Is the Dodge Charger more reliable than the Nissan Maxima?

No, the Maxima has a slight edge. Both rate good, but the Maxima costs less to repair at $540 a year against $652 and has far fewer recalls. The Charger has fewer unscheduled shop visits and fewer complaints per car sold, which keeps the gap small.

Which has more recalls, the Charger or the Maxima?

The Charger has more. Federal recall records show 25 recalls across nine Charger model years, against 4 across six Maxima model years. The Charger also has more model years in the data, but the gap is still large.

Which is cheaper to repair, the Charger or the Maxima?

The Maxima is cheaper. Independent repair-cost data estimates $540 a year for the Maxima and $652 for the Charger, about $560 less over five years. The chance a repair is major is 15% for both cars.

What is the biggest problem with the Dodge Charger?

Air bags are the biggest. Owners filed 98 air bag complaints, 19 crash-linked, including two crashes where some air bags stayed stowed. The Uconnect touchscreen is the most common daily annoyance, with phantom touches and failures that can cost over $2,000 to replace.

What goes wrong most often on the Nissan Maxima?

Brake-related faults and driver-assist warnings top the list. Owners report a sudden loss of power with many warning lights at once, a forward collision light that stays on, and a front radar message that disables adaptive cruise. A few cars had transmission failures that caused stalling.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Dodge Charger vs Nissan Maxima: Reliability Compared

Dodge Charger

Good

More Reliable

Nissan Maxima

Good

Edging ahead on reliability, the Nissan Maxima beats the Dodge Charger with lower repair costs and far fewer recalls. The gap is slight. Both full-size sedans rate good, and the Charger has fewer complaints per car sold, but its air bag complaints and 25 recalls hold it back.

How Do the Dodge Charger and Nissan Maxima Generations Compare?

Two different life stages apply here. The Charger's data covers the end of the seventh generation, which ran from 2011 to 2023 with facelifts in 2015 and 2020, plus the eighth generation that began in 2024. That makes 2024 through 2026 the newest cars and the ones with the least complaint history, so their clean record says little yet. The Maxima belongs entirely to the eighth generation, which ran from 2016 to 2023 and received a facelift in 2020. That generation has ended, so every Maxima you shop is used. Its 2020 model is among the weakest years, while 2021 and 2022 are the strongest.

Verdict

The Nissan Maxima is more reliable than the Dodge Charger, scoring 76/100 vs 74/100.

A slight edge goes to the Maxima. Each sedan earns a good standing, so the gap is small. The Maxima costs less to keep running and has far fewer recalls: 4 across six model years, against 25 across nine for the Charger. The Charger answers with a lower complaint rate per car sold and fewer unscheduled shop visits. The chance that a repair turns major is the same for both. Lower cost and a lighter recall history tip it to the Maxima.

Key Differences

1Nissan Maxima costs $112 less per year to repair
2Nissan Maxima has 21 fewer total recalls
3Dodge Charger has 4.3 fewer complaints per 10k sold

Category Scoreboard

2Dodge Charger

—

3Nissan Maxima

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair Risk

Dodge Charger vs Nissan Maxima: Which Is More Reliable?

Dodge Charger vs Nissan Maxima at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Dodge Charger	Nissan Maxima
Reliability Score	74/100	76/100
Years Tracked	9	6
Total Recalls	25	4
Complaints per 10k Sold	2.2	6.5
Annual Repair Cost	$652/yr	$540/yr
Repair Frequency	0.2/yr	0.3/yr
Major Repair Risk	15%	15%
Year Wins	1	5

What Are the Common Problems With the Dodge Charger and Nissan Maxima?

Air bags and the touchscreen define the Charger's trouble, while the Maxima's centers on driver-assist faults. Charger owners report phantom touches, frozen cameras and navigation, and replacement quotes over $2,000. Door panels peel away, and transmissions hard-shift or stick in drive. Air bags are the sharpest issue: 19 complaints are crash-linked, including two crashes where some air bags stayed stowed. Maxima owners report warning lights clustering after a sudden loss of power, a forward collision light that stays on, and a front radar message that disables adaptive cruise. A few transmissions fail and stall. The data lists no crash-linked counts for the Maxima's air bags.

