MY 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA WILL DISPLAY SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT AND CANNOT BE RESET. I HAVE REPLACED THE IGNITION COILS AND SPARK PLUGS PLUS THE AIR TEMP SENSOR. THIS CODE P1320 IS ALWAYS ON AND THERE SEEMS TO BE MANY OTHER NISSAN OWNERS WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR
1999 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 Nissan Maxima do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 99.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Maxima years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
89 reports with mileage · 76 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 83 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
165 reportsMIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. KNOCK AND SPARK FAILURE TROUBLE CODES. ERRATIC IDLE AND POWER SURGE AT OR ABOUT 2000 RPM. IN SOME CASES THE IDLE HAS BEEN ERRATIC ENOUGH FOR THE ENGINE TO STALL. THE PROBLEM IS NOT CONSISTENT AND IS TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT. COLD MORNINGS (LESS THAN 50 DEGREES F) CREATE THE MOST PROBLEMS. SUDDEN LOSS OF…
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MIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. KNOCK AND SPARK FAILURE TROUBLE CODES. ERRATIC IDLE AND POWER SURGE AT OR ABOUT 2000 RPM. IN SOME CASES THE IDLE HAS BEEN ERRATIC ENOUGH FOR THE ENGINE TO STALL. THE PROBLEM IS NOT CONSISTENT AND IS TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT. COLD MORNINGS (LESS THAN 50 DEGREES F) CREATE THE MOST PROBLEMS. SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER ON ACCELERATION HAS PROVEN DANGEROUS. REPLACED IGNITION COIL PACKS, SIX PER CAR. *TR
I HAVE A 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT ALL 3 O2 SENSORS WERE BAD, AND THEY COULD BE REPLACED FOR APPROXIMATELY $700. A WEEK LATER CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON, AND NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT IT IS THE #3 CYLINDER MISFIRING, AND THEY RECOMMEND REPLACING ALL 6 IGN…
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I HAVE A 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT ALL 3 O2 SENSORS WERE BAD, AND THEY COULD BE REPLACED FOR APPROXIMATELY $700. A WEEK LATER CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON, AND NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT IT IS THE #3 CYLINDER MISFIRING, AND THEY RECOMMEND REPLACING ALL 6 IGNITION COILS FOR APPROXIMATELY $1200. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE IGNITION COILS, AND REALLY DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY THEM AGAIN FOR SOMETHING THAT I FEEL SHOULD BE REPLACED BY THEM ANYWAY. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE VEHICLE HAS SUMITOMO, SIZE 21555HR16 TIRES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TWO FRONT TIRES CRACKED ON THE SIDEWALLS AND THE TREAD. THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED IN MAY OF 2007. THE CONTACT HAS PICTURES. THE DOT WAS UNKNOWN. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEA…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE VEHICLE HAS SUMITOMO, SIZE 21555HR16 TIRES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TWO FRONT TIRES CRACKED ON THE SIDEWALLS AND THE TREAD. THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED IN MAY OF 2007. THE CONTACT HAS PICTURES. THE DOT WAS UNKNOWN. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. THE VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 129,000. UPDATED 10/23/07 *TR
CHECK ENGINE KEPT COMING ON. MACHINES KEPT TELLING US IT WAS CYLINDER 2 MISFIRE. WE REPLACED FUEL FILTER, SPARKPLUGS, SPARKPLUG COIL WITH NO RESULTS. WENT TO DEALER, THEY PUT CAR ON MACHINE. THEY HAD TROUBLE FINDING PROBLEM. THEY HAD TO SEARCH BY HAND, WITH NO RESULTS. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS AN ELEC. PROBLEM THAT WAS INTERMITTENT.…
