CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2004-2006 Nissan Maxima has widespread transmission problems. It starts with the vehicle jerking when shifting, & progresses to full-blown transmission failure.

Maxima owners report spending $3,000 to replace the transmission, typically around when the odometer hits 100,000 miles.

There's a class action lawsuit filed in late 2011, & it is still in the "discovery" stage. Apparently, these things take time ... far too much time.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
86,782 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Nissan Maxima drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2005 Nissan Maxima Owner Comments (Page 14 of 24)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #209

Nov 202012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 93,700 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Automatic transmission shifting has become rough and abrupt. At medium speed 20-45 mph the transmission will slip, engine RPM's will surge and vehicle speed will decrease. Nissan dealer flushed transmission fluid Jan 2010 (83600 miles).

- Heath, TX, USA

problem #208

Jul 252012

Maxima

  • 95,000 miles
It shifts hard to between 1st and 2nd then vice versa. Delayed shifting and jerking. Dealer claims the only fix is to replace transmission.

- Mountaintop, PA, USA

problem #207

Oct 262012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 96,000 miles
I am having very bad transmission issues. When I take off it jerks real bad in the lower gears and then when I am slowing down about to come to a stop it also kicks and jerks real bad when it gears down in the lower gears. And sometimes it just wont go at all..and then when I sit there a min and put my car from park to drive it hesitates for afew secs and then jumps real bad and then goes into drive.it usually does all this when the car is warmed up.

- Brooklyn , NY, USA

problem #206

Jun 222012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 89,999 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have had this car since 2008. The transmission start jerking at 80 thousand+ miles on it.. it jerks from 3rd gear to 2nd while moving. I took it to Nissan dealership they said they cannot help. Then I called Nissan usa and asked them for help Nissan said its out of warranty so there's nothing they can do!! dealership told me that it would cost me 4000+ to get transmission replaced... I researched there's thousand of more people having the same problem with transmission. And Nissan is putting peoples life in danger and wont do anything about it..

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #205

Sep 072012

Maxima

  • 114,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while trying to shift from drive to park, the vehicle jerked violently. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 114,000 and the current mileage was 117,000.

- Carpenterville, IL, USA

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problem #204

Aug 122012

Maxima

  • 111,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle began to jerk as the transmission slipped gears with a rapid increase in engine rpms. In addition, there was a burning electrical odor inside of the vehicle. The failure recurred intermittently. The contact later checked the transmission fluid and noticed that it had become abnormally dark in color. The vehicle was taken to an independent auto mechanic for diagnosis where they detected that the transmission exhibited internal damage and the transmission valve was faulty. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

- Springfield, MA, USA

problem #203

Dec 012011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought my Nissan Maxima about 2years ago. My dad had bought me a 1999 Maxima during my high school years and it never gave me problems. It ran awesome so that's why I ended up buying my 1st Maxima and very disappointed. I took it to a transmission specialist because after the transmission would be hot I was having problems. It seemed after coming down speed it would slip and trying to accelerate after breaking for example: If a car infront of me would brake to turn and I would brake and then accelerate the car seems to not know what to do and it gets stuck and doesn't want to accelerate followed by a hard jerk that feels like someone just hit my back bumper. It's so unsafe driving I've had almost been in car accidents because it won't accelerate and almost got hit. It's so frustrating dealing with this car issue especially after just buying it and still making car payments and not being able to drive it. I will never buy Nissan again!! my mom bought a 2011 Nissan versa and are looking into trading it in for another make for the fear that it will have issues too!! this should be a recall. I can't afford to pay $3000-4000 on a rebuild transmission!!!!!

- Streamwood , IL, USA

problem #202

Jun 052012

Maxima

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle would not shift properly and when it would shift, the vehicle would jerk forward abnormally. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #201

Oct 102012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 114,000 miles
The car jerks when shifting into second gear.

- Killeen, TX, USA

problem #200

Oct 262012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
I own a 2005 Nissan Maxima SE with approximately 70K miles. I began noticing the transmission slipping over the summer months. In the beginning of September, the transmission seemed to be stuck in 4th gear. I took the car to a shop that specialized in transmission, they replaced 2 electrical components in the transmission which repaired the immediate problem and made the car drivable, however the transmissions for the 2004-2005 Nissan Maxima appear to be known for early transmission problems. I also own a 1998 Nissan Altima and have never had problems. The transmission does not function like you would expect a 70K Nissan transmission to perform - it slips, hesitates and stutters. There is an obvious manufacturer defect here. As I was driving home from work today, the car was once again acting up and I will, unfortunately, once again, be taking it to the shop. When researching this problem online, there are hundred of complaints about the automatic transmission in this year/model.... please help.

