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 2009 Nissan Maxima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Maxima. The contact received notification of an undisclosed recall. The contact stated that while the vehicle was off, the push-to-start button was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to start. The immobilizer warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the key fob and the steering lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
I recently had my father pass away and my mom gave me his car , the air conditioning stopped working then the serpentine belt broke so I had a mobile mechanic come out and replace serpentine belt and tensioner. Then the power steering wheel fell off on freeway luckily no one was hurt I had to have the power steering pump replaced and another new serpentine belt installed. Then I went to get tires and an alignment done on the vehicle because it was driving kinda weird to be informed that the struts need replaced when I know my father had the struts replaced less then a year ago . Now today I was driving came to a red light and lost all power i could not even use hazard lights because I had no power. …
Not sure what is goiNg I have spent so Much money replaciNg parts on this car. And it is still not fixed. It's one thing after Another . I cannot fight out why the engine light is on its like the whole care is malfunctioning. And no one knows what it is. And heavy smoke From tail pipe. While driving it feels Like It Wants to StAll like the gas gets stuck . I was told To buy a control module but it didn't need that . And I can't Afford To Keep trying to Fix it. It's my only Car and I'm A non working single Mom trying my Best to fix it. But this car is Causing So Much depression I don't know what else to do. Because it's costing too much and times is already hard.
I get in my car by opening the doors with my intelligent key (in other words, the battery isn't dead). Once inside the car, the key light blinks on even though I had the key in my hand. I can't start the car or even press the brake in, the car won't go into acc mode because it doesn't detect the key (again, I'm able to lock, unlock doors, open hood and even sound off the alarm through the same intelligent key..?) .I put the fob into the slot and it flashes to eject it...now my car will not start and my windows are stuck down...I went to get my other key fob and still doesn't read the key...now my car is stuck and I can not drive it...soooo what I have tried to do was beating on the steering column, making it tilt and all over n over and nothing... …
Luckily in the driveway after loading car for food bank delivery, I tried to start but no light asking to press foot on brake to start came on was my first clue something was wrong. Key locks/unlocks/open trunk/alarm works but will not start engine. "key warning light" comes on. Tried both keys but nothing. Disconnected/reconnected battery without success. Steering wheel is unlocked. Insert fob to try & start manually but nothing. My neighbor is a local mechanic & came over to help. Stumped him so I guess I will be calling to get a tow to dealership in the morning after unloading food bank donations! After reading several hundred complaints about this issue in just a matter of few minutes, I am sure there are hundreds of thousand Nissan unsatisfied customers who have had to deal with this. Step up Nissan & do the right thing. I do not have $1000 to fix this problem. …
When trying to start the car, it fails to start. Steering has failed, not allowing the car to start. This issue has appeared twice on my car in 7 days. Thanks to youtube.com I have been able to limp my way. I took the car to my local Nissan dealer, and the diagnosis was determined that steering lock has failed. They told me that that with parts and labor it would be $1,500. I researched this issue online and found pages and pages of online forums with people complaining about this issue. I called 1-800-Nissan they reviewed the case and offered me nothing in return. Nissan knows this is an issue; it should be a recall; however, they are doing nothing to rectify the problem. Nissan please fix this problem.
I was never notified that my 2009 Nissan Maxima has a malfunction called steering wheel lock failure. My car was on a city street when it would not start, it would not recognize my keys fob, and I was not able to start the car with the push to start button. Nothing happened. Nothing on the dashboard would show. I had my car towed to the Nissan dealership and this malfunction is costing me a lot of money. I did some research and this malfunction is something that a lot of people have complained about and I don't understand why this is not something that would be a recall. If this was a recall, then I never received a recall letter because I would have got this fixed a lot sooner before it happened to me.
Got off of work and I tried to crank my car and it wouldn't start. The key symbol was on but that's it.so I got it towed to local mechanic through my insurance and I payed 35. They couldn't find the problem so I had to get it towed the car lot where I bougjt it from and it cost me $125. I've since did research and it seems that a lot of people has having the same problem and paying over $1, 000 out of pocket.now iam waiting for my leinholder to tell me I owe them $1, 000. I really like my 2009 Nissan Maxima but I will not buy another one
Passenger side air bag sensors keeps on resetting as no one is sitting on the seat. I have to tell the passenger to jump on the seat for the "air bag off" light to reset. The CVT transmission putter at low speed with a with lots of noise, I have to give it more gas for the noise to stop. The passenger front door lock and driver side rear door lock does not unlock. Fog light on the car is not working, I was told my a mechanic that the relay switch that is built into the steering column is no good and will need to be replaced.
I was driving along a highway at 50 MPH. When the steering wheel suddenly fell to my knees. This car has a retractable steering system. I was able to steer the car safely to the side of the road. I did not drive the car. The steering wheel was then able to be pushed back into the driving position. I brought the car to the dealership today, and they told me that the two electric motors in the steering column were defective (had to be replace) the cost woulkd be $2,000. The car has just 60,000 miles.
Electrical complaints in other Maxima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2009 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA has 79 complaints about the electrical system of the 2009 Nissan Maxima, 23% of the model year's 339 complaints. The component named most often is ignition › anti-theft › immobilizer/proximity › key/sender (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Nissan Maxima electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2009 Nissan Maxima, though it has 1 recall for other components. 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 2009 Nissan Maxima electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire 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.