Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2013 Nissan Maxima

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

Owners have filed 62 safety complaints about the 2013 Nissan Maxima with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was 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 power train, named in 24 complaints, 39% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 62,000 miles, the median across the 51 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers July 2013 to December 2025 · How this is counted

What is on file

62 complaints on file

Complaints

Describe a crash

Mention fire

People injured

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

POWER TRAIN 24 · 39% 24 39%

AIR BAGS 16 · 26% 16 26%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 9 · 15% 9 15%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 · 13% 8 13%

ENGINE 4 · 6% 4 6%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 3% 2 3%

SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 3% 2 3%

STRUCTURE 2 · 3% 2 3%

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 · 2% 1 2%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 2% 1 2%

STEERING 1 · 2% 1 2%

VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 2% 1 2%

0 12 23

One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 62.

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 2019 at 12.

16 12 8 4

13 2013 14 2014 15 2015 16 2016 17 2017 18 2018 19 2019 20 2020 21 2021 22 2022 23 2023 24 2024 25 2025

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2013 to 2025.

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 2013 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 Filed February 7, 2018

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed April 4, 2014

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 Filed October 5, 2015

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 Filed April 11, 2024

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 Filed December 19, 2025

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 Filed November 18, 2023

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 Filed June 14, 2023

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 Filed January 12, 2023

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 Filed September 27, 2022

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	22	1	—
2019	18	1	—
2018	36	2	—
2017	103	4	—
2016	142	8	—
2014	96	0	—
2012	107	0	—
2011	106	0	—
2010	275	1	—

Other 2013 Nissan models

Altima 2,312 Pathfinder 890 Sentra 638 Rogue 610 Versa 204 Juke 103 Leaf 81 Murano 74

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Nissan on this site — 205 vehicles.

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.

Where these numbers come from

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.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst