AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed · 58,000 miles
NO 'TAKATA RECALL' AT THIS MOMENT BUT I WAS INJURED BECAUSE AIRBAG FAILED IN MY CHEST
NHTSA complaint 11071660. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
Nissan · NHTSA safety record
2013 Nissan Maxima
Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.
62
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Owners of the 2013 Nissan Maxima have filed 62 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2013 and December 2025. The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 24 of them (39%). The typical failure was reported at 62,000 miles, the median across the 51 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 62.
POWER TRAIN 24 39%
AIR BAGS 16 26%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 9 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 13%
ENGINE 4 6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 3%
STRUCTURE 2 3%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 2%
STEERING 1 2%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 2%
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 12.
In owners' own words
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
fire · 7,200 miles
AFTER ABOUT 1 MILE OF DRIVING, THERE WAS A SMALL EXPLOSION HEARD UNDER THE CENTER CONSOLE DIRECTLY UNDER THE SHIFT CONSOLE. FIRE STARTED COMING OUT FROM THE SHIFT CONSOLE. BURNED UP CENTER SHIFTER CONSOLE AND CARPET SURROUNDING AREA. *TR
NHTSA complaint 10577460. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
towed
S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING- LETTER FROM CONSTITUENT RE COPY OF LETTER ADDRESSED TO CARLOS GHOSN, CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY, LTD NOTIFYING THE COMPANY OF A MAJOR AUTOMOTIVE DEFECT WITH NISSAN'S 2013 MAXIMA. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO HESITATE, AS IF IT WERE GOING TO LOSE POWER, AFTER RETRIEVING IT FROM THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE AIR FLOW METER AND ENGINE AIR FILTER. *JB
NHTSA complaint 10805747. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
towed · 7,500 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart on the third attempt however the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine, the crankshaft, and the cylinder heads needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 7,500. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint 11582321. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I have a 2013 Nissan Maxima in my headlights are horrible when they are on dim you cannot see in front of you so bad that it's liable to cause a bad wreck I have to ride with my headlights on bright and it's not much better I have replaced the bulbs in both headlights twice it has not improved anything I think it is a very dangerous thing in could call someone to get hurt because no one can see I've not been pulled over by the police or anything but I have to ride with my headlights on bright and I know it blinds people sometimes I think there needs to be a recall because I have a lot of friends that have Nissans and they have the same problem
NHTSA complaint 11706145. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1. Both headlights on dim are so dim that you cannot drive safely, they do not project in front of the car far enough to see at night, dawn or dusk. I am concerned if other cars I meet can even see me approaching. My flashlight shines brighter and farther. I have replaced the bulbs for the dim lights and it did no good. 2. Drove to California and was in west Texas after dark, could not see the road after dark. 3. My relative is a mechanic and he has confirmed the defective illumination with my dim lights. 4. It has not been confirmed by any officials such as insurance or police. 5. I noticed this problem about 1 year ago. I have been having to run bright lights if I must drive after dark.
NHTSA complaint 11555842, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving at night, the driver’s, and passenger's side headlights were very dim, failing to properly illuminate the roadway, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The contact stated that the light bulbs were replaced but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.
NHTSA complaint 11527029. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
The transmission is failing in my car it doesn't want to go. stalling out shuttering,jerking.
NHTSA complaint 11501392. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
a recall and class action lawsuit was issued for the 2013 altima but not the 2013 maxima. they have the same cvt transmission, my cvt transmission on my maxima just went out. Both the maxima and the altima should have been included in these recalls if they have the exact same CVT transmission
NHTSA complaint 11486654. 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 | — |
| 2012 | 107 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 106 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 275 | 1 | — |
Other 2013 Nissan models
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
- Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file , published August 20, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
- Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API , most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
- Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file , published 2026-08-19.
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 guarledes
Independent developer and analyst