2012 NISSAN MAXIMA — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
4/5
Safety Rating
137
Owner Complaints
0
Recalls
13
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA
The 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA has received a total of 137 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. 13 technical service bulletins have been issued by Nissan North America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Air Bags (26 complaints), Unknown Or Other (23 complaints), and Electrical System (19 complaints).
Recalls for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA
There are no recalls on file with NHTSA for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA. No Active Recalls
Owner Complaints for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA
137 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 26 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Train | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Visibilitysunmoon Roof Assembly | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bagssensoroccupant Classificationfront Passenger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical Systeminstrument Panelspeedometerodometer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment Adaptivemobility | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Trainautomatic Transmission | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Nissan Maxima. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact stated that the mileage on the title was not available. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 150,000. The vehicle was taken for Texas State Inspection and the VIN was entered on the Inspection Station website and the mileage of 246,450 was displayed.
2012 Nissan Maxima with 94,000 miles began hesitating upon accelerating and jerking on [XXX]. Vehicle diagnosed at Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY with bad transmission. Transmission replaced. Then on [XXX], while driving vehicle, a loud noise from front passenger tire, traction light come on, pulled to side and found wheel side ways and upon investigation, Ball Joint had come part damaging axle and wheel. Found no bolt for ball joint in place. Towed back to Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Since 2018 to present day. I been having difficulties with the visibility from my front windshield at sunny days. The dashboard has this sticky substance that make the dashboard really shinny, and reflect the sun light on the windshield, blocking the view and make it hard to see the road and vehicles. I had to use sunglasses to block this issue, but in some cases this will not improved and can make it worst. I had couple of near miss, and I have to stop driving my car at times to avoid this issue.
Passenger airbag notifi action blinks and will not show it is activated to function in a crash. Airbag has never worked. Also driver seat belt keeps releasing without being pushed to open. Seat belt issue just began Dec 2023
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag failed to turn on while the front passenger's side seat was occupied. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known issue, and that the front passenger's side seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Safety Rating for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA
The 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA
Nissan North America, Inc. has issued 13 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
NTB13-107F — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
NTB17-121a — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
2009 ? 2014 MAXIMA DOOR MIRROR TURN SIGNAL REPLACEMENT This bulletin has been amended. The PARTS INFORMATION section has been updated. No other change were made. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-121a — VISIBILITY
2009 ? 2014 MAXIMA DOOR MIRROR TURN SIGNAL REPLACEMENT This bulletin has been amended. The PARTS INFORMATION section has been updated. No other change were made. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB15-044B — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
Fuel Filler Cap tether clip service information
NTB10033D — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
SERVICE INFORMATION If the AV Control Unit needs to be replaced on an Applied Vehicle for any reason, follow the steps in the Service Procedure to configure the Multi AV system. NOTE - The original AV Control Unit must be installed in the vehicle while performing part of this procedure....
NTB-12-071-A — ENGINE
NISSAN: KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM NUMBER 1 CRANKSHAFT MAIN BEARING, WAS NOT HEARD AT COLD START, WHEN VEHICLE IS LIFTED, KNOCKING IS HEARD, OR AT WARM IDLE, NOT HEARD AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR SITTING WITH RADIO ON. MODEL 2009-2014 MAXIMA *PE
NTB-13-006 — STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
NISSAN: ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE STEERING WHEEL SWITCHES MAY NEED REPLACING BUT NOT THE DRIVER AIR BAG MODULE. MODELS 2009-13 MAXIMA. *PE
NTB13006 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SERVICE INFORMATION If you confirm there is a need to replace the steering wheel switches on an Applied Vehicle for any reason: - Do not replace the driver air bag module. The steering wheel switches are now available as a separate service part. - Refer to the Service Procedure in...
NTB13006 — STEERING
SERVICE INFORMATION If you confirm there is a need to replace the steering wheel switches on an Applied Vehicle for any reason: - Do not replace the driver air bag module. The steering wheel switches are now available as a separate service part. - Refer to the Service Procedure in...
NTB13063 — SUSPENSION
IF YOU CONFIRM: The front passenger seatback has a greater than normal vibration at highway speeds AND There are no other shake or vibrations with the vehicle. ACTION: Use the REPAIR FLOW CHART on page 3 to determine the repair(s) to be performed. NOTES: - The description under IF YOU...
Showing 10 of 13 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the NISSAN MAXIMA
- 2007 NISSAN MAXIMA — 169 complaints
- 2008 NISSAN MAXIMA — 99 complaints
- 2009 NISSAN MAXIMA — 460 complaints
- 2010 NISSAN MAXIMA — 399 complaints
- 2011 NISSAN MAXIMA — 138 complaints
- 2012 NISSAN MAXIMA (current)
- 2013 NISSAN MAXIMA — 71 complaints
- 2014 NISSAN MAXIMA — 126 complaints
- 2015 NISSAN MAXIMA — 2 complaints
- 2016 NISSAN MAXIMA — 222 complaints
- 2017 NISSAN MAXIMA — 146 complaints
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- NISSAN VERSA — 4,436 total complaints
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- NISSAN TITAN — 4,412 total complaints