- Allentown, PA, USA

problem #199

Sep 052011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Very hard jerky shifts between 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 1st and accompanied by loud clunking noise. Transmission slips out of gear during regular driving allowing the engine to rev freely then jerking back into gear with a loud clunk. The is followed by a burnt oil / electrical type smell that gets inside the car and evident outside after stopping. Sometimes I go for days with no symptoms at all and other times it may happen a dozen times in a day. I took it in to the dealer and none of the problems showed up for them but they noted that the engine mounts were broken but that would not cause these symptoms. They suggested a new transmission and motor mounts for $4,000. I drive mainly on the freeways in southern California and have maintained and babied this car since it was new. This is my first Nissan and I have loved this car until these symptoms. Please suggest what course of action should be taken to correct this and restore my faith in Nissan.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #198

Mar 012012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
I am having very bad transmission issues. When I take off it jerks real bad in the lower gears and then when I am slowing down about to come to a stop it also kicks and jerks real bad when it gears down in the lower gears. And sometimes it just wont go at all..and then when I sit there a min and put my car from park to drive it hesitates for afew secs and then jumps real bad and then goes into drive.it usually does all this when the car is warmed up.

- Galloway, NJ, USA

problem #197

Mar 082012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
Vehicle will not shift into drive unless the transmission lock is engaged (started @ 50K miles). Abrupt downshifts at about 20 mph (started @ 70K miles). Now the transmission is stuck in 5th and will not downshift (started at 75K miles). Vehicle is unsafe to drive and I'm told it will cost at least $3000 to replace transmission. This is completely unacceptable for a vehicle with only 75K miles. I will never buy another Nissan product again.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #196

Jan 022012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
I had bought a 2005 Nissan Maxima within a month it started jerking really bad between first and second shift. Getting off the freeway and coming to a stop it started jerking really bad it seemed like I had been hit from my back bumper, but it just the shift gear problem. It was really scary especially having my two year old son in the car. I took my car to the mechanic multiple times but they didn't seem to know what the problem was so I looked it up online and there were numerous complaints with the same problem I was having. My Maxima now has 75000 miles and does not fall under warranty I am afraid that they are going to charge me $3000 for a problem that alot of Nissan seem to have and should have been recalled.

- Vista , CA, USA

problem #195

Oct 012012

Maxima

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that her vehicle began to lunge forward while in first or second gear. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the transmission was flushed. The failure recurred and the dealer recommended the transmission be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the transmission was rebuilt. One month later the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 110,000.

- Austell, GA, USA

problem #194

Aug 012012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 96,000 miles
When will we get a recall for the 2004 - 2005 Maxima transmissions? this is obviously a known and wide spread issue. I've found and read many many reports on these transmissions slipping in and out of gear, hard shifting (up and down), hesitating and hard jerk when placed in drive, and breaking motor mounts. Mine started this just under 100,000 miles. Most cases I've read reported this starting around 60,000 miles. Some have been fortunate enough that Nissan replaced the transmission, I hope I'm as lucky. Transmissions should be dependable and perform well beyond 100,000 miles, much less 60,000 miles. I've had faith in Nissan and was really impressed with Nissan vehicles until I discovered this epidemic issue. How many does it take to warrant and issue a recall? to protect Nissan's reputation and maintain it's customer base, I hope they support their customers in correcting this.

- Rincon, GA, USA

problem #193

Aug 132012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while attempting to shift gears the vehicle would shake violently. The contact mentioned that the vehicle failed to accelerate while going through an intersection. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnose that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance and referred her to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 109,695. Updated 12/5/12 updated 12/12/2012

- Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA

problem #192

Aug 312012

Maxima

  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vehicle began to jerk abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed a replacement transmission. The failure and current mileages were 112,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Woonsocket, RI, USA

problem #191

Jun 212012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 108,000 miles
The vehicle will slam into gear at low speeds. Will pop out of gear when going from 35 to 45 miles per hour, and when you press the gas it will rev up to 5000 rpms and slam back into gear nearly causing me to have 2 accidents in traffic. When backing out of my driveway it takes from 10 to 20 seconds for it to engage in drive which could leave me out in the middle of the road for someone to slam into me. The transmission has also broken my motor mounts with all the twisting bucking slamming and jerking it has done.

- Hartselle, AL, USA

problem #190

Sep 272012

Maxima

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while traveling 10 mph, the vehicle failed to shift from first to second or fifth gear. The check engine warning light illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 94,000.

- Derby, CT, USA

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