2016 Nissan Maxima — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $12,000–$18,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.
Deciding between model years? Compare the 3 Nissan Maxima years we've written up →
Kestrel Take
A genuinely quick, comfortable near-luxury sedan bolted to Nissan's CVT. The VQ35 V6 is a good engine that will outlast the transmission in front of it. Price the car as though a CVT replacement is coming, and if it never comes, you got a deal.
What we checked
Partly reconciled against public records, 2026-09-11
NHTSA holds 142 owner complaints for the 2016 Nissan Maxima, across 8 recall campaigns.
A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. The largest single group is the transmission and drivetrain at 23%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.
8 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.
Not written up yet: electrics and electronics (31 complaints), the brakes (21 complaints). Those groups are in the public record and are not covered by the issues below. Treat them as something to ask about, not as absent.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2016 Nissan Maxima
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents.
The V6 puts real torque through a belt-and-pulley transmission. Shudder, whine, and slipping appear between 90k and 130k miles for many owners.
Repair cost (estimate): $4,000-$5,500
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (33).
Towing, hills, or spirited driving push the fluid past its limits and trigger reduced power mode.
Repair cost (estimate): $150 service to $5,500 replacement
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (33), the engine (20).
A rattle on cold start on higher-mileage engines. The chain job is labor-intensive on a transverse V6.
Repair cost (estimate): $1,500-$2,800
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (20).
Clogged drains put water in the headliner. Check the carpet under the front seats.
Repair cost (estimate): $150-$700
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Shudder from a stop or RPM flare on acceleration
- ✗No CVT fluid service history
- ✗Damp carpet or a musty smell
- ✗Sport mode driving history with 130k+ miles
Good Signs
- ✓CVT fluid changed every 30k miles with NS-3
- ✓Under 80k miles, highway-driven
- ✓Documented CVT replacement with warranty left
Found a specific Nissan Maxima?
This page covers what goes wrong on the 2016 Nissan Maxima in general. The Kestrel report covers this specific car— the asking price vs. market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
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Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for this year. It stops short of the verdict, because that needs the photos.
Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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