Just curious. I'm being too picky? Like I've said in other posts, my previous vehicle was a 91 Celica GTS that gave me zero and I mean zero problems.

So far my Maxima has made more trips to the dealer to fix issues than I've made trips to the post office!

I'm really having buyers remorse with this thing....I can start feel what I suspect is the beginning of the warped rotor problem. And now the new TSB for the tranny problem really is starting to irk me after all the bullsh!t I had to go through with the first TSB(which I guess is the wrong solution anyways). The gas pedal vibrates like a hand joy buzzer, the glass quality is horrible(pits way too easy), paint is chip-o-matic and I think the heat sucks in this car for a 6 cylinder, the trunk scratches that is going to require technicians to disassemble the whole rearend of the car (are you kidding me?), the drivers seat clicks and clacks and sways under me when taking turns(they fixed it but now its back) and the rattles, rattles and more rattles. My rented Neon had a quieter interior!

Oh and lets not forget about the thing sounding like a grasshopper in heat due to the faulty engine mount design that Nissan claims is normal.

On the plus side I love the raw speed this puts out and I really do love the looks of the 5th Gen and ....well that's it


Ok off the Nissan bashing soapbox and I know I probably wont score a lot of points with the Nissan crew here but...don't take it personally..we are talking about a car here, not your family!

Personally I feel I made a very expensive mistake that I hope to correct soon(man its gonna hurt)

Flame away if you want, I'm just pretty frustrated with Nissan in general. If the Max ran without any of the issues I mentioned above Id think its the greatest thing since sliced bread!

I really wish I had of looked one more time to the left with my Celica

[Edited by jnm2kse on 01-27-2001 at 08:49 PM]

 

I have had absolutely no problems with my 2K Maxima in the alomost 8 months I have had it. I have owned General Motor vehicles for the last 28 years until I bought my Maxima and Crew Cab last year despite working at the Nissan plant in Smyrna. I had trouble with each and every one I bought (GM vehicle that is). I have owned family cars and sports cars made by GM. I decided to by my first Nissan in 98 when the Frontier came out. I needed something small to just haul small things around. I had a 83 El Camino and it gave me all kinds of troubles. I then traded the 98 Frontier for the Crew Cab last year. Loved the extra passenger capacity and still have room to haul stuff. I then traded my 1999 Trans Am for the 2K Maxima. I am not going to say this because I work for Nissan but in the short time I have owned Nissan vehicles I have to say they have been the best vehicles I have ever owned. Wish I would have bought one earlier. Just my opinion though.

 

I have owned my Maxima for nearly a year and a half and I have 21,000 miles. I am definately experiencing the warped rotor problem now, which seems to be the only problem with the car at the moment.

 

i dont experience ANY problems at all. i only went to the dealer once to get my paint retouched (a small stone chip on the hood). i never hear any wierd rattleing or other noises in my car either.

 

No problems other than the A-pillar rattle and the wind noise from the rear passenger side door. The tranny checked out ok and is fine for now. Lets hope it stays that way.

 

After one and a half years and 31,000 miles the only thing is the rotors.

 

I've had the rotor and the tranny problem. If they can straighten out my tranny problem this week, I will be very satisfied. If they don't fix it right, I'm trading in for a Passat. My 99 Max was perfect.

 

Well I purchased my 97 GXE new in June 1997 and these are the problems so far:

1) Leaky oil pressure sending unit at 22k miles
2) Water condensation inside headlights (no cracks on lens)
3) Fan blower motor made a ticking noise
4) Center vent unit swivel thing broke
5) Alternator failed at 32k miles

The five problems above were all fixed under warranty, but not before I had to argue with the stupid dealer just to get them to acknowledge that it wasn't "normal" for those things to happen. Man, I can't stand Nissan dealers.

Here are several problem areas that my Maxima has now that are still unresolved:

6) Brakes make a groaning noise you release the pedal...funny thing is that this only happens when I've been driving a long distance, then step on the brake...like when I pull up to a bridge toll plaza

7) Lots of interior rattles...noise from inside guage cluster, rattling C pillar, doors vibrate at even the slightest thump of bass (like 20% max volume) from my speakers (I don't even have a powerful stereo system)

8) Heater slider switch doesn't have that click click click feel anymore



So, as you can see, my Maxima hasn't been all that reliable. My family also has two Camry's. A 91 LEV6, and a 99 XLEV6. Neither has had so much as a squeak or rattle or leak, and they have never had any electrical or mechanical failure of any sort, ever.

 

Ugh, everytime I decide that I will go with the Max I read a ton of negative posts. Haven't read anything near as bad about the Avalon or Acura TL.

 

Ug, the AVALON??? Please say it ain't so!

My Max is coming up on 1 year with me, have the usual rattles and stuff. No MAJOR complaints, but I had to go back to the dealer to fix a faulty O2 sensor under warantee, that's about it.

 

To everyone who posted problems like rotors, creaks & other noises appearing, etc. What year Max is it?

 

had all kinds of electrical problems with my 98 Outback. Thank god that lease is up. No problems with the Maxima at all. Even on the coldest day so far this winter, I've had to turn the thermostat down from it's highest fan and temperature output. It gets QUITE hot. Have sat behind all kinds of trucks kicking up salt and sand on the higway, and cant find a single chip or paint removed and the windshield has held up A-1 under those circumstances. Havent had ANY trips back to the dealer since the car was purchased last June. Doing oil changes with local guy. gotta say..so far the quality is AS good as that of my previous two Si's

 

So getting dud cars seems to be a 50/50 proposition? Every car we bought in the last 20 years has been a Nissan but the quality seems to have gone down considerably. Yes you got a trouble free car which I'm glad to hear, but many do not. This is unfortunate because several years back the Maxima was known as one of the most reliable cars on the road. Please post more positive news to make me feel better.

 

If you check carefully, owners of TL's and Avalons also complain about the same stuff we do. Its not just Maxima's suffering from these problems.

As for my problems...rear door wind noise. I got rid of all my squeaks and rattle problems for good! My TCM checked out fine. I think it shifts fine. My gas pedel vibrates, but this isn't a perfect car. Honda, Toyota, Mitsu have vibrating gas pedals, too. I tried the warp rotor test tonight. I speeded up to 110mph on the highway ( don't worry, I was the only one on the road ) and braked really hard without the ABS kicking in. Smooth and powerful.

Basically what I'm trying to point out is, Don't let the squeaks and rattles make you turn away from a Maxima, its not the only car with these problems. Every car squeaks and rattles, just some hide it better than others. There are simply fixes for the squeaks. Most of the stuff you can find them in or around your house. Your not hearing problems from Avalon and TL owners in this site because this is a Maxima forum.

 

I'll have to agree with you on that. Will I did manage to find forums for those other cars they werent even 5% as active as this one.

Also trying to decide if the Anniv Ed is worth the extra money. What keeps me looking at it is the perforated leather seats.

 

I dont think Maxima.org is necessarliy representative of the thousands of folks who own Maximas. this seems to be a website for purists of sorts, and purists are sorta finnicky..which is GOOD. But likely there are more Maxima owners out there who are quite happy and DONT post here.
If you want MORE good news about Maxima's...check out the following article on 'em:

http://www.jdpower.com/global/jdpaaw...QS2050500.html

 

Maybe I have been lucky. I drive a 2000 Max SE built in June 2000 and purchased in July as it arrived at the dealership. Nobody test drove it there before, if that makes any difference. I have had no problems, except that the paint chips easily if hit something when I open the door. So far it has 8,000 miles and I do not have any of the A pillar noises that have been mentioned. I have cranked up the bass and do not have any rattles from the Bose sub-woofer. I had a Maxima enthusiast (Thank you very much Kevin!) ride with me and the TCM sifting lag is subtle and minimal. The interior is very quiet. I do get road noise when I am driving very fast. Thanks to all of your posts I will have my wheels checked for over-torqueing but so far I have no vibration problems when I am braking. I have a evidence of rubbing in an aprox 2 inch area of the plastic lip part of my rear bumper where it contacts the trunk. It is hidden from view and not exposing any metal. It may not be worth fixing. The car runs great and is fun to drive. No regrets.

 

I have had absolutely zero problems with my 93 GXE in 100K miles of driving. The car has been so bullit-proof that I bought a 01 SE without hesitation. So far, the 01 has been trouble-free and I've had no regrets. I only dread the day that I replace the 225/50-17 tires at $180 a pop. Hopefully, prices will drop as 17" tires become commonplace. I recall buying 235/50-16 tires for my 87 Supra Turbo in 1990 at a cost of $190 each. The same tire today goes for about $100.

