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Model-year record

2020 Nissan Maxima
Image: Wikimedia Commons contributor · See source file

2020 Nissan Maxima

See the complaints, recalls, crash rating, and fuel economy in the public record. Then check the mileage and history of the car you found.

This page shows records, not a buy or avoid call.

The same model year can include a well-kept car and a neglected one. Use these records to plan what to check. Use the specific-car check when you know the mileage.

Complaints filed

21

Reports to NHTSA, 2020

Safety recalls

1

NHTSA campaigns on record

NHTSA crash test

Overall NCAP rating

Combined MPG

24

EPA estimate

Known issues

Structure issues lead owner complaints (19% of 21 reports), followed by air bags (10%).

Structure19% · 4 reports
Air Bags10% · 2 reports
Forward Collision Avoidance10% · 2 reports
Latches/Locks/Linkages10% · 2 reports
Power Train10% · 2 reports
Service Brakes10% · 2 reports
Electrical System5% · 1 report
Engine5% · 1 report

+ 5 more component categories with fewer reports.

Share of all 21 NHTSA complaints for this model year, grouped by the component owners named. Bars are scaled to the largest category. Examples: ODI 11577099, ODI 11527576, ODI 11474773, ODI 11383454.

Individual complaint reports(21)

Showing the 21 most recent reports
EngineMay 2026 · ODI 11740781Details +

2020 Nissan Maxima SR is experiencing CVT transmission issues that appear substantially similar to the defects described in the Nissan CVT Martinez Class Action involving prior Nissan model years.

Reported
May 2026
Incident date
May 2026
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11740781 at NHTSA →
Power TrainAug 2025 · ODI 11682977Details +

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle jerked before stalling in the middle of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The Police were called to block traffic. The vehicle was towed. The tow truck driver had issues while attempting to tow the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle failed to start. The contact would turn on the engine, and several minutes later, the vehicle stalled. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. It was unknown if the contact's husband had replaced the battery. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was informed that the vehicle warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Reported
Aug 2025
Incident date
Aug 2025
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11682977 at NHTSA →
Forward Collision AvoidanceMay 2025 · ODI 11663524Details +

When I start driving the front collision light comes on and off and then they'll stay on

Reported
May 2025
Incident date
May 2025
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11663524 at NHTSA →
SteeringFeb 2025 · ODI 11645171Details +

Nissan dealership said the front control arms are cracking and recommended having them replaced.

Reported
Feb 2025
Incident date
Feb 2025
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11645171 at NHTSA →
Forward Collision AvoidanceAug 2024 · ODI 11611910Details +

Forward collision warning turns on about 20 seconds after the car starts. There was no accident or obstructions to the sensors, this apperas to just be equipment failure on a car with only 30k miles on it.

Reported
Aug 2024
Incident date
Aug 2024
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11611910 at NHTSA →
Unknown Or OtherApr 2024 · ODI 11584583Details +

The sunroof inexplicably blew out while driving on a 3-lane interstate normally taken to work every day in the morning, windows were up. This movable portion of the sunroof is part of the panoramic sun roof. The sun shade was open, it is normally left open. Some small pieces of the glass fell onto me and seats but most was sucked up and away from the car. Thankfully, no glass hit me in the face and no cars were around me. I have rear cam footage of the glass flying out behind the car. Front footage shows nothing hit the car, no one was near enough to suspect otherwise. A picture is attached of what is left.

Reported
Apr 2024
Incident date
Apr 2024
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11584583 at NHTSA →
Lane DepartureApr 2024 · ODI 11583788Details +

When I start driving, sometimes I randomly see Key System Error and DAS Malfunction. All other warnings such as emergency brake, traction control, blind spot detection light up. Engine RPM meter keeps going to 0 and back and forth (see video in the link below). When this happens, driver assistance features like forward collision warning, blind spot warning and lane departure warning stops working. Sometimes, I cannot turn off the engine by pressing the Stop Engine button. I have to hold the button for about 5 seconds to stop the engine. Sometimes there's a Chasis Control System error (Attached a picture from last year). This started happening about a year ago and has occurred at least a dozen times so far. I have taken this to different dealerships, and none have been able to identify the issue. I haven't had any accidents on collisions on this vehicle. Please see link below for a video of the behavior. You can see different warnings coming on and off in the video. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Reported
Apr 2024
Incident date
Mar 2024
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11583788 at NHTSA →
Latches/Locks/LinkagesApr 2024 · ODI 11582542Details +

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and changing lanes, the hood unlatched, flew open and struck the windshield. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,214.

