2002 Nissan Maxima GLE 3.5

Summary:

Don't have a very good one

Faults:

Service engine light came on and the dealer told me to replace the Oxygen Sensor. which costs me $300.00 within one week the Service Engine light has come on again and I know for sure it is the same problem. I took my car to the dealer and they said they would need to recheck it for $95.00 and it very well be that the other sensor went bad. I guess the dealer was prepared for this answer even before the comp. diagnostics test results. And after reading all the blogs with O2 sensor problems and I don't think I will ever buy another Nissan. Oh! Moreover, someone has stolen my headlights twice and sold it on ebay for a good $$$. I am sick and tired of spending money on this car. I might just sell it off! Any comments?

General Comments:

Rough handling and suspension, No turning curvature.

Does not qualify to be a Japanese car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th March, 2007

10th Apr 2007, 22:37

I agree with you that the electrical systems in these cars are lame. Just don't blame the car for headlight thieves! If I were you, I would get a set of security screws that require a special screwdriver for your headlights. I'm surprised that they aren't setting off the alarm when they steal them!

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2002 Nissan Maxima SE V6

Summary:

This is a fun car for the money

Faults:

At 87,000 miles the Check Engine Light came on and again at 91,000 miles.

Any suggestions on what to do about Check Engine Light, since the mechanic charged $450.000 to change a "faulty" O2 sensor, which seems to be very common on this car.

General Comments:

Love the car, despite its flaws.

Very quick. Drove from KS to NJ and back and never skipped a beat.

Comfortable for me at 6'4".

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th April, 2006

26th Oct 2006, 17:26

This may not apply to you, but here's what I've learned after 20k of hard freeway driving in my Maxima:

Have experienced the oh-so-uninformative check engine light anytime I've gone from my normal location (SF Bay Area -- near sea level) to high altitude areas (Lake Tahoe, CA or Reno, NV) and had to refuel. On these trips the light would come on when I got off the mountain and closer to sea level.

I read and re-read the manual closely. All it says is that a "solid check engine light is the result of loss of pressure in the closed fuel system. Refuel. The light should go off in one or two tanks of fuel." -- Not very helpful.

A friend confirmed, however, that filling up in high altitude (Lake Tahoe -- 6200ft.; or Reno, NV) and then coming off the mountain to Sacramento would result in the loss of pressurization. The friend experiences this with his Harley Davidson, as well.

On my last trip to Lake Tahoe, I did not fill up until back down into my normal altitude. And this time -- No Check Engine Light!!!

Luckily I hadn't dropped $450 on a new O2 sensor before finding this out.

Cheers!

~BigD~

4th Oct 2007, 00:31

Just go to Auto Zone and have the check engine light reset (for free). This happens to my car, but only when I go really fast and its hot outside.

5th Mar 2009, 11:29

I would start by firing your mechanic. The OX sensors retail for $180 and take about 20 minutes to fix and 5 minutes to clear the code. Anything more than $300 is robbery.

2002 Nissan Maxima SE 3.5L, V6

Summary:

Too much power without adequate controls

Faults:

TCS, ABS and Slip lights have come on eight times while driving, since the year I owned the car, thus making these systems nonopertational till repaired, despite that the dealer repeatedly fixed them.

Hood very visibly and noticeably vibrates at high speeds which results in loss of road grip.

Steering tends to have a mind of its own and tends to pull out of hands on bumpy and slippery roads, also vague steering feel.

On loaded vehicle rear suspension bottoms out.

Extremely poor traction & below average handling in winter even with winter tires.

CD player skips.

High wind noise in the rear compartment.

Rust on fuel filler port.

Head lights always looks foggy.

Inferior quality interior materials as compared to 1999 Maxima.

General Comments:

The car has 255HP and should have been a rear wheel drive to minimize torque steer and which robs it of adequate traction and handling on slippery and bumpy roads. I enjoy driving it in summer, but hood vibration, vague steering feel, wind noise and bad suspension limits my enjoyment.

The engine and transmission are superb.

The car looks beautiful.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th November, 2005

18th Jan 2006, 08:44

Your experiences (wind noise, suspension issues, etc.) make me wonder if this car hasn't been in a serious accident. Also it has high mileage for a 1 year old car (49,0000).

19th Apr 2006, 09:49

I read your review and couldn't agree with you more.

I have noticed the same problems with TCS ABS & SLIP and the other ones you mentioned, when I bought the car it had 150k with wrong size low profile Kumho tires on, which made car dart like crazy in any direction on bumpy roads, so I bought some Bridgetones Turanza tires, which are not cheap, but it made a huge difference, and which by the way I think are the best tires out there for Maxima. Love the engine and its power.

Good bang for the buck.