IllustrationTHE STEERING MECHANISM FAILED ON MY 2010 NISSAN MAXIMA. BASED ON SHORT RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR/MAKE/MODEL. NISSAN SHOULD BE RECALLING THIS PART.
2010 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Maxima years
Owner complaints for the 2010 Nissan Maxima are substantially higher than 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
290–25K
4125–50K
7750–75K
4575–100K
35100–150K
11150K+
238 reports with mileage · 37 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 158 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 →
- Suspension. Review the 29 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 reports8 injury reports
Unknown Or Other complaints
24 reportsCAR WILL NOT START CONSISTENTLY.IT APPEARS TO BE THE STEERING WHEEL IGNITION LOCK. NISSAN WILL TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY ON THE ISSUE. DEALING WITH THE NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING REP AT "NISSAN AMERICA" WAS FRUSTRATING.
I WENT INTO MY CAR AND TRIED TO TURN IT ON ONLY TO SEE THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT UP ON THE DASH ALONG WITH MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP ON ME. SO I CALL NISSAN THEY TRY TO GIVE ME A COUPLE TRICKS TO MAYBE GET THE STEERING WHEEL TO UNLOCK AND NOTHING WORKED, SO I HAD TO GET IT TOWED IN. THERE THEY SAID THE ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL L…
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I WENT INTO MY CAR AND TRIED TO TURN IT ON ONLY TO SEE THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT UP ON THE DASH ALONG WITH MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP ON ME. SO I CALL NISSAN THEY TRY TO GIVE ME A COUPLE TRICKS TO MAYBE GET THE STEERING WHEEL TO UNLOCK AND NOTHING WORKED, SO I HAD TO GET IT TOWED IN. THERE THEY SAID THE ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL LOCKED ON ME AND THERE WAS "NO SPECIFIC CAUSE" AS TO WHY THIS OCCURRED. AND THE REAL KICKER IS THAT MY CAR IS STILL COVERED UNDER THE FACTORY WARRANTY BUT THIS ISSUE ISN'T INCLUDED IN THAT WARRANTY SO I HAD TO PAY OVER $900 TO REPLACE IT. THE PART THAT BAFFLED ME IS THAT THIS ISSUE IS COVERED UNDER THE 09 MAXIMA AND 2010 370Z'S WARRANTY BUT THE 2010 MAXIMA EVEN THOUGH IT HAS THE SAME ISSUE IS SKIPPED OVER FOR SOME REASON. *TR
WENT TO START VEHICLE, AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THE VEHICLE WONT EVEN TURN ON, THE KEY FOB BATTER WAS REPLACED AND SAME THING HAPPENED. THE ORANGE KEY LIGHT TURNED ON IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. AFTER TALKING WITH SEVERAL MECHANICS AND SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I WAS INFORMED IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK, APPARENTLY IT IS…
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WENT TO START VEHICLE, AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THE VEHICLE WONT EVEN TURN ON, THE KEY FOB BATTER WAS REPLACED AND SAME THING HAPPENED. THE ORANGE KEY LIGHT TURNED ON IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. AFTER TALKING WITH SEVERAL MECHANICS AND SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I WAS INFORMED IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK, APPARENTLY IT IS A COMMON ISSUE.
Official recalls
109V358000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.