2000 Nissan Maxima SE 4D from North America - Comments

No repairs have been necessary in 2 years of ownership.

This car packs a lot of power in the punch, has awesome acceleration and is a kick to drive.

The turn-radius is superior.

The seats are not as comfortable as they could be, the headrest especially.

The cabin is roomy, the back seat feels like your sitting in the front seat with all the leg-room.

The tires were a small fortune to replace b/c of the size rims that come standard on the SE.

I own a 2000 Nissan Maxima SE. The car is great, but has a problem that I have been talking to the dealerships about. The coils that fire the spark plugs are shorting out. No recall has been issued yet, but other owners have witnessed the same problems. A repair of this nature is not cheap, unlike the conventional spark plug wire replacement. My coil or coils started shorting out at about 41,000 miles.

I agree with the survey, except the section of no problems. This survey is from one of the lucky owners so far. I thought the car was one of the best I had ever owned, but this problem may lead me to reconsidering my thoughts. If you have these same problems, please press the factory for a recall. I am trying my hardest to save the name of the Maxima. Thank You.

I've owned my 2000 Nissan Maxima SE for a month now and I love it. I would agree that it is a true sport/luxury car. Whether on the highway or around town it has plenty of acceleration and power. I own an automatic with traction control and I have to say that the off-the-line acceleration isn't quite the best that I've experienced, but then again... once that speedo hits around 20 and I floor it... LOOK OUT! It DEFINITELY "gets out of its own way" and I've heard that an aftermarket intake will solve that problem... but I have yet to try it. I drive on the highway everyday and I have never been disappointed in any area of its performance nor comfort. I would have to agree that the seats are a little on the hard side, but with the 8-way power seats, a little adjustment here or there, and I'm not complaining anymore. I honestly do find it a pleasure/joy to drive everyday and would absolutely recommend this vehicle over and over and over again. Thanks for reading this... I can't brag enough about my Maxima!

I, too, have had the ignition coil problem. I had owned my 2000 SE since May of 2000 and started having the misfire at about 62,000 miles a few months ago. I took it into the dealer and they told me there was bulletin on the problem. The solution was to use 92 or higher octane exclusively to see if the problem went away. If not, replace all 6 coils at a price tag of over $600. I used 93 octane exclusively. My check engine light would come and go. Finally it would not stay off and the car continued to run a little rough at idle until driven a short distance and went away. Got too annoying to handle. Took it to a local mechanic, computer diagnosis showed misfire on Cyl#5. Replaced that one coil and it went away! Hopefully the other coils will not go as well. I don't need any additional expenses so I can buy an '05 next year or the G35 coupe!

I own a 2000 SE and love it. Except for the issue I have read other people comment on. I have 52000 miles on the car and just had to replace the coils in the car. I am hoping there is going to be something done about this. I have been doing some research and it appears to me that there should be a recall on this problem.

I own a 2000 Maxima SE. I am also experiencing the same problem as others in this thread: bad ignition coils. Although I'm generally happy with my vehicle, $700 is a hefty sum to pay.

I have a 2000 SE (Feb) and I too have had to have the coils replaced @ 60K, only had 3 replaced, but still cost $400, otherwise car is fine. You'd think they'd have told us.

I have a 2000 maxima GLE, which around 60K replaced #3 ignition coil, and just now at 70K miles, had to replace #2 ignition coil. guess I'll just keep on until all are replaced? any suggestions?

I own a 2000 Maxima SE with about 64k miles. I too have had issues with the ignition coils. The dealer told me to replace all 6 for a price of $550. I tried the higher grade fuel first, but that has not solved the problem. The diagnostic wasn't able to pinpoint which coils needed to be replaced. (If more than one needs to be replaced then the computer isn't smart enough to distinguish which ones need to be replaced and a conductivity test on each one didn't help per the Haynes manual.) I plan on replacing the rear coils myself ($50/piece from your local Autozone or Pep Boys) and proceed from there. I am very surprised that this issue is so common. I agree that Nissan could save face if they had a recall.

I have a 2000 Maxima with 45,000 miles on it. I was just told that my #5 coil is shot and had to be replace for $269.

I hope that the rest of the coils don't all start shorting out also because this will start getting very expensive.

Same as everyone else. Bought my 2000 Maxima in July of 2003. At 40000 miles the Service Engine Soon light came on and the dealer told me the ignition coils were going bad. Recommended replacing all of them, even though only one was below specs at the time. Changed #3, cost: $71 labor, $66.27 for the part. (If your repair shop is asking for more, go somewhere else.) After changing #3, a couple days later the light came back on and the engine misfire resumed.

Needless to say, I'm deeply disappointed and left to wonder what other parts are of such low quality.

Any thoughts on needing an extended warranty? Are more things going to go wrong that would be covered by a warranty?

2000 Maxima GLE

My "Service Engine Soon" light went on at around 50K miles. I didn't service the care until 59K miles for the light indication. Yes... the problem was engine coils at a whopping $1000 for all 6 coils.

I asked the dealer if this was common and the answer was no. In the two years this person has been working at the dealer, this was the first he has seen this problem.

I don't know what to believe. Seems to be pretty common to me.

My 2000 Maxima GLE has 55K miles on it. The service engine light has been on for a couple of months now so I decided to get it checked. The only thing that's affecting my cars performance is that it shakes a little when I first start the car and lasts for about a minute. I'm thinking that its nothing major, but when I took it in they told be that my ignition coils were misfiring on both sides and I should replace all 6 at the price of $570. This quote is from an actual Nissan dealer. Does anyone know if I can get this done for a significantly cheaper price from a regular mechanic? Also, should I be worried about having a non-Nissan dealer fix a problem like this.

I just had this problem fixed today on my 2000 SE. It cost $665. My service engine soon light, slip and tcs/off lights all came on last week. The slip and tcs/off lights both turned off, but the service engine soon light stayed on. I took it to my dealer and they said it was a problem with the ignition coils, but couldn't isolate it so they had to replace all 6 of them. Has anyone sent a letter or email to Nissan? Is there a way to get them to do a recall? It seems like this is a pretty common problem.

I have a 2000 Maxima GLE and am experiencing the same issue. I feel fortunate however, mine didn't start acting up until I reached nearly 80,000 miles. I agree with everyone here in that Nissan should step up to the plate.

I purchased a used 2000 Maxima SE with 18,000 miles on December 29. On January 5 the engine light came on and it began to idle very rough. I took it to my local mechanic who said there was a misfire in cylinder #4.

I put 93/ 94 octane in this car. The problem cleared up for a few days, but the misfire has continued. I returned

it to my used car dealer for warranty. They have diagnosed the problem as engine coils. Thanks for the comments people, before I pick the car up from the service department I will find out if one or all the coils were replaced.