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CHECK ENGINE KEPT COMING ON. MACHINES KEPT TELLING US IT WAS CYLINDER 2 MISFIRE. WE REPLACED FUEL FILTER, SPARKPLUGS, SPARKPLUG COIL WITH NO RESULTS. WENT TO DEALER, THEY PUT CAR ON MACHINE. THEY HAD TROUBLE FINDING PROBLEM. THEY HAD TO SEARCH BY HAND, WITH NO RESULTS. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS AN ELEC. PROBLEM THAT WAS INTERMITTENT. LIGHT WENT OUT WITHOUT FIXING ANYTHING. HAS NOT COME BACK AGAIN YET. *TR
PRIOR TO GETTING MY 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA INSPECTED, THE 'SERVICE ENGINE SOON' LIGHT TURNED ON AND I EVENTUALLY FOUND OUT THAT THE LIGHT IS ON BECAUSE A FEW OF MY IGNITION COILS ARE NO LONGER WORKING. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WILL BE ABOUT A $1500 REPAIR (BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO REPLACE ALL OF THE COILS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DETE…
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PRIOR TO GETTING MY 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA INSPECTED, THE 'SERVICE ENGINE SOON' LIGHT TURNED ON AND I EVENTUALLY FOUND OUT THAT THE LIGHT IS ON BECAUSE A FEW OF MY IGNITION COILS ARE NO LONGER WORKING. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS WILL BE ABOUT A $1500 REPAIR (BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO REPLACE ALL OF THE COILS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DETECT WHICH ONES ARE OUT) AND I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT WHO DOESN'T MAKE MUCH MORE THAN TWICE THAT IN A YEAR. I WAS RESEARCHING ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY CHEAPER IGNITION COILS I COULD PURCHASE, AND CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM THAT A PETITION HAS BEEN CREATED WITH OVER 3,000 SIGNATURES(HERE IS THE PETITION: HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/MOD_PERL/SIGNED.CGI?NIS_IGN&851). I AM GOING TO CONTACT MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP TOMORROW (AS I WAS BUSY GETTING ESTIMATES FROM OTHER MECHANICS EVER SINCE I FOUND OUT ABOUT MY FAILED IGNITION COILS UNTIL TODAY WHEN I LEARNED THAT MANY OTHERS WITH '99-'03 NISSAN MAXIMA'S HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM) AND HOPEFULLY SOMETHING WILL BE DONE, BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING I BELIEVE THAT THEY SHOULD DO WHAT'S MORALLY RIGHT AND ISSUE A RECALL. *JB
MY 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA SE HAD ONE COIL REPLACED IN 2003. THIS YEAR I REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AS WELL. MY AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHES CONSTANTLY AND MY CLOCK GOES IN AND OUT OF SERVICE. MY SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR RUNS VERY ROUGH. WHEN IDLING IT SOUNDS LIKE A CHOKING PIECE OF CRAP AND ON THE HILLS THE LIGHT FLASHES. …
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MY 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA SE HAD ONE COIL REPLACED IN 2003. THIS YEAR I REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AS WELL. MY AIRBAG LIGHT FLASHES CONSTANTLY AND MY CLOCK GOES IN AND OUT OF SERVICE. MY SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR RUNS VERY ROUGH. WHEN IDLING IT SOUNDS LIKE A CHOKING PIECE OF CRAP AND ON THE HILLS THE LIGHT FLASHES. I WAS TOLD I HAD A BAD COIL AGAIN AND TOOK IT FOR A DIAGNOSTIC THAT SAID MULTIPLE MISFIRE AND REPLACE ALL SIX COILS. I HAVE READ COMPLAINT AFTER COMPLAINT ABOUT COILS. WHEN I BOUGHT MY MAXIMA NEW I THOUGHT I WAS BUYING A CAR THAT WAS RELIABLE BUT I AM HEARING THAT COIL REPLACEMENT IS THE RULE NOT THE EXCEPTION. I ALSO HAVE REAR BRAKE NOISE....SINCE YEAR THREE OF OWNING THE CAR. I HAVE REPLACED TWO SETS OF BRAKE PADS AS WELL. *TR
ANYONE CAN SPEND JUST A MOMENT OF TIME ON THE INTERNET AND FIND THAT NISSAN MAXIMAS FROM 1999 TO 2003 , PERHAPS A LENGTHIER TIME PERIOD, MINE IS A 1999. HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH IGNITION COILS AND STARTERS. YET NO RECALL HAS EVER BEEN ISSUED! I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF CONSUMER WEBSITES OF PEOPLE REPORTING THESE PROBLEMS WITH CO…