 

Yikes, my 97' Sentra tires were $45 a pop.

 

No real major problems for me... only warped rotors, but I'm going to get aftermarket ones so it doesn't really matter now.

 

a/c failed (overcharged from factory, fixed)
occasional hard starting (no fix, 2 visits)
rough idle (no fix, 2 visits)
TCM problem (3 visits, finally fixed)
rattles galore (never asked them to fix, they make more)
flasher relay going out (to be fixed monday)
paint scratched under the clear in many places. (inspected, given a paint credit)
ticking fan motor (1 visit, no fix)
Car goes in monday to check the tranny (we'll see)

some of that is defect, some is me being picky. I paid alot for the car and had high expectations. Trust me, I wouldnt complain about any of this if service took care of everything without a struggle. I cant knock Nissan, our Pathfinder has been a dream except for grabby brakes.. its build quality is 10x better than my Max.

If everything could be addressed thru service (expect the paint, nissan offered to repaint but I didnt want a brand new car repainted), I would love the car without question.

 

I haven't had my 2K Max for more than 3 weeks, but I got it used, with 11K miles on it.

Zero problems. I've even tried to reproduce the problems I've seen here (auto shift slipping, throttle cut-off at 2K RPM, brake problems, rattling, etc) and haven't seen anything.

Either the previous owner fixed them, or my Max doesn't have these problems. Whatever the case may be, I'm estatic about my car, and love being able to get from 0-45 in practically no time (going any faster around town is just ticket-bait )

 

that we here at the Maxima.Org forum are a bunch of special Nut-Cases.... we look at things "normal" owners wouldn't ever look at.... so the deffects are things that we like to post and discuss... since no "normal" person cares about what we are going through... Think of all of us here as a support group for Maxima Perfectionists.

There are other cars that are built better than the Max... but none offer what the max offers. A 222HP 5sp Sedan.... and tons of Fun....

But to answer your question.... No problems here... other than the cabin noise and Clutch noise... over 16k miles on my 2k Max.

 

I have 16k mi. I have had none of the problems I read about. I did have to readjust the clutch pedal, personal preference. I do have a couple of tiny stone chips - but that's not the car's fault - everyone gets them. I have no squeaks, rattles or shakes. I get 30mpg on trips. I have only a fstb modification and don't street race - might have something to do with it. I can find - if I try hard - the so - called "fuel cut problem", but I know that is characteristic of modern fuel injected smog controlled cars and not specific to the Maxima so I exercise driving skill to avoid it.
Otherwise - the car is pretty ugly, the rear suspension is pretty funky, everything else is great!

Dave

 

PS - I really hope nothing does go wrong because if I have to take the car to my dealer it will probably never work right again!

Dave

 

With 27K miles the only problem I've had were the warped rotors and the noise from the A pillar. Other than that I've had no problems.

 

235x45zr17s fit on those rims fine. And you can get them 100-110 a pop

 

Only had one problem, loose something or other in the right front brake. Fixed with no problems by Nissan under warranty. I have ZERO other problems. I drive the car hard (and fast) and couldn't ask for much more for the money I paid. I've gotten more than I expected. (Well, I wish the wheels were 7.5 so I could put wider tires on - but that would only slow me down!).

We also have a 96 Maxima Se auto. It has 110,000 miles on it and we've had it since it was new. Only two problems ever. Leaking oil pressure sending unit - minor problem fixed for less than $100. Squealing brakes - not really a problem - just would like them quieter. OOPs - one other problem, cranky Bose CD player sometimes won't go back to the first song when CD ends.

My experience has been excellent.

 

If these posts worry you, they shouldn't.... You have to remember that a good portion of the Maxima.org population turn to these boards in order to resolve problems/ask for advice about problems etc...

Aside from mods/misc. purchases, people usually don't need a whole bunch of advice about a car that runs perfectly!!! Besides, as someone here mentioned, the people on this board tend to be much more picky than your average Maxima consumer! Keeping that in mind, I expect my car to run (run FAST) for a LONG time.. (even after the 36k/3yr warrenty!!!)

