How many recalls does the 2009 Nissan Maxima have?

NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2009 Nissan Maxima model year. Whether one car had the recall work done depends on that car, so check its VIN with NHTSA.

1995: 169 owner complaints, Worthy

Our take: the data says look elsewhere. Owners filed 2.8 times the complaints of a typical year of this model.

Year verdict

Pass, meaning Skip

2.8× a typical year

Skip this year if you can.

Confidence: Medium

NHTSA did not answer for 2 years, so the typical year may shift.

NHTSA did not answer for 2 years, so this may change.

Past 100,000 miles

Locked

How this year held up past 100,000 miles.

With a Car Hunt Pass or Pro

How the dial was counted

Year verdict: Typical year: 65 complaints, the median of 8 nearby years. Each counted over its first 8 years from January 2008; this one had 187.

Same car, better year: 2008 or 2011 Maxima (both Worthy)

Car Hunt Pass or Pro

Odometer check

See plans, from $15

Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.

WhipWorthy sticker

2009 Nissan Maxima

Complaints339From owners
Loading owner complaints
Recalls1On file
Loading recalls
NHTSA did not answer just now, so we cannot show crash ratings. Try again in a minute. You can also check it on their site.
Loading crash ratings
MPG22Combined, EPA
Loading fuel economy

Complaints are unverified owner reports, not adjusted for how many were sold.

Compare this car Every Maxima year

Car report

Park this car in My Garage and see its recalls at a glance.Car Hunt Pass or Pro

Value signals

We do not price cars.

These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.

Costly problem zones ahead at your miles come with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Fuel: $3,600 a year.The EPA’s estimate for 15,000 miles a year, 55% in town, at its fuel prices. Each version
Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
Have the VIN? Check it is this car, and see its open recalls at NHTSA.
VIN
On the dash at the base of the windshield, or on the driver’s door sticker.

What about the price? Check the asking price on two listing sites. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the offer X ray.

Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.

The full record

Tap to open

What owners complain about

339 complaints; the part named most is the steering

Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Feb 5, 2009 to Jan 8, 2026. 12% name a part that is usually costly to fix.

Owners reported 7 crashes, 2 fires and 6 injuries in these complaints.

Steering168 · 50%
Electrical79 · 23%
Air bags43 · 13%

What one owner wrote about the steering

The contact called on behalf of the owner of a 2009 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that after the windshield was replaced by Safelite Auto Glass, the employee at Safelite attempted to start the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start, and the steering wheel had seized. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the…

Filed Jan 8, 2026NHTSA complaint 117097811 of 18 owner quotes

Car Hunt Pass or Pro

14 more parts, and 18 owner quotes

Every part owners name for the 2009 Nissan Maxima, with their own words about what went wrong. Usually costly to fix among them: Engine, Transmission and drivetrain, Body and frame.

See plans, from $15

Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.

SourceOwner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Nissan Maxima. NHTSA, checked Nov 2, 2026.

Seller kit

Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points

Car Hunt Pass or Pro

Walk up to the seller ready

Questions to ask the seller of a 2009 Nissan Maxima, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.

See plans, from $15

Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.

Write your offer

A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email

Car Hunt Pass or Pro

Send the seller a fair offer

Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2009 Nissan Maxima, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.

See plans, from $15

Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.

When problems show up

Steering: the middle complaint around 60,000 miles

The bar holds the middle half of the complaints that gave a mileage; the dark mark is the middle one. 68 complaints of 339 gave one. Owners file when something fails, so this shows when problems were reported, not how long the cars last.

Steering35,000 to 85,000 mi
Half of these 26 complaints came between about 35,000 and 85,000 miles, the middle one around 60,000.

Car Hunt Pass or Pro

Mileage for 1 more part

The mileage band for every part owners name, and your car's miles laid across them.

See plans, from $15

Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.

SourceMileage from owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Nissan Maxima. NHTSA, checked Nov 2, 2026.

Will it outlast the loan?

The month of your loan each problem zone lands in

Car Hunt Pass or Pro

2 problem zones to lay against your loan

See the month of your loan each one lands in, and what you would still owe then.

See plans, from $15

Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.

Recalls

1 recall on file

Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.

Suspension
Sep 16, 2009 · Recall 09V358000
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 altima and maxima passenger cars. The upper front strut insulators may have been manufactured out of specification resulting in a potential for the strut insulator to crack.
What can happen
If the strut insulator is cracked, there is a potential for the strut rod to come out of its mounting position, which could affect vehicle stability and increase the risk of a crash.
The fix
Nissan will notify owners and dealers will replace both left and right side front strut insulators free of charge. The safety recall began october 2009. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-nissan1 (1-800-647-7261).

SourceRecalls listed by NHTSA for the 2009 Nissan Maxima. NHTSA, checked Nov 2, 2026.

Crash ratings

NHTSA did not answer

NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight. The tests changed for 2011 models, so these stars do not line up with newer ones.

NHTSA did not answer just now, so we cannot show crash ratings for this car. Try again in a minute. You can also check it on their site.

Fuel economy

22 mpg combined, across 1 version

The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in.

Auto (variable gear ratios), 6 cyl, 3.5 L
Maxima · Front wheel drive · Premium gas
City
19 mpg
Highway
26 mpg
Combined
22 mpg
Miles per gallon. Yearly fuel, EPA$3,600
This one on fueleconomy.gov

SourceEPA fuel economy data, fueleconomy.gov. EPA, checked Nov 3, 2026.

