My steering failed completely while driving, making it nearly impossible to turn.
Vehicle safety record
2011 Nissan Maxima Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 106 complaints about the 2011 Nissan Maxima with NHTSA, most often about the airbags (23) and the transmission & drivetrain (22). Those complaints describe 5 crashes, 1 fire and 15 injuries. There are no recalls for it. For comparison, the 2010 has 275 and the 2012 has 107.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical Maxima year, for its age
#89 most complained-about 2011 vehicle
- Complaints
- 106
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 5
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 15
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2011 Nissan Maxima problems
Share of all 106 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
No recalls for the 2011 Nissan Maxima
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2011 Nissan Maxima. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.
What owners say
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106 complaints about the 2011 Nissan Maxima
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 5.
Airbag warning came on. I took to dealership for diagnostic. There was malfunction with the passenger airbag. Seat coushin needed to be replaced so the "normal" wear and tear airbag would no longer be an issue. Nissan stated this is not a safety concern and all expenses were out of pocket.
The transmission is slipping it's a cvt and they're known for being the worst transmissions. I was entering the highway on a on ramp and I could no longer accelerate past 55 I was near flooring it and you can hear the engine working but the rpm's are all over the odometer going from 3k-6.5k over and over. The problem has not been diagnosed professionally. The vehicle has not been inspected professionally.There were no lights on the dash when this began happening and nothing occurred that led up to that situation it was just a normal drive for me and now this happens every other day.
We are the original owners of a 2011 Nissan Maxima. The dashboard material is deteriorating, creating a sticky and shiny patch across the base of the windshield which is distracting and highly reflective creating glare from the sun and bright lights impeding the ability to safely drive. The dashboard is also cracking and releasing small parts of black dashboard material throughout the car and the passengers. Online research shows this problem has been reported by many Nissan vehicle owners, at our most recent...
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Nissan service appointment, we asked for assistance to have the part replaced and was told we would have to call Nissan directly to request the repair as it was not a recall item. We called Nissan's Consumer Affairs and was told there is no support from Nissan to provide assistance and any repair we desired would be at our own cost. Additionally, in our online research there are pending class action lawsuits for this part to be replaced by the manufacturer. There is potential health hazards to the exposure of the deteriorating dashboard. We have NOT contacted our insurance company for a complaint or repair at this time. It was first noticed about 1 year ago while I was cleaning the car as the duster stuck to the dash in that area and we are now getting to the issue as it continues to further deteriorate.
Cvt transmission jerking , engine is always idling hard sometimes wants to even shut off , accelerating sometimes takes a lil while to respond , rack and pinion assembly faulty I would like for nissan to fix my car or get a lump sum check for all faulty errors these cars have
Dashboard is melting which is making it extremely sticky but the worst part is that it is causing a visibility issues while driving. The glare is really bad.
Hi I bought car Nissan maxima 2011 transmission not working well when I driving I stopped at the traffic after that car does not move forward
Passenger seat airbag sensor has failed
My dashboard has been melted for some time now and it's a safety hazard. When I drive at night, the light reflects on the dashboard and it makes it difficult to see, which is very dangerous with my kids in the car. I thought I could clean the dashboard but it's very sticky. Apparently this is a common issue with certain models of cars because I saw a news report on it.
Transmission failed on my vehicle at 40,000 miles while I was in the middle of traffic. My car stopped accelerating without warning and I nearly got into an accident
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the dashboard was melting. Coastal nissan (8519 ocean hwy, pawleys island, sc 29585) was made aware of the failure and inspected the vehicle but offered no further assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was over the warranty coverage. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 115,376.
The dashboard is melting, becoming sticky and emitting terrible odor; surely that is probably hazardous to health as it is a sickening smell. Would like to have this issue addressed as it is an odor that in unbearable for driving long distance.
My car is very reliable until now with only 105,000 miles? My problem started about september 2020 when I started to hear my car make a rough sound suddenly, like a winding noise when I accelerate and when I let off the gas as well. I didn't think much of it until I took it to a nissan dealer to have them check it out. They called me the next day tell me I need a new transmission and its going to be around $5,500. Which I don't have especially in this pandemic. Also they told me if I get the new transmission it...
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only comes with 1 year warranty. Nissan only covers it until 60,000 miles which I don't believe people buying a new nissan expect it to go further then that! My issue is that nissan is putting in these faulty transmissions knowing that it will fail soon and only give you 1 year warranty if you do replace it after pay 5,500?
On the night of february 16, my teenage daughter was driving my 2011 nissan maxima when she came to a stop at a traffic light. When the light turned green, she moved her foot off the brake and began to accelerate when the vehicle all of a sudden would not move. She applied her foot to the accelerator several times but the vehicle still would not move. After several more attempts, the vehicle jerked forward in a violent manner but luckily, there was no other car ahead of her or I'm afraid a more serious event...
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would have occurred. This all happened rather abruptly, without any advance warning or indication of a potential problem. The next day I took the vehicle to my local nissan service center to have it diagnosed. The technician informed me a code indicated 'transmission fluid pressure low' (even though it contained plenty of fluid) and advised a complete transmission replacement was needed at a cost of $7,138. This was the diagnosis despite no dashboard warning or service engine light indicator, as I indicated above. Upon returning home and researching the issue online, I discovered that this problem seems to be very common. I learned that nissan has had major issues with the continuously variable transmission (cvt), including several class action lawsuits and other legal matters which subsequently resulted in nissan extending the powertrain warranty on 2003-2010 nissan vehicles and settling other lawsuits for newer model vehicles. However, model years 2011 and 2012 were not covered under these settlements despite having the same exact cvt. I have reached out to nissan north america but they have not acknowledged liability or responsibility. Such a shame because the vehicle has not had any issues until this incident. It only has 106,000 miles but now I'm worried about what might happen if it is being driven.
My car has less than 113,500 miles and started losing power and coasting, the speed would fluctuate and something sounds loose in the engine. I took it to lithia nissan in fresno ca on blackstone and they told me the cvt belt needs to be replaced thereby causing the car to need a whole new transmission at $5738.96. The car was in motion.
This is my third nissan maxima and they all had the same idsue with the mass air flow sensor. Set off check engine light and makes car hesitate when accerlerating. My mom owns a 2013 maxima 45000 miles and has the same issue with check engine light.
IT'S HOT IN FLORIDA AND MY DASHBOARD IS MELTING
I noticed the camera not working when I was backing into my garage after work. Then again the next day when I was backing into my parking space at work. It comes and go now. I'm not sure why it started.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan maxima. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle shut down and the service engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the landera nissan dealer, located at: 371 e. Goodman rd, south haven, ms 38671 where the transmission was replaced. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to the cannon nissan of blytheville dealer, located at: 305 n service rd, blytheville, ar 72315, where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that nothing could be done. The failure mileage was unknown.
The passenger occupant sensor failed, I was in a auto accident that required my front bumper, ac condesor and radiator to br replaced. After getting it fixed I noticed my seatbelt light was blinking, I thought maybe it would go away. I got it scanned turns out the passenger occupant sensor went out and caused all the airbags to turn off.
Transmission belt disintegrated. Lots of power in drive. Shaking, hesitating when driving. Finally would barely move.
While driving on the interstate, my transmission suddenly started slipping out of gear. This caused the car to suddenly slow, almost being rear ended by the car behind me. Nissan knows about these problems, but refuses to fix all of them. They have settled thousands of claims out of court for this problem. They still claim their cvts transmission is not defective.
My dash has been starting to melt the last two years and now the shine from the melting dash on the windshield makes it very hard to see thur windshield with the shine that is on it
Driving on interstate 65 mph around 7:00 am, the car started to shake and was difficult to control, then stopped shaking and the tire light came on. I was able to get vehicle to discount tire. Tire was shredded and required replacement. Tire was the pirelli cinturato strada as 245/45 r18 100v
My dashboard is melting. It's extremely sticky and I if I touch it, or put something on it, black stuff gets everywhere. *Tr
Nissan Maxima: every year compared
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | A |
| 2014 | 96 | 0 | C |
| 2013 | 62 | 0 | A |
| 2012 | 107 | 0 | C |
| 2011 | 106 | 0 | C |
| 2010 | 275 | 1 | F |
| 2009 | 339 | 1 | F |
| 2008 | 79 | 0 | B |
| 2007 | 129 | 1 | C |
2011 Nissan Maxima vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Nissan Maxima | 106 | 0 | C | |
| 2011 Nissan Altima Hev | 246 | 0 | - | Compare |
| 2011 Nissan Altima | 242 | 1 | C | Compare |
| 2011 Nissan Juke | 153 | 3 | D | Compare |
| 2011 Nissan Murano | 148 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 2011 Nissan Leaf | 95 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 2011 Nissan Frontier | 64 | 1 | D | Compare |
| 2011 Nissan 370Z | 40 | 1 | F | Compare |
| 2011 Nissan 370Z Roadster | 40 | 0 | F | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2011 Nissan Maxima
Does the 2011 Nissan Maxima have any recalls?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2011 Nissan Maxima right now. Recalls can be announced at any time, and this page checks NHTSA every day. You can also check your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What are the most common problems with the 2011 Nissan Maxima?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the airbags (23), transmission & drivetrain (22), engine & cooling (14).
How many complaints has the 2011 Nissan Maxima had?
106 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on January 25, 2011 and the latest on January 7, 2026. Of these, 5 describe a crash and 1 a fire, and together they report 15 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2011 Nissan Maxima a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 50 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Nissan Maxima year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Nissan Maxima years have the most complaints?
2004 (1,426), 2005 (948), 2006 (576). See every Nissan Maxima year compared.
What should I do if my 2011 Nissan Maxima has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data