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Nissan Maxima 1995–1999 problems by year and mileage

4th generation (A32)

NHTSA data through 24 September 2026628 complaints, 187 with mileageMethod

Which year is yours? Tap it to see what breaks on it.

• 1995—too few
• 1996—too few
• 199786kmedian
• 1998110kmedian
• 199979kmedian

Each tile shows the median mileage at which that model year’s failures were reported. The 1998 reports latest and the 1999 earliest, but part of that gap is age: the 1998 has had 1 more year on the road to accumulate mileage. 2 of these years carry fewer than 30 reports with an odometer reading and show no median at all, rather than one computed from a handful.

The short answer

“Is the 1995–1999 Nissan Maxima reliable?”

Median of reported failures

90,000 mi

90% of reports came by

155,000 mi

Reports with mileage

187

Recalls

1

Most reported

1. Electrical system27.5% of complaints · median 92,000 mi
2. Engine and its cooling system15.0% of complaints · median 92,000 mi
3. Airbag system14.8% of complaints · median 86,000 mi

When each system fails ↓

Documented problems

• Emissions / Exhaust1995–1999
• Engine

What each one is ↓

Owners filed 628 complaints with NHTSA about the 1995–1999 Nissan Maxima; the electrical system leads with 27.5% of them, and half of the 187 that record an odometer reading came by 90,000 miles. A count like this can’t rate reliability on its own: NHTSA records what owners chose to report, not how many of each car were sold.

Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 60,000 and 129,000 miles.

Before-you-buy checklist ↓At your mileage ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗

How many miles does a 1995–1999 Nissan Maxima last?

Figure 1 · Nissan Maxima 1995–1999 · 187 reports with mileage

Mileage at failure

Complaints per 20,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 38 complaints.

382919100

20.3% of all reports fall between 60,000 and 80,000 miles

25k50k75k100k125k150k175k200k

• Rest of the range
• Median
• 200,000+ — 3 complaints (1.6%), plotted separately

10%

41,000

25%

60,500

Median

90,000

75%

129,000

90%

155,000

Tallest bin: 38 complaints between 60,000 and 80,000 miles. Based on 187 complaints that record mileage. Bin width 20,000 miles.

Show the numbers

Complaints by mileage bin

Mileage	Complaints	Share
0–20,000	4	2.1%
20,000–40,000	11	5.9%
40,000–60,000	27	14.4%
60,000–80,000	38	20.3%
80,000–100,000	25	13.4%
100,000–120,000	24	12.8%
120,000–140,000	24	12.8%
140,000–160,000	19	10.2%
160,000–180,000	6	3.2%
180,000–200,000	6	3.2%
200,000+	3	1.6%

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.

What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.

Common Maxima problems, and when they happen

Figure 2 · Nissan Maxima 1995–1999

When each system fails

Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.

System0–12,000 mi factory-defect window12,000 mi and beyond wear and service lifeMedian

1. Airbag system93 reports86,00065,000–110,000Airbag system: 93 reports, median 86,000 miles, middle half 65,000 to 110,000 miles.
2. Engine and its cooling system94 reports92,00055,000–125,000Engine and its cooling system: 94 reports, median 92,000 miles, middle half 55,000 to 125,000 miles.
3. Electrical system173 reports92,00060,000–127,000Electrical system: 173 reports, median 92,000 miles, middle half 60,000 to 127,000 miles.
4. Body structure38 reports137,00095,000–160,000Body structure: 38 reports, median 137,000 miles, middle half 95,000 to 160,000 miles.

5001k2k5k10k20k50k100k200k

• Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”

Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.

All systems in a table

Complaints by vehicle system

System	Complaints	Share	Median	25–75%
Electrical system	173	27.5%	92,000	60,000–127,000
Engine and its cooling system	94	15.0%	92,000	55,000–125,000
Airbag system	93	14.8%	86,000	65,000–110,000
Transmission and driveline	42	6.7%	—	—
Body structure	38	6.1%	137,000	95,000–160,000
Suspension	36	5.7%	—	—
Hydraulic brake circuit	34	5.4%	—	—
Steering	27	4.3%	—	—
Problems owners could not categorise	26	4.1%	—	—
Tyres	25	4.0%	—	—

System by system, in words

Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 90,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.

