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.
Car has been indicating a problem for two years started off with a few. Drops of trani fluid on driveway..to burning smell, noise while in reverse, clacking noises..replaced mounts burnt oil..now hard shifting from park to reverse to drive. Car hesitates before shifting car has 59000 miles had 31000 when problems started car has been in service at a Nissan certified dealer they fix everything except the problem.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving approximately 20 mph and attempted to accelerate when the vehicle began to jerk abnormally. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 71,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked while shifting from first into second gear and hesitated to accelerate from complete stops. The contact also stated that the vehicle would stall intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 212,000.
My problem began in April 2011 and continue still. My car was shifting hard and jumping in and out of gear. I took it in to ray brandt Nissan and was told the motor mounts were broken and this was the problem causing the transmission to bump. As my vehicle warranty was approaching expiration I had it serviced to make sure things were in order. Anyway, just 2 weeks ago (mid January 2012) I took my car in for transmission service. When I got my car back the transmission slipping started again and this time it is happening more often. I will be going down the road and all of a sudden the transmission winds like it was put in neutral and the bumps into gear giving me a whiplash effect (did I mention I suffer with neck pain). I am now really afraid to drive this car as it may shift into neutral while I am passing someone or crossing traffic and the result could be fatal. With all of the complaints made, I sure hope someone will come to our aid and have this problem recalled. I called the Nissan complaint division and they said since they did not actually work on the transmission, they could not help me in any way. In other words, give me your money and forget you. It is sad when you buy a vehicle and pay alot for it thinking you will have dependable transportation you get screwed so badly. I will never buy another Nissan again and will pass the word on to as many people as possible. P.S. I have owned Toyota's in the past and they always stand behind you and help as much as they can. Please help!!!!
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph with the brake pedal engaged, the vehicle jerked from first to second gear. The vehicle also hesitated to accelerate when pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 92,000 and the current mileage was 93,000.
- Woodbridge , VA, USA
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A couple of months ago, my 2005 Nissan Maxima began having transmission problems. When beginning to drive, the vehicle will jerk when it reaches 2 and 3 rpms and rev the engine. Before it resumes "normal" drive, it will jerk again and make a loud clunking noise. This also happens when attempting to put the car into reverse. I was told today by the local Nissan dealership that the transmission must be replaced costing approximately $3300! the dealership never informed me of these issues, even after a transmission flush and a courtesy check when I first brought the car to them several weeks ago. I am shocked and disturbed after reading how many other Nissan Maxima owners are having the exact same problem I am having. How many complaints must there be for a resolution if each person is having the same problem?!
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle began to jerk while driving approximately 35 mph. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for a diagnostic test and the technician stated that the transmission would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
Vehicle fails to shift form 1st to 2nd gear smoothly sometime jerks sometime revs rpms until reaches gear. Also has problems shifting from park to 1st and reverse to 1st - extreme jerking.
My 2005 Nissan Maxima (build date of 08/04) has 77000 miles and has started showing signs of what may be serious transmission problems that include the following: 1. takes about 5 seconds to click into gear after the shift lever is put in "D" 2. very hard jerky shifts between 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 1st and accompanied by loud clunking noise. 3. transmission slips out of gear during regular driving allowing the engine to rev freely then jerking back into gear with a loud clunk. Then followed by a burnt oil / electrical type smell that gets inside the car and evident outside after stopping. 4. engine mounts have been replaced due to this problem and Nissan dealer refuse to help knowing this problem occurs with their Maxima.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact attempted to accelerate from a complete stop but the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing where the mechanic advised the contact that the transmission would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 99,200.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while shifting gears, there would be a five second delay before the vehicle actually shifted into the selected gear. The contact also stated that the vehicle would violently jerk while driving 25 to 30 mph. There would also be an increase in the engine rpms. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was approximately 93,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. After restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, while attempting to shift between first and second gears, the contact heard a loud clunking noise and the vehicle would violently jerk. The contact was awaiting a service appointment with the dealer. The manufacturer did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The current mileage was 92,000 and the failure mileage was 91,700.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. While driving approximately 20 mph, the transmission failed to shift properly with extreme hesitation. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the valve body and solenoid would need to be replaced within the transmission. The manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
I was driving in 40's and suddenly my transmission gets stuck. It wont go down or up.and sudddenly when it does it gives me a huge jerk. This can be a dangerous problem which can cause serious accidents. Looking at all the forums in the internet seems like almost all the Nissan users of (2004 to 2006) are facing the same problem. There has to some kind of recall that all these customers have to get.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that when shifting gears from park to reverse, and when driving approximately 30 mph or less, the vehicle would jerk hard. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic and they were unable to diagnose the failure but after test driving the vehicle, the mechanic advised the contact that the transmission was defective. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Accelerating from a stop the transmission will violently jerk when shifting from first to second gear. In addition, slowing the vehicle down to a stop the transmission jerks violently changing gears from first to second. Shifting from park to drive the transmission will not engage immediately and after approximately 7 to 10 seconds the vehicle lunges as the transmission finally engages. The problems occur after the vehicle has been driven for several miles and the engine is warm. This problem presented itself just after 60,000 miles. Searching the internet reveals hundreds of other owners experiencing the same hazardous problem.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. While attempting to shift into second gear, the contact heard a loud knocking noise. Also when she attempted to shift between gears the vehicle would stall. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer had not been notified. No repairs were performed. The current mileage was 130,000 and the failure mileage was 110,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that when shifting from first to second gear, the vehicle would jerk violently. In addition, when shifting to fifth gear, the shifter became stuck. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised the contact that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I own a 2005 Nissan Maxima which I absolutely love! but about two months ago I started to experience problems with the transmission. After the car was warmed up and I have been driving it for about 20 min.S or so the transmission would act up when I was between 2 and 3 rpms and would either rev the engine or take about 5 to 10 seconds before shifting gears with a rough clunk noise and a hard jerk. The same thing happens when I go from drive to reverse it would take a while and then make a rough jerk before changing gears. I feel this is a safety hazard because you never know when the car will accelerate on its own or thrust into another car when changing gears abruptly.
My car is a used 2005 Nissan Maxima SE 4 door and I have around 139,139 miles on the car. I got the car in March of 2011 and after two months the car started jerking. The jerking happens when I put my car from park to reverse or when I'm driving the car slips from the 1-2nd gear and causes a huge jerk like the car is getting rear ended. From some extended web searching I see that this is not only going on in my car but this seems like a recall on this vehicle would be necessary.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Houston, TX, USA