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Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2012 Nissan Maxima

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

107

Complaints

6

Crashes

2

Fires

7

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2012 Nissan Maxima have filed 107 safety complaints with NHTSA between October 2011 and January 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 27 of them (25%). The typical failure was reported at 55,000 miles, the median across the 85 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

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.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 107.

AIR BAGS 27 25%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 21%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20 19%
POWER TRAIN 18 17%
ENGINE 11 10%
STEERING 10 9%
SEATS 6 6%
STRUCTURE 6 6%
VISIBILITY 4 4%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 2%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 2%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 19.

2011 2018 2026
2011 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

246,450 miles

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.

Compare

Other years of the Nissan Maxima

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 21 1 —
2019 18 1 —
2018 36 2 —
2017 103 4 —
2016 142 8 —
2014 95 0 —
2013 62 0 —
2011 106 0 —
2010 275 1 —

Other 2012 Nissan models

Versa 486 Altima 425 Rogue 317 Sentra 180 Murano 134 Quest 93 Juke 87 Frontier 78

Every Nissan on this site — 200 vehicles, 319 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst