The 2000 Maxima is a solid V6 sedan undermined by catastrophic automatic transmission failures and pre-ignition engine damage. When maintained meticulously, it's reliable; when neglected, it's a money pit.
Automatic Transmission Failure (RE4F04A/B)
Common · high severityTypical onset: 90,000-140,000 mi
Symptoms: Shuddering or slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear, Delayed engagement when shifting from Park to Drive, Transmission overheating, burnt fluid smell, Complete loss of forward gears
Fix: The RE4F04A/B is notoriously fragile. Internal clutches burn out, often taking the valve body with them. Rebuild requires 12-16 hours and specialty knowledge; most shops recommend replacement with reman unit (8-10 hours). Cooler line failure accelerates death—inspect regularly.
Estimated cost: $2,800-4,200
Pre-Ignition Engine Knock / Piston Failure (VQ30DE)
Occasional · high severityTypical onset: 120,000-180,000 mi
Symptoms: Metallic rattling/knocking on cold start that persists, Loss of power, rough idle, Check engine light with misfire codes, Catastrophic failure: rod knock, crankshaft damage
Fix: The VQ30DE suffers pre-ignition from carbon buildup if low-quality fuel is used or maintenance is skipped. Leads to cracked pistons, scored cylinder walls. Engine rebuild involves 20-28 hours; short-block replacement is faster (16-20 hours) but expensive. Used engine swap (10-14 hours) is common. Prevention: premium fuel, seafoam treatments.
Estimated cost: $3,500-6,500
Transmission Oil Cooler Line Corrosion
Common · medium severityTypical onset: 80,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: Transmission fluid puddle under front of car, Low transmission fluid warnings, Pink or red fluid dripping from radiator area, Sudden transmission slipping after leak develops
Fix: Steel cooler lines rust through where they connect to radiator, especially in salt states. If caught early, line replacement is 2-3 hours. If ignored, transmission starves and fails. Always replace both lines and flush system (add 1 hour). Check every oil change after 70k miles.
Estimated cost: $350-650
Motor Mount Failure (Front & Rear)
Common · low severityTypical onset: 70,000-110,000 mi
Symptoms: Excessive engine rocking when shifting from Park to Drive/Reverse, Clunking noise during acceleration or deceleration, Vibration felt through steering wheel and floorboard, Visible cracks in rubber mount sections
Fix: Hydraulic front mount and rear torque mount wear out predictably. Front mount is 1.5-2 hours, rear is 2-3 hours (requires subframe drop). Replace all three mounts together to avoid comeback. OEM or OEM-equivalent only—aftermarket collapses quickly.
Estimated cost: $450-850
Mass Airflow Sensor Contamination
Occasional · low severityTypical onset: 60,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: Hesitation or stumbling on acceleration, Rough idle, engine stalling at stops, P0171/P0174 lean codes or P0101 MAF code, Poor fuel economy
Fix: Hot-wire MAF sensors collect oil residue from over-oiled aftermarket filters or crankcase blowby. Clean with MAF-safe cleaner first (0.3 hours). If cleaning fails, replace sensor (0.5 hours). Reusable K&N-style filters are common culprits—return to paper OEM filter.
Estimated cost: $120-380
Valve Cover Gasket Oil Leaks
Common · low severityTypical onset: 90,000-150,000 mi
Symptoms: Oil smell from engine bay, especially after warm-up, Oil seeping down rear of engine onto exhaust, Low oil level between changes, Smoke from engine bay during hard acceleration
Fix: Both valve cover gaskets harden and leak onto exhaust manifolds. Job requires removing intake plenum on rear bank, making it 3-4 hours total. Use Nissan OEM gaskets with integrated spark plug tube seals—aftermarket sets leak immediately. Address before oil drips onto catalytic converters.
Estimated cost: $400-700
Crank Position Sensor Failure
Occasional · medium severitySymptoms: No-start condition with crank but no fire, Intermittent stalling while driving, restarts after cooling, Tachometer drops to zero while running, P0335 or P0340 codes
Fix: Located above starter, fails from heat soak. When it dies, engine won't start or dies randomly. Sensor replacement is only 0.8-1.2 hours but access is tight. Keep spare in glovebox for intermittent failures on road trips. Use OEM Hitachi sensor—aftermarket failures are common.
Estimated cost: $180-320
Buy only with documented transmission service history and recent compression test—otherwise it's a transmission grenade with an engine time bomb attached.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.