-Tom

PS.. I used to turn to newsgroups to evaluate products... I soon learned that people only post about the problems they have (not much in terms of praise)... You can find complaints about even the BEST designed/most reliable products out there!!! Therefore, I promptly came to the conclusion that these complaints were obviously not indicative of the overall quality I should expect when I make a purchase.... Just a thought...

 

My Maxima Is Perfect, owned it for 11 months and have 9,000 miles on it. The car has never had to be brought back to the dealer for anything.

 

Haha..."Nut-Cases." That's a good one. I guess I'm guilty as charged.

 

I own a 2001 SE 20th, the car's almost 6000KM and no problem so far, exeption made sometimes when I brakes, it make a grinding noise like if brakes pads were over, but so far it only happend 1 or 2 times. Is it what you guys call rotor warp, does anyone has an idea or an issue about this.

Thanks & best regards

Double A

 

I think a warped rotor is when you break and it feels like the breaking is uneven. Car starts to slow then not then slow then not, etc. I had this problem with all my cars, granted after 4 years or so, I think its normal after that long. My father smoothed it out on a laith, after that breaking felt smooth as ice.

 

I've heard a grinding/moaning noise once or twice also, I think after I had washed the car.. not sure of the cause. My rotors were turned at 12K miles due to being warped. If you are driving at any speed, generally faster than 65-70mph, and when you brake you feel a shimmy or vibration in the steering wheel, your rotors are probably warped. My rotors were fixed under warranty, which I believe covers the brakes for only 12K miles.

As to all the complaints about the car I've read here, the bottom line is that the car is not perfect and most everyone here appears to be maxima perfectionists. The car is fast, fun to drive, semi-luxurious, roomy, has relatively powerful brakes, and is affordable. If you want a car with those characteristics and less problems, spend more money. Even then there's no guarantee. My advice: if your problems begin to out weight the appealing aspects and attributes of your maxima experience, sell your car and take your chances with something else. Good luck.

 

I've had my 2001 SE since October (4k miles) and have not had a single problem. The car is fantastic and runs smooth as anything, especially when you get the chance to let loose on a regular basis. smoooooth

 

The dealers know **** about their cars. Somehow the salesmanager didn't believe me when I complained that cars come from the factory ABSOLUTLY scratch free. After buffing it 5 times, replacing the headlights, wippers, and wind gaurd, they finally removed the scratches except the microscopic ones on the windshield. Now I'm disputing because they installed a rf cd changer instead of insalling the nissan one. Other than that, I've had the car for a month and it has been good to me. But if I run into any MORE problems, the car is ONLY as good as the service that accompanies it.

 

I think people complain to much about the car ( I being one of them ). I learn to except some of the characteristics and enjoy my drive. Some people who replied to this post with no problems are low mile cars. Just wait until you dip into the teen's. Thats whem my problems, as well as some others, happened. Count your blessing now, because soon you'll be the one complaining about these things.

Paint chips. Nissan uses cheap paint process. Their 2step process chips easily. Most car makes use a 3step process ( base, paint, clearcoat) while Nissan, as well as some, only have paint/clearcoat. Complaining about your cars paint chips isn't going to do anything. Just avoid following truck..ect. I counted only 2 chips (very small, you have to really get up close to see it) in front of my car. I avoid trucks and never drive on a dirt road. Nissan can't do anything about your car chipping. Its not a factory defect.

Nissan DRIVEN.

 

Yeah I have problems:
The car doesnt have a clutch.

seriously, the Bose rear rattle thing is the biggest problem. I replaced my rotors and thats it. Its never been to the dealer except to replace the rotors and get new door handles (My passenger handles were body color). My brakes were groaning for a while, but that is no more.

 

I specifically stated that my car came from the dealer in that condition. I pointed it out to the salesman; he assured me that the detail will remove them. When I got home and saw the car under the garage light, it was unbelievable. It was !@#$%^ scratched up on the front and hood. I didn't say anything about me scratching it. If a car came from the factory with a scratch on it, then that IS a factory defect. I think that the culprit is the plastic banner that the dealer had that had already fallen down. Now who's fault is that? Please read/understand my post if you are replying in the way that you did.

 

According to the 2000 April Consumer Reports, the Maxima was #1 in expected reliability. Even over the Accord and Camry. We'll see what they say in the April 2001 issue. I think it will still be very high. I think people on this BBS tend to be very tough or critical of our Maximas'.