Ford Taurus vs Nissan Maxima: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Maxima is clearly ahead of the Ford Taurus on the federal record: 81/100 against 66/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Ford Taurus
- 9 model years scored
- 1,544 owner complaints on record
- about 16 complaints per year on the road
- 43 recall campaigns, 16 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (93/100) · worst 2013 (31/100)
Nissan Maxima
- 9 model years scored
- 471 owner complaints on record
- about 5 complaints per year on the road
- 11 recall campaigns, 9 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (93/100) · worst 2016 (32/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Taurus against Maxima
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Ford Taurus
- Steering — 467 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 212 complaints
- Electrical System — 198 complaints
Nissan Maxima
- Power Train — 102 complaints
- Air Bags — 77 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 72 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Taurus's complaints concentrate in Steering, the Maxima's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Ford Taurus — avoid: 2013, 2014, 2015.
Nissan Maxima — avoid: 2016.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Ford Taurus prices at about $19,400 and a Nissan Maxima at about $27,600 — the Ford Taurus is roughly $8,200 less, and they return 19.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Taurus or the Nissan Maxima more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Maxima scores 81/100 against the Ford Taurus's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Nissan Maxima carries about 5 complaints per year on the road against 16 for the Ford Taurus.
Which Ford Taurus and Nissan Maxima years should I avoid?
Ford Taurus: 2013, 2014, 2015. Nissan Maxima: 2016. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Ford Taurus and the Nissan Maxima?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Taurus is Steering (467 complaints); on the Nissan Maxima it is Power Train (102).
Is the Ford Taurus or the Nissan Maxima cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Taurus prices at about $19,400 and a Nissan Maxima at about $27,600, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.