2018 Nissan Maxima Problems, Recalls & Reliability

46 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Nissan Maxima, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 3/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Other leads the reports.

One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2018 Nissan Maxima has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.

46Complaints
3/100Trouble index
2Recalls

Better year

Where 2018 sits among all Maxima years

Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

What owners report

Other 10 complaints (22%)
Brakes & stability 8 complaints (17%)
Driver assistance 8 complaints (17%)
Electrical 5 complaints (11%)
Speed control 2 complaints (4%)
Body & structure 2 complaints (4%)

Recalls (2)

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 19V807000 2019 Park outside

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…

BACK OVER PREVENTION 19V654000 2019

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti…

Fix: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners…

Federal defect investigations

Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure EA19002 opened 2019, closed 2025

Technical service bulletins

165 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2018 Nissan Maxima. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

See the 2018 Maxima TSB list →

Complaint history for this model year

When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.

2018peak 19 in 20192026

Questions buyers ask

Is the 2018 Nissan Maxima reliable?

The 2018 Nissan Maxima drew 46 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 3/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).

What are the most common 2018 Nissan Maxima problems?

The top reported problems for the 2018 Nissan Maxima are other (10 complaints), brakes & stability (8), and driver assistance (8).

Does the 2018 Nissan Maxima have recalls?

2 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Nissan Maxima. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.

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Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

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.