Reported
Apr 2024
Incident date
Apr 2024
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11582542 at NHTSA →
StructureMar 2024 · ODI 11577099Details +

Was getting into the car. As we closed the doors, we heard the sunroof shatter. the edges of the broken glass were pushed up as if the air pressure inside the car broke the glass. If the inside cover was open, we would have been showered in glass. The manufacturer inspected and replaced the glass.

Reported
Mar 2024
Incident date
Feb 2024
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11577099 at NHTSA →
Power TrainFeb 2024 · ODI 11569285Details +

My transmission is bad.

Reported
Feb 2024
Incident date
Apr 2023
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11569285 at NHTSA →
StructureJun 2023 · ODI 11527576Details +

1-Clips that secure the front grill and font quarter panels have broken for no apparent reason. 2-Body parts can fall off during driving if not repaired 3-Inspected at dealership 4-No warnings - the front camera looked "cloudy" because it had fallen when the grill clips broke and became loose The entire grill has to be replaced. All parts are on backorder with no date for restock. This is my daily driver with a mix of town and highway driving, so I typically drive 30-70 MPH daily and only about 10 miles per day to and from work. There is very little wear on this car, it has less than 12,000 miles on it and has not been involved in any collision.

Reported
Jun 2023
Incident date
Jun 2023
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11527576 at NHTSA →
Air BagsNov 2022 · ODI 11492104 · crash · 1 injuriesDetails +

Was at a four way stop. Other driver pulled out in front of me and I tried to not hit their vehicle but couldn’t avoid it. I was going around 15 miles per hour. The air bag discharged so hard it broke my windshield and injured my head, neck and lower back.

Reported
Nov 2022
Incident date
Aug 2022
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
Crash 1 injuries
Open ODI 11492104 at NHTSA →
StructureJul 2022 · ODI 11474773Details +

The front passenger side A-pillar molding flew off while driving in windy weather. This piece could have hit another vehicle and impeded their vision while driving. The molding was not otherwise compromised.

Reported
Jul 2022
Incident date
Jul 2022
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11474773 at NHTSA →
Air BagsSep 2021 · ODI 11434284 · crashDetails +

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated the collision sensor system on the vehicle was malfunctioning, causing the vehicle to brake on its own while reversing in parallel parking. The contact stated the vehicle would always make buzzing sounds while parking. The contact stated while he was reversing out of a parking space on a hill, the vehicle inadvertently stopped, causing him to hit the vehicle in front of him. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

Reported
Sep 2021
Incident date
Sep 2021
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
Crash
Open ODI 11434284 at NHTSA →
Service BrakesAug 2021 · ODI 11427755Details +

While driving 2020 Nissan Maxima Sv the emergency park brake light up and rear brake light up and traction control light up on dash and it act like it looses power and when you go to settings on sonar it big green light in front of car And check engine light came on

Reported
Aug 2021
Incident date
Aug 2021
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11427755 at NHTSA →
Parking BrakeJul 2021 · ODI 11426312Details +

My emergency brake comes on any time I drive after a heavy rain.. it starts to illuminate vaguely,then eventually the brake light will come on and then eventually it’ll start indicating to pull over. The first time I was in rush hour traffic on a busy highway. Was able to push down on the brake and release long enough to come off an exit before it came back on. Had to let the car sit for over 20 minutes. The second time we had heavy rain I got in the car the following day after 15 mins of driving the brake light started to illuminate and I could not get it to go off I had to pull over several time eventually sitting on the side of the ride for 20 mins again for it to go off. I could smell a burning smell when I exited the vehicle

Reported
Jul 2021
Incident date
May 2021
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11426312 at NHTSA →
Service BrakesJun 2021 · ODI 11421900Details +

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at 50 - 55 mph, the vehicle lost motive power, and the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) System, Slip indicator, and Rear Automatic Braking warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer could not replicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would not authorize the dealer to perform the repair and could not replace or repurchase the vehicle. The failure mileage was 8,296.

Reported
Jun 2021
Incident date
Jun 2021
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11421900 at NHTSA →
StructureDec 2020 · ODI 11383454Details +

WINDSHIELD CRACKS RANDOMLY WITH NO POINT OF IMPACT. FRAYS OUTWARD. SEEMS TO BE STRESS FRACTURE FROM THE FRAME. HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES WITH 2020 NISSANS

Reported
Dec 2020
Incident date
Nov 2020
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11383454 at NHTSA →
Electrical SystemAug 2020 · ODI 11351414Details +

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BEGAN FLASHING RED AND THE VEHICLE FORCEFULLY BRAKED INDEPENDENTLY. THERE WERE NO VEHICLES NEARBY AND A CRASH WAS AVOIDED. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO HIS DESTINATION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER (SOUTH SHORE NISSAN LOCATED AT 200 SUNRISE HWY, AMITYVILLE, NY 11701, (516) 269-8338) AND WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,200.

