2002 Nissan Maxima SE from North America - Comments

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.

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".

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~

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.

Let's see...91,000 miles and needed a sensor... Yeah, hate to spend that money, $450 is no small amount. Still a great record for 91,000 miles. The performance of the Maxima (oh my gawd!) and the ride quality is well worth one small failing. If you have never driven an 02 or 03 Maxima, treat yourself to a test drive in one. Feel the immense power, the seamless transmission shifts, enjoy the wonderful ride and the handling of the suspension. And yes, you CAN outrun almost anything else with 4 doors on the road. Use the steering wheels controls to work all functions on the radio, change functions on the trip computer and adjust your speed, all without taking your hands from the steering wheel. If you find one with a factory sunroof and it's a nice day, put the windows down, sunroof back and cruise! When it's time to lock this baby up, try this: Flip the "one touch sunroof" lever to close then pull back on the "auto up" windows for both the passenger and drivers side at the same time and watch the car close itself up. SWEEEEEEET!!!

On a hot day, you can roll down the windows from across the parking lot from the keyless remote. Note: Forget to roll the windows up before getting out of the car??? NO PROBLEM! Lock the doors with the key and hold it, the windows will roll themselves up for you.

You can find used 02, 03 maximas well equipped for $12-15,000. Search till you find your color, best price, then get it. Don't think about it, just do it!