Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 107 safety complaints
about the 2012 Nissan Maxima with the US government. Of those, 6 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 7 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the air bags,
named in 27 complaints, 25% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 55,000 miles,
the median across the 85
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers October 2011 to January 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
107 complaints on file
107
Complaints
6
Describe a crash
2
Mention fire
7
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 27 · 25%
27 25%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 · 21%
23 21%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20 · 19%
20 19%
POWER TRAIN 18 · 17%
18 17%
ENGINE 11 · 10%
11 10%
STEERING 10 · 9%
10 9%
SEATS 6 · 6%
6 6%
STRUCTURE 6 · 6%
6 6%
VISIBILITY 4 · 4%
4 4%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 · 2%
2 2%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 2%
2 2%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 2%
2 2%
01223
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 107.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2018 at 19.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2011 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2012 Nissan MAXIMA, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
10.1%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
AIR BAGS
2 injured · crash · 22,300 miles
ME AND MY WIFE WERE TRAVELING NORTHBOUND IN OUR 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA AROUND 30MPH ON WESTERN AVENUE IN CHICAGO WHEN SUDDENLY A FORD FOCUS 2007 THAT RAN A STOP SIGN TRAVELING EAST BOUND ON ROSEMONT AVENUE T-BONED US ON DRIVER'S SIDE. AS OUR CAR WAS MOVING AT A SIGNIFICANT SPEED IT STOPPED AFTER CRASHING INTO A FIRE HYDRANT WHICH WAS ON THE CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION. MY WIFE WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL IN AN AMBULANCE WITH ARM AND BACK INJURIES AND I ALSO HAD INJURIES ON MY LEFT ARM, SHOULDER AND LOWER BACK. MY MAIN CONCERN IS WHY NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED IF THE CAR WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED MORE THAN 20 MPH AND HIT A SOLID OBJECT(FIRE HYDRANT). BOTH OF US WERE WEARING SEAT BELTS. THE CAR WAS …
NHTSA complaint 10567728, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
2 injured · 55,000 miles
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AND THE MOONROOF LITERALLY EXPLODED. I WAS LOOKING TO SEE HOW IT COULD HAPPEN, BUT I STILL TO THIS DAY CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT.
NHTSA complaint 11064537. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · fire · crash · towed · 70,000 miles
THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO OPEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT. THE FRONT BUMPER WAS SMASHED AND MY DAUGHTER COULD HAVE PREVENTED INJURIES IF THE AIRBAGS HAD OPEN. I HAVE LOST TRUST IN NISSAN AND THIS CRUSHED MY FAITH IN THEIR PRODUCTS! !!!
NHTSA complaint 10918882. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed · 89,383 miles
AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THAT CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL FRONT END DAMAGE. I WAS TRAVELING WESTBOUND IN THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY 84 AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME SLAMMED ON BRAKES AND CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP. I APPLIED MY BRAKES BUT WAS UNABLE TO AVOID IMPACTING THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF MY CAR WAS CRUMPLED. BOTH FRONT QUARTER PANELS, FRONT BUMPER, GRILL ASSEMBLY, AND HOOD WERE DESTROYED. THE WINDSHIELD ALSO CRACKED. WITH THE EXTENT OF THE FRONT END DAMAGE, THE AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED.
NHTSA complaint 11018674. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Nissan Maxima. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact stated that the mileage on the title was not available. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 150,000. The vehicle was taken for Texas State Inspection and the VIN was entered on the Inspection Station website and the mileage of 246,450 was displayed.
NHTSA complaint 11711387. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
2012 Nissan Maxima with 94,000 miles began hesitating upon accelerating and jerking on [XXX]. Vehicle diagnosed at Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY with bad transmission. Transmission replaced. Then on [XXX], while driving vehicle, a loud noise from front passenger tire, traction light come on, pulled to side and found wheel side ways and upon investigation, Ball Joint had come part damaging axle and wheel. Found no bolt for ball joint in place. Towed back to Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11670526. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Since 2018 to present day. I been having difficulties with the visibility from my front windshield at sunny days. The dashboard has this sticky substance that make the dashboard really shinny, and reflect the sun light on the windshield, blocking the view and make it hard to see the road and vehicles. I had to use sunglasses to block this issue, but in some cases this will not improved and can make it worst. I had couple of near miss, and I have to stop driving my car at times to avoid this issue.
NHTSA complaint 11609759. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
Passenger airbag notifi action blinks and will not show it is activated to function in a crash. Airbag has never worked. Also driver seat belt keeps releasing without being pushed to open. Seat belt issue just began Dec 2023
NHTSA complaint 11562826. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag failed to turn on while the front passenger's side seat was occupied. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known issue, and that the front passenger's side seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
NHTSA complaint 11539116. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Green wire burn throughout the entire wiring harness..From alternator to engine fuse box and also to inside fuse box.. Bypassing the blown fuses and/or relays!!
NHTSA complaint 11519613. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst