What are the common problems with the 1988 Nissan Maxima?
Owners of the 1988 Nissan Maxima have filed 60 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the fuel system (28) and engine cooling (12). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, none of its 60 complaints lists a mileage, too few to say when problems were reported; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 60 owner complaints on the 1988 Nissan Maxima. Owners named the fuel system most often: 28 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 60 complaints, 2 report a crash, 32 report a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 1988 Maxima
NHTSA's file holds 60 owner complaints on the 1988 Nissan Maxima. Owners named the fuel system most often: 28 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 28 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 12 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electrical System | 6 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 60 complaints, 2 report a crash, 32 report a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 1988 Maxima
Too few complaints on the 1988 Maxima list a mileage to say when owners reported problems: none of its 60 complaints lists a mileage, and a median is given here only with 10 or more.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 1988 Maxima wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Every model year together: Half of the 4,480 NHTSA owner complaints on the Nissan Maxima that list mileage came after 77,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Nissan Maxima last? →
Is the 1988 Maxima a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1988 is a good or a bad Maxima: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1988 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 60 complaints, the 1988 ranks 30th of the 36 Nissan Maxima model years from 1984 to 2020 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 1986. The most: the 2004 (1,426). The fewest: the 2019 (18).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Maxima | 30 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1985 Maxima | 54 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1986 Maxima | 60 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1987 Maxima | 176 | 4 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1988 (this page) | 60 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1989 Maxima | 62 | 4 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1990 Maxima | 106 | 11 | 130,000 |
| 1991 Maxima | 76 | 8 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1992 Maxima | 110 | 12 | 130,000 |
| 1993 Maxima | 78 | 9 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1994 Maxima | 89 | 10 | 100,000 |
| 1995 Maxima | 152 | 12 | 127,000 |
| 1996 Maxima | 96 | 15 | 100,300 |
| 1997 Maxima | 102 | 30 | 85,500 |
| 1998 Maxima | 113 | 41 | 110,000 |
| 1999 Maxima | 165 | 89 | 79,000 |
| 2000 Maxima | 360 | 231 | 60,000 |
| 2001 Maxima | 172 | 117 | 72,000 |
| 2002 Maxima | 205 | 128 | 64,000 |
| 2003 Maxima | 206 | 147 | 86,600 |
| 2004 Maxima | 1,426 | 1,186 | 80,000 |
| 2005 Maxima | 948 | 820 | 85,000 |
| 2006 Maxima | 576 | 510 | 83,000 |
| 2007 Maxima | 129 | 104 | 85,000 |
| 2008 Maxima | 79 | 59 | 75,000 |
| 2009 Maxima | 339 | 272 | 70,000 |
| 2010 Maxima | 275 | 237 | 65,000 |
| 2011 Maxima | 106 | 64 | 67,000 |
| 2012 Maxima | 107 | 85 | 55,000 |
| 2013 Maxima | 62 | 51 | 62,000 |
| 2014 Maxima | 96 | 69 | 50,400 |
| 2016 Maxima | 142 | 73 | 40,000 |
| 2017 Maxima | 106 | 44 | 27,815 |
| 2018 Maxima | 36 | 22 | 34,000 |
| 2019 Maxima | 18 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2020 Maxima | 22 | 7 | Under 10 mileages |
The linked 2015–2022 pages show NHTSA's September 15, 2026 collection, so their counts can differ from this table's.
Every Maxima year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Nissan Maxima years to avoid →
1988 Nissan Maxima recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 1 recall campaign that names the 1988 Nissan Maxima (0 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 95I006000 | Nov 1, 1995 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 1988 Maxima lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 1988 Maxima.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- None of the 60 complaints on the 1988 Nissan Maxima gives a usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000).
- NHTSA name counted: MAXIMA. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: MAXIMA.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
1988 Nissan Maxima questions
What are the most common 1988 Nissan Maxima problems?
NHTSA's file holds 60 owner complaints on the 1988 Nissan Maxima. Owners named the fuel system most often: 28 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 60 complaints, 2 report a crash, 32 report a fire and 2 report an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 1988 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA's file gives no mileage figure for the 1988 Nissan Maxima: none of its 60 complaints lists a mileage, and this page gives a median only with 10 or more. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 1988 Maxima can cover.
Is the 1988 Nissan Maxima a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1988 is a good or a bad Maxima: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1988 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 60 complaints, the 1988 ranks 30th of the 36 Nissan Maxima model years from 1984 to 2020 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 1986. The most: the 2004 (1,426). The fewest: the 2019 (18).
How many recalls does the 1988 Nissan Maxima have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 1 recall campaign that names the 1988 Nissan Maxima (0 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 1988 Nissan Maxima before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1988 Nissan Maxima.