2020 Nissan Maxima Problems and Complaints

Senior Editor,

Updated on August 7, 2024

Japanese automobile manufacturing companies never took much time to reach market popularity when it comes to reliability. Nissan’s name comes among the top most popular fullsize sedans manufactured by Japanese automotive brands and is known for being a key player in the automobile industry. The Nissan Maxima with a starting price range of $34,400 proved to be quite tough for the Chrysler 300 and the Toyota Avalon. Apart from these two, the Maxima also competes with the Dodge Charger.

Despite being challenged by potential rival brands like Chrysler, Toyota, and Dodge, the market popularity of the Maxima remained unaffected. If the sources are to be believed, the brand was successful in selling 18,141 units in the respective year. Some users also expected the sales figure would be reflecting steady growth in the upcoming years since then, but somehow that didn't happen due to some serious issues that raised queries about the brand’s reliance factor.

The car’s structural problems like window glass separation were one of those problems that challenged the market publicity of Nissan. That’s why Nissan issued a recall for the structural problems found with the car’s window, which has been registered on the NHTSA's website along with 10 other complaints raised by the Maxima users.

Apart from that, the faulty airbag issues were another factor to challenge the market popularity of the Maxima.

Electrical Problems

Automatic engagement of brakes

Electrical malfunctions are a major issue with most of the Maxima sedans. Due to this particular malfunction, sometimes the brakes may get deployed even if the driver does not want the brakes to engage. Such issues show up when the faulty auto cruise control or the forward crash avoidance sensors fail to detect whether the requirement of engaging the brake is needed or not.

Engine power reduction issues

Multiple users have found issues with Maxima’s engine when its power reduces automatically. Such problems usually show up when the vehicle halts for a while in the middle of a signal. These issues usually show up when the electrical system fails to deliver the required power to the car components connected via ECU. The dealers should find the reason behind the sudden reduction in engine power and get that fixed soon to reduce such threats.

Faulty deployment of the emergency braking system

User complaint includes deployment of the emergency braking system while driving the vehicle. On multiple occasions, Maxima owners have found the faulty forward collision avoidance system fails to identify any object leading to the sudden engagement of automatic brakes. Such brakes can cause serious injury to the passengers and drivers when deployed all of a sudden without any warning. During rainy seasons, sudden deployment of brakes might skit the tires and sometimes increase the chances of tire explosion, when the brakes are deployed too hardly.

Structural Problems

Crack marks in the windshield

Damaged windshields are a common issue with the majority of the Nissan Maxima models. Multiple owners have found the vehicle’s windshield gaining crack marks all of a sudden, without any reason. Such problems usually show up due to faulty construction or design. If the crack marks increase there are sufficient chances for the windshield to separate from the vehicle’s main body while the vehicle is on move.

2020 Nissan Maxima Recall

S.No	Date	NHTSA ID	Issues Noticed	Additional Remarks	Remedy
1	September 22, 2020,	20V570000	Separation of rear window glass from the vehicle’s main body	Detachment of the rear window glass from the car’s body due to faulty design or construction	Nissan will be notifying the dealers about the issue and they will be replacing the faulty issues for free. The recall for the issue began on November 4 2020

Should You Buy a 2020 Nissan Maxima?

Buying a Maxima can always be a wise decision if someone is looking to save up some bills. The car’s unbelievable reliability is one of the major reasons many people prefer even a 2020 Nissan Maxima sedan for themselves at a resale value.

However, a few issues found with the car’s structure, electrical problems, and faulty engagement of emergency brakes, did question the brand’s loyalty towards the customers in various ways.

Nissan didn't entertain these issues much, instead issued a recall for all of these problems that questioned the Maxima’s brand popularity. The dealers were even instructed to repair the faulty parts and get those replaced with newer ones. So, if someone is planning to buy a used Maxima, they can always initiate their purchase, provided they know that the particular vehicle is free from all those issues that challenged the vehicle’s popularity so far.