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 21 of 24)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #69

Apr 082011

Maxima

  • 120,000 miles

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

My Maxima shifts hard when switching into 1st to 2nd gear. It pushes the car forward when moving at slow speeds. When downshifting from 5th to 4th gear, there is a temporary "no shift" where it feels as if the car is not in a gear and the RPM drops low. When putting the car directly into "drive", it takes the vehicle 3-5 seconds to switch into gear. When it switches into "drive", you can feel it push the car when your foot is on the brake. If you push the gas when it completely does not shift, the transmission will clunk and jerk the car forward. Recently at 126,000 miles, the car is switching gears more freely than normal, constantly switching back and forth between 4th and 5th gear. When going around corners at a faster speed, the transmission will slip, losing power to the car and jerking back into gear. Sometimes while driving, the car will come out of gear and go right back in. The transmission in the 2004-2005 Maximas are obviously faulty. Also, when pushing the gas, there is a delay on moving forward and results in a harder push forward.

- Netcong, NJ, USA

problem #68

Jul 012011

Maxima

  • 89,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle would shift hard when shifting between first and second gears or when decreasing speed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to private mechanic who informed the contact that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was awaiting repairs. The current mileage was 92,400 and the approximate failure mileage was 89,000. The was unavailable.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #67

Nov 052009

Maxima 6-cyl

  • miles
I have a problem with my