Your vehicle report
1998 Nissan Maxima
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 113
- Received Mar 1998 to Sep 2021
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Vehicle catches fire from wiring10 complaints · 8.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbags fail to deploy in crashes9 complaints · 8.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbag warning light stays on8 complaints · 7.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #02V171000On certain passenger vehicles, one of the diodes used in the alternator may have been damaged when built. This can eventually result in failure of the diode and an electrical short which could melt the plastic housing.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 12 fires, 9 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 10 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 8 |
| 1999 | 16 |
| 2000 | 20 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 10 |
| 2003 | 11 |
| 2004 | 9 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 3 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 6 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 113 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 10 | 8.8% | – | NHTSA recall #02V171000 |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 9 | 8.0% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 8 | 7.1% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 6 | 5.3% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 6 | 5.3% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Battery drains and dies when parked | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly | 3 | 2.6% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 3 | 2.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #02V171000June 24, 2002161,000 vehicles affected
electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
On certain passenger vehicles, one of the diodes used in the alternator may have been damaged when built. This Can eventually result in failure of the diode and an electrical short which could melt the plastic housing.
If the combustible gas emitted by the melting plastic does not disperse due to air flow through the engine compartment, it could ignite and in turn ignite the fan guide in the alternator.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the alternator. Owner notification began july 29, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or Infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1998 Nissan Maxima.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN