2012 Nissan Maxima: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2012 Nissan Maxima
On the 2012 Nissan Maxima, the failure owners report most often is airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault, and the reports cluster around 35,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 54,000 miles. Overall it scores 67 out of 100, high risk for a 2012.
High risk for a 2012 — 221st riskiest of the 271 2012 vehicles we can rate. 137 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 27 named failure modes on the 2012 Nissan Maxima, and the three most-reported carry 24% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault leads with 12 reports, about 0.4 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 19k to 50,000 miles.
Other electrical problem follows with 11 reports, usually reported between 56k to 110,000 miles.
Other engine problem follows with 10 reports, median 80,000 miles. 1 of those report mention a fire.
By system, the reports fall mostly into airbag (19), electrical (19) and body (19).
The mileage the reports cluster at
104 of the reports on the 2012 Nissan Maxima came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 54,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 39% by 50,000 miles, 82% by 100,000 miles and 95% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 1 filed above the top of the chart.
The busiest stretch is between 50,000 and 60,000 miles, which alone holds 18% of the dated reports.
31% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
In the order they tend to show up: airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault around 37k, sunroof failure or glass breakage around 65k, other electrical problem around 74k and other powertrain problem around 84k.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 27. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 1 report came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 6 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 6 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.31, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault at $300–$1,600, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000, other engine problem at $300–$4,000 and other body or interior problem at $200–$2,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
21% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 12 | 8 | 19k | 37k | 51k | 0.4 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 11 | 8 | 56k | 74k | 112k | 0.4 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 10 | 6 | — | 78k | — | 0.4 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 10 | 7 | — | 48k | — | 0.4 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 9 | 8 | 66k | 84k | 97k | 0.3 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 8 | 8 | 55k | 65k | 76k | 0.3 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Power steering pump or fluid leak | steering | 5 | 5 | — | 21k | — | 0.2 | $350–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 4 | 2 | — | 104k | — | 0.1 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| CVT failure | transmission | 4 | 4 | — | 96k | — | 0.1 | $3,000–$8,500 | Critical |
| Engine sensor failure | electrical | 4 | 4 | — | 100k | — | 0.1 | $180–$900 | Moderate |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 4 | 4 | — | 22k | — | 0.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Other steering problem | steering | 4 | 4 | — | 43k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 3 | 3 | — | 25k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 50k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 2 | 2 | — | 43k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 2 | 1 | — | 32k | — | 0.1 | $200–$900 | High |
| Tire blowout or tread separation | wheels | 2 | 2 | — | 31k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,500 | Critical |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 2 | 2 | — | 71k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Alternator or charging system failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $450–$1,600 | High |
| Audio or connectivity failure | infotainment | 1 | 1 | — | 61k | — | 0.0 | $150–$900 | Low |
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 94k | — | 0.0 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Lane keep or steering assist fault | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,600 | High |
| Loss of power steering | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 40k | — | 0.0 | $600–$2,800 | Critical |
| Seat, track or recliner failure | body | 1 | 1 | — | 38k | — | 0.0 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 122k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 1 | — | 44k | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 30 | 18 | 17k | 41k | 64k | 1.1 | — | Moderate |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2012 Nissan Maxima draws about 5.1 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 85th percentile of complaint rates among 2012 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model.
The working figure is 26,833 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2012 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
The passenger airbag light illuminates sporadically when there is an adult passenger sitting in the seat which informs that the airbag is deactivated. Brought car to dealer 5 times over the past 6 months. Each time I was told they could not duplicate the problem and that there were no error codes showing up. The last time they checked was friday april 4th 2014. The dealer stated the same thing. The mechanic who tested came out to talk to us about this. My wife sat in the drivers seat and started the car. I sat in the passenger seat and the light illuminated in front of the mechanic. I asked him if I was seated properly, he agreed I was and took the vehicle while it was still running to test for codes again. He could not find any error codes but, acknowledged that there was a problem. Nissan north american told me that they spoke to the repair manager and he stated that the airbag system was operating properly and nissan told me that there is no problem. Seems strange that nissan is recalling 994,000 2013 and 2014 vehicles for this same issue claiming there is a software problem but will not consider updating the software in my…
My wife weighs about 135 pounds .the airbag on passenger side does not work properly when she sits in the seat the airbag light goes on which indicates that the airbag is not working I have pictures to validate. So far nissan is not trying to rectify the problem I have taken the car to 2 dealers , they say everthing is normal but the photo prove my complaint. *js
Other electrical problem
All 4 door lock actuators fail at the same time. Door lock switch and remote fail to lock or unlock the doors and the issue started on all 4 doors on the same day with no reason as to why.
The door lock actuators do not work and this requires me to ensure my doors are locked manually. The cost to repair is expensive and should be the responsibility of nissan because it is apparently a defect. This defect is a security risk for potential theft and personal injury to the nissan owner.
Other engine problem
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with an automatic start button, which the contact believed caused the vehicle to stall. In addition, while shifting into drive the vehicle stalled. The manufacturer was contacted and was investigating the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 10,245.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan maxima. While driving various speeds, the contact noticed an abnormal smell of antifreeze coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 33,000.
How it ranks in the 2012 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
How 2012 compares with the other years
High risk for a 2012 — 221st riskiest of the 271 2012 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 24 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2008 comes out best at 62 and 2020 worst at 77, with 2012 itself at 67.
If the model year is negotiable, 2008 scores lower than 2012 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2011–2014 generation specifically, 2013 is the strongest year at 67 and 2014 the weakest at 69.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2011-2014 generation, 2013 Nissan Maxima scores best at 67 and 2014 Nissan Maxima worst at 69.
What to look at before buying one
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault from about 19k, sunroof failure or glass breakage from about 55k, other electrical problem from about 56k and other powertrain problem from about 66k.
On a 2012 Nissan Maxima with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
The limits of complaint data
137 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 137 reports, 104 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 76% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Nissan Maxima?
The most-reported failures are airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault (12 reports, median 35,000 miles), other electrical problem (11 reports, median 75,000 miles) and other engine problem (10 reports, median 80,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2012 Nissan Maxima problems start?
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 35,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 20,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 54,000 miles.
Is the 2012 Nissan Maxima reliable?
It scores 67 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 221st riskiest of the 271 2012 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2012 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Nissan Maxima is best?
Within the 2011–2014 generation, 2013 scores best at 67 out of 100 and 2014 worst at 69. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed