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 2000 Nissan Maxima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Battery exploded when ignition turned one click to "on" position. Vehicle was in garage. Heard a boom when I turned key. Opened hood to see smoke and a damaged battery. Caps were blown clear, top of cell was cracked in 4 places. Battery acid sprayed hood and surrounding area.
The coil has gone out on my 2000 Nissan Maxima twice now the first time catching on fire. The first time I just thought that it was just a part that needed to be replaced, after a little research I now believe that this is a defective part that needs to be recalled.
Hi, I am a happy owner of a 2000 Nissan Maxima gle. The vehicle has 53,000 miles on it and recently has a problem. The "service engine soon" light on the dashboard just came on recently. I researched this issue on the internet and found out quite a few other Nissan Maxima owners are having this problem ... This is what I discoverd ... The ignition coils are failing. The parts themselves were free under a "goodwill parts" policy Nissan has. According to the work order, 3 parts numbered 22448-31u01 "coil assy-ignit" and 3 parts numbered 22448-31u06 were replaced. Many Maxima owners have heard the response from Nissan dealers that this is a known problem with the vehicle ignition coils. They also received the response that Nissan agreed to a no charge replacement under good will. …
The car began to run rough, the "service engine soon" light came on. When hooked up to diagnostics, the ignition problem code came up. The problem would clear up and then repeat again. I was told one of the ignition coils to the spark plug was the problem....I was going to wait to determine which one it was. I talked to the parts person at the Nissan dealer - he told me they had had problems with these coils and had updated them. He also said I might as well replace them all, because the rest will fail soon. The price for each was quoted as $76.77! The car needs six to replace them all. The parts are not available except through Nissan. I checked at other dealers and got the same results, except I was able to purchase the six coils at $47.33 each, plus shipping. My car has only 45,000 miles on it. Replacing the coils fixed the problem. …
I have a 2000 Nissan Maxima se. It has 50K miles on it presently. In July 2003 the check engine light came on with 35K miles on it. I took the car to the local dealer for repair. The dealer stated that one of the six iginition coils went bad. It was replaced at no charge. On 05/11/05 on my way home from work the check engine light came on. I took the the car to the same local dealer that I did in 2003. The local dealer said I had the same problem of an iginition coil gone bad. I was asked to pay a $89.95 up front fee to diagnose the problem. I informed the dealer that when I originally purchased the car I also paid for an extended warranty. I was told by the service department that it was a good thing that I had purchased the extended warranty because the iginition coils go bad on the Maxima model frequently. …
Our 2000 Maxima about 1 month ago started running rough for a short period of time on and off every 2 weeks. This week the engine service light came on. After researching the problem on the internet I discovered that many other Maxima owners have had this problem. The ignition coil are going bad. A Nissan design flaw. I have only 46900 miles on my car. This should not happen. My Nissan dealer wants $105.00 per ignition coil plus installation. Over $800.00 I told him I will never pay that price. I have taken it to midas. They will purchase the coils and install them at a much less labor cost. I will never by another Nissan as I feel they had a defective parts doomed to fail. I am penalized for not driving more miles before the warranty expired. I can order on line these coils for $65.00 each from another Nissan dealer. …
I am a 2000 Nissan Maxima owner and have had the ignition coils misfire that the dealer wants to $850 to replace. I feel that this repair should be covered by Nissan in the form of a manufacturers recall due to the fact that many other Maxima owners have experienced the same problems and that there is evidence that the original ignition coils are defective. 1) this issue is very common with maximas and they perform many ignition coil repair/replacements. 2) I have seen on the internet service advisors suggesting to replace all the coils even if only one of them is malfunctioning because they say, "the coils are defective and will all fail eventually". …
Website of an ongoing petition with over 1000 signatures as proof. (angelfire.com has petition & ongoing complaints) Nissan is manufacturing a faulty vehicle with known faulty parts -such as failing ignition coils. Eventually -and soon -one of the Nissan Maxima's customer's will try to enter traffic and be fatally killed with a failed engine that will not travel across the train track or out of the 18-wheeler's way due to this problem. It is just a matter of time. Nissan will not recall or even address that there is a problem. Consumer's are shelling out $800.00 + out of pocket on automobile repairs to the Maxima with barely 30K miles -and even less. It is just a matter of time.....some one will be killed. Nissan is aware of the problem---can something be done? Has anyone else been injured due to their car failing because of this problem? …
I am contacting the NHTSA in regards to TSB # ntb01-076b affecting 2000-2001 maximas involving the egi harness breakage. I have attempted to contact Nissan's home division via e-mail on 3 seperate occasions with no response/reply back from their headquarters. This problem was identified on my vehicle last year causing the vehicle to overheat under normal conditions. Upon taking it into the dealership, I was informed that it was a known manufacturing problem and many harnesses have been replaced, but at the cost of the consumer ranging from $1,500-3,000 (depending on the dealership). I have now personally had my car overheat and shutdown on three seperate occasions, the most recent nearly being a severe accident if not due to the attention of the drivers involved. Next time this happens to an effected Nissan the outcome May not be so minor. …
I own a 2000 Nissan Maxima se with 49,000 miles that has been well maintained and cared for. A week ago my "service engine soon" light came on, which was just 3 weeks after having my car serviced for a 45,000 tune up and a drive train leak repaired. I researched the source of a "service engine soon" light on the internet and found lots of information about a common problem in the make, model and approximate model of my car. Trouble with the six ignition coils was sited by many owners and detailed in the service bulletin ntbo1059. Repair of the problem seemed to depend on the number of coils replaced but typically cost $700. I took my car to a Nissan dealership where they did a diagnostic test and told me that my car had experienced multiple misfires and that I needed to replace all 6 coils! …
Electrical complaints in other Maxima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2000 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA has 171 complaints about the electrical system of the 2000 Nissan Maxima, 48% of the model year's 360 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (115 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Nissan Maxima electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 53,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 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.