NHTSA Safety Recalls
2002 Nissan Maxima Recalls
The 2002 Nissan Maxima has 9 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on January 9, 2020.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2002 Nissan Maxima. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 9
- Owner complaints
- 205
- Crashes reported
- 27
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
in complaints
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2002 Nissan Maxima, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
9 recalls on the 2002 Nissan Maxima
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 20V008000
- Reported
- January 9, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 307,962
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2001, 2003 Maxima, 8 other models
Air bags
- Campaign
- 15V287000
- Reported
- May 15, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,090,569
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash, injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2001, 2003 Maxima, 7 other models
Engine and engine cooling
- Campaign
- 03V455000
- Reported
- November 17, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 630,000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2003 Maxima, 8 other models
Suspension: front: control arm: lower arm
- Campaign
- 02V146000
- Reported
- May 30, 2002
- Vehicles affected
- up to 90,500
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001 Maxima, 2 other models
Vehicle speed control
- Campaign
- 02V043000
- Reported
- February 12, 2002
- Vehicles affected
- up to 39,000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Power train
- Campaign
- 02V010000
- Reported
- January 11, 2002
- Vehicles affected
- up to 843
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 101, controls and displays
- Same campaign
- only the 2002 Nissan Maxima
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 09E012000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001 Maxima, 57 other models
Exterior lighting: headlights
- Campaign
- 09E025000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001 Maxima, 46 other models
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 22E066000
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2001, 2003 Maxima, 3 other models
2002 Nissan Maxima complaints by year
NHTSA has received 205 owner complaints about the 2002 Nissan Maxima, the newest on March 24, 2025. Of these, 27 describe a crash (13%); owners reported 23 injuries and 6 deaths.
In complaints about the 2002 Nissan Maxima, the component group named most often is the engine and engine cooling (15%), followed by the air bags (14%) and the vehicle speed control (11%).
1 of the 2002 Nissan Maxima's 9 recalls also concerns the engine and engine cooling.
Where 2002 Nissan Maxima owners gave the mileage (128 complaints), the median was 64,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine And Engine Cooling30
- Air Bags29
- Vehicle Speed Control23
- Electrical System22
- Exterior Lighting22
- Engine19
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 26 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 38 | |
| 2004 | 26 | |
| 2005 | 8 | |
| 2006 | 12 | |
| 2007 | 11 | |
| 2008 | 6 | |
| 2009 | 9 | |
| 2010 | 10 | |
| 2011 | 6 | |
| 2012 | 6 | |
| 2013 | 9 | |
| 2014 | 8 | |
| 2015 | 5 | |
| 2016 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 7 | |
| 2018 | 2 | |
| 2019 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 3 |
Complaints about the 2002 Nissan Maxima peaked in 2003, when NHTSA received 38. 48% arrived between 2001 and 2005, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2002 vehicles, the 2002 Nissan Maxima drew 1.9× the complaints of the median Nissan Maxima year in the same window: 4th highest of the 20 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 4/5
The 205 complaints about the 2002 Nissan Maxima are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Nissan Maxima by model year
Other 2002 Nissan models
Newest record on this page: March 24, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted