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1998 Nissan Maxima repairs by problem area

Engine (44%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (8%)

Brakes and Traction Control (6%)

Suspension and Steering (11%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (29%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (0%)

Other (2%)

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Chart based on 100 repairs.

See TSBs and recalls for the 1998 Nissan Maxima.

1998 Nissan Maxima repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (6%)

$500 - $999 (25%)

$100 - $499 (35%)

< $100 (35%)

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Chart based on 84 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

See repairs for all Nissan Maxima model years.

Nissan in Massachusetts, United States Sep 2009 - Mar 2010
Oct 2009 105000 mi US $1350	ABS right front sensor replaced (ABS light had come on). Starter replaced (it had failed completely).

Nissan in California, United States Jun 2010 - Jun 2013
Jul 2010 201000 mi	Steering wheel rattling when car's above 70mph, car drifts to the right due to alignment/tire/axle problems.

Nissan in Rhode Island, United States Jan 2011 - Mar 2011
Mar 2011 190000 mi US $100	Changed knock sensor myself without removing intake

Nissan in New Jersey, United States Feb 2008 - Mar 2010
Mar 2008 236000 mi US $843	Leaking upper oil pan gasket.

Nissan in California, United States Dec 2011 - Mar 2013
Oct 2012 160300 mi US $281	check engine light, compression check, replace spark plugs, clean injection with injection flush and a additive in tank.
Nov 2012 161100 mi US $739	Radiator blew up. Replace radiator. Remove and replace coolant fans. Remove and replace temp sensor.

Nissan in New South Wales, Australia Jun 2008 - Nov 2009
Jul 2008 65720 mi A $300	Dashboard lights wont light up, engine lights wont come.
Nov 2009 72540 mi	For over a year the HVAC blower sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, not reparing due to costs.

Nissan in Alabama, United States Dec 2012 - Dec 2012
Dec 2012	Transmission failed

Nissan in Wisconsin, United States May 2012 - May 2012
May 2012 145000 mi US $300	Replaced fuel filler assembly. No non-OEM parts available, so a Nissan assembly had to be sourced.

Nissan in Minnesota, United States Feb 2012 - Feb 2015
Feb 2013 264000 mi US $60	Transmission will soon be shot

Nissan in New Hampshire, United States Oct 2015 - Nov 2015
Nov 2015 210000 mi US $33	Lost tranny fluid. AAA driver tipped $20 to get push into garage. Pass. half shaft joint failure. Half shaft L.L. warranty item. Seal$12.99

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Nissan in Minnesota, United States Jan 2010 - Oct 2011
Oct 2010 108000 mi US $900	Replaced CV joints. Replaced front right and left ball joints and bearings and sway bar links, rear brakes, bled and replaced all brake fluid.
May 2011 111500 mi US $360	Rear shock rusted and could no longer support spring. Mounting ripped and no longer supported the weight of the car.
Jul 2011 112000 mi	LF Wheel bearing was replaced for the third time, 2nd time by dealer. Under warranty

Nissan in Georgia, United States Aug 2010 - Sep 2012
Jun 2011 193000 mi US $20	One of the cooling fan motors did not work and caused the car to overheat in traffic. Installed one from the junk yard which solved the problem
May 2012 203700 mi US $200	Alternator and battery cable went. No big deal, although the compressor had to be loosened to get the alternator out of the bottom. There is just enough play in the AC lines to get it through

Nissan in Massachusetts, United States Apr 2008 - Oct 2009
May 2008 247000 mi US $50	The rear plate lights were burnt out, but it requires replacement of the mounting bracket to repair.
Jun 2008 247000 mi US $20	Rear plate light was broken and the socket needed to be replaced. Installed the new parts.
Aug 2008 252000 mi US $600	Center muffler and exhaust pipes replaced.
Mar 2009 265000 mi US $850	CV Joints and axles replaced. Also needs EGR solenoid and ABS wheel sensor not replaced this time.
Jun 2009 272000 mi	Third brake light burned out. This is attached to the spoiler on the car and is expensive to replace
Sep 2009 272000 mi US $20	Radiator cracked and was replaced rear muffler was rusted out and was replaced Third brake light wasn't working. replaced a connector in the wiring harness to the light. Repaired one of the LED lights in the third brake light as well.

Nissan in California, United States Mar 2008 - Oct 2008
Apr 2008 82000 mi US $700	Check engine light - one O2 sensor replaced, one knock sensor replaced.
Sep 2008 86000 mi US $200	New radiator fan in Sept 08, done by a shop, $200, in shop one day, radiator fan was making noise. Repair successful.

