TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE KEY LOCKING SECURITY FEATURE FAILED TO OPERATE BECAUSE THE IGNITION KEY WAS LEFT INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR FOR ENTRANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000.
2011 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2011 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
64 reports with mileage · 42 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.
- Air Bags. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 12 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
106 reportsWE PURCHASED A 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA IN NOVEMBER 2011 AND HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE STAYING ON WHILE I AM SITTING IN THE SEAT. I WEIGH 115 LBS AND AM 5'1. I GOT NO HELP FROM THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH IT. I TALKED WITH THE SERVIC…
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WE PURCHASED A 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA IN NOVEMBER 2011 AND HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE STAYING ON WHILE I AM SITTING IN THE SEAT. I WEIGH 115 LBS AND AM 5'1. I GOT NO HELP FROM THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH IT. I TALKED WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER TODAY AND SHE TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE OF MY SIZE THE AIR BAG WOULD DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. I WAS UNHAPPY WITH THAT ANSWER AND SHE TOLD ME SHE HAS DONE ALL SHE COULD DO, THAT I WAS WELCOME TO CALL NISSAN AND DISCUSS THE PROBLEM WITH THEM. I CALLED 1-800-NISSAN1 AND SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE THAT WAS HELPFUL. HE SAID THE WEIGHT LIMIT WAS 100LBS AND I SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. HE OPENED A CASE AND SAID THE SERVICE MANAGER IN OUR TOWN WOULD RECEIVE A PHONE CALL AND ALSO GAVE ME A CASE NUMBER. I AM HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. *TR
ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING, I TOOK IT TO THE NISSAN DEALER WHO PULLED THE OIL PAN AND FOUND PIECES OF THE MAIN CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE OIL PAN. THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVING OK AND THE KNOCK COULD NOT BE HEARD FROM INSIDE THE CAR. NISSAN REPLACED THE SHORT BLOCK ENGINE. HAD I NOT NOTICED THE KNOCK AND TAKEN IT TO TH…
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ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING, I TOOK IT TO THE NISSAN DEALER WHO PULLED THE OIL PAN AND FOUND PIECES OF THE MAIN CRANKSHAFT BEARINGS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE OIL PAN. THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVING OK AND THE KNOCK COULD NOT BE HEARD FROM INSIDE THE CAR. NISSAN REPLACED THE SHORT BLOCK ENGINE. HAD I NOT NOTICED THE KNOCK AND TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE EVENTUALLY SEIZED UP AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A DANGEROUS DRIVING SITUATION. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW AND HAD THE FIRST OIL CHANGE AT 3100 MILES BY A NISSAN DEALER AND THE ENGINE FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 5700 MILES AFTER 4 MONTHS OF USE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY WHETHER THE SEAT WAS OCCUPIED OR NOT. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SIX TIMES FOR THE FAILURE. THE DEALER ADV…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY WHETHER THE SEAT WAS OCCUPIED OR NOT. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SIX TIMES FOR THE FAILURE. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT NEEDED TO BE "BROKEN IN" BECAUSE THE LEATHER WAS HARD. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY SUGGESTED THE CONTACT TAKE THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG. THERE WERE NO REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,200.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE ALSO WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TRANSMISSION CODE WAS RESET. THE FAILURE RECURRED ONE DAY LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE ALSO WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TRANSMISSION CODE WAS RESET. THE FAILURE RECURRED ONE DAY LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THEY WERE RECEIVING VARIOUS DIFFERENT CODES FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED TO INSTALL A BUTTON IN THE VEHICLE TO HELP RECORD THE PROPER CODES FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS WITH THE DEALER AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,800 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,000.
NEW 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA. PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS SOMETIMES FAIL TO ACTIVATE AT ALL OR ACTIVATE ONLY AFTER DRIVING SEVERAL (12-15) MILES WITH A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. SITUATION HAS OCCURRED ROUTINELY SINCE TAKING DELIVERY OF VEHICLE ON 10/14/10. CONSEQUENTLY, FRONT SEAT PASSENGERS ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THE AIRBAG …
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NEW 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA. PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAGS SOMETIMES FAIL TO ACTIVATE AT ALL OR ACTIVATE ONLY AFTER DRIVING SEVERAL (12-15) MILES WITH A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. SITUATION HAS OCCURRED ROUTINELY SINCE TAKING DELIVERY OF VEHICLE ON 10/14/10. CONSEQUENTLY, FRONT SEAT PASSENGERS ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. ALL PASSENGERS HAVE BEEN ADULTS, RANGING IN SIZE FROM 95 LBS, 5'2" TO 145 LBS, 5'8". HEAVIER PASSENGERS ACTIVATE THE AIRBAGS QUICKER. SELLING DEALER HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE AND REPLACED THE SEAR BOTTOM CUSHION CONTAINING THE ACTIVATION DEVICE. OLD PART WAS RETAINED BY DEALER. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *TR
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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