The electrical system accounts for 27.5% of complaints (173 reports, 78 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 92,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 60,000 and 127,000 miles.

A single system taking 27.5% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.

The engine and its cooling system accounts for 15.0% of complaints (94 reports, 42 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 92,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 55,000 and 125,000 miles.

The airbag system accounts for 14.8% of complaints (93 reports, 25 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 86,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 65,000 and 110,000 miles.

Body structure accounts for 6.1% of complaints (38 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 137,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 95,000 and 160,000 miles.

Known problems with the 1995–1999 Maxima

Before you buy a 1995–1999 Maxima: the 3-minute check

Generated from 187 mileage-tagged complaints, 1 recall campaign, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.

For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 60,000 and 129,000 miles, with a median of 90,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.

On inspection, the electrical system and the engine and its cooling system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The engine and its cooling system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 92,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.

None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.

Maxima problems by mileage: where your car sits

Type your odometer reading, or read the common mileages in the table. Your marker lands on the timing chart above and on the curve below.

Your odometer, milesGo

Figure 3 · Nissan Maxima 1995–1999 · 187 reports with mileage

Share of reports below each mileage

Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.

100%75%50%25%0%

25k50k75k100k125k150k175k200k

• 60,000 mi — 22% of reports below
• 120,000 mi — 69% of reports below
• 200,000 mi — 98% of reports below
• Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
• Your odometer — appears after you enter it above

The staircase tops out at 98%: the remaining 1.6% of reports (3) came above 200,000 miles.

Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.

1995–1999 Nissan Maxima recalls (1)

NHTSA records 1 recall campaign covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.

Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.

Recall repairs are free at an authorized dealer, for any owner. Summaries below shorten NHTSA’s own wording.

1. Jun 2002 · 1997–1998 · Electrical SystemIf the combustible gas emitted by the melting plastic does not disperse due to air flow through the engine…

   The defect. On certain passenger vehicles, one of the diodes used in the alternator may have been damaged when built. This can eventually result in failure of the diode and an electrical short which could melt the plastic housing.

   What can happen. If the combustible gas emitted by the melting plastic does not disperse due to air flow through the engine compartment, it could ignite and in turn ignite the fan guide in the alternator.

   The free fix. Dealers will replace the alternator. Owner notification began july 29, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy…

   NHTSA campaign 02V-171 (2002-06-24).

Crashes, fires and injuries owners reported

What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 628 complaints against this generation:

Crashes

57 (9.1%)

Fires

41

Injury reports

33

Fatality reports

1

These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.

Maxima problems by model year

The 1999 drew the most complaints of this generation, 165, most of them about the electrical system, and the 1996 the fewest, 96. A typical year drew about 113.

What Maxima owners reported

the contact owns a 1999 Nissan Maxima. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact smelled an electrical burning odor and various warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle shut off completely and was pulled over to the side of the road as smoke appeared from the engine compartment. The…

1999 · 96,000 miles · Electrical system

I was accelerating from a red light going up hill. When i reached the top of the hill and let off the petal, the car continued to pick up speed. The brake petal was stiff and unresponsive. There was nothing under the petal. As i was quickly approaching another red light with stopped traffic. I put the car in neutral…

1999 · 147,000 miles · Fuel and propulsion system

the contact owns a 1999 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the crank shaft position sensor, the knock sensor and the coils needed to be…

1999 · 130,000 miles · Engine

I wish to receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket cost of repair and installation of new parts for the vehicles alternator having caught on fire. On or about november 24, 2014, my request was submitted to Nissan of north per Nissan manufacturers recall instructions. The recall issued in 2001 was still open on the…

1998 · 155,000 miles · Engine

Built from 187 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-09-26 · open data · how it is built

Other Maxima generations

• Maxima 2000–2003 623 reports with mileage, most about the electrical system
• Maxima 2004–2008 2,678 reports with mileage, most about the transmission and driveline
• Maxima 2009–2014 778 reports with mileage, most about the steering
• Maxima 2016–2023 155 reports with mileage, most about problems owners could not categorise

Other large cars from the same years

• Toyota Avalon 1995–1999
• Ford Taurus 1996–1999
• Mercury Grand Marquis 1992–1997