2011 Nissan Maxima: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
106 NHTSA owner complaints · 0 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 106 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 7.07
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Airbag warning came on. I took to dealership for diagnostic. There was malfunction with the passenger airbag. Seat coushin needed to be replaced so the “normal” wear and tear airbag would no longer be an issue. Nissan stated this is not a safety concern and all expenses were out of pocket.
The transmission is slipping it’s a cvt and they’re known for being the worst transmissions. I was entering the highway on a on ramp and I could no longer accelerate past 55 I was near flooring it and you can hear the engine working but the rpm’s are all over the odometer going from 3k-6.5k over and over. The problem has not been diagnosed professionally. The vehicle has not been inspected professionally.There were n…
Cvt transmission jerking , engine is always idling hard sometimes wants to even shut off , accelerating sometimes takes a lil while to respond , rack and pinion assembly faulty I would like for nissan to fix my car or get a lump sum check for all faulty errors these cars have
Recalls: 0 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
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What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a full-size car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 22 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,450
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Air Bags23 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Power Train22 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Unknown Or Other14 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Engine12 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System12 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Steering9 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
Other Nissan Maxima years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Nissan Maxima?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Air Bags (23 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2011 Nissan Maxima a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 76/100, computed from 106 NHTSA complaints and 0 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2011 Nissan Maxima's most common problem?
23 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2011 Nissan Maxima sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement: about 2.5 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $600–$1,700 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2011 Nissan Maxima cost to run per year?
About $6,073 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $30,368 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Compare with
Other fullsizes of about the same age.
What will a 2011 Nissan Maxima really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 106 complaints, 0 recalls on record
- 106 NHTSA complaints on record (7.1/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (4.5/yr)
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems