2002 Nissan Maxima Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2002 Maxima most often describe the engine shutting off while driving, typically traced in complaints to crank or camshaft position sensors covered by an older emissions-related recall. Air bag non-deployment and inflator recall notices, ABS/brake trouble lights, and intermittent accelerator pedal behavior also appear repeatedly. Reported mileages run from very low to well past 150,000, so the sample reflects a mix of early failures and problems accumulated with age.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalls or loses power while driving (position sensor)

   • 42 complaints (20%)
   • median 98,000 mi at 10.0 yrs old (37 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2020

   Complaints describe the engine quitting without warning at highway or in-town speeds, sometimes with the check engine light on and sometimes with no code stored. Several owners say diagnosis pointed to the crankshaft or camshaft position sensor, and some report the problem returned after a sensor was replaced. Owners also describe trouble restarting, rough running, or a no-start condition afterward, and some mention being told their vehicle identification number was not covered by the earlier sensor campaign. Spread across the sample from roughly 26,000 to 192,000 miles, with many reports above 70,000 miles and several in the 130,000-175,000 range.

   Recall 03V4550002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the crank and cam position sensors were replaced under the earlier campaign and keep any repair receipts. On a test drive, watch for hesitation, a flickering check engine light, or a hard restart after the engine is warm.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car experiences significantly reduced engine power, u nable to rev above 2500 without it feeling limited. The engine suddenly stops running without warning during vehicle operation making it difficult to steer or brake to get to a safe location.this has occurred 3 times this past week and I have stopped driving the vehicle. I'm now wondering if the dealer actually performed the recall (NHTSA campaign #03v455000) back in 2003!!! They need to recall this again.”

   NHTSA complaint #11019407, filed 2017-08, 146,000 miles

   “While driving on they highway my vehicle jerked while I was going roughly 70mph. When that happened it kind of hesitated and then my slip and tcs light came on. Later on that day my vehicle completely stalled while stopped at a intersection. It started back up but started very hard. I arrived at my destination and turned it off for roughly 10 minutes. I tried to start it and it would not start. My vehicle sat for about 2 hours and when I tried it again, it started right up. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10523782, filed 2013-07, 135,823 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   ABS warning light and brake pedal feel problems

   • 16 complaints (8%)
   • median 36,000 mi at 4.4 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2020

   Complaints describe the ABS light coming on, sometimes after a car wash or wet conditions, along with a brake pedal that felt locked or required heavy pressure. Several owners say a wheel speed sensor was diagnosed or replaced, and a few report a full loss of power assist with the pedal going hard, prompting them to stop using the brakes and coast to a halt. Others mention rear calipers, rotors, and hardware needing replacement early. Mostly reported between about 15,000 and 77,000 miles, with some cases after wet weather or washing the vehicle.

   What to check: Confirm the ABS light is off at startup and after driving in rain, and ask whether the wheel speed sensors or ABS actuators have been replaced. A test drive on wet pavement can reveal a hard pedal or early activation.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “After washing my automobile, the anti lock braking (ABS) warning light illuminated indicating that I no longer have ABS. The consequence is reduced braking performance in emergency situations. In an emergency such a failure would eliminate my ability to perform avoidance maneuvers while braking which is the purpose of the ABS system. Under normal driving conditions it would significantly increase stopping distances. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10149643, filed 2006-02, 64,400 miles

   “I have a three year lease. Two years into the lease I have had to replace all four tires and now the brakes. The rear brakes froze up. The capliers, rotors, and pabs need to be replaced on the rear and the rotors on the front. I have never had to do this with a car before.”

   NHTSA complaint #10086971, filed 2004-08, 36,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bags not deploying / air bag warning light

   • 30 complaints (15%)
   • median 113,500 mi at 13.3 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 15 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2025

   Owners describe frontal collisions where the air bags did not deploy, and others report the air bag or passenger-side sensor warning light staying on. Some complaints mention that recall repairs were performed but the light returned or a crash still produced no deployment, and a few describe difficulty getting inflator replacement parts or questions about whether the work was completed correctly. Reported from around 53,000 to 168,000 miles, appearing both shortly after a collision and during ordinary driving.

