AutoUtility currently tracks 21 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2020 Nissan Maxima. Body & Structure issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 6 complaints (28.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
6 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
5 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
4 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
2 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"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."
"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..."
"When I start driving the front collision light comes on and off and then they'll stay on"
"Nissan dealership said the front control arms are cracking and recommended having them replaced."
"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 defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2016–2023)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Nissan Maxima | 142 | 10 | 8 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Nissan Maxima | 103 | 7 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Nissan Maxima | 36 | 1 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Nissan Maxima | 18 | 2 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Nissan Maxima Current Page | 21 | 2 | 1 | Current |
| 2021 Nissan Maxima | 3 | 0 | 0 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Nissan Maxima | 5 | 1 | 0 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Nissan Maxima | 1 | 0 | 0 | View 2023 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 17 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PARKING BRAKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2020 Nissan Maxima
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2020 Nissan Maxima is Body & Structure, appearing in 6 records (28.6% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (5) and Brakes & Traction Control (4).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 21 consumer defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign for the 2020 Nissan Maxima.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2020 Nissan Maxima, 2 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 1 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.