would not touch it without new transmission. the engine light is on, sometimes it blinks but not 100% of the time. It also won't get any power and cuts off on incline.

NHTSA ODI #11437694

Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 2021
Power Train

My 2016 Maxima SL has a faulty CVT transmission. It shakes, stutters and has no power on acceleration. It is a safety concern because I could easily pull out into traffic and my car will not accelerate. The problem has been confirmed by a Nissan dealership. It has been inspected. There are no warning lights or any dashboard…

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My 2016 Maxima SL has a faulty CVT transmission. It shakes, stutters and has no power on acceleration. It is a safety concern because I could easily pull out into traffic and my car will not accelerate. The problem has been confirmed by a Nissan dealership. It has been inspected. There are no warning lights or any dashboard indications that something is faulty.

NHTSA ODI #11433951

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2021
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

Four times while I was driving the accelerator was unresponsive. Then the car completely died while driving. The problem is definitely a safety issue due to engine and accelerator stopping while driving. We took it to a good year dealer who originally thought it was battery and replaced it. But that did not solve the problem. Th…

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Four times while I was driving the accelerator was unresponsive. Then the car completely died while driving. The problem is definitely a safety issue due to engine and accelerator stopping while driving. We took it to a good year dealer who originally thought it was battery and replaced it. But that did not solve the problem. Then a Nissan dealer received a code that it’s the cvt transmission.Nissan has had this issue with many of their cars and had a class action suit brought against them. I spoke with Nissan Corp about extending warranty and repairing the cvt transmission which is an expensive repair. They refuse. The car is extremely unsafe to drive since it may not accelerate and then completely die at any time.

NHTSA ODI #11430257

Mileage unknown · Aug 3, 2021
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

2016 Nissan Maxima SR, problem started at 22000 miles, car runs fine, then when hitting a bump or railroad tracks, and sometime while accelerating at a light or from a stop the car goes into limp mode, max speed is apx 6 mph just enough to get it off road, at times it stalls in the intersection or when you come to a stop. Trac…

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2016 Nissan Maxima SR, problem started at 22000 miles, car runs fine, then when hitting a bump or railroad tracks, and sometime while accelerating at a light or from a stop the car goes into limp mode, max speed is apx 6 mph just enough to get it off road, at times it stalls in the intersection or when you come to a stop. Traction control light and engine light come on until you shut car down and restart. engine light remains on solid but can be driven in most cases, at times it turns over then stalls, if you wait long enough it usually resets snd is drivable. Has several DTC codes when checked on of them is P1735 and a few others. It’s dangerous because you lose the ability to get properly through an intersection or to get by traffic on highway or side street, I have put my emergency lights on several times when this has happened. After reviewing TSB’s Technical Service Bullatans it seems I am not alone with this issue.

NHTSA ODI #11427628

Official recalls

8

19V807000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Nov 8, 2019

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Nissan Murano, 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima, and 2017-2019 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and unrepaired, or inspected and determined to not need a repair, under recall number 18V-601. In addition, this recall expands the previous population. The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak on the circuit board may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ABS actuator, free of charge. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available, currently expected to be during summer 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: If the ABS warning light remains illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

18V601000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Sep 7, 2018

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Nissan Murano, 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2017-2018 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2017 Infiniti QX60 vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak on the circuit board may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number on the ABS actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 29, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: When brake fluid has leaked onto the circuit board, the ABS warning lamp will remain illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up. If this occurs, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

16V911000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Dec 19, 2016

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured June 4, 2015, to August 19, 2015. An incorrect Occupant Classification System (OCS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have been installed in the front passenger seat. The incorrect ECU and seat combination may misclassify the front passenger seat occupant.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant is misclassified, the air bag may deploy incorrectly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

16V636000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Sep 2, 2016

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 19, 2016 and equipped with Intelligent Cruise Control, 2015-2017 Murano vehicles manufactured August 22, 2014, to August 19, 2016 and equipped with Intelligent Cruise Control, and 2015-2016 Murano Hybrid vehicles manufactured August 22, 2014, to July 19, 2016. The affected vehicles have Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) actuator pumps that may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal electrical circuit board.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak onto the circuit board may result in an electrical short, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ABS Actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 12, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: When brake fluid has leaked onto the circuit board, the ABS warning lamp will remain illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up. If this occurs, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

16V244000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Apr 26, 2016

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

16V193000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Apr 7, 2016

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Murano vehicles manufactured December 17, 2015, to February 11, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to February 12, 2016 and equipped with an antilock braking system (ABS) and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC). The ABS actuator may have a damaged O-ring that may result in a lack of brake fluid pressure.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Insufficient brake fluid pressure may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ABS actuator, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 16, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

15V733000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper

Nov 5, 2015

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Altima and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured October 6, 2015, to October 7, 2015. The affected vehicles have front brake calipers whose mounting bolts may not be properly tightened.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the bolts were not properly tightened, the caliper may detach and reduce braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will check the brake caliper mounting bolts, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

15V486000 · Fuel System, Gasoline

Aug 4, 2015

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an additional 41,388 vehicles, including certain model year 2013-2015 Altima 3.5 vehicles equipped with a V6 engine manufactured March 30, 2012, to August 18, 2015 as well as the vehicles covered by the July 31, 2015 notification. In the affected vehicles, due to an improperly installed o-ring that may not have been seated correctly at the time of assembly, fuel may leak during a crash from the area where the fuel sending unit attaches to the fuel tank.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If fuel leaks from between the fuel sending unit and the tank, it may increase the risk of a fire in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 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

1

EA19002 · Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure

Opened Jul 29, 2019 · Closed Jun 16, 2025

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Suspension:rear

On July 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened EA19002 to investigate instances of alleged rear lower control arm failures in 2013-2018 Nissan Altima and 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima vehicles. At the time the investigation was opened ODI had 91 consumer complaints alleging rear lower control arm failures in the subject vehicles.ODI was concerned about these complaints because many of them alleged an increased steering effort or loss of vehicle control.At the time these complaints were received, ODI was also aware of a proactive service campaign addressing 2013 Nissan Altima in salt-belt states for a similar concern. Since opening the investigation, ODI has confirmed, based on consumer complaints, warranty data, and testing conducted by Nissan and ODI, that owners of the subject vehicles are experiencing a corroded bushing at one of three mounting points of the control arm to the rear subframe.ODI has also confirmed that drivers become aware of the problem because of sound and abnormal vibrations. In addition, the failure mileage is typically over 113,000 miles at the time of failure.In conjunction with Nissan and VRTC, ODI participated in testing to assess the potential safety consequence of a bushing failure.It was found the Vehicle Dynamic Control system allows the driver to maintain vehicle control in the event of a bushing failure.With between 7 to 13 years of field exposure, ODI is aware of only one low speed crash allegation describing minor contact with another vehicle’s trailer hitch. Nissan acknowledges that a crack can develop in affected control arms due to stress loading from normal use and that salts commonly used for roadway snow and ice treatment may result in corrosion that exacerbates the progression of the crack.Nissan implemented a design change in January of 2018 to improve the durability of the lower control arm.Affected vehicles have either been repaired with the countermeasure part under a customer satisfaction campaign or been provided a warranty extension from 3 years/36,000 miles to 10 year/unlimited mileage. Through testing and analysis of the information obtained to date, ODI has not identified a defect representing an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety involving corrosion of the subject rear lower control arm at this time.With a declining trend of reports and Nissan’s actions to implement a countermeasure and extended warranty coverage, further investigation of the issue does not appear to be warranted at this time.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov. A detailed discussion of the investigation and related complaint numbers can be viewed in the attached closing report.