2001 Nissan Maxima Problems, Recalls & Reliability
225 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2001 Nissan Maxima, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 16/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Engine leads the reports, typically around 84,370 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2001 Nissan Maxima has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2001 sits among all Maxima years
What owners report
“My service engine comes on every week. I have to put it in the shop all the time and the steering keeps pulling to the right”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Maxima
“Control for heat & a/c refused to work. There was n heat in the car and a/c light stayed on. Dealer allegedly repaired same and it lasted a few minutes and heat went off again. Currently situation is reversed i now have heat but no a/c. Complained to nissan on 11/11/03 - complaint #4329371, &…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Maxima
“The airbag on the driver's side was recalled and the dealer repaired it. Now, the airbag light on the passenger side is blinking. I reported this to the dealer who said it would cost me $495.00 to repair, which i cannot afford. What can i do?”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Maxima
“Vehicle has had broken struts, spring realignment, wheel bearings and hub assembly.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Maxima
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 152 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 75,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,480 and 120,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag inflators designed to fit Infiniti…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the inflators as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 14, 2022. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 and…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators with alternate desiccated inflators, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2020. Owners may contact…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4 and I35, 2003 FX35 and FX45, and 2001 I30 vehicles. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on June 15, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.…
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE PIN AT THE END OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION TRANSVERSE LINK (LOWER CONTROL ARM) COULD BREAK WHERE IT IS MOUNTED TO THE FRAME.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRANSVERSE LINKS ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES WITH NEW ONES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 29, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Technical service bulletins
105 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and visibility & wipers — are on file for the 2001 Nissan Maxima. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2001 Maxima TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2001 Nissan Maxima reliable?
The 2001 Nissan Maxima drew 225 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 16/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2001 Nissan Maxima problems?
The top reported problems for the 2001 Nissan Maxima are engine (36 complaints), electrical (33), and airbags (32).
At what mileage do 2001 Nissan Maxima problems show up?
Owners most often report 2001 Nissan Maxima problems around 75,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,480 and 120,000 miles.
Does the 2001 Nissan Maxima have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2001 Nissan Maxima. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.