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2009 Nissan Maxima

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Maxima years

Owner complaints for the 2009 Nissan Maxima are substantially higher than the model-year median of 99.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

272 reports with mileage · 67 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.

  • Steering. Review the 168 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 79 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

7 crash reports2 fire reports5 injury reports

Steering complaints

168 reports
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94,000 miles · Feb 12, 2016
Steering

THE STEERING CONTROL MODULE HAS FAILED, AND WILL NOT ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO START. SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON ISSUE, AND THE SAME PART AND PART NUMBER HAS BEEN RECALLED ON THERE OTHER MODEL CARS, BUT NOT WITH THIS VEHICLE, WHEN THIS PART FAIL IT WILL LEAVE YOU STRANDED AND NOT BE ABLE TO START THE CAR WITH THE STEERING WHEEL POSSIBLY…

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THE STEERING CONTROL MODULE HAS FAILED, AND WILL NOT ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO START. SEEMS TO BE VERY COMMON ISSUE, AND THE SAME PART AND PART NUMBER HAS BEEN RECALLED ON THERE OTHER MODEL CARS, BUT NOT WITH THIS VEHICLE, WHEN THIS PART FAIL IT WILL LEAVE YOU STRANDED AND NOT BE ABLE TO START THE CAR WITH THE STEERING WHEEL POSSIBLY LOCKED IN PLACE.

NHTSA ODI #10825843

71,162 miles · Feb 3, 2016
Steering

STEERING LOCK ACTUATOR FAILURE. THE CAR WOULD NOT START. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND THE PART REPLACED FOR $1,330.00

NHTSA ODI #10824017

75,000 miles · Jan 31, 2016
Electrical SystemSteeringUnknown Or Other

LUCKILY IN THE DRIVEWAY AFTER LOADING CAR FOR FOOD BANK DELIVERY, I TRIED TO START BUT NO LIGHT ASKING TO PRESS FOOT ON BRAKE TO START CAME ON WAS MY FIRST CLUE SOMETHING WAS WRONG. KEY LOCKS/UNLOCKS/OPEN TRUNK/ALARM WORKS BUT WILL NOT START ENGINE. "KEY WARNING LIGHT" COMES ON. TRIED BOTH KEYS BUT NOTHING. DISCONNECTED/RECO…

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LUCKILY IN THE DRIVEWAY AFTER LOADING CAR FOR FOOD BANK DELIVERY, I TRIED TO START BUT NO LIGHT ASKING TO PRESS FOOT ON BRAKE TO START CAME ON WAS MY FIRST CLUE SOMETHING WAS WRONG. KEY LOCKS/UNLOCKS/OPEN TRUNK/ALARM WORKS BUT WILL NOT START ENGINE. "KEY WARNING LIGHT" COMES ON. TRIED BOTH KEYS BUT NOTHING. DISCONNECTED/RECONNECTED BATTERY WITHOUT SUCCESS. STEERING WHEEL IS UNLOCKED. INSERT FOB TO TRY & START MANUALLY BUT NOTHING. MY NEIGHBOR IS A LOCAL MECHANIC & CAME OVER TO HELP. STUMPED HIM SO I GUESS I WILL BE CALLING TO GET A TOW TO DEALERSHIP IN THE MORNING AFTER UNLOADING FOOD BANK DONATIONS! AFTER READING SEVERAL HUNDRED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN JUST A MATTER OF FEW MINUTES, I AM SURE THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THOUSAND NISSAN UNSATISFIED CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS. STEP UP NISSAN & DO THE RIGHT THING. I DO NOT HAVE $1000 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. WE ALSO HAVE AN ALTIMA SO WONDERING WHEN THAT WILL GO TOO. NO MORE NISSANS FOR US!

NHTSA ODI #10823341

114,000 miles · Jan 15, 2016
Power TrainSteeringSuspension

STEERING WHEEL LOCK - IGNITION LOCK ASSEMBLY FAILURE. I PURCHASED MY 2009 NISSAN MA XIMA IN NOV 2012 AND MY CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING PRETTY GOOD UNTIL THE DREADED DAY WHEN I WAS STRANDED BECAUSE MY CAR WOULD NOT START. I HAD MY CAR TOWED AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEVSTEERINGBWHEEL LOCK ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED $1189.00. I DON'…

