I have owned my 97 GLE for two months now and have been reading the postings on this site since I have had my Maxima, but yet I wonder how reliable Maxima's truly are, especially when you read all of the postings on this site. I mean, Check Engine lights coming on after 40-50k miles; O2 sensors malfunctioning, power windows not working; alignment problems, brake problems, the list goes on. Now maybe these are just a bunch of "isolated" problems, but I have been told, by previous Maxima owners, that they have never had "any" problems with their Maxima's with the exception of regular maintenance stuff. Consumer Reports states that the Maxima reliability is "exceptional", but this is a bit hard to believe when a good portion of the postings on this site are related to "problems" being experienced with this vehicle.

Anyone want to convince me otherwise?

 

I'm new to Maxima's and this site too but it seems to me IMO that with a place like this, you are gonna see all those isolated problems because the majority of people are not going to post, "My car is running fine, no Check engine lights, no o2 sensor problems." This is the kind of place to put out your problems. Its probably 1 in god knows how many people that have problems that pop up un-related to their own tinkering. I bought a 98 GLE with 55k miles last September.. (I know.. that's alot) and it has been driving like a dream.. I love my Maxima. The only time my check engine light has come on is when I put in the cone filter but that was to be expected. Besides, this site seems more geared towards those who want to modify their Maxima's and really give them a work out so there is going to be a difference between posts here and the average maxima driver.
just my two cents.

MoJo

 

[QUOTE][i]The only time my check engine light has come on is when I put in the cone filter but that was to be expected.

Was this a drop-in cone filter (K&N)? I was thinking of buying one for my Max. Why would it trigger the CEL?

 

In terms of reliability, I think for the average driver, they would find the quality of the car exceptional. However in our case, most of us are very "****" and care deeply about our cars, whether it'd be a scratch, ding, one turn too many too start out cars. That is perhaps over critical of us, or that we expect a lot (more) from our cars than most daily (average) drivers.
Overall, the relibaility is pretty good. I have had my car now for two years and it has been doing pretty well...and I too have a 97 GLE...

 

Yes it was a K&N cone filter. The reason that it triggered the light is, to be honest, I don't know. I figured that it just does when you mess with the air filter or because I accidentally tried starting the car without attaching the sensor. My money is on the second one. I'm new to all this obviously.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by maxnewbie

Quote:

[i]The only time my check engine light has come on is when I put in the cone filter but that was to be expected.

Was this a drop-in cone filter (K&N)? I was thinking of buying one for my Max. Why would it trigger the CEL?

 

Yup! That would set off the light. What you need to do is follow Daniel B.'s direction and reset the ECU. The procedure is really simple. Takes a screwdriver and 20 minutes...

 

Things like failing O2 senors and CE lights aren't anything new to the late model automobile. CE lights are often triggered by glitches in the electrical system and believe me, lots of other cars experience many more false CE lights than the Maxima (I haven't gotten one yet). O2 sensors will fail over time, some eariler than others. What can you expect of a device that sits in a chamber with 500 degree carbon filled air blowing across it? Brakes and alignment problems are all associated with the driving characteristics and conditions the car faces. This isn't a Nissan problem. Power window regulator problems are a problem for a majority of Maximas (mine included). Overall, this is an fix, just like the o2 sensors, brakes, alignment, etc. Little glitches like this hardily warrant "bad reliability" in my book and Consumer Reports and others seem to be in agreement with me. I'm more worried about failing trannies, bad clutches, engine problems and failures. Almost 98% of the time, a major failure is related to hard driving or modifications or a combo of both. If you drive hard, expect to pay. That's the way it goes. The automatics can't take near the abuse the 5 speed can, but that's pretty typical of all autos. You can beef up the auto with a tranny cooler and valveboy upgrade. The tranny is the weakest link with the 4th/5th gen Maxima. The VQ motor is nearly bullet proof unless you mess up with a shot of NOS.

Over two years of ownership, my car has never been in for work. The prior owner never had the car in for warranty work either. Right now I'm at 65000 miles. I've got mods, have over 30 1/4 mile passes logged, lots of hard shifting, and lots of time spent above 4000 rpms. I haven't even taken in my car for the Nissan recall of the o2 sensors and evap control canister on the 95/96. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I get 27 mpg overall (60% city/40% highway) with many 40-80mph blasts. My only problems right now is a passenger window that only goes down 80% of the way and a slight clunk in the front suspension (which is from my doing with the Koni strut install).


Dave

 

I read a lot about how reliable the Maxima is before purchasing one 2 months ago. Unfortunately I have already had 2 problems with it. The starter went the first day after I bought it. Replaced it myself for $160. Two days ago the MIL light came on (0903) indicting a problem with my EVAP canister vent control valve. Estimated cost to repair is $60. I hope these are just "isolated incidents."

