Other powertrain problem on the 2013 Nissan Maxima
When other powertrain problem gets reported
Owners of the 2013 Nissan Maxima report other powertrain problem at a median of 105,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 85,000 miles and a quarter after 110,000 miles, from 12 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 92,000 miles. It is the 1st most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 50,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 160,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 110,500 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
8% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51,900 miles | 85,500 miles | 105,027 miles | 110,500 miles | 162,400 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $400–$4,500 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 18 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2017, at a median of 10,000 miles, and latest on the 2009 at 130,000 miles.
By volume the 2004 carries the most reports, with 730; the 2013 has 13. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
1/1/15 moderate vibration in vehicle at 60mph took vehicle to dealer in march to balance tires. Upon leaving still felt vibration.4/1/2015 returned vehicle advised of moderate vibration experienced at highway speeds.advised they felt vibration, took off my wheels/tires and swapped them from a new maxima could still feel vibration.advised they plan to change drive-axle.later advised after repairs vibration still existed transmission to be replaced.later advised after changing transmission vibration remained.advised the tech had no idea what it was and regional tech contacted to assist.later advised to change engine mounts under extended warranty $50 deductible.agreed and contacted later that along w/ regional tech were still trying to figure out the cause.later contacted vehicle was ready.4/30/15 advised that they were 'stumped but believed they fixed, swapped out parts from another maxima" advised to 'take home and drive for a week if it's still shaking to bring it back.' didn't leave feeling confident repairs were made. While driving home able to feel vibration returned that evening. 5/1/15 advised they could still feel…
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan maxima. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. The contact managed to coast the vehicle to the side of the road and turn off the engine. Upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle failed to move while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission chain was fractured and the transmission needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,124.
My mother and I were driving to lunch on the highway and I noticed the car was driving very sporadically. If I pushed on the accelerator it would stick and then it would just bolt out full speed, on more than one occasion we almost hit another vehicle and a barrier. I couldn't control the care. We tried to drive slow, but the car would accelerate very fast when it detected the next gear. We were terrified we drove straight to the dealer. They informed us that the transmission was out. This car has less than 100k miles on it and I purchased it brand new. It was extremely dangerous. Clearly something is wrong with the transmissions that nissans are putting in. If, you look online you see others with the same experience, with even less mileage. To make matters worse I had to pay out of pocket because the extended warranty had expired. This car is not safe. I am sorry that my mother and I had to experience it, but very happy my children were not in the car. I know this is a large problem, because nissan accidently called me to pick up the wrong car. I went in there was another maxima maybe a year younger than mine same color and their…
Also reported on the 2013 Nissan Maxima
CVT failure
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Sunroof failure or glass breakage
Headlight failure or clouding
Other engine problem
Other lighting problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 13 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other powertrain problem happen on the 2013 Nissan Maxima?
Across 12 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 105,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 85,000 miles and a quarter after 110,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other powertrain problem on the 2013 Nissan Maxima?
13 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.5 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
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