2000 Nissan Maxima SE from North America

Summary:

Excellent - fun and roomy

Faults:

Check engine light came on at 90,000 miles. Had it reset and it came back on. Diagnosis is O2 sensor bank 1 is bad. I haven't noticed any performance or gas mileage loss, so I haven't fixed it. If I don't, will it cause problems? Estimate has been about $200 to fix. Haven't checked the manual to see how hard it is to do myself.

General Comments:

Best car I've had so far, lots of power and room.

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

Review Date: 24th July, 2006

2000 Nissan Maxima from North America

Summary:

Nissan needs to resolve issues!

Faults:

Ignition Coils- Replaced one, then another, then six.

Now, we are told air flow sensor is bad.

General Comments:

We have oil changed regularly in our 2000 Nissan Maxima, and have been battling the Service Engine soon light for about 8 months now. Had one ignition coil replaced at a non-Nissan mechanic and a tune-up as well, only to have the service Engine light come on again. Had another ignition coil replaced at same mechanic (he had said that he needed to determine which coil was bad). These two repairs have cost us nearly $500 USD.

Service Engine light came on again, and this time was accompanied by little to no acceleration at low rpms, and knocking noise. Car seemed fine at higher speeds. Decided to take the car to a Nissan dealer to make sure the problem was eliminated and resolved. Asked that they determine EVERYTHING wrong with the car, because at this point we were deciding whether to upgrade to a bigger family car or not. Nissan dealer said that diagnostic test showed all six ignition coils were bad, and must be replaced. Code listed on our bill is P1320. This set us back $835 USD. We have now spent nearly $1200 to resolve a coil issue, but were hoping this would eliminate the problem!

Now, my service engine soon light is back on less than one week after the service is performed. Took back to the Nissan dealership, and now they say that the Air flow sensor must be replaced at $350. They also said this includes a new diagnostic fee, and labor.

After this research, I am aware that this is a problem that Nissan is VERY familiar with, but has done little to resolve. I feel that we should not be forced to pay repeated diagnostic fees, and labor, when these issues could've been resolved at one time. My husband specifically asked if there was anything else wrong with the car, and they said NO. Apparently, this will lead to a string of repairs that may never end, and we would never have proceeded with these repairs had we known.

I have owned 3 Nissans in my lifetime, and the Maxima is the first that I've had this issue with. Nissan's response has left me with a sour taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure I will be a repeat customer.

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

Review Date: 7th June, 2006

8th Jun 2006, 13:09

I find it very difficult to believe all six coils are bad.

17th Feb 2010, 19:41

I have same issue with my 2000 Maxima! I FEEL your pain!

2000 Nissan Maxima SE Auto 6 cylinder from North America

Summary:

This car has been a major disappointment to me compared to earlier year models

Faults:

-Factory CD player does not even acknowledge that CD is in player sometimes. Will not play CD or Eject disc. Around 50,000 miles.

-Right side headlight has blown twice within a year. Around 50,000 miles.

-#6 coil went out around 70,000 miles (Nissan dealer would not tell me which coil was going bad. He stated that his computer would not say, but he wanted to replace all coils for $800. I said no thanks and carried the car to a general mechanic and he connected the car to his computer and it showed the #6 coil was bad. I think the Nissan dealer was not trained properly or was just trying to rip me off. I later had the general mechanic replace the remaining coils for future security and comfort)

-Radio goes to complete static when turning on rear defrost, around 72,000.

-Right side headlight has blown a couple more times in last 20,000 miles.

-Car started over heating around 80,000 miles. Found out that one cooling fan was not working. Had it replaced.

-Transmission has rough transition between gears. 80,000 miles.

-Check engine soon light came on around 100,000. Carried to Nissan dealer and general mechanic twice about check engine soon light. Upstream O2 sensor was replaced, because code was coming back as upstream O2 sensor. Car still runs like crap, wants to flood out, no horsepower. Downstream O2 replaced, catalytic converter replaced, plugs replaced. Car is now becoming worse. I guess I will take back to dealer or mechanic and "shell-out" another $500-$700.

-Right side headlight will come on sometimes and other times it want. You can switch the ignition on and off several times and the headlight will start working again.

General Comments:

I had a 1994 Nissan Maxima and loved it. Drove it until it had 212,000 miles on it. Sold it to a family friend and it's still going as of today. I thought so much of this car that I bought a 2000 Nissan Maxima. Loved the car up until around 50,000 or 70,000 miles. At that point it seems like everything has happened. Major electrical problems and sensor problems that no one can seem to diagnose. Problem now is that I must find someone to fix the thing because the current state of the vehicle will not let me trade it in or sell it. Nobody would take a car with problems that can't be diagnosed.

However up until 50,000 miles this car would fly. Car is still somewhat comfortable to this day.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th April, 2006

5th May 2006, 12:28

Thanks for the input. I currently have a 1992 Maxima that I love. It has 194,00 miles and still drives like a champ. I love the car so much I am in the process of purchasing a 2000 Maxima.

So is this car a go or no go?

30th Jan 2007, 20:13

The more technology is developed, the less reliable things become, it seems...

I had a 1994 Maxima and I now have a 1997 Maxima. I love them both dearly. They're absolutely bulletproof. I've looked at several 2000-2001 Maximas to purchase, and they've all disappointed me in one way or another. I went to test drive a pretty '00 GLE Max at a local dealership the other day and it had to be jumped off with just shy of 80k on it. That's never a good sign.

The 2002-2003 Maximas have several improvements over the 00-01's, so if anyone is looking at 00-01 to buy, check into the newer models (with refreshed styling and improved performance features) as well before you jump into anything. I hate it that so many people are having problems with this year range, because Maximas are excellent cars in my experience and are highly respected among many circles of auto enthusiasts.

11th Jan 2008, 20:18

My wife and I, recently purchased a 2000 Nissan Maxima SE. We have only had this car for two weeks tomorrow. At 100,000 miles it drives like a dream. We love this car and are very happy about our purchase.

PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

21st Sep 2010, 19:22

I just recently purchased a used, 2000 Nissan Maxima GLE.

At ten years old, this car only has 67,300 miles on it and looks immaculate inside and out; however, two weeks later, the power steering pump went out. The three month warranty covered that, but now the worrisome "service engine soon" light is on.

I fell in love with the car the first week, but am severely disappointed now. I hope I don't end up having to dump a bunch of money into this car, like my last one. I can't afford it.