2017 Nissan Maxima reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2017 Nissan Maxima holds 103 complaints after 10 years, a rate of 13 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Maxima years here — over the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Antilock and traction control and Occupant classification.

2012 Nissan Maxima — Photo by DestinationFearFan, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

103

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (18 of 103), then Structure (17) and Electrical system (11). Those filings include 7 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 5 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Maxima has 142 complaints, 16 per year, and the 2018 has 36 complaints, 7 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Nissan Maxima. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall hydraulic brakes, antilock and traction control 2019-11-08 · NHTSA campaign 19V807000

Summary 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 need a repair, under recall number 18V-601. In addition, this recall expands the previous population. The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) actuator pumps may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal circuit board.

Remedy 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 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: If the ABS warning light remains illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

Recall hydraulic brakes, antilock and traction control 2018-09-07 · NHTSA campaign 18V601000

Summary 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 circuit board.

Remedy 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 customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Note: When brake fluid has leaked onto the circuit board, the ABS warning lamp will remain illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up. If this occurs, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

Recall hydraulic brakes, antilock and traction control 2016-09-02 · NHTSA campaign 16V636000

Summary 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 August 19, 2016 and equipped with Intelligent Cruise Control, and 2015-2016 Murano Hybrid vehicles manufactured August 22, 2014, to July 19, 2016. The affected vehicles have Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) actuator pumps that may allow brake fluid to leak onto an internal electrical circuit board.

Remedy 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 1-800-647-7261. Note: When brake fluid has leaked onto the circuit board, the ABS warning lamp will remain illuminated for more than 10 seconds after engine start up. If this occurs, owners are advised to park the vehicle outdoors away from other vehicles or structures and to not drive the vehicle.

Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2016-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 16V244000

Summary 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 Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

Remedy 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 Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

Complaints by component (103 total)

Air bags

Structure

Electrical system

Powertrain

Service brakes

Forward collision avoidance

Engine

Suspension

Wheels

Seat belts

Speed control

Steering

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Fuel and propulsion system

Visibility and wipers

Exterior lighting

Back-over prevention

Seats

Tires

Visibility

Show 12 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"I was approaching an exit on 7/23/2026, and all of a sudden my engine light begans flashing very fast! Once I get to the red light at the exit, the engine light stops flashing and the car begins to shake profusely......…"
Engine · filed 2026-07-25
"Car was parked outside husbands work since 7 at 12:15 pm he was advised by a co worker that my car was on fire ! When I ran outside my his workers where trying to put out the fire with the fire extinguishers from the…"
Electrical system, Service brakes · filed 2026-06-25
"The vehicle experienced a no‑start condition and was towed to a dealership. The dealership performed major engine and timing repairs without authorization and kept the vehicle for nearly four months. After the repairs,…"
Powertrain, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-06-15
"My vehicle repeatedly loses acceleration/motive power while driving. When I press the accelerator, the pedal may go down but the vehicle does not respond normally and begins to decelerate unexpectedly. This can happen…"
Powertrain · filed 2026-05-29
"Car turning off while driving and can't turn the wheel to get out of the road. We had the car battery, fob battery and alternator replaced and still the same issue. We heard this has happened to another owner of the…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-03-04

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2017 Nissan Maxima 4 DR FWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Maxima	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (AV-S7)	Front-wheel drive	21	30	25 MPG	$3200

Specs and fitment

8th generation (A35), 2012–2023

Body styles Sedan

Oil 0W-20 (3.5L V6) , 5.375 qt capacity

Tire size 245/45R18 to 245/40R19 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 19V654000. 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 Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility." The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash. 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 may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Nissan Maxima Next year 2018 Nissan Maxima See every Nissan Maxima model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Nissan Maxima reliable?

What are common problems with a 2017 Nissan Maxima?

Is the 2017 Nissan Maxima more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Maxima has 142 complaints, 16 per year, and the 2018 has 36 complaints, 7 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Nissan Maxima been recalled?

The 2017 Nissan Maxima has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Nissan Maxima?

Owners have filed 103 complaints about the 2017 Nissan Maxima with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Nissan Maxima get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Nissan Maxima is 25 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Nissan Maxima take?

0W-20 for the 3.5L V6 across the A35 years covered here (2012-2023). Confirm the filler-cap grade.

What tire sizes does the Maxima use?

245/45R18 to 245/40R19 depending on trim.

What does NHTSA campaign 19V654000 cover involving the Maxima?

Certain 2018-2019 Maxima vehicles among many other Nissan and Infiniti models listed in the campaign — confirm open recalls by VIN for the exact component and remedy.