Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Nissan Maxima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Recall 02V171000 concerning alternator. Consumer was in the parking lot and noticed a burning smell, then saw smoke coming out from under the hood. Consumer lifted up the hood and flames came out from the alternator. Consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer. Consumer contacted the manufacturer, and was told that they had records indicating that the alternator was replaced. Consumer was told that the recall was warranted for 1 year. It was past a year, and there was nothing they could do.
My wife backed the car out of the garage and noticed a burning smell. She turned off the engine and got me. When I opened the hood there was smoke and a burning smell. The alternator had started to burn as well as the wiring harness. This issue was covered by NHTSA campaign id 02V171000, but Nissan says my VIN was not among those affected and my car is not covered by the recall.
1997 Maxima se. I pulled into my garage and could smell something burning. I lifted the hood of the car and saw smoke coming from the alternator. It drained the battery. As I replaced the battery, the alternator caught fire.
Car stalls without warning. It May run fine for several weeks, then suddenly stall. This has caused near-accidents, as engine suddenly fails to respond in situations where acceleration is required; passing, merging, crossing intersections. Dealer diagnosed as short in egi harness. Breakage inside the harness appears to be a frequently occuring problem in this vehicle, based on other reports on web discussion boards. Also, manufacturer has issued technical service bulletin, so they are aware that this happens, and have published a fix that works only in some cases (I.e., an unshielded wire short). Manufacturer, in spite of this being a common problem, refuses to offer any assistance in repairing, and ascribes it to normal wear and tear. …
My 1997 Maxima has had the check engine light periodically come on for the last 4 years. The OBD code is for the speed sensor (p0500), I have the speedometer drop to zero occasionally and believe there is an issue with the circuit. I have changed the sensor four times and the problem always returns. Testing the sensor shows it is functioning normally. To get my car inspected, I reset the code and it eventually returns to normal and I can pass the emission test. This year, I have incomplete codes for EGR and catalyst monitor. There are no codes pending and I check the status daily. I have about 500 miles on the car since the code reset and it continues to register incomplete. I am afraid that I am going to get fined for the expired inspection. Are there any known issues related to this problem?
I put the car in the garage and went inside the house. I came back out to the garage to get something else out of the car and I smelled a horrible smell, like plastic burning. I opened the hood and saw the flames. My neighbor helped me push the car out fhe garage. I ran a hose over the engine to put the fire out. Had I not gotten the car out of the garage, my car could have caught fire, burned my brand new house down and possibly killed me. I am apalled that I found out about this recall more than 1 year after my incident. I thought it was isolated until I read about it in the newpaper. It cost more than $650 to replace the alternator and fix the damage to my car. I am going to contact Nissan for reimbursement. I am very lucky that my situation did not end up killing me.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled however it would restart. This had occurred since the vehicle was purchased. It was taken to a dealer who could not determine the cause of the problem. There have been several repairs to the vehicle including the replacement of three oxygen sensors, the alternator and starter. There was a recall #02V171000 pertaining to the electrical system. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. Updated 12/15/06.
I own a 1997 Nissan Maxima gle. In the last 4 months I have replaced the alternator twice, the starter and the battery twice. Something is defective with the charging system. The battery light and brake light keep coming on repeatedly especially when the car travels more than 10-20 miles. I have had the car stall out with a dead battery 5 times and each time I have had to have a jump start or change the battery once. Something is draining the system.
Alternator just caught on fire, mechanic does not know why. There was no warning, I drove from the 6th floor to the 3rd floor of the parking garage shut off the engine, smelled smoke lifted up the hood noticed the orange and red flames. Had the car towed to concord Nissan was told that the alternator had caught fire & burned the wiring harness and fan belt. According to the service manager at Nissan there is no known cause for this incident.
In the beginning I noticed it took me a couple times to start vehicle and it would loose power at certain stops or when I slowed down or came to a stop. And as time I felt it jerk and pull at times when I was not driving too fast this continued and then it was one day that it does not want to start up, new starter, new battery, tune up and it just wont start. I am just waiting to see if they find out what the problem is.
Related recalls
Electrical system › Alternator/generator/regulator
On certain passenger vehicles, one of the diodes used in the alternator May have been damaged when built. This can eventually result in failure of the diode and an electrical short which could melt the plastic housing.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the alternator. Owner notification began July 29, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable…
NHTSA investigations
Alternator fires
Electrical complaints in other Maxima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1997 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 Nissan Maxima, 38% of the model year's 102 complaints. The component named most often is alternator/generator/regulator (27 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Nissan Maxima electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-171 (alternator/generator/regulator, Jun 24, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Nissan Maxima electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 14 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.