Dodge Charger vs Nissan Maxima common problem areas comparison
Component	Dodge Charger	Nissan Maxima
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0.2Very Low	0.9Very Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0.5Very Low	0.5Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.6Very Low	0.2Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.1Very Low	0.7Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	—None	0.5Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	0.3Very Low
POWER TRAIN	0.1Very Low	0.3Very Low
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES	—None	0.2Very Low
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)	—None	0.2Very Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	—None	0.2Very Low
STEERING	0.1Very Low	—None
ENGINE	0.1Very Low	—None
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	—None
WHEELS	—None	—None
SUSPENSION	—None	—None
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	—None
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	—None	—None
VISIBILITY	—None	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Dodge Charger or Nissan Maxima?

Repairs run cheaper on the Maxima at an estimated $540 a year, against $652 for the Charger. That gap of $112 a year adds up to about $560 over five years. The Charger needs fewer unscheduled shop visits, 0.2 a year against 0.3 for the Maxima. The chance that a repair is major is 15% for both. So the Maxima saves money on each repair, while the Charger sends you to the shop less often. A Charger touchscreen replacement quoted above $2,000 could erase the savings gap.

How Does Dodge Charger vs Nissan Maxima Reliability Compare by Year?

Dodge Charger vs Nissan Maxima year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Dodge Charger	Nissan Maxima	Edge
2023	76/1002R / 22C	77/1000R / 1C	Nissan Maxima
2022	74/1003R / 11C	77/1000R / 5C	Nissan Maxima
2021	76/1002R / 29C	77/1000R / 3C	Nissan Maxima
2020	75/1003R / 54C	74/1001R / 21C	Dodge Charger
2019	71/1005R / 118C	76/1001R / 18C	Nissan Maxima
2018	69/1006R / 121C	72/1002R / 36C	Nissan Maxima

Best years to cross-shop: The 2023 Dodge Charger scored 76/100 and the 2023 Nissan Maxima scored 77/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Dodge Charger vs the Nissan Maxima?

Pick the Maxima if you want the lower running bill and a cleaner recall history. Target 2021 or 2022, the strongest years, and be cautious with 2018 and 2020, the weakest. Before buying, check that the forward collision and front radar warnings stay off, since owners report them lighting up soon after startup. If the car ever stalled, ask for records of any transmission work. Pick the Charger if you drive a lot and want fewer trips to the shop, or if the lower complaint rate per car sold matters to you. Target 2021. Avoid 2018 and 2019, the weakest years. The 2026 model is rated strong, but it has had little time to collect complaints, so do not read that as proof. On any Charger, test every touchscreen function, look at the door panels near the windows, and confirm the air bag warning light is off. Expect that a screen replacement may fall on you after the warranty ends.

Dodge Charger vs Nissan Maxima: Common Questions

Is the Dodge Charger more reliable than the Nissan Maxima?: No, the Maxima has a slight edge. Both rate good, but the Maxima costs less to repair at $540 a year against $652 and has far fewer recalls. The Charger has fewer unscheduled shop visits and fewer complaints per car sold, which keeps the gap small.
Which has more recalls, the Charger or the Maxima?: The Charger has more. Federal recall records show 25 recalls across nine Charger model years, against 4 across six Maxima model years. The Charger also has more model years in the data, but the gap is still large.
Which is cheaper to repair, the Charger or the Maxima?: The Maxima is cheaper. Independent repair-cost data estimates $540 a year for the Maxima and $652 for the Charger, about $560 less over five years. The chance a repair is major is 15% for both cars.
What is the biggest problem with the Dodge Charger?: Air bags are the biggest. Owners filed 98 air bag complaints, 19 crash-linked, including two crashes where some air bags stayed stowed. The Uconnect touchscreen is the most common daily annoyance, with phantom touches and failures that can cost over $2,000 to replace.
What goes wrong most often on the Nissan Maxima?: Brake-related faults and driver-assist warnings top the list. Owners report a sudden loss of power with many warning lights at once, a forward collision light that stays on, and a front radar message that disables adaptive cruise. A few cars had transmission failures that caused stalling.

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How we score the Dodge Charger and Nissan Maxima

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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