2016 Nissan Maxima Problems, Recalls & Reliability
224 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Nissan Maxima, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 15/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 55,900 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2016 Nissan Maxima has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2016 sits among all Maxima years
What owners report
“I was driving and it all of a sudden shut off on me without warning causing safety issues because I was involved the middle of traffic”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Maxima
“Alternator loses power and car doesn’t accelerate. Vehicle shuts down and will not start after. When running diagnostics after everything shows fine and after a jump car works again and reads fine. Happens again after driving for 40+ mins”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Maxima
“After a recall service for an abs actuator, the f.e.b. Light activates for no reason whatsoever. Vehicle will disengage cruise control.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Maxima
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 99 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 45,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 15,000 and 74,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Nissan Murano, 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima, and 2017-2019 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and unrepaired, or inspected and determined to not…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ABS actuator, free of charge. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available, currently expected to be during summer…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Nissan Murano, 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2017-2018 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2017 Infiniti QX60 vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the serial number on the ABS actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 29, 2018. Owners may contact Nissan…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Altima vehicles manufactured January 3, 2013, to July 29, 2013, 2015-2016 Rogue vehicles manufactured October 14, 2014, to August 12, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ECU and update the OCS software free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 19, 2016 and equipped with Intelligent Cruise Control, 2015-2017 Murano vehicles manufactured August 22, 2014, to…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ABS Actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 12, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and…
Fix: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 Murano vehicles manufactured December 17, 2015, to February 11, 2016, and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured November 25, 2015, to February 12, 2016 and equipped with an antilock braking…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the ABS actuator, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 16, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2015 Altima and 2016 Maxima vehicles manufactured October 6, 2015, to October 7, 2015. The affected vehicles have front brake calipers whose mounting bolts may not be properly tightened.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will check the brake caliper mounting bolts, tightening them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan…
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) notified the agency on July 31, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2016 Nissan Maxima vehicles manufactured February 10, 2015, to August 18, 2015. On October 14, 2015, Nissan expanded the recall to cover an…
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer ring between the fuel tank and the fuel sending unit. The recall began on September 28, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service…
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
278 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2016 Nissan Maxima. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 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 2016 Nissan Maxima reliable?
The 2016 Nissan Maxima drew 224 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 15/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2016 Nissan Maxima problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Nissan Maxima are electrical (38 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (33), and other (32).
At what mileage do 2016 Nissan Maxima problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Nissan Maxima problems around 45,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 15,000 and 74,000 miles.
Does the 2016 Nissan Maxima have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 Nissan Maxima. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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.