Owners have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, transmission, and brakes. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2019Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2019 Nissan Maxima: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Engine off, key in hand0/3
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/2
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2019's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2019 Nissan Maxima. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | FWD | 24 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2019 Nissan Maxima, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The most serious report is stalling without warning, which begins after a hazard warning about a vehicle failure at about 70,000 miles. The dealer keeps that car for over 11 days and cannot find the cause. Stalling in traffic carries real crash risk. A separate report describes a headlight system error at night. The driver-side LED headlight shuts off, comes back on, and later flickers. Heavy condensation shows up inside that headlight assembly afterward.
Neither report points to a specific drivetrain failure. One describes noises from under the hood: a clank like a pan hitting something, a whine at low speed, and a thump when the engine drops back to idle after pressing the gas. The other is about a dealer sale where transmission and body damage from an earlier accident reportedly went undisclosed. Both reports say more about an individual car's history and condition than about a repeated factory defect.
Phantom braking is the pattern here. The automatic braking system triggers an abrupt stop at highway speed with nothing in the road, and the dash lights up red. Both reports describe repeat events in cars bought new. In one case the ABS light stays on until a dealer replaces a sensor, and the false activations stop after that. A sudden hard stop in traffic creates a clear risk of a rear-end collision.
Excerpts from complaints Maxima owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
Unknown I was trying to trying to purchase vehicle and was approved 1 sales man told me there was transmission problem they didn't want to disclose and I kept asking them as I test drive it and heard it it's seems to be something wrong with it but everyone said no it turns out that there was damage not only to transmission when it had accident but body damage dealership hasn't donet want to report rear fender and it's misleading alot and
Filed with NHTSA, December 2024
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2019 ranks third for owner complaints among 6 Maxima years, about 1.4 times the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2019 is the fourth model year of the Maxima's eighth generation (2016–2023).
Nissan updated the Maxima for 2020, so a 2019 does not have those changes.
What changed for 2020 (not on a 2019)
Recall repairs are free at any Nissan dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
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.".
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
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 may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.
Cars shoppers compare with the Nissan Maxima, with their own 2019 checklists.
2019 owner complaints, side by side