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Nissan in Oregon, United States Nov 2009 - May 2011
Jun 2010 170000 mi US $800	problems with engine and transmission. Bought both and I'm just waiting to install them, meanwhile the car is in the garage. Driving another car while problem is solved

Nissan in Massachusetts, United States Apr 2011 - Sep 2011
Aug 2011 195000 mi US $350	Clogged muffler ruptured

Nissan in British Columbia, Canada Feb 2011 - Feb 2012
Mar 2011 98580 mi C $40	both outer cv boots broken LR brake caliper stiff, uneven pad wear, caliper and pads replaced
Nov 2011 99400 mi	Exhaust pipe separated from flange where it connects to short pipe that is part of muffler. Cleaned flange, welded approx a 4 inch length of new pipe, approx 2 1/8 inch inside diameter, to fit over the pipe that separated. No clamp required

Nissan in Iowa, United States Jul 2009 - Apr 2010
Feb 2010 113000 mi US $20	Cleaned throttle body & replace air filter to solve poor cold starts.

Nissan in Missouri, United States Jul 2007 - May 2013
Aug 2007 132000 mi US $255	O2 Sensor Replacement
Sep 2007 132000 mi US $273	Needed new front right wheel bearing.
Dec 2007 135000 mi US $624	Replaced oil pan due to leaks. replaced a seal as well
Apr 2008 139000 mi US $400	Replaced front axles.
Aug 2008 143000 mi US $550	Rreplaced mass airflow sensor.

Nissan in Connecticut, United States Feb 2009 - Jul 2018
Jun 2009 160000 mi US $5	Rear license plate light needed to be replaced. Screws were rusted and had to be drilled out. Plastic cap had to be cut, no new part available, used glue to reseal cap and new screws to attach back to bumper
Mar 2010 166000 mi	Engine light came on due to knock sensor error

Nissan in Virginia, United States May 2008 - Dec 2009
Oct 2009 180000 mi US $1000	rusted muffler was replaced. parts and labor about $1000

Nissan in Illinois, United States Dec 2007 - Jul 2011
Jul 2008 63000 mi US $350	Front suspension joints rusted. Replaced.
Aug 2009 71000 mi US $780	Replaced rear brake rotors, pads and calipers due to wear and rust in calipers as car was parked for 3 months when I was out of country. Replace after market lug nuts due to broken key.
Sep 2010 80000 mi US $500	replaced exhaust resonator and muffler
Apr 2011 82300 mi US $350	The A/C compressor bearing was rusting and was making a lot of noise. A/C still working fine, but wanted to get it repaired as summer is close. Remanufactured compressor - $350.

Nissan in Michigan, United States Nov 2007 - Mar 2010
Dec 2007 83000 mi US $75	Headlights left on after key removed indicator was not beeping. Taillights were not functioning, bad wiring.
Jun 2008 89000 mi US $700	Exhaust system was rusted out, with exception of catalytic converter.
Jul 2009 102000 mi US $600	Battery and brake lights blinked and car begin powering down while driving. We were towed to the Nissan dealer and they diagnosed that the alternator was in need of repair.
Nov 2009 106000 mi	Radiator fixed.
Mar 2010 110000 mi	Fan assembly needed replacing when wrecked. Airbag light on when wrecked.

Nissan in New Jersey, United States Jun 2007 - Mar 2010
Oct 2007 175000 mi US $160	coil failure
Sep 2008 210000 mi US $300	Replaced rear struts

Nissan in New Jersey, United States Aug 2009 - Apr 2012
Apr 2011 274000 mi	Car would not start. Shop replace wiring at fuse box to engine.

Nissan in Minnesota, United States Aug 2009 - Sep 2013
Nov 2010 173000 mi US $425	Rear struts finally gave out. The car was hopping all over the road. Could not drive safely over 55. Rear struts replaced and the car drives straight and true and smoothly down the road.
Dec 2010 173000 mi US $425	Middle exhaust pipe between converter and muffler was replaced. Remainder of exhaust is original.
Mar 2011 180000 mi US $700	Replaced front struts. Did the drive axles at the same time to save on future cost. The boots had been ripped open for over a year.
Apr 2011 180700 mi US $150	Soft brake pedal. Shop bled them twice in last few months. They replaced Master Cyl this time. Not corrected. Bled twice more in the next week. Getting some air out and brakes are getting better but not corrected yet. Discounted costs.
May 2011 182300 mi US $140	The slide on the bottom of the caliper was frozen so that only the top of caliper was movable. Caliper replaced, problem of soft pedal finally resolved!
Aug 2011 186600 mi US $150	A/C system was intermittent. Evacuated system, measured volume and recharged with correct amount.
Apr 2012 198800 mi US $300	Front left wheel bearing and hub was replaced.
Feb 2013 210000 mi US $342	Engine was flooding, but no relevant codes. Replaced plugs, cleaned throttle body and MAF. Ran rough for 50 miles as it burned off chemicals from O2 sensor. Running great again now. (Starter replaced at cost as it burned out during repair.)

