2012 Nissan Maxima Recalls, Problems & Safety Rating

2012 Nissan Maxima recalls

No safety recalls on file for the 2012 Nissan Maxima.

Most common 2012 Nissan Maxima problems

Problem areas named in the 107 complaints owners filed with NHTSA.

Problem area	Reports
Air Bags	27
Unknown Or Other	23
Electrical System	20
Power Train	18
Engine	11
Steering	10
Structure	6
Seats	6
Visibility	4
Engine And Engine Cooling	2

What owners report

2026-01-16, Electrical System
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Nissan Maxima. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The contact stated that the mileage on the title was not available. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 150,000. The vehicle was taken for Texas State Inspection and the VIN was entered on the Inspection Station website and the mileage of 246,450 was displayed.

2025-07-01, Power Train
2012 Nissan Maxima with 94,000 miles began hesitating upon accelerating and jerking on [XXX]. Vehicle diagnosed at Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY with bad transmission. Transmission replaced. Then on [XXX], while driving vehicle, a loud noise from front passenger tire, traction light come on, pulled to side and found wheel side ways and upon investigation, Ball Joint had come part damaging axle and wheel. Found no bolt for ball joint in place. Towed back to Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2024-08-20, Structure
Since 2018 to present day. I been having difficulties with the visibility from my front windshield at sunny days. The dashboard has this sticky substance that make the dashboard really shinny, and reflect the sun light on the windshield, blocking the view and make it hard to see the road and vehicles. I had to use sunglasses to block this issue, but in some cases this will not improved and can make it worst. I had couple of near miss, and I have to stop driving my car at times to avoid this issue.

2023-12-31, Air Bags
Passenger airbag notifi action blinks and will not show it is activated to function in a crash. Airbag has never worked. Also driver seat belt keeps releasing without being pushed to open. Seat belt issue just began Dec 2023

2023-08-17, Air Bags
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag failed to turn on while the front passenger's side seat was occupied. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known issue, and that the front passenger's side seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

2012 Nissan Maxima questions

Does the 2012 Nissan Maxima have any recalls?

No. NHTSA has no safety recalls on file for the 2012 Nissan Maxima at this time.

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Nissan Maxima?

Based on 107 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas are Air Bags (27), Unknown Or Other (23), Electrical System (20).

How do I check if a recall on my 2012 Nissan Maxima has been fixed?

Enter your 17-character VIN in our VIN recall check. It shows open recalls that have not been repaired on your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are normally free at an authorized dealer.