2018 Nissan Maxima problems & reliability
36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Nissan Maxima, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Nissan Maxima vehicles were involved in 33 fatal crashes with 19 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown OR Other | 8 | 22% |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 19% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 6 | 17% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 14% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 6% |
| Structure | 2 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 6% |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
| Engine | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 39,179 miles (middle 50% between 22,925 and 44,782 miles), based on 20 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I am submitting this as a formal complaint regarding an ongoing and unresolved safety issue with my 2018 Nissan Maxima (VIN: [XXX] ). Despite multiple attempts to have this issue diagnosed and repaired, the problem continues without resolution. The issue occurs after driving for approximately 30 minutes. The vehicle…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Apr 17, 2026
“My rear passenger side coil spring broke. This is a dealer only item. I contacted the dealer and the item is on back order. It is my only means for transportation. I didn’t cause this break, and now I can’t even get it fixed until it comes in whenever that may be. The dealership doesn’t have an estimated time for…”
Suspension · filed Feb 27, 2026
“In June 2019, while driving my 2018 Nissan Maxima, the vehicle suffered a sudden and violent mechanical failure. Without warning, the steering wheel jerked forcefully to the side, and the vehicle became uncomtrollabel leading to an approx 100-foot spin across a median. I have since verified this vehicle was subject…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Feb 6, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Rear Suspension Control Arm Failure
Engineering Analysis EA19002 · opened Jul 29, 2019 · closed Jun 16, 2025
Technical service bulletins
165 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Nissan Maxima. The 10 most recent:
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION HINT: This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4G network compatible TCU. TCUs compatible with 3G network only are no longer supported. SERVICE INFORMATION The APPLIED VEHICLES…
NTB15-049CC · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 30, 2026
CAMPAIGN BULLETIN CVT Warranty Extension In an effort to assure customer satisfaction, demonstrate our confidence in continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), and to address customer concerns including those expressed…
WBI/21-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 3, 2025
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING APPLIED SYSTEMS: Vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see Figure 1) SERVICE INFORMATION If the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) warning light or is blinking (but not…
NTB19-042F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED WITH DTC C1A16 OR C2582 IF YOU CONFIRM IMPORTANT: The purpose of ACTION (on the next page) is to give you a…
NTB19-033G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND…
NTB19-071D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 19, 2024
CVT/TCM CALIBRATION DATA “WRITE” PROCEDURE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB12-103I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2024
INTELLIGENT KEY INITIALIZATION PROCEDURE STOPS OR WILL NOT CONTINUE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-127C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2018 Nissan Maxima has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2018 Nissan Maxima?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 39,179 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.