I may be jinxing myself by saying this but so far I have had no problems at all with my Max aside from the POS Bose system. I was told that the 2k2s were built in Japan and the quality I have experienced might have something to do with their strict quality standards. Has anyone else addressed this? Furthermore, have I been duped into thinking that my car was built overseas when in actuality it was probably built down the road at the Smyrna Nissan plant? Has anyone noticed a difference in quality if this is true?

 

TN plant is where she was made.....

 

I believe all 2k2s were built in japan so don't worry about that.

Also remember, people only come b!tch when something is wrong. There are over 27,000 members and you don't see them all complaining. It's the vocal few who have problems that you're reading about. Overall it's a well-built car with reliable parts. A few people with problems (some even caused by the owner) just make it seem like there's something wrong with the car when in fact there is not.

 

what's the build date on the car?

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq: NSANY) says it will begin building Maxima performance sedans at its assembly plant in Smyrna, Tenn., beginning in January 2003.

if it was before Jan 2003 it was Japan, and I believe by Jan 2003 they were done producing 2k2 cars.

 

Nope, 2k2's were built in Japan. 2k3 is the last year the Maxima was assembled in Japan. The only vehicles still being made in Japan are the 350Z and the Pathfinder. And I definitely agree with the difference in quality between the 2k2/2k3 Maxima to the 2k4 which is made in the Smyrna, TN plant. You think the 5th gen Max's have problems, take a look at the 6th gen ones.

 

A MADE-IN-AMERICA IMPORT: First Maxima not built in Japan rolls off line
Redesigned Nissan flagship is set to go on sale in March

January 22, 2003

BY JAMIE BUTTERS
DETROIT FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

SMYRNA, Tenn. -- Nissan rolled off the first of its sixth-generation Maxima sedans...
http://www.auto.com/industry/nissan22_20030122.htm

 

despite the few problems I've had with my two 5th gens, I'm pretty satisfied.

 

aLL MAXIMAS except the 6th Generation were built in Japan

 

Hi guys, I am the proud owner of 3 Maximas 94, 98 and now a 2k1. The 94 engine and tranny is bullet proof even after 275 K on it. My brother now drives it.
I am surprised to read about a few of the members complaining about their Maximas.
You guys should talk to some of the Ford Taurus and Dodge Intrepid and GM Grand Prix owners.
Several of my friends use to own them till I convinced them to try a Japanese built / designed car.
With good regular maintenance and not driving the crap out of your car, the Maxima will last most people 10 years or longer.
Just my .02 worth.

 

I believe that the first letter of the VIN number states the origin of the vehicle.

 

If yer vin # starts JN1 it is from Japan.
A lot of transplants still have the engine and transaxel assembly
made in Japan.
Anybody know if that is true with the Smyrna cars?

 

As long as the VIN starts with JN1, I'll buy it.

 

Yeah the guys who B!tch about their cars are the ones who A) Dont correctly install their mods or buy cheap parts and break B) Drive their car esp hard with their mods and causes other things to break c) Complain about the smallest things and want to vent or D) Have too much time at work/school (like me) and post anything and everything wrong or good with their Maxima....

Be smart with your car and you wont have any problems like me! Maxima is a well-built car..exp for the Bose...HA!

 

I have a 96 Altima as well as a 2k Maxima, and I believe all the Altimas were built in TN. The Altima has been a reliable car. It's 8 years old and I've only had to replace the starter on it.

My 2k Max is at the dealer right now awaiting a new tranny because the bearings went out already with only 59k miles on it.

 

my car is rattling like crazy
43k miles
made in japan

 

There is actually a TSB for rattle and such. Check it out.

 

i'm in love with my max

 

I love my Max too. There is no question about it. It will be two years old in Feb. '04 and I still get a smile outta lookin at it and driving it. That is to say when its not covered in dirt, mud or gravel like it has been on and off here lately... But I also love the fact that it was not built here. Cars built in Japan are built to more stringent standards. One only has to compare the testimonials of owners of American-made vehicles to those of owners of imported vehicles to prove this. My parents 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Junk. Their 95 Accord. Wonderful. My good friends '01 Mustang Gt. A nightmare. My 2k2 Max. Excellent.

 

I too must be one of the fortunate ones, the only trouble i've had is bad o2 sensor, just once... other than that i've completely satisfied with the car...

 

Anyone remember how long Toyota and Honda have been producing cars in the U.S.? Accord production started in Ohio in 1982. Most of you probably know the Corolla story, and it's one of the most reliable cars on the road. I've owned two American-built Hondas and one American-built Toyota. Both were every bit as well-built and reliable as the earlier cars built in Japan.

