Your vehicle report
2009 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
- 339
- Received Feb 2009 to Jan 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly104 complaints · 31% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Ignition key sticks or will not turn25 complaints · 7.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbag warning light stays on20 complaints · 5.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #09V358000Nissan is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 altima and maxima passenger cars. The upper front strut insulators may have been manufactured out of specification resulting in a potential for the strut insulator to crack.
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: 7 crashes, 2 fires, 6 people injured, 0 deaths.
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 17 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
- Airbag warning light stays on
- Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off
- Seat belt fails to latch or retract
1 more problem
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 |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 8 |
| 2010 | 15 |
| 2011 | 6 |
| 2012 | 24 |
| 2013 | 40 |
| 2014 | 47 |
| 2015 | 47 |
| 2016 | 57 |
| 2017 | 25 |
| 2018 | 12 |
| 2019 | 23 |
| 2020 | 15 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 1 |
| Total | 339 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 104 | 31% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 25 | 7.4% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 20 | 5.9% | – | |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 15 | 4.4% | – | |
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 13 | 3.8% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 9 | 2.6% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 9 | 2.6% | – | |
| Steering wheel clunks or clicks when turning | 8 | 2.4% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 5 | 1.5% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 5 | 1.5% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 4 | 1.2% | – | |
| Suspension struts and shocks wear out early | 4 | 1.2% | – | NHTSA recall #09V358000 |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 4 | 1.2% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 4 | 1.2% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 4 | 1.2% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 4 | 1.2% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 3 | 0.9% | – |
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 #09V358000September 16, 200926,398 vehicles affected
suspension
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 altima and Maxima passenger cars. The upper front strut insulators may have been manufactured out of specification resulting in a potential for the strut insulator to crack.
If the strut insulator is cracked, there is a potential for the strut rod to come out of its mounting position, which could affect vehicle stability and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Nissan will notify owners and dealers will replace both left and right side front strut insulators free of charge. The safety recall began october 2009. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-NISSAN1 (1-800-647-7261).
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 2009 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