Nissan Maxima 2000–2003
5th generation (A33)
NHTSA data through 13 August 20261,219 complaints, 804 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 804
- Median of reported failures
- 69,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Electrical system (20.3%)
- Recalls
- 2
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 39,131 and 116,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Nissan Maxima 2000–2003 · 804 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 73 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 23 complaints (2.9%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 17,000
- 25%
- 39,131
- Median
- 69,000
- 75%
- 116,000
- 90%
- 158,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 33 | 4.1% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 58 | 7.2% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 65 | 8.1% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 47 | 5.8% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 70 | 8.7% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 73 | 9.1% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 59 | 7.3% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 46 | 5.7% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 46 | 5.7% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 59 | 7.3% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 30 | 3.7% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 25 | 3.1% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 36 | 4.5% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 29 | 3.6% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 25 | 3.1% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 25 | 3.1% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 20 | 2.5% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 16 | 2.0% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 13 | 1.6% |
| 190,000–200,000 | 6 | 0.7% |
| 200,000+ | 23 | 2.9% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 1,219 complaints with NHTSA about the 2000–2003 Nissan Maxima, and 804 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 39,131 and 116,000 miles. The median is 69,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are the electrical system (20.3% of complaints, typically around 56,000 miles), the engine and its cooling system (15.5% of complaints, typically around 70,000 miles), the airbag system (9.9% of complaints, typically around 106,000 miles).
2 recall campaigns cover this generation.
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2000–2003 Nissan Maxima last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2000–2003 Nissan Maxima were filed by 69,000 miles and 90% by 158,000 miles — figures drawn from 804 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
23 reports (2.9%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Maxima reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2000–2003 Maxima: the 3-minute check
Generated from 804 mileage-tagged complaints, 2 recall campaigns, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 2 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check emissions / exhaust on 2000–2001 cars. Pre-catalytic converter failure with substrate ingestion into the engine, a widely reported cause of high oil consumption and cylinder wear on the VQ30DE-K.
- Check engine mounts. Collapsed hydraulic front engine mount causing heavy idle vibration and driveline shudder.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 39,000 and 116,000 miles, with a median of 69,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the electrical system and the engine and its cooling system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The electrical system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 56,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Nissan Maxima 2000–2003
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Exterior lighting63 reports17,0006,500–90,000Exterior lighting: 63 reports, median 17,000 miles, middle half 6,500 to 90,000 miles.
- Hydraulic brake circuit73 reports27,00016,000–43,000Hydraulic brake circuit: 73 reports, median 27,000 miles, middle half 16,000 to 43,000 miles.
- Electrical system247 reports56,00043,000–86,000Electrical system: 247 reports, median 56,000 miles, middle half 43,000 to 86,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system189 reports70,00038,000–100,000Engine and its cooling system: 189 reports, median 70,000 miles, middle half 38,000 to 100,000 miles.
- Suspension60 reports75,00033,000–115,000Suspension: 60 reports, median 75,000 miles, middle half 33,000 to 115,000 miles.
- Airbag system121 reports106,00058,000–150,000Airbag system: 121 reports, median 106,000 miles, middle half 58,000 to 150,000 miles.
- Engine78 reports124,00098,000–150,000Engine: 78 reports, median 124,000 miles, middle half 98,000 to 150,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 247 | 20.3% | 56,000 | 43,000–86,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 189 | 15.5% | 70,000 | 38,000–100,000 |
| Airbag system | 121 | 9.9% | 106,000 | 58,000–150,000 |
| Engine | 78 | 6.4% | 124,000 | 98,000–150,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 73 | 6.0% | 27,000 | 16,000–43,000 |
| Exterior lighting | 63 | 5.2% | 17,000 | 6,500–90,000 |
| Suspension | 60 | 4.9% | 75,000 | 33,000–115,000 |
| Body structure | 55 | 4.5% | 99,000 | 57,000–139,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 54 | 4.4% | 74,000 | 40,000–96,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 51 | 4.2% | 75,000 | 42,000–110,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Nissan Maxima 2000–2003 · 804 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 43% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 62% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 76% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 97%: the remaining 2.9% of reports (23) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
43% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 27,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Electrical system — middle half 43,000–86,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 38,000–100,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 58,000–150,000 mi
- Exterior lighting — middle half 6,500–90,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 33,000–115,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Engine — middle half 98,000–150,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
62% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Electrical system — median 56,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 27,000 mi
- Exterior lighting — median 17,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 38,000–100,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 58,000–150,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 33,000–115,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Engine — middle half 98,000–150,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
76% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Electrical system — median 56,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 70,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 27,000 mi
- Exterior lighting — median 17,000 mi
- Suspension — median 75,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Airbag system — middle half 58,000–150,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 98,000–150,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 69,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The electrical system accounts for 20.3% of complaints (247 reports, 188 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 56,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 43,000 and 86,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 15.5% of complaints (189 reports, 142 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 70,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 38,000 and 100,000 miles.