Americans can (and do) assemble cars as well as anyone else. The problems we continually hear about are related to the quality of components, not the quality of the assembly. Our Japenese-assembled Nissans suffer from these poor quality components just as the American-assembled cars. My cousin works on the V8 truck engine assembly line in Decherd, TN. We've had several discussions about assembly and quality control procedures. Believe me when I say there is great emphasis on quality.

All this to say, lay blame on Nissan for cutting corners and using inferior components. I'm tired of reading these little jabs at American workers. I personnaly prefer Japenese cars to American cars, but it has nothing to do with where they are built.

 

As for the quality of my 2k2 ill see; the service engine soon light just came on yesterday at 31k. Even my 1995 intrepid didnt do that..........next car possible - Acura TL??????

 

It's only make sense that the older A33 platform was built in Japan since the training/parts/material were originated there for this particular model.

You'd modded your car (alter the suspension) so some rattlings are to be expected. The only way to counteract this issue is to stiffen the exist structure. Japanese made vehicles, in my experiences, are assembled much better versus the US counterpart in term of built quality.

 

There are so many factors that can contributed to the SES light on. This does not meant your car poorly built.

 

I agree, but you should see how bad the rattling has gotten in the last month. Didn't do any change to the suspension in awhile.

Also, I haven't go WOT in my car for about a month now, because I'm scared. The last 2 times my MAF went out, it was during WOT. sigh..........

 

very well said.did you find out what's causing the light? It might be something as dumb as you not screwing the gas cap on tight. If you're willing to get rid of your car because a light came on for a reason you haven't discovered yet then you're just looking for an excuse to b!tch.

And good luck with a new acura... their trannies aren't known for lasting very long.

 

Actually i wouldn't worry about if it's assembled in Japan or U.S. In fact there is a current article talking about toyota in general and their goals that talks about the cars assembled in U.S. to cut cost of transportation. They sent the american workers through some intense training and turns out that the american built cars were better built than their Japanese counterparts. I was shocked but it was there in black on white. In fact, for the first time toyota has decided to build some lexus cars in North America so they're building the new RX330 in Canada. All because the build quality from american build cars were up there.

That should mean something.

 

As nice as the Maximas are, there are not Hondas or Toyotas (Amer or Jap) when it comes to quality. My Max broke down once and had to go to the dealer for 2 recalls; not to mention the HID thing. Now I'm hearing a dashboard "buzz"; and the car is barely being used.

My Accord had an auto tranny failure which occurred several thousand miles past warranty but Honda replaced it free of charge. Outside of that, it's NEVER had a problem and is built like a tank.

All that said, I didnt expect my Max to be on par with the Accord/Camry when it came to quality. But, the performance more than makes up for it.

Peace.

 

Being built in Canada is just like being built here, heck its practically the 51 state!

 

Actually it is a proven fact, at least since random drug testing came
into play, that the American/Canadian worker is just as good as any.
Blame the guy with the MBA wearing a suit for cutting production costs.
Renault blew it twice before on these shores because they were too out of whack with the cost vs. quality equasion.

 

I am having Maxima withdraws, havent driven it for over a month. However I love the car havent had one problem. For me its the best car Ive ever had.

 

I think that on my window sticker (when i was buying the car) it said 95% constructed in Canada. Am I just seeing things?

 

Yes, you are seeing things if it is a Nissan. There are no Nissan assembly plants in Canada. We've got GM, Ford, Daimler-Ch, Toyota, Honda and maybe Hyundai, but no Nissan.

 

haha...that's funny especially since you're from TX

 

Not from Texas I live their, born and raised in VAncouver BC!

 

Cool...I guess I can take your 51st state comment as good-natured fun

 

I'm a happy owner of my 03 built in japan. I thought it was built here.

 

If your mods are keeping you from going wot then there must be a problem with the mods. What fun is it to mod the engine/intake if you cant go Wot without blowing a maf sensor? Why not return the engine/intake to stock so you can really drive the car?

 

we own 3 maximas my son drives my old 1990 max with over 250k on it and the only repair it has ever had was a new altenator and a bad ecu relay, My wife drives a 1994 max with just over 150k and the only repair on it (other than wear items breaks bulbs wiper baldes etc.) was a blown o-ring on the trans modulator. I have a 2k2 with 30k and other than having nissan replace an O2 sensor the car has been great.


We really love our maximas but I think next year i will give the wife the 2k2 and get my self a g35 coupe, but i will keep her 94 around for bad weather.