Buyer Research

2020 Nissan Maxima — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $17,000–$24,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

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Kestrel Take

Twenty-one complaints is a thin file and we read it as one — few people filed, which is not the same as few things going wrong. The shape of what was filed is the same as the 2018 and 2019: the driver-assistance electronics throwing warnings on a clear road, and in three cases braking the car or cutting power on the highway. New to this year is a recall for rear window glass that can come unglued from the car, and a structure cluster of mouldings, grille clips and glass letting go. Confirm the glass recall on the VIN, give the driver-assistance suite a long highway drive with adaptive cruise on, press every piece of exterior trim, and treat the CVT as the wear item it is on every Maxima of this generation. Do that and this is a quick, comfortable, well-equipped sedan at a price the badge keeps honest.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 21 owner complaints for the 2020 Nissan Maxima, and 1 recall campaign.

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 driver-assist and automatic braking systems at 19%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

One recall campaign covers 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.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2020 Nissan Maxima

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Forward-collision warning light on a clear road, 'DAS Malfunction', and a car that brakes or loses power on its ownMedium

Seven complaints across the forward-collision and brake clusters describe one system misbehaving in stages. Stage one: the forward-collision warning comes on 20 seconds after start-up, with nothing on the sensors, and stays. Stage two: a cascade — 'Key System Error', 'DAS Malfunction', emergency-brake, traction-control, blind-spot and check-engine lights together, with the tachometer swinging to zero and back. Stage three, in two reports: the dash flashes red at 55 mph and the car brakes hard on an empty road, or loses motive power with the AEB and slip lights lit. Dealers replace the front radar behind the badge or chase a wiring fault; more than one owner filmed it because it would not do it at the dealer. At the car: a 20-minute drive with adaptive cruise on — following traffic, then an empty stretch — and watch the dash. Any forward-collision or DAS warning is a fail. If it happens at all, the seller pays for the sensor, not you.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$300 for a radar clean and recalibration; $900–$1,800 for a replacement radar sensor; $200–$600 for a wiring or ground repair

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (4), the brakes (3).

Rear window glass may not stay bonded to the car (recall 20V570)Medium

Recall 20V570 covers 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf: the urethane bond holding the rear window to the body may not have cured, so the glass can lift or separate — at speed, that is a windshield-sized pane on the road behind you. The remedy is a new rear window, fitted free by the dealer. It is the only campaign on this year's record, and it is simple to check: run the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup, and at the car press firmly along the top edge of the rear glass from inside the cabin — it should feel solid, with the trim seated evenly all the way round. Listen for wind noise from behind you on the highway.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Trim that lets go: A-pillar mouldings, grille clips, a sunroof that shattered on its own, stress-cracked windshieldsMedium

Four complaints, four different pieces of the car's skin. The A-pillar moulding flew off on a windy day, the same clip-mounted piece that departs 2016–2019 Maximas at highway speed. The grille clips broke with no impact and let the grille and front camera sag, which is why the camera image went cloudy — a useful tell. A sunroof shattered outward as the doors were closed, with Nissan replacing the glass. And a windshield cracked from the frame with no point of impact, which the owner says happened more than once. None of these is a mechanical fault; all of them cost real money and Nissan calls most of them cosmetic once the warranty is gone. At the car: press every pillar moulding and the grille edges, look for a gap where the grille meets the bumper, check the windshield edges for a crack starting at the frame, and slide the sunroof open and shut.

Repair cost (estimate): $60–$300 per moulding; $200–$500 for grille clips and realignment; $600–$1,500 for a sunroof or windshield replacement

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (4).

Xtronic CVT — two complaints in a thin file, and a $4,000 bill if it goesMedium

Only two power-train complaints on this year, which is why this is medium and not high, but the Maxima's CVT is the same family that has drawn thousands of complaints across Nissan's range and it is replaced rather than rebuilt when it fails. Drive it cold from a stop: feel for shudder under light throttle between 20 and 40 mph, listen for a whine that rises with road speed rather than engine revs, and hold a steady 65 mph for a few minutes to feel for hunting. Check whether the fluid (Nissan NS-3) has ever been changed; owners routinely stretch the 60,000-mile interval. Ask a Nissan dealer whether this VIN has any extended CVT coverage remaining; do not assume it does.

Repair cost (estimate): $250–$400 for a fluid service; $3,500–$5,500 for a replacement CVT — about 27% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (2).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Forward-collision or 'DAS Malfunction' warning at any point in the test drive
✗Car slows or brakes on its own with an empty lane ahead
✗Rear glass that flexes at the top edge, or wind noise from behind at highway speed
✗Grille that sits loose or a cloudy front camera image
✗Pillar moulding that lifts when pressed
✗Shudder between 20 and 40 mph on a cold drive

Good Signs

✓Recall 20V570 (rear window glass) shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓A 20-minute drive on adaptive cruise with a quiet dash and steady speed
✓Invoice for a replaced front radar sensor, with a warning-light history that stopped afterward
✓CVT fluid changed with Nissan NS-3, with receipts
✓Every pillar moulding and the grille tight and even at the seams
✓Smooth, quiet pull from 20 to 60 mph on a cold engine