True cost to own

The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years

Car Hunt Pass or Pro

What it really costs to own

What the 2009 Nissan Maxima costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.

See plans, from $15

Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.

Every year of the Maxima

18 Worthy, 3 Maybe, 5 Pass, of 29 years on file

Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Tap a year to open it. The newest 2 are not judged yet. Bars are totals, so older years stand taller; the verdict compares every year at the same age.

Best and worst years of the Maxima

NHTSA did not answer for 13 years, so the chart may be missing some.

SourceNHTSA owner complaints and recalls for the Maxima. NHTSA, checked Nov 2, 2026.

Before you buy this one

5 checks, with a close look at the steering

Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.

Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 1 recall on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the steering. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look at the steering first.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the steering.
Feel for play, pulling or heavy steering, and listen for noise at full lock.

Going to see it? Take the checklist52 checks with the bad signs to look for, saved on your phone.

Check this exact car

The verdict is about the model year. These checks are about the one in front of you. Most are free or a few dollars.

VIN for these checks

Copy it, then paste it into each check. Nothing is sent until you open one.

Official checks on this VIN

Open recallsFree
NHTSA
Safety recalls on this VIN that are not fixed yet, from the last 15 years.
A recall already fixed does not show.
Check recalls at NHTSAnhtsa.gov (opens in a new tab)
Theft and total lossFree
NICB VINCheck
Whether an insurer reported it stolen and not found, or wrote it off as a total loss.
Only insurer records. Five checks a day.
Open NICB VINChecknicb.org (opens in a new tab)
Title brandsA few dollars
NMVTIS, the federal title system
Salvage, flood, junk and rebuilt brands from any state, and the last miles on the title.
No repairs, service or recalls. Sold by approved sellers listed on the site.
See the approved sellersvehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov (opens in a new tab)
Title statusVaries by state
The state motor vehicle office
Whether the title is branded in that state and, where the state offers it, whether a lender still has a lien.
It will not name the owner. Each state asks its own way, and some only by mail. Ask to see the seller’s title too.
Find your state’s officeusa.gov (opens in a new tab)

What a paid report adds

A history report such as Carfax or AutoCheck pulls in more of the car’s past than these checks can:

Crashes and damage reported by police, insurers or shops, even when it was fixed.
Service visits that shops reported, with the miles each time.
How many owners, for how long, and the states it was registered in.
Whether it was a rental, fleet or lease car, when that was reported.

It only knows what was reported to it. A clean report is not proof of a clean car. Ask the seller first: many dealers hand one over for free.

Red flags in a history

Salvage title
Usually an insurer called it a total loss. In most states it cannot be driven on the road until it is rebuilt and inspected.
Rebuilt title
A salvage car that was fixed and passed a state check. It can be fine, but it is worth less, can be harder to insure, and needs a careful inspection.
Flood damage
Water can ruin wiring and sensors months later. Be wary of a flood brand that vanished after a move to another state.
Lemon or maker buyback
The maker bought it back over a defect it could not fix. Ask what the defect was and how it was fixed.
Odometer rollback
A mileage reading lower than an earlier one, or a title marked not actual miles.
Many owners, fast
Three owners in two years can mean a problem each one passed along.
Gaps in the records
Years with no service or registration. Ask why: it may have sat, been off the road, or been rebuilt.

Title words and rules differ by state. Not legal advice.

Before you pay

Pre purchase inspection
Have a mechanic you choose, not the seller, put it on a lift and look it over before you pay.
Insurance quote
Get a quote on this exact car before you sign. Ask your own insurer and one or two others.

Model year	Owner complaints	Verdict
1995	169	Worthy
1996	106	Worthy
1997	112	Worthy
1998	118	Worthy
1999	176	Worthy
2000	377	Pass
2001	181	Worthy
2002	220	Worthy
2003	206	Worthy
2004	1426	Pass
2005	948	Pass
2006	576	Maybe
2007	129	Worthy
2008	79	Worthy
2009	339	Pass
2010	275	Pass
2011	106	Worthy
2012	107	Worthy
2013	62	Worthy
2014	96	Worthy
2015	1	Not judged
2016	142	Maybe
2017	106	Maybe
2018	36	Worthy
2019	18	Worthy
2020	22	Worthy
2021	3	Not judged
2022	5	Worthy
2023	1	Not judged

Value signals

What owners complain about

Seller kit

Write your offer

When problems show up

Will it outlast the loan?

Recalls

Suspension

What can happen

The fix

Crash ratings

Fuel economy

Auto (variable gear ratios), 6 cyl, 3.5 L

True cost to own

Every year of the Maxima

Before you buy this one

Check this exact car

Official checks on this VIN

What a paid report adds

Red flags in a history

Before you pay

Pre purchase inspection

Insurance quote

Add WhipWorthy to this device

Send feedback

Suspension

What can happen

The fix

Auto (variable gear ratios), 6 cyl, 3.5 L

The verdict on the 2009 Nissan Maxima

Value signals

What owners complain about

Seller kit

Write your offer

When problems show up

Will it outlast the loan?

Recalls

Suspension

What can happen

The fix

Crash ratings

Fuel economy

Auto (variable gear ratios), 6 cyl, 3.5 L

True cost to own

Every year of the Maxima

Before you buy this one

Check this exact car

Official checks on this VIN

What a paid report adds

Before you pay

Pre purchase inspection

Insurance quote

Suspension

What can happen

The fix

Auto (variable gear ratios), 6 cyl, 3.5 L