2003 Nissan Maxima Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 54 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Nissan Maxima, 26% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 86,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “position sensor” (22% of reports).
- 54engine and engine cooling complaints
- 86,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 28%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Position sensor: mentioned in 12 of 54 complaints (22%)
- Service engine: mentioned in 5 of 54 complaints (9%)
- Stalled without: mentioned in 5 of 54 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 47 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 54 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Nissan Maxima engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Maxima | 1 | 33% | 72,600 |
| 2018 Maxima | 1 | 3% | 90,000 |
| 2016 Maxima | 2 | 1% | 133,870 |
| 2012 Maxima | 2 | 2% | 94,623 |
| 2011 Maxima | 2 | 2% | 45,850 |
| 2010 Maxima | 3 | 1% | 2,975 |
| 2009 Maxima | 4 | 1% | 70,750 |
| 2008 Maxima | 2 | 3% | 3,877 |
| 2007 Maxima | 6 | 5% | 26,901 |
| 2006 Maxima | 24 | 4% | 84,000 |
| 2005 Maxima | 40 | 4% | 80,000 |
| 2004 Maxima | 70 | 5% | 68,759 |
| 2003 Maxima | 54 | 26% | 86,000 |
| 2002 Maxima | 30 | 15% | 64,000 |
| 2001 Maxima | 28 | 16% | 75,000 |
| 2000 Maxima | 72 | 20% | 58,000 |
| 1999 Maxima | 38 | 23% | 93,000 |
| 1998 Maxima | 5 | 4% | 69,000 |
| 1997 Maxima | 12 | 12% | 84,000 |
| 1996 Maxima | 17 | 18% | 117,500 |
| 1995 Maxima | 22 | 14% | 11,750 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the circuit board for the crank position sensor or cam position sensor may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress accelerated by the existence of flux residue during the soldering process.
Risk: This could cause the "service engine soon" warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduced engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the crank position sensors. Camshaft position sensor(s), and in some cases, the variable timing control sensor(s). Vehicles involved in a previous recall campaign, 01v357, are also included in this new campaign. The replacement sensors used in that campaign are also affected. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 nissan maxima. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. On some occasions, the check engine light would illuminate after the vehicle stalled. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 03v455000…
I have three recall notifications and nissan customer service says they are not valid to my vin. So are these recalls not valid or does nissan not want to recall my vehicle? Recall subject : passenger side air bag inflator may rupture report receipt date: jun 24, 2014 nhtsa campaign number…
My 2003 nissan maxima gle has had the check engine light, the abs and the tsc lights coming on. I took it to my local dealer who ran diagnostics on it and said it was the crankshaft sensor which i had already replaced due to an intermittent problem with the speedometer quit working, or that i…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Nissan Maximas have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 54 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 2003 Nissan Maxima (26% of the 206 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Nissan Maxima engine and engine cooling?
Yes: 1 safety recall list engine and engine cooling. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 86,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Nissan Maxima?
The most frequent phrase is “position sensor”, in 12 of 54 complaints, followed by “service engine” (5).
See all 2003 Nissan Maxima problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Maxima years.