AI Damage2020 Nissan Maxima: common problems
Owners of the 2020 Nissan Maxima filed 22 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and forward collision avoidance. The maker issued 97 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 22
- involving a crash
- 3
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 97
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 18% of all complaints
- 2 Forward collision avoidance 18% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 18% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 9% of all complaints
- 7 Backover prevention 9% of all complaints
- 8 Latches, locks, linkages 9% of all complaints
- Structure: 4 complaints (18% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 10.
- Forward collision avoidance: 4 complaints (18% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 8.
- Service brakes: 4 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 3.
- Powertrain: 3 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 13.
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (9% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 50.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.5 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- CVTnamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 22 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 4 | 0 | 10 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 50 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Backover prevention | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| Lane departure | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The contact stated that while her husband was attempting to park and turn off the vehicle, the gear shifter failed to shift into park, the STOP button failed to respond, and the vehicle suddenly accelerated, crashed into a tree in the median strip, knocked down three poles, and the brake pedal was depressed but became…
Was at a four way stop. Other driver pulled out in front of me and I tried to not hit their vehicle but couldn’t avoid it. I was going around 15 miles per hour. The air bag discharged so hard it broke my windshield and injured my head, neck and lower back.
The contact stated the collision sensor system on the vehicle was malfunctioning, causing the vehicle to brake on its own while reversing in parallel parking. The contact stated the vehicle would always make buzzing sounds while parking.
2020 Nissan Maxima SR is experiencing CVT transmission issues that appear substantially similar to the defects described in the Nissan CVT Martinez Class Action involving prior Nissan model years.
The vehicle jerked before stalling in the middle of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The Police were called to block traffic. The vehicle was towed. The tow truck driver had issues while attempting to tow the vehicle.
Nissan dealership said the front control arms are cracking and recommended having them replaced.
Forward collision warning turns on about 20 seconds after the car starts. There was no accident or obstructions to the sensors, this apperas to just be equipment failure on a car with only 30k miles on it.
All other warnings such as emergency brake, traction control, blind spot detection light up. Engine RPM meter keeps going to 0 and back and forth (see video in the link below). When this happens, driver assistance features like forward collision warning, blind spot warning and lane departure warning stops working.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,212 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (among the 42% least complained about).
On average one model year of the Maxima has 42 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 22, below average.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Forward collision avoidance. Radar and camera: calibration after bumper or windshield replacement.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other…
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
- TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION HINT
This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4G network compatible TCU. TCUs compatible with 3G network only are no longer supported. SERVICE INFORMATION The APPLIED VEHICLES that come equipped with a factory…
- AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING APPLIED SYSTEMS
Vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see Figure 1) SERVICE INFORMATION If the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) warning light or is blinking (but not illuminated steadily) or the customer states it is blinking, and…
- INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED…
INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED WITH DTC C1A16 OR C2582 IF YOU CONFIRM IMPORTANT: The purpose of ACTION (on the next page) is to give you a…
- LANE CAMERA AIMING VEHICLE REFERENCE VALUES NOT IN ESM SERVICE INFORMATION If the lane camera requires…
LANE CAMERA AIMING VEHICLE REFERENCE VALUES NOT IN ESM SERVICE INFORMATION If the lane camera requires aiming, the values in Table A on page 4 must be used. For all other models/model years, consult the Electronic…
- DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed…
- DTC C1A17-49 OR C2580-49 STORED IN LASER/RADAR This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- INTELLIGENT KEY INITIALIZATION PROCEDURE STOPS OR WILL NOT CONTINUE This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
- VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NHTSA lists 97 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Nissan Maxima?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, forward collision avoidance, service brakes. Total complaints: 22. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (23%), driver assists: adaptive cruise, lane keeping (9%), windows, sunroof (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2020 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA lists 97 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2020 Nissan Maxima from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2020 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.