2000 Nissan Maxima Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
6 IGNITION COILS NEED TO BE REPLACED AT 45,000 FROM THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALER FOR $1,200. *NM
DEFECTIVE IGNITION COILS IN MANY/MOST 2000-2003 NISSAN MAXIMA'S (MINE INCLUDED) IS NOT BEING RECONCILED IN GOOD FAITH BY NISSAN. NISSAN HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS ISSUE FOR MANY YEARS -(CARS SPUTTER AND FAIL TO ACCELERATE CREATING HIGH-RISK SITUATIONS) BUT WILL NOT ASSIST WITH COST TO REPAIR OR REPLACE DEFECTIVE PARTS (IGNITION COILS). REPAIR WORK TYPICALLY COSTS OWNERS $600-900. I PURCHASED AS A "CERTIFIED" USED CAR BUT APPARENTLY THAT MEANT NOTHING FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. A PETITION FOR A RECALL PER THIS ISSUE IS AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: HTTP://WWW.PETITIONONLINE.COM/MOD_PERL/SIGNED.CGI?NIS_IGN. *JB
CYLINDER MISFIRE- PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. CAR UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN DUE TO POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUES. REPLACED 6 COILS, REPLACED EGI WIRING HARNESS, REPLACED AIR FILTER, THROTTLE BODY SERVICE, REPLACED BATTERY. OVER $3,000.00 WORTH OF REPAIRS. *JB
2000 NISSAN MAXIMA ENGINE MISFIRE POOR ACCELERATION DEFECTIVE COIL PACKS. SERVICE ADVISOR RECOMMENDS REPLACING ALL SIX COIL PACKS WITH NEW DESIGN @ MY EXPENSE. REPLACED ONE DEFECTIVE COIL PACK & SPARK PLUG IN THAT CYLINDER. *NM
IGNITION COILS FAILED CAUSING SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. CODE WAS RESET AFTER THE FIRST TIME, AND ON 10-23-06 IT RETURNED AGAIN WITH A CODE OF P1320. ENGINE HAD MISFIRED BETWEEN 10-02-06 AND 10-23-06 AND HAD EXHIBITED EXTENDED CRANKING TIME FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 MONTH BEFORE. STARTER AND BATTERY WERE REPLACED BEFORE INCIDENT. REPLACEMENT OF STARTER AND BATTER WAS LIKELY UNNECESSARY BECAUSE PROBLEM WAS LIKELY THE IGNITION COILS. CAR ALSO EXHIBITED LOSS OF POWER. *NM
MY 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH ONLY 46,000 MILES ON IT NEEDED A MAJOR REPAIR THAT ENDED UP COSTING ME $1,000. THE REPAIR WAS THE REPLACEMENT OF ALL CYLINDER COILS BECAUSE THEY WERE MISFIRING. *NM
CONSUMER COMPLAINT CONCERNING 2000 MAXIMA NDIS COIL DEFECT RECALL. *KB ***NAR*** SIX IGNITION COILS WERE REPLACED. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE IGNITION COILS FAILED.
AT 45K MILES, I HAD TO REPLACE ALL SIX IGNITION COILS IN MY 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA. I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE A SINGLE COIL APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS WHILE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR WAS IDLING ROUGH THIS TIME. *JB
IGNITION COIL FAILURE ON 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA SE. *JB
SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. SERVICE MANAGER STATED HE COULD NOT TELL ME WHICH IGNITION COIL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. TOLD ME TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL LIGHT STARTED BLINKING OR CAR CUT BACK SO MUCH THAT IT WOULDN'T BE DRIVABLE. OR I COULD HAVE ALL 6 COILS REPLACED FOR $1200. AFTER RESEARCH AND TESTIMONIES FROM OTHER OWNERS, THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH ALL 2000 MAXIMA'S. THIS WAS MY FIRST NISSAN AND WILL BE MY LAST. *NM
PROBLEMS WITH IGNITION COILS ON VEHICLE.*MR THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION COIL FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE ON THE DASH. *NM
2000 MAXIMA 55000 MILES, SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK TO DEALER WAS TOLD IT NEEDED AN IGNITION COIL. THEY SAID THEY CANT DETERMINE WHICH COIL IS BAD, SO ALL SIX MUST BE REPLACED. TOTAL COST. $850.58 . I WORK FOR A FORD DEALERSHIP, WE REPLACE ONLY DEFECTIVE COILS, THE DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER TELLS THE MECHANIC WHICH COIL IS CAUSING THE CODE. THERE IS AN ONLINE PETITION AGAINST NISSAN FOR THE COIL PROBLEM, SO FAR 2642 PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED. CANT THIS BE MADE A RECALL AND THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SWINDLED TO PAY GET THE MONEY REIMBURSED. FORD HAS DONE IT BEFORE. A FEW YEARS AGO THE DISTRIBUTOR MODULES WERE A BIG PROBLEM, LOTS OF PEOPLE WERE PAID BACK FOR MONEY SPENT. HOPEFULLY SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS. *JB
SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON AND ENGINE STARTED MISFIRING. TOOK CAR TO NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND WAS QUOTED $900 TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE IGNITION COILS. CAR HAS 85000 MILES. *NM
MY 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA CONSTANTLY KNOCKS AND PINGS WHEN I TRY TO ACCELERATE ON THE HIGHWAY OR UP A HILL CAUSING A DANGEROUS CONDITION ON A ENTRANCE RAMP OR WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PASS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY NISSAN DEALERS THAT THE IGNITION COILS NEED TO BE REPLACED (FOR $1000) AND THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUE BY THE NHTSA TO DO SO. I CONSIDER THIS A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT NISSAN SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RECALL TO COVER THE COST OF THIS DEFEAT. *JB
SES LIGHT COMES ON CONSTANTLY, GETS ANNOYING, MAKES YOU THINK YOUR NOT SAFE LIKE SOMETHING'S WRONG. TURNS OUT TO BE IGNITION COILS. DOING RESEARCH, FOUND HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF CASES WHERE THE 2000 MAXIMA HAD IGNITION COIL FAILURE ANYWHERE FROM 18K TO 90K MILES. THIS CAUSES FOULED PLUGS, MISFIRES, FAILURE TO START, AND LOSS OF POWER. *NM
2000 NISSAN MAXIMA SE HAS SERIOUS ISSUE WITH IT'S COMPUTER CONTROL. AN ENGINE CODE OF PO 403. *JB
THE IGNITION COILS ON MY WELL MAINTAINED 2000 MAXIMA GLE HAVE ALL GONE BAD 2 TIMES SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR. IT HAS COST ME A TOTAL OF $750 TO REPLACE. NISSAN HAS RECOGNIZED THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE COILS AND REFUSE TO REPLACE THEM. *JB
IGNITION COILS HAVE FAILED AGAIN. !ST FAILURE WAS AT 36,800 MILES. COST OF $680.00, 2ND AT 131,000. COST ??. FAILS IN THE WINTER. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE IGNITION COIL WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE STALLED ONE TIME AND MISFIRED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE IGNITION COIL WAS THE PROBLEM; ALTHOUGH NO REPAIRS WERE MADE.
MY 2000 MAXIMA HAS 82000 MILES ON IT, AND THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE IGNITION COILS SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN DECEMBER 2004 (WITH 69000 MILES ON IT). I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2000 MAXIMAS. IF I HAD KNOWN I WAS GOING TO HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS, I DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE BOUGHT A DIFFERENT CAR. NISSAN'S IGNITION COILS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND RECALLED. *NM
SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON AT 68000 MILES. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS A P1320 CODE AND THAT THE PRIMARY IGNITION COIL #4 WAS FAULTY. THEY WANTED ME TO HAVE ALL 6 IGNITION COILS REPLACED AND ALL 6 SPARK PLUGS FOR A TOTAL OF $912. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT IS PLAGUING A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE. THE PROBLEM IS CAUSING MISFIRING AND ROUGH IDLING. *JB
2000 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH 42000 MILE IN OTHERWISE EXCELLENT CONDITION, GENERATES PRE-IGNITION KNOCK. HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AND SHOWN NISSAN SERVICE BULLETIN NO: EC01-023 - NTB01-059 INDICATING FREQUENT PREMATURE FAILURE OF SUCH PARTS. NISSAN TO-DATE HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL OR EXPRESSED WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR SUCH REPAIRS TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $800 PER VEHICLE. SUCH WIDESPREAD FAILING, OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE PARTS SHOULD BE REPLACED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *NM
I HAVE A 2000 NISSAN MAXIMA AFTER LOOKING ON THE INTERNET FOR PARTS TO FIX MY CAR I CAME ACROSS A SITE CALLED CAR SURVEY ABOUT PEOPLE WITH 2000 MAXIMAS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THERE CAR. READING FURTHER INTO IT I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. THE CAR STALLS IN DRIVE AND IN PARK THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM FOR ALL OF US CONSIDERING THAT NISSAN WANTS ABOUT 1,000 DOLLARS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM WHICH I BELIEVE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE ARE THE COILS. THIS IS A LOT OF MONEY TO MOST OF US TRYING TO RAISE A FAMILY AND DO NOT HAVE THAT TYPE OF MONEY. WHEN I BOUGHT THIS MAXIMA I WAS THINKING I BOUGHT A NICE RELIABLE CAR, NOT KNOWING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED ALREADY. I AM HOPING THAT THIS LETTER AMONG OTHERS WILL FURTHER CONVINCE NISSAN TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM CONSIDERING IT SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT IN THESE CARS THANK YOU VERY MUCH. *NM
NISSAN MAXIMA 2000 IGNITION COILS WERE REPLACED TODAY AT AN ASTRONOMICAL PRICE ON A RELATIVELY NEW VEHICLE WITH AVERAGE MILES. RESEARCH INDICATES THIS VEHICLE HAS PREMATURELY FAILING IGNITION COILS AND PROBLEM IS PERVASIVE. NHTSA SHOULD FORCE A RECALL SINCE CLEARLY THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.*AK
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Quick Summary
The 2000 Nissan Maxima has 143 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.