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ANYONE CAN SPEND JUST A MOMENT OF TIME ON THE INTERNET AND FIND THAT NISSAN MAXIMAS FROM 1999 TO 2003 , PERHAPS A LENGTHIER TIME PERIOD, MINE IS A 1999. HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH IGNITION COILS AND STARTERS. YET NO RECALL HAS EVER BEEN ISSUED! I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF CONSUMER WEBSITES OF PEOPLE REPORTING THESE PROBLEMS WITH COILS AND STARTERS. I JUST HAD TO REPLACE STARTER AND COILS. SOME PEOPLE REPORT REPLACING THEM EVERY 10,000 - 20,000 MILES!!! THIS IS A PRICEY REPAIR AT ABOUT $1000 TO $1500 PER EVENT! PLEASE URGE NISSAN TO RECALL THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS AND REFUND THOSE WHO HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR THIS SERVICE.*AK
I HAVE 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA AND IT STARTED GIVING PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION COIL WHEN IT HAD ONLY 50000 MILES AND THE MECHANICS WERE NOT ABLE TO FIND WHICH COIL WAS HAVING THE PROBLEM, AND FINALLY ASKED ME TO CHANGE ALL THE SIX COILS FOR AROUND $1000.00. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THIS IS SEEN IN MANY MAXIMA'S AND INFINITY I30. *AK
I HAVE A POTENTIALLY DEADLY PROBLEM WITH MY 133,000-MILE, 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA. IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE CRANK SENSOR ON NEWER MAXIMA, A STEERING COLUMN LOCK, A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH, FAULTY CLUTCH DEPRESSION SWITCH, AND THE ANTI-THEFT KILL SWITCH, PERHAPS EVEN A RANDOM GROUND. THE PROBLEM WAS CONCEIVABLY CATASTROPHIC.*A…
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I HAVE A POTENTIALLY DEADLY PROBLEM WITH MY 133,000-MILE, 1999 NISSAN MAXIMA. IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THE CRANK SENSOR ON NEWER MAXIMA, A STEERING COLUMN LOCK, A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH, FAULTY CLUTCH DEPRESSION SWITCH, AND THE ANTI-THEFT KILL SWITCH, PERHAPS EVEN A RANDOM GROUND. THE PROBLEM WAS CONCEIVABLY CATASTROPHIC.*AK UPON ENTERING MY CAR USING THE REMOTE, OCCASIONALLY THE CAR WON'T RESPOND, AND MUST BE UNLOCKED MANUALLY. IN THESE INSTANCES, NEITHER THE DOME LIGHTS NOR THE HEADLIGHTS SHINE. WHEN THE IGNITION KEY IS ROTATED TO THE START POSITION, AS THE CLUTCH IS BEING DEPRESSED, SOMETIMES THE GAUGE LIGHTS APPEAR AND THEN QUICKLY FADE AND DISAPPEAR; THE CAR JUST DOESN'T CRANK. A FAINT, DIMINISHING TELLTALE BUZZING SOUND CAN BE HEARD. WHAT'S WORSE, THIS CAN HAPPEN SPONTANEOUSLY WHILE DRIVING, IN WHICH CASE THE CAR'S STEERING WHEEL LOCKS AND THE BRAKES BECOME INOPERABLE. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN ON THREE OCCASIONS, TWICE WHILE DRIVING IN A MALL PARKING LOT (FEBRUARY AND MARCH ''07) AND THE OTHER TIME (JUST LAST WEEK) WHILE TURNING INTO MY NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY, TO TAKE OUT HER OAK TREE. THE IGNITION CRANK SENSOR MUST SLIP INTO AN INOPERABLE MODE DURING DRIVING OR WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE CAR, OR THE ANTI-THEFT SWITCH SOMEHOW INTERFERES WITH STARTING, OPERATION OR DRIVING. MAYBE THE MASTER IGNITION COIL IS FAILING (BUT THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE HEADLIGHT AND DOME LIGHT PROBLEMS). THE CLUTCH SWITCH MAY NOT ENGAGE WHEN ITS PEDAL IS BEING DEPRESSED. SOMETIMES, I CAN RESTART THE CAR AFTER AN INCIDENT IN WHICH IT WAS PARKED FOR A WHILE. MY BATTERY IS BRAND NEW, AND THERE DON'T SEEM TO BE ANY SHORTS AS FAR AS I CAN TELL. BUT NOTHING ELECTRICALLY WORKS (NOT EVEN THE RADIO) WHEN I HAVE TO UNLOCK THE CAR MANUALLY. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THE CAR BEYOND MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I MIGHT HAVE TO BECOME A HERMIT, OR WORSE, A COLLEGE PROFESSOR. ANY IDEAS? THE CAR IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE OTHERWISE AND HAS ALL SERVICE RECORDS.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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