Nissan in Illinois, United States Jun 2009 - Jun 2013
Dec 2009 91000 mi US $89	Replaced Starter, battery ground cable, and spark plugs. Starter output was very weak, and car wouldn't start, and then became flooded.
Apr 2011 99000 mi US $140	New rear Calipers, pads, and rotors
Aug 2011 101000 mi US $75	Replaced the Starter
Mar 2013 110000 mi	Valve cover gasket.
Jun 2013 114000 mi US $75	CV Axcle replaced

Nissan in Florida, United States Aug 2007 - Dec 2010
Sep 2007 153000 mi	Air compressor froze, sending metal into air conditioning system. Replaced expansion valve, compressor, filter, coolant, etc. Took it back for noises. I was told that the radiator fan needed replacing and that was done. It took two hours. The noise continued, so I took it back and was told I would just have to live with the noise and that it couldn’t be fixed. That trip took two hours. I reported this to the regional office and the Regional manager requested that I take it back one more
Oct 2007 154000 mi US $1700	They said they replaced the expansion valve (again-this time with a genuine Nissan part-at my insistence) and lowered the coolant charge to less than the maximum. It has worked properly and quietly since then.
Jul 2008 169000 mi US $400	Engine skipping; took it in, but not bad enough to determine where problem existed. When it got worse, took it in and shop replaced 2 coil packs. Problem lessened, then worsened until exactly as bad as before.
Nov 2008 175000 mi US $1900	Fuel injection system cleaned; spark plugs replaced. Valve gaskets replaced. Rack and pinion replaced.
Mar 2009 175000 mi US $936	Same problem of engine skipping, especially while idling. Replaced all 6 ignition coil packs and problem has not reappeared so far.
Feb 2010 182300 mi US $780	We took the car in for a minor problem and the dealership gave a huge list of things to repair, including oil pan leaking $2600 worth. Friend (mechanic) did necessary repairs but not extras (leaking timing belt cover and right axle seal). Replaced upper and lower oil pan gaskets. Replaced oxygen sensor. Replaced rear engine mount.
Jul 2010 188000 mi US $370	Harmonic balancer and belts.
Nov 2010 189000 mi US $80	Protective panel on underside of engine.

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Nissan in Manitoba, Canada Dec 2008 - Sep 2011
Jun 2009 82460 mi	SES light came on, downloaded codes and cleared codes from car's computer. Codes have not reappeared after more than a week
Apr 2010 88040 mi C $187	Needed new muffler
Jun 2010 88660 mi C $1700	A/C not working
Sep 2010 89900 mi C $290	O2 sensors replaced
Feb 2011 92860 mi C $60	Airbag light came on. No problem found after diagnosis. Light reset.

Nissan in Tennessee, United States Mar 2009 - Jun 2009
Jun 2009 259000 mi	Check engine light kept coming on, we would just get it turned off.

Nissan in Texas, United States Feb 2009 - Mar 2012
Jun 2011 171000 mi US $500	Key would not start car when turned
Jan 2012 174000 mi US $20	Replaced lights in info screen

Nissan in Alabama, United States Sep 2009 - Nov 2011
Oct 2009 230000 mi US $530	Alternator replaced. This makes the third one. This time we also replaced the battery. The original replacement was supposed to be covered by Nissan since there was a full recall for the alternator. Nissan refused to honor the recall for this problem.
May 2010 240800 mi US $764	Here we go again --ANOTHER alternator and battery. This makes the 4th one. Nissan had a recall on the original but refused our claim to fix the problem under the recall notice. The general mgr. states that Nissan is using inferior parts!!
Oct 2010 245000 mi US $525	replaced starter and battery. valve cover gaskets replaced
Jun 2011 247000 mi US $400	replaced valve cover gaskets and plenum gasket

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1998 Nissan Maxima repairs by problem area

1998 Nissan Maxima repair cost distribution

1998 Nissan Maxima

1998 Nissan Maxima 4-door

1998 Nissan Maxima 4-door

1998 Nissan Maxima 4-door

1998 Nissan Maxima Repair Histories