Nissan Maxima 2009–2014
7th generation (A35)
NHTSA data through 13 August 20261,331 complaints, 1,037 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 1,037
- Median of reported failures
- 66,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Steering (26.7%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 40,000 and 96,487 miles.
Figure 1 · Nissan Maxima 2009–2014 · 1,037 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 = 125 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 14 complaints (1.4%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 13,500
- 25%
- 40,000
- Median
- 65,950
- 75%
- 96,487
- 90%
- 123,300
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 85 | 8.2% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 37 | 3.6% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 46 | 4.4% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 82 | 7.9% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 80 | 7.7% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 125 | 12.1% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 103 | 9.9% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 99 | 9.5% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 90 | 8.7% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 44 | 4.2% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 70 | 6.8% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 55 | 5.3% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 26 | 2.5% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 20 | 1.9% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 15 | 1.4% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 16 | 1.5% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 5 | 0.5% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 18 | 1.7% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 3 | 0.3% |
| 190,000–200,000 | 4 | 0.4% |
| 200,000+ | 14 | 1.4% |
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 1,331 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009–2014 Nissan Maxima, and 1,037 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 40,000 and 96,487 miles. The median is 65,950 miles.
The most-reported areas are the steering (26.7% of complaints, typically around 64,000 miles), the electrical system (15.0% of complaints, typically around 66,000 miles), the airbag system (11.3% of complaints, typically around 33,000 miles).
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 2009–2014 Nissan Maxima last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2009–2014 Nissan Maxima were filed by 66,000 miles and 90% by 123,000 miles — figures drawn from 1,037 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
14 reports (1.4%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Maxima reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2009–2014 Maxima: the 3-minute check
Generated from 1,037 mileage-tagged complaints, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check transmission on 2009–2014 cars. JATCO JF010E Xtronic CVT failure is the dominant complaint. Fluid overheating causes belt-to-pulley slip and metal contamination, producing shudder, whine, hesitation and total loss of drive, often between 60,000 and…
- Check engine. VQ35DE timing chain wear (Falco v. Nissan settlement) and oil consumption.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- 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 40,000 and 96,000 miles, with a median of 66,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the steering and the electrical system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The steering in particular shows a median failure mileage of 64,000, 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 2009–2014
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.
- Airbag system150 reports33,0007,500–74,000Airbag system: 150 reports, median 33,000 miles, middle half 7,500 to 74,000 miles.
- Steering355 reports64,00048,000–89,000Steering: 355 reports, median 64,000 miles, middle half 48,000 to 89,000 miles.
- Electrical system200 reports66,00050,000–88,000Electrical system: 200 reports, median 66,000 miles, middle half 50,000 to 88,000 miles.
- Engine74 reports67,00041,000–96,000Engine: 74 reports, median 67,000 miles, middle half 41,000 to 96,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise112 reports70,00050,000–113,000Problems owners could not categorise: 112 reports, median 70,000 miles, middle half 50,000 to 113,000 miles.
- Suspension75 reports75,00045,000–122,000Suspension: 75 reports, median 75,000 miles, middle half 45,000 to 122,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline111 reports94,00067,000–112,000Transmission and driveline: 111 reports, median 94,000 miles, middle half 67,000 to 112,000 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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 355 | 26.7% | 64,000 | 48,000–89,000 |
| Electrical system | 200 | 15.0% | 66,000 | 50,000–88,000 |
| Airbag system | 150 | 11.3% | 33,000 | 7,500–74,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 112 | 8.4% | 70,000 | 50,000–113,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 111 | 8.3% | 94,000 | 67,000–112,000 |
| Suspension | 75 | 5.6% | 75,000 | 45,000–122,000 |
| Engine | 74 | 5.6% | 67,000 | 41,000–96,000 |
| Body structure | 40 | 3.0% | 55,000 | 35,000–90,000 |
| Exterior lighting | 34 | 2.6% | 90,000 | 60,000–112,000 |
| Seats | 32 | 2.4% | 38,000 | 4,500–70,000 |
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 2009–2014 · 1,037 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 — 44% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 72% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 88% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 99%: the remaining 1.4% of reports (14) 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
44% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Steering — middle half 48,000–89,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 50,000–88,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 7,500–74,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 50,000–113,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 45,000–122,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 41,000–96,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 67,000–112,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
72% 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
- Steering — median 64,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 66,000 mi
- Airbag system — median 33,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 50,000–113,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 67,000–112,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 45,000–122,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 41,000–96,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
88% 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
- Steering — median 64,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 66,000 mi
- Airbag system — median 33,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — median 70,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 94,000 mi
- Engine — median 67,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Suspension — middle half 45,000–122,000 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 65,950 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The steering accounts for 26.7% of complaints (355 reports, 307 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 64,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 48,000 and 89,000 miles.
A single system taking 26.7% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The electrical system accounts for 15.0% of complaints (200 reports, 170 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 66,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 50,000 and 88,000 miles.
The airbag system accounts for 11.3% of complaints (150 reports, 112 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 33,000 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 7,500 and 74,000 miles.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 8.4% of complaints (112 reports, 67 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 50,000 and 113,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 8.3% of complaints (111 reports, 90 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 94,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 67,000 and 112,000 miles.
The suspension accounts for 5.6% of complaints (75 reports, 56 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 75,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 45,000 and 122,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2009 model year drew the most — 460 complaints — while 2013 drew the fewest at 71. The median year sits at 137.
That makes 2009 an outlier: roughly 3.3 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 1,331 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 56 (4.2%)
- Fires
- 10
- Injury reports
- 44
- Fatality reports
- 0
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
Transmission 2009–2014
JATCO JF010E Xtronic CVT failure is the dominant complaint. Fluid overheating causes belt-to-pulley slip and metal contamination, producing shudder, whine, hesitation and total loss of drive, often between 60,000 and 110,000 miles. Nissan reserved $590.5M to extend CVT coverage and class settlements extended affected warranties to 84 months / 84,000 miles.
Engine
VQ35DE timing chain wear (Falco v. Nissan settlement) and oil consumption.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 460 | 364 |
| 2010 | 399 | 343 |
| 2011 | 138 | 82 |
| 2012 | 137 | 104 |
| 2013 | 71 | 56 |
| 2014 | 126 | 88 |
What owners reported
the contact owns a 2009 Nissan Maxima. Immediately after purchasing the vehicle in december of 2008, the contact noticed that the air bag light would remain illuminated when the front passenger seat was occupied. In addition, the air bag sensor would not work whenever a passenger utilized the back rest. The dealer…
2009 · 150 miles · Airbag system
When i am driving the car, with a passenger in the front passenger seat, air bag not on sign will illuminate. This happens on a daily basis. I never took it in and it still happens now. It became oblivious to me because i didn't make time to have the problem corrected, seat belts are fastened and the light still comes…
2009 · 500 miles · Airbag system
In nov. 2009, Approx 3 months after purchasing new car, it started intermittently having heavier vibration in the steering wheel. Since then, there is a constant minor pulsing/vibration, with intermittent vibration that has more intensity. When i have more instances of the "heavier" vibration during my commute it…
2009 · 2,500 miles · Steering
Built from 1,037 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page