 

The EVAP Canister Vent Control Valve is located on the EVAP canister (underneath the vehicle near the left rear tire) and is used to seal the canister vent. It has one hose connection and one two-wire electrical connector. The solenoid in the EVAP CVCV responds to signals from the ECM. When the ECM sends an ON signal, the coil in the solenoid valve is energized. A plunger then moves to seal the canister vent. The ability to seal the vent is a necessary part of the diagnosis algorithms for other evaporative loss system components. This solenoid valve is used only for diagnosis, and usually remains open. When the vent is closed, under normal purge conditions, the evaporative loss system is depressurized allowing "EVAP Control System (Small Leak)" diagnosis. Since this part is used only for brief emissions tests the vehicle will usually start and run well despite a Service Engine Soon warning light on the dashboard.

The EVAP CVCV may be bench tested. Remove it from the vehicle (one hose, one connector, two bolts). Verify that air may pass freely through the valve. Then use a pair of fused test leads to apply 12 volts to the terminals to energize the solenoid. Verify that air does not pass freely through the valve. If the CVCV fails these tests, try cleaning it with WD-40 and compressed air. If this fails to free it up, replace the valve using a new O-ring.

 

I have a 95SE with 95k miles on it and the only things I've had to replace was the starter at 81k miles and a coolant temp sensor just yesterday because my check engine came on.

 

Take a look at this link:

http://www.theautoreport.com/reliabi...maximam97.html

This should bring back your faith you the Max. What some of these thing are just wear and tear.

 

Ask yourself how many problems have you read here. Then ask yourself how many maximas have been sold. The % is very,very low.

 

I appreciate all your comments and you have definitely restored my confidence. I am hoping that my Maxima will give me years of reliability. I have yet to have a car that has. Your responses have been informative and reassuring. Maxima.org is definitely the place to be if you are a Maxima enthusiast. Thanks again!

 

I have had my max for 4 years and have put 92,000 miles on it. Trouble free. A rattle or two has popped up but my car sits outside with sun beating on it so some plastic bits are bound to get baked.

It would be unrealistic to expect a vehicle that has been on the road for 4 years not to have minor problems like the ones you mentionted. This being a maxima forum you should expect to hear problems because people are looking for help on the matter. This place would be boring if everyone always posted how reliable their max was.

I have had all the 30k service intervals done on my car which costs me $300 every 18 months or so. It's money well spent. I let a friend of mine drive my car two weeks ago and he was driving down the highway doing 60 mph in third gear! That's how smooth and well built these cars are. This guys drives an acura so it's not like he's driving a POS.

I would recommend taking your max and having it looked over. Get new plugs and all new fluids if you didn't know the previous owner. I just replaced the accessory belts, radiator and heater hoses at my 90k service because they were looking old.

 

Well, compared with most cars the Maxima is reliable. Compared with the bulletproof cars like Accord and Camry, the Maxima falls a bit short in the dependability category. My 97 GXE has had the following problems so far over 49k miles:

1) Leaking oil sending unit
2) Condensation inside headlights (no cracks)
3) Alternator failure
4) HVAC blower motor made a ticking noise
5) Bent intermediate exhaust pipe (may be due to lowering)

All were fixed under warranty by the dealer. The bent pipe was fixed when I had my car in for repairs after a minor accident. The good news is that over the past 15k, my car hasn't had a problem at all.

 

I wouldn't call the Accord "rock solid" We bought it new and the following has happened.
1) Balance shaft seal burst draining 90% of the oil on the ground in about 3 minutes. cost $900 to repair is was a Honda recall. We are still waiting for our refund check.
2) Coin tray busted.
3) I suspect a rear main seal oil leak.
4) Dealer changed the oil pan gasket to try to fix 3), didn't work obviously and we are out $200.
5) One of the cv joint boots are leaking.
6) Paint scratches like a ****. I have to machine buff the car 2x a year.
7) There is a small hole in the exhaust pipe even though the muffler is brand new. I ghetto patched that one!
8)Small seepage out of the PS pump. Probably needs a seal rebuild.

This car has about 60k on it now but most of the problems cropped up about 20k miles ago.

 

I guess the oil sender lead is a common thing with 4th gen maxs. I've had my max for just over a year and put all the miles between 36K and 67K on it and the only problems I've had were the oil sender, and the reverse light sensor was leaking tranny fluid, both parts were under 50 buck total I believe and I put them on myself, definitely the most reliable car I have ever owned.

 

Have had my 97SE from new (80k now)and it has (knock wood) been the most trouble free car I've ever owned.Never been in the shop. Some minor BS with bleeding the brakes, but other wise just regular maintenance, 3k oil changes. Starts everyday, never left me stranded. I enjoy the car and do use it to it's full potential from time to time.
Keep in mind though, if you beat the crap out of the car every day (or the person who owned it before you did)(anycar) things will fail, wearout, and break sooner.
If you want to treat it like a race car, expect to have to maintain it like a race car
If you modify the car, it can change things that may affect reliability.
My .02

 

I have 30k miles on my 99 and have only had to replace a PCV valve (under warranty). I also have a 96 Pathfinder with 62k miles--all that it has need are brakes and tires. My wife had a Nissan Pulsar with 107k before trading in-no problems on this one either.

IMO Nissan makes a great product and I will continue to consider them first when looking at new cars.

 

Thenlook @ my lovely ford car...
http://www.theautoreport.com/reliabi...erbirdm94.html