Selling a Nissan Maxima that's done

Whatever year yours is, if the transmission has quit, the engine is worn out or the floor has rusted, you can sell it whole. We buy whole non-running and junk cars. Nothing gets fixed or pulled first, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Eight generations at a glance

Complaint counts are from NHTSA's files, downloaded October 10, 2026. They start with the 1984 model year.

Most Maximas came from Nissan's Oppama plant in Japan until the 2004, the first one assembled at Smyrna, Tennessee. North America got no 2015 model, though one complaint is filed under that year. Nissan stopped building the car for the U.S. and Canada in July 2023.

The problems that show up most

2004-2006: the five-speed automatic

On the 2004, 835 of the 1,426 complaints mention the transmission. The share stays high on the 2005 (667 of 948) and the 2006 (331 of 576). These cars had a conventional five-speed automatic as standard; the CVT came later. We found no Nissan bulletin naming a cause and no warranty extension for that gearbox, so these are owner complaints and nothing more.

2004-2008: front floor pans

Nissan service campaign PC926, in a bulletin dated October 28, 2022, covered 36,858 cars, and dealers were to inspect each front floor pan for corrosion. Of those cars, 9,967 were 2004-2008 Maximas. It grew out of a settlement that named owners and former owners with Missouri registrations, and the inspection had to happen by November 1, 2023, so that window has closed. On the 2007, structure is the component owners listed most (30 of 129 complaints).

The CVT years

Nissan's 2007 press kit says the Xtronic CVT replaced the conventional automatic on every Maxima. WCPO reported that Nissan doubled the CVT warranty to 120,000 miles on most 2007-2010 cars. We found only that TV report, not a Nissan bulletin, and those Maximas are all past the ten-year mark anyway.

The newer cars have paperwork. A Nissan service bulletin on CVT judder names 2016-2019 Maximas. A second bulletin, effective October 3, 2025, extends CVT coverage on 2016-2018 Maximas to 84 months or 84,000 miles. That coverage reaches the transmission itself plus its valve body, torque converter and cooler kit, along with reprogramming of the control unit.

2009-2010: a steering lock that blocks the start

Steering is the top component on the 2009 (135 of 339 complaints) and the 2010 (120 of 275). Owners describe a car that won't start because the steering column lock has failed. Nissan described the same fault: after the car is locked, the lock unit can malfunction and stop the engine from starting, though never while driving. Nissan put 59,566 of these Maximas in campaign PC516. For each one brought in, a dealer fitted a column box that no longer locks the wheel, at no charge. The campaign expired May 29, 2020.

Recalls worth a VIN check

• 2001-2003: passenger air bag inflators that can rupture and spray metal fragments (recalls 15V287 and 20V008).
• 2002-2003: crank or cam position sensor circuit boards (03V455).
• 2016-2018: an ABS actuator that can leak brake fluid onto its circuit board and short it, a fire risk. NHTSA lists both recalls, 18V601 and 19V807, as park-outside recalls.
• 2016-2017: the passenger air bag's occupant classification sensor (16V244).

The oldest cars carry a different pattern. On the 1985-1988 Maximas, 204 of 350 complaints report a fire, and fuel system is the component listed most in each of those four years. The file holds no recall for it, and we did not research a cause. Likewise, 160 of the 2000's 360 complaints list the electrical system; we have not read them and claim no reason.

Complaints and recalls by model year

The Maxima's record, tallied from NHTSA's downloadable data on October 10, 2026, with quiet stretches grouped. A campaign that reaches into several years of one row counts once there. Across all 6,947 complaints, owners reported 336 crashes, 327 fires and 15 deaths.

Fix it or let it go?

Start with what costs nothing: run the Maxima's VIN through NHTSA's recall search. On a 2016-2018 whose CVT shudders or slips, ask a Nissan dealer about the 2025 extension before you pay anyone.

After that it comes down to two numbers: a written repair quote, and what the same Maxima sells for when it runs. A 2004-2006 automatic, or a 2009-2010 lock that missed the campaign, is your bill alone. When the quote gets close to the running value, selling it as it sits usually makes more sense. The bad transmission guide walks through symptoms and AAA's repair ranges. For a rotted floor or a failed inspection, see selling a rusted-out car.

Selling the Maxima as it sits

Ask for an offer online or call (877) 421-6008. Have the year, the mileage and a plain account of what's wrong: no-start, slipping transmission, rusted floor, missing parts.

Say where the Maxima sits and whether it can be pushed. A 2009 or 2010 with a stuck steering lock may not steer at all, which helps to know before the truck arrives. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Leave the car complete, with its catalytic converter, battery and wheels. If anything is already gone, list it, because missing parts change the offer. You'll sign over the title at pickup. If you can't find it, read selling without a title first, and handle the plates and insurance afterward with after you sell.