Reported
Aug 2020
Incident date
Oct 2019
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11351414 at NHTSA →
Latches/Locks/LinkagesFeb 2020 · ODI 11302001Details +

2020 NISSAN MAXIMA SR. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS GAS CAP DOOR LOCK FUNCTION. *LD THE CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT THE BACK UP CAMERA WOULD NEED A SYSTEM UPGRADE DO TO POOR VISIBILITY. *JS

Reported
Feb 2020
Incident date
Feb 2020
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11302001 at NHTSA →
Fuel/Propulsion SystemJan 2020 · ODI 11296820Details +

NISSAN IN THE 2020 MAXIMA MODELS REMOVED THE LOCKING FEATURE OF THE GAS CAP DOOR. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN FOR POSSIBLE VANDALISM TO THE VEHICLE A PERSONAL SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE IS A KEYED LOCKING CAP IS INSTALLED THE INDIVIDUAL HAS TO FUMBLE THROUGH UNLOCKING THE CAP IN ORDER TO FILL THE TANK. NEITHER THE SALES PERSON OR SERVICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL KNEW THIS FEATURE HAD BEEN REMOVED IN THE 2020 MODEL. IT'S AVAILABLE IN THE 2019 MAXIMA MODELS. THE REMOVAL OF THIS FEATURE, EVEN THOUGH ITS STANDARD ON MOST VEHICLES SOLD IN NORTH AMERICA SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCLOSED BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. FURTHER, THE FACT THAT NEITHER THE SALES PERSON AT THE DEALER, SERVICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL OR MANAGEMENT AT THE DEALER KNEW ABOUT THIS, SHOWS THAT NISSAN PURPOSELY WITHHELD THIS INFORMATION FROM THE CONSUMERS. HAD I KNOWN THIS FEATURE WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, EVEN THOUGH IT'S STILL AVAILABLE IN LESS EXPENSIVE MODELS IN THE NISSAN BRAND, I MAY HAVE OPTED TO PURCHASE A DIFFERENT VEHICLE. NISSAN MARKETS IT PRODUCTS AS BEING OVERLY SAFE, HOW DOES THE REMOVAL OF THIS KEY FEATURE MAKE THE NISSAN AS SAFE AS NISSAN MARKET THEIR PRODUCTS? THE REMOVAL OF THIS FEATURE MAKES THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE AND THE PERSON FUELING THE VEHICLE QUESTIONABLE! *JS

Reported
Jan 2020
Incident date
Dec 2019
Mileage
Not provided
Outcome flags
None reported
Open ODI 11296820 at NHTSA →

Recalls(1)

Open a recall to read what NHTSA says is wrong, what can happen, and how it gets fixed. Check the VIN and remedy eligibility with a dealer; federal no-charge requirements have an age limit, though a manufacturer may offer more coverage.

Visibility · 20V570000Details +

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.

Risk: Rear window glass that separates from the vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the back window glass, free of charge. The recall began November 4, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC752.

Open full NHTSA recall record →

A campaign can apply to this model year without being incomplete on a specific vehicle. Check the VIN with NHTSA or a dealer to confirm whether a particular car needs repair.

Investigations

0 NHTSA investigations on record

No investigations are on record as of Jul 2026. An empty record is not a clean bill of health.

Crash-test ratings

2020 Nissan Maxima 4 DR FWD NHTSA source

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).

Fuel economy by trim

TrimEngineDrivetrainCityHwyCombined
Maxima3.5L 6-cylFront-Wheel Drive203024

EPA laboratory estimates by trim and engine. Actual mileage varies with driving, weather, load, and maintenance. EPA source.

Before you buy

Useful next checks

Federal records tell you about patterns. These checks can tell you more about the specific car in front of you.

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Compare the year-by-year record

Open another year for its own evidence-gated decision. TireKick does not crown a best year from raw complaint totals.

2020 Nissan Maxima: frequently asked

What does the complaint record show for the 2020 Nissan Maxima?

Owners filed 21 NHTSA complaints about the 2020 Nissan Maxima. This is raw owner-reported complaint volume with no production or exposure normalization, so it is not a reliability score or a best/worst-year ranking.

What are the most common problems on the 2020 Nissan Maxima?

The most-reported problem areas are Structure (19% of complaints) and air bags (10%).

How many recalls does the 2020 Nissan Maxima have?

1 recall has been issued that affect the 2020 Nissan Maxima, covering components such as visibility. Check the VIN with NHTSA and ask a dealer to confirm remedy eligibility; federal no-charge requirements have an age limit, though manufacturers may offer more coverage.

What gas mileage does the 2020 Nissan Maxima get?

The EPA rates the 2020 Nissan Maxima at 24 mpg combined.