Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Nissan Maxima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Memorial day weekend. Motorcycles everywhere. Traffic. Im in the far lane on the beltway and my exits coming up. Motorcycles everywhere. Heavy traffic too but its moving. I cant cut off the motorcycles. So I wait to pass them. Im merging, looking to the side, looking behind me. I wasn't paying to much attention to what was coming up in front of me. I mean, what else is there but cars in front of me. That's all I need to watch out for right? So I thought. I made it all the way to the right lane, merging into exit lane. "oh no!" there's a curb. A triangle curb right in front of me. I swerve to my left. Rear right tire hits the curb and takes lift off. And so does the car, right into the center of the beltway. I have it, I can feel me gaining control. Then I feel the front tires loose it. And there's the wall. Smack. Face first. Spin around one good time. …
The frame is almost completely rusted out on my 2000 Nissan Maxima with 158,000 miles. My mechanic had it up on his lift last week and pointed out that the left driver side portion had a break in it and was unsafe to drive. One more pot hole and the engine/tranny will be in the street. Will never buy a Nissan vehicle again.
My previous vehicle was a 2001 Subaru outback and there was a recall for the rear subframe rusting. The rust problem on my Maxima concerns a component at least as important as the subframe on the Subaru. The vehicle has a metal radiator support at the front of the vehicle that runs the width of the car. This radiator support not only holds the radiator up, but is also connected to an engine support in the centre. This radiator support is rusting through right in the centre where the engine support bolts to the rad support. This problem is widespread on the 2000-2003 and the 1995 - 1999 Maxima. A google search will reveal the extent of the problem. Imagine the consequences if the rad support should fail and thus, the engine become unsupported while the vehicle is in motion? …
We own a 2000 Nissan Maxima se. We have had multiple issues with it. At around 68,000 miles we had to pay around $1000 to replace all of the ignition coil wires on the car because it would stall and quit running. We took it to wallace Nissan in kingsport tennessee and had it repaired. They told us then that it was a " known issue" with no official recall from Nissan so we would have to cover the full cost out of pocket. Next we have always had these "noises" in the front wheels that they keep telling us is from rusted brake dust shields. Now the car vibrates all over the road, going to a mechanic tomorrow, most likely rack & pinion issue. …
Radiator support on my 2000 Nissan Maxima is rotted on the bottom center. I found out couple weeks ago, wondering what was the noise that was coming from the front end. While driving on the through way, at 55mph I could see my hood shaking it almost looks like its going fly out which is kinda scary, basically the hood latch that is on the radiator support is loose, because the rod that holds the hood latch is rotted and broke from the lower radiator support, it looks like lower radiator support can brake anytime in half from the center, which would drop the motor down while im on the road. And this I have seen on many Maxima of this generation and many Maxima owners of this generation of Maxima 2000-2003 talk about it.
VIN [redacted] when I try and do a search with this VIN number, this message appears: "an error occurred with your request. Recall information for your vehicle is not available at this time. Please contact Nissan north America, inc. By phone at [phone] or go to their website http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/contactus?next=foote for recall information about your vehicle." Nissan has "archived" this VIN and will not activate so that I can do a VIN search on this website or on Nissan's website. I have requested that they re-activate this VIN but they refuse to do so. Can you persuade them to activate it? [redacted]
I have a model year 2000 Nissan Maxima. I also owned a 1990 Nissan Maxima and a 1998 Nissan Maxima all with the same exact problem. The radiator support rusts out completely and its not due to radiator failure or accident damage. The undercarriage of these cars need to be better protected from the weather or better quality parts need to be used. But specifically the radiator support systems in these maximas are of very poor quality. Failure of these parts would result in the engine and or transmission falling out of the vehicle which is a serious safety issue.
The lower radiator support (tie bar) has rusted out to the point that it is affecting the alignment of the vehicle. The rust is concentrated around the place where the lower engine support bolts to the front of the car. It is entirely conceivable that the engine could cause the lower engine support to break free from the lower radiator support. Additionally, the excessive rust on the lower radiator support will significantly reduce the crash performance on this part of the vehicle.
My son was driving this car and heard the engine making unusual noise and a clunking noise. I took the car to a mechanic to have it checked out and found out the front sub frame is completely rusted out. The front motor mount isn't attached to anything. The motor isn't supported up front. He told me the car is not safe to drive. I can't believe there isn't a recall on something so dangerous. I'm filing this report in case I have to take legal action at a later date.
I recently had my transmission fluid changed (nov. 2010) on my 2000 Nissan Maxima se and was told that the radiator support is corroded with rust due to very poor quality. I was told by the auto mechanic that this shouldn't be happening and that it was a safety hazard since this could result in the engine or transmission falling out of the vehicle. I was told to file a complaint since this problem is happening with many Nissan maximas.
Body complaints in other Maxima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2000 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the body & structure of the 2000 Nissan Maxima, 6% of the model year's 360 complaints. The component named most often is body (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Nissan Maxima body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2000 Nissan Maxima. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Nissan Maxima body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 116,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to body & structure 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.