Faults:

Engine coils went out at 85,000 miles.

Driver's side leather seat wear bad.

Rotors warp very easily.

Climate control lights went out.

Passenger side window would not roll up.

General Comments:

The Nissan Maxima is overall been a great car. It is very reliable. There problems that I have had with the car are all very minor. When I purchased the vehicle, I purchased the extended warranty. When the engine coils went out, the Nissan dealer tries to rip me off by telling me that engine coils were not covered under this plan, yet the warranty manual states they were indeed covered. I called the Nissan plant and they said that it was covered. This goes to show you to always save important paperwork with the car, because without the warranty manual, I would have had to pay for the engine coils.

Faults:

Ignition Coils at 70200

Mass air flow sensor at 70500

Moonroof motor at 70500

Front Struts 72000.

General Comments:

Bought car used from Chevy dealer in Long Beach, CA. They replaced all problem items except for the front struts under the month-long warranty.

Other than the problems at the outset, it's been a wonderful car. It's very quiet, smooth and comfortable. When I have passengers they often think it's a new car! The only options that we didn't get were the heated seats and traction control, but in SoCal, what's the point? The stereo sounds great, the leather is holding up well and when you step on the gas, it really gets moving! Though it is a bit on the fat side when cornering and parking, it feels very light and responsive in regular traffic and on the freeway. The transmission (auto) is by far the most responsive/sporty that I've ever driven. You don't have to stand on the gas pedal in order to get it to kick down to a lower gear and it seems to know when you're going up a hill. Very nice.

The seats are for fat people as they're very wide. If I'm wearing wool pants and take a corner too fast, I end up sliding around on the leather!

My only real beef with this car is the fragile paint. If someone sneezes near this thing, I have a new paint chip. The rubber door rails that are supposed to keep other people from adding door dings look like hell because they are apparently made of black silly putty.

The premium fuel requirement is a bit of a drag and you just can't get away with using the cheap stuff--if you do, you'll be rewarded with an unpleasant knocking sound everywhere you go!

Regarding the MAF and ignition coils, the dealer said that there IS a recall, but Nissan doesn't state it. The dealer told us that they didn't have to pay for the parts when the requests were made, so for those of you with problems, you might want to investigate further.