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Selling a junk Nissan Maxima

Any Maxima sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

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What owners report about the Nissan Maxima

NHTSA has 7,716 owner complaints on file for the Nissan Maxima, model years 1995 to 2022, the 65th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (2,405, 31%), electrical system (815, 11%), steering (507, 7%). 387 complaints involved a crash, 148 a fire, and 142 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 79,000 miles. The 2004 model year has the most complaints (1,726). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Nissan Maxima by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1995195Air bags1865—
1996117Engine and cooling1565100,300
1997123Electrical system819685,892
1998133Air bags14136110,000
1999215Electrical system97480,000
2000467Electrical system336360,000
2001225Air bags154775,500
2002278Engine and cooling370968,000
2003249Engine and cooling204490,000
20041,726Transmission and drivetrain4332280,000
20051,152Transmission and drivetrain3217288,000
2006733Transmission and drivetrain307285,000
2007169Body and structure51185,708
2008100Air bags90079,000
2009460Steering72171,000
2010399Steering92167,000
2011138Air bags91070,065
2012137Air bags102055,000
201371Transmission and drivetrain12070,000
2014127Air bags201056,250
20152Air bags200—
2016224Transmission and drivetrain168846,000
2017156Other116428,500
201846Other21239,357
201928Other601—
202036Driver assistance501—
20214Electrical system000—
20226Other110—

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Nissan Maxima recalls

NHTSA lists 29 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for lights (5), air bags (5), brakes (5). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2001 model year, air bags (campaign 22E066000, Aug 2022): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain air bag inflator replacement service parts that may have been installed as part of a theft or collision repair. The parts include certain passenger-side air bag in…
  • 2020 model year, visibility and wipers (campaign 20V570000, Sep 2020): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
  • 2001 model year, air bags (campaign 20V008000, Jan 2020): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2001-2003 Maxima, 2002-2006 Sentra, 2002-2004 Pathfinder, 2007-2011 Versa Sedan and Versa Hatchback, 2001-2004 Infiniti I30 and I35, 2002-2003 Inifiniti QX4, 2003-…
  • 2016 model year, brakes (campaign 19V807000, Nov 2019): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Nissan Murano, 2016-2018 Nissan Maxima, and 2017-2019 Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX60 vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and unrepaire…
  • 2018 model year, driver assistance (campaign 19V654000, Sep 2019): Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Vers…

What a Nissan Maxima is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Maxima on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

Guides for selling this car

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Questions people ask

What is a junk Nissan Maxima worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Maxima gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Nissan Maxima that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Nissan Maxima?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Nissan Maxima numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.