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STEERING WHEEL LOCK - IGNITION LOCK ASSEMBLY FAILURE. I PURCHASED MY 2009 NISSAN MA XIMA IN NOV 2012 AND MY CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING PRETTY GOOD UNTIL THE DREADED DAY WHEN I WAS STRANDED BECAUSE MY CAR WOULD NOT START. I HAD MY CAR TOWED AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEVSTEERINGBWHEEL LOCK ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED $1189.00. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT IM NOT MADE OUT OF MONEY. AFTER A LITTLE RESEARCH I DISCOVERED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE 09. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS AND NISSAN SHOULD HAVE OWNED UP AND FIXED THIS PROBLEM ALONG TIME AGO. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AND NOT JUST A BULLETIN. THERE IS A PROBLEM AND NISSA NEEDS TO FIX THERE WRONG, INSTEAD SELLING CARS KNOWING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED AND NISSAN NEEDS TO DO THE REPAIRS IMMEDIATELY WITH NO CHARGE TO THEIR CUSTOMERS.

NHTSA ODI #10820586

84,000 miles · Jan 14, 2016
Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SECURITY WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED NUMEROUS TIMES DUE TO THE VEHICLE BEING UNABLE TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT NEE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SECURITY WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED NUMEROUS TIMES DUE TO THE VEHICLE BEING UNABLE TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000.

NHTSA ODI #10820219

107,000 miles · Jan 12, 2016
Electrical SystemSteering

WHEN TRYING TO START THE CAR, IT FAILS TO START. STEERING HAS FAILED, NOT ALLOWING THE CAR TO START. THIS ISSUE HAS APPEARED TWICE ON MY CAR IN 7 DAYS. THANKS TO YOUTUBE.COM I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LIMP MY WAY. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALER, AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS DETERMINED THAT STEERING LOCK HAS FAILED. THEY TOLD M…

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WHEN TRYING TO START THE CAR, IT FAILS TO START. STEERING HAS FAILED, NOT ALLOWING THE CAR TO START. THIS ISSUE HAS APPEARED TWICE ON MY CAR IN 7 DAYS. THANKS TO YOUTUBE.COM I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LIMP MY WAY. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALER, AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS DETERMINED THAT STEERING LOCK HAS FAILED. THEY TOLD ME THAT THAT WITH PARTS AND LABOR IT WOULD BE $1,500. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ONLINE AND FOUND PAGES AND PAGES OF ONLINE FORUMS WITH PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I CALLED 1-800-NISSAN THEY REVIEWED THE CASE AND OFFERED ME NOTHING IN RETURN. NISSAN KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE; IT SHOULD BE A RECALL; HOWEVER, THEY ARE DOING NOTHING TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. NISSAN PLEASE FIX THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI #10819801

121,000 miles · Jan 5, 2016
Steering

KEY INDICATOR LOCK LIGHT CAME ON. CAR WOULD NOT START COMPLETELY DISABLED. DID RESEARCH TO SEE IF OTHERS HAVE HAD SAME PROBLEM ON YOUTUBE AND THIS SITE TO FIND THAT MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVE HAD SAME ISSUE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP $1,100 ESTIMATE!!!

NHTSA ODI #10818110

Mileage unknown · Jan 4, 2016
Steering

I PULLED INTO MY MOTHER'S DRIVEWAY STOPPED THE CAR TO RUN INTO THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. WENT BACK TO START THE CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. THE YELLOW KEY INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AS IF IT WASN'T RECOGNIZING MY I-KEY. WAS TOLD BY NISSAN DEALER THIS WAS STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTION COMMON IN THE VEHICLES. WAS GIVEN A QUOTE OF $900 …

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I PULLED INTO MY MOTHER'S DRIVEWAY STOPPED THE CAR TO RUN INTO THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR. WENT BACK TO START THE CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. THE YELLOW KEY INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AS IF IT WASN'T RECOGNIZING MY I-KEY. WAS TOLD BY NISSAN DEALER THIS WAS STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTION COMMON IN THE VEHICLES. WAS GIVEN A QUOTE OF $900 NOT INCLUDING TOWING. CONTACTED CONSUMER AFFAIRS UPON SEEING THAT THIS WAS A COMMON ISSUE TO INSURE I WASN'T COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY ETC. NO WAS THE ANSWER TO THAT. I FIND IT DISTURBING THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND IS OK WITH LEAVING CONSUMERS STRANDED IN POSSIBLY UNDESIRABLE OR UNSAFE SITUATIONS. I AM A 2ND TIME NISSAN OWNER BUT AFTER HOW THIS IS BEING HANDLED THIS WILL BE MY LAST NISSAN VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO NISSAN FOR DIAGNOSTIC BECAUSE A CASE COULD BE OPENED BY CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO POSSIBLE ASSIST WITH THE PAYMENT BUT THEY ONLY ASSIST MORE RELIABLE CUSTOMERS, WHICH THEY DIDN'T FEEL I WAS SINCE I HADN'T BEEN GOING TO NISSAN FOR MY SERVICES. I PURCHASED THIS CAR SECOND HAND AND WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. I WENT MORE COST EFFICIENT ROUTES FOR SERVICING AS THE ONE TIME I TRIED TO CONTACT THEM FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE PAST STAFF WAS RUDE. I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE I AM LEFT INT HIS POSITION FOR A KNOW ISSUE WITH NO ASSISTANCE FROM THE COMPANY.

NHTSA ODI #10817588

57,000 miles · Dec 17, 2015
Steering

UPON SUCCESSFULLY UNLOCKING THE CAR, THE PUSH IGNITION FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE KEYFOB WAS ABLE TO LOCK AND UNLOCK THE CAR, EVEN SET OFF THE PANIC ALARM BUT PRESSING THE IGNITION BUTTON WOULD NOT MOVE THE CAR OUT OF "LOCK" POSITION. THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT 1.5 HRS BEFORE HAVING BEEN DRIVEN SEV…

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UPON SUCCESSFULLY UNLOCKING THE CAR, THE PUSH IGNITION FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE KEYFOB WAS ABLE TO LOCK AND UNLOCK THE CAR, EVEN SET OFF THE PANIC ALARM BUT PRESSING THE IGNITION BUTTON WOULD NOT MOVE THE CAR OUT OF "LOCK" POSITION. THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT 1.5 HRS BEFORE HAVING BEEN DRIVEN SEVERAL MILES. UPON DIAGNOSIS BY A LICENSED MECHANIC, THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK MODULE WAS FOUND TO HAVE FAILED. ON FURTHER ONLINE RESEARCH, IT WAS LEARNED THAT THIS PART IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO FAILURE AND IT IS COMMON TO FIND MANY 2009 NISSAN OWNERS OF SEVERAL MODELS (ALTIMA, MAXIMA, 370Z) TO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY.

NHTSA ODI #10811041

74,000 miles · Dec 17, 2015
Steering

WHILE TRAVELING WEST ON THE PA TURNPIKE, MY STEERING WHEEL JUST DROPPED TO THE LOWEST POSITION!! SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME. I ENDED UP GETTING THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE STEERING POSITION UP AT LITTLE TO STAY AND LOCK. DROVE THE CAR BACK TO MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO TELL ME THAT THE MOTOR …

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WHILE TRAVELING WEST ON THE PA TURNPIKE, MY STEERING WHEEL JUST DROPPED TO THE LOWEST POSITION!! SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME. I ENDED UP GETTING THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE STEERING POSITION UP AT LITTLE TO STAY AND LOCK. DROVE THE CAR BACK TO MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO TELL ME THAT THE MOTOR FOR THE STEERING WHEEL TILT AND/OR TELESCOPIC NEEDS REPLACED!! WHAT A FREAKING NIGHTMARE...$800 PLUS DOLLARS FOR REPAIRS PLUS TAX!! WHAT A CROCK OF BULL!! I SEE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF NISSAN OWNERS!! WHY ISNT THE GOVERNMENT DOING ANYTHING!! NOT UNTIL SOMEBODY HAS A FATALITY ACCIDENT!!

NHTSA ODI #10810955

Official recalls

1

09V358000 · Suspension

Sep 16, 2009

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 ALTIMA AND MAXIMA PASSENGER CARS. THE UPPER FRONT STRUT INSULATORS MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED OUT OF SPECIFICATION RESULTING IN A POTENTIAL FOR THE STRUT INSULATOR TO CRACK.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF THE STRUT INSULATOR IS CRACKED, THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR THE STRUT ROD TO COME OUT OF ITS MOUNTING POSITION, WHICH COULD AFFECT VEHICLE STABILITY AND INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE FRONT STRUT INSULATORS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-NISSAN1 (1-800-647-7261).

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.