   Recall 20V008000Recall 15V2870003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the dealer run the VIN to confirm both passenger inflator recalls are closed, and check that the air bag warning light goes out after the bulb-check sequence at startup.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Air bag recall was fixed as soon as we were notified (a few months ago). My son had a bad accident today and neither he nor the first responders can understand why the air bags did not deploy. Were they fixed correctly? Were they just turned off? How can we go about getting answers before the car is taken off to the junk yard? It was my car that I gave to him so I writing this as he is no shape right now.”

   NHTSA complaint #10725170, filed 2015-06, 47,000 miles

   “While parking car it spontaneously accelerated across the parking lot, the bordering street and into another parking lot before stopping. The cars left side, right side, front bumper, tires and suspension were damaged. Though no other cars were hit, commercial garbage cans, stop sign, telephone pole and a series 4 curbs inflicted damage. The air bags did not deploy despite having them checked by the dealer as required by a recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #10689418, filed 2015-02, 95,700 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Intermittent no-start, battery and charging trouble

   • 9 complaints (4%)
   • median 85,750 mi at 8.4 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2003–2017

   Owners report the car failing to start, needing a jump, and then the engine cutting out while driving, with some being told the battery, alternator, or a wiring harness was the cause. A few say a dealer described the electrical harness behaving as if the alarm was still armed, and others mention door locks that would not release the driver's door. Complaints note that a fresh battery sometimes appeared to resolve the symptom temporarily. Scattered from about 11,000 to 155,000 miles, with several reports under 60,000 miles and a cluster of no-start cases in later years.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask about battery and alternator replacement history and have the charging system tested. Also try every door lock remotely and manually to confirm the driver's door releases reliably.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I got into my car to leave, the car would not start. I had some one give me a jump, and my car started. I was driving home, when all of a sudden, the car quick running. I coasted to the side of the road and parked. I had my car towed to peak Nissan. Peak check the car the next day and told me all I need was a battery. They replaced the battery, the car has run fine since. I drive a 2002 Nissan Maxima. My big question, why did the battery failure cause the car to stop running?”

   NHTSA complaint #10138696, filed 2005-10, 85,750 miles

   “Automatic and manual door locks fail to unlock drivers door thereby preventing easy egress from vehicle in case of emergency. Once failure occurs the drivers door can not be opened from inside or outside forcing the passenger to evacuate the vehicle via the open window or passenger side door. The failure has occurred randomly over the last 30 days. No repairs have been completed as root cause of problem has not be diagnosed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10321864, filed 2010-03, 125,120 miles
5. 5
   Vehicle speed control

   Accelerator pedal sticking or sudden acceleration

   • 22 complaints (11%)
   • median 79,913 mi at 12.5 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2020

   Complaints describe the car continuing to move or accelerating unexpectedly, including one instance while parking where the vehicle reached a pole, and another where the car crossed a lot and a street. Owners link these reports to a pedal-stopper campaign and say they were told their vehicle identification number was not included, while others describe the pedal feeling unresponsive or speed being limited after hard application. Reported between roughly 46,000 and 96,000 miles; several owners mention the symptom during low-speed parking maneuvers.

   Recall 02V043000

   What to check: Ask a dealer whether the accelerator pedal stopper campaign applies to the VIN and whether it was performed. During the test drive, press the pedal firmly and to the side at low speed in a safe, open area and confirm it returns normally.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On may 22, 2006 while proceeding to park, my the accelerator would not shut off and the car continued forward until it came in contact with a telephone pole. While researching on the internet for the 2002 Nissan Maxima's accelerator problems I discovered a recall for the pedal stop sensor. Although my VIN number was not included in the recall I experienced the same problem and experienced a similar problem earlier. At that time I had the necessary repairs made. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10159543, filed 2006-06, 53,500 miles

   “Consumer took vehicle back to the dealer on several occasions for an oil change, and was told that there was a recall on vehicle. Dealer told consumer that the parts would not be in, they were on back order.”

   NHTSA complaint #10083628, filed 2004-07, 46,000 miles

Buying note. This model year shows up in complaints for stalling tied to position sensors, air bag non-deployment, and brake or accelerator pedal behavior, so confirm open recalls are completed and ask for service records before purchase. A pre-purchase inspection focused on the charging system, ABS operation, and sensor-related fault codes is worthwhile.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.