The airbag system accounts for 9.9% of complaints (121 reports, 68 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 106,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 58,000 and 150,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 6.4% of complaints (78 reports, 68 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 124,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 98,000 and 150,000 miles.
The hydraulic brake circuit accounts for 6.0% of complaints (73 reports, 39 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 27,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 16,000 and 43,000 miles.
The exterior lighting accounts for 5.2% of complaints (63 reports, 25 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 17,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 6,500 and 90,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2000 model year drew the most — 467 complaints — while 2001 drew the fewest at 225. The median year sits at 263.
The first year of the generation, 2000, sits above the median. That is a common pattern — early production of a redesigned vehicle tends to surface problems that later years do not repeat — and it is worth weighing when choosing between years.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 2 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
The campaigns cluster around the airbag system (2). Repeated recalls against the same area of the car generally mean the first remedy did not fully resolve the underlying problem.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 1,219 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 105 (8.6%)
- Fires
- 14
- Injury reports
- 66
- Fatality reports
- 5
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Emissions / Exhaust 2000–2001
Pre-catalytic converter failure with substrate ingestion into the engine, a widely reported cause of high oil consumption and cylinder wear on the VQ30DE-K.
Engine Mounts
Collapsed hydraulic front engine mount causing heavy idle vibration and driveline shudder.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 467 | 302 |
| 2001 | 225 | 153 |
| 2002 | 278 | 174 |
| 2003 | 249 | 175 |
Recalls (2) — is your car included?
Feb 2020 · 2001–2003 · Air BagsAn inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in…
The defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and 2006-2010 M35 and M45 vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated, frontal passenger air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Takata recalls. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high
What can happen. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The free fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 888-737-9511 or Infiniti customer service at 888-810-3715.
Jun 2015 · 2001–2003 · Air BagsIn the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could…
The defect. Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
What can happen. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
The free fix. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. Note: On December 18, 2015 Nissan informed NHTSA of an amendment of this recall to remove 2004-2005 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 vehicles.
What owners reported
Had problems with engine ping 1 year after purchase. Was told by dealership to use better grade of gas and some pinging is normal. Pinging persisted and right after warranty expired, pinging got so bad the car was undriveable. All 6 coils and knock sensors needed to be replaced. Cost me $1500. Nissan won't cover any…
2000 · 10,000 miles · Electrical system
Bought the Maxima new and at 12000 miles had to have the rotors turned. The dealer and Nissan said it was my driving habits. I promptly told them that this is the first car i had this done to (other than a used 74 vega i had in high school). Now the car is at 22,000 miles (and is only a little over 3 years old) and…
2000 · 12,000 miles · Service brakes, air
"Service engine" light came on.Dealer(maroone Nissan) stated ignition coils needed replacing.Car had 14,000 miles on it,but was 4 months over warranty.Dealer offered no charge for coils,but $200 for labor.I declined since car was running fine.The initial incident was may,2003. Since that time light has gone off and on…
2000 · 14,000 miles · Electrical system
I own a 2000 Maxima, which i bought new. The service engine light first appeared at around 15000. I brought it in to get my car service for the 15k service at the dealership. They said everything was fine. The light was off after that. However it reappeared three weeks later. At 30k, i brought it in for service again.…
2000 · 15,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
Built from 804 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page