2011 Nissan Maxima: problems, recalls and reliability
0 recalls and 106 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (22% of complaints).
Data updated weekly
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 106 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The transmission is slipping it's a cvt and they're known for being the worst transmissions. I was entering the highway on a on ramp and I could no longer accelerate past 55 I was near flooring it and you can hear the engine working but the rpm's are all over the odometer going from 3k-6.5k over and over. The problem has not been diagnosed professionally. The vehicle has not been inspected professionally.There were no lights on the dash when this began happening and nothing occurred that led up to that situation it was just a normal drive for me and now this happens every other day.”Owner report · Power Train · Jun 2024
“Airbag warning came on. I took to dealership for diagnostic. There was malfunction with the passenger airbag. Seat coushin needed to be replaced so the "normal" wear and tear airbag would no longer be an issue. Nissan stated this is not a safety concern and all expenses were out of pocket.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2023
“Dashboard is melting which is making it extremely sticky but the worst part is that it is causing a visibility issues while driving. The glare is really bad.”Owner report · Structure · Mar 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“Hi I bought car Nissan maxima 2011 transmission not working well when I driving I stopped at the traffic after that car does not move forward”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jan 2023
“Cvt transmission jerking , engine is always idling hard sometimes wants to even shut off , accelerating sometimes takes a lil while to respond , rack and pinion assembly faulty I would like for nissan to fix my car or get a lump sum check for all faulty errors these cars have”Owner report · Power Train · Aug 2022
“Transmission failed on my vehicle at 40,000 miles while I was in the middle of traffic. My car stopped accelerating without warning and I nearly got into an accident”Owner report · Power Train · Nov 2021
“My car has less than 113,500 miles and started losing power and coasting, the speed would fluctuate and something sounds loose in the engine. I took it to lithia nissan in fresno ca on blackstone and they told me the cvt belt needs to be replaced thereby causing the car to need a whole new transmission at $5738.96. The car was in motion.”Owner report · Engine · Mar 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the dashboard was melting. Coastal nissan (8519 ocean hwy, pawleys island, sc 29585) was made aware of the failure and inspected the vehicle but offered no further assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was over the warranty coverage. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 115,376.”Owner report · Structure · Feb 2021
“This is my third nissan maxima and they all had the same idsue with the mass air flow sensor. Set off check engine light and makes car hesitate when accerlerating. My mom owns a 2013 maxima 45000 miles and has the same issue with check engine light.”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2020
“I noticed the camera not working when I was backing into my garage after work. Then again the next day when I was backing into my parking space at work. It comes and go now. I'm not sure why it started.”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 15 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2011 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Maxima by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
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Is the 2011 Nissan Maxima reliable?
NHTSA has 106 owner complaints and 0 recall campaigns on record for the 2011 Nissan Maxima. The most complained-about area is air bags (22% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2011 Nissan Maxima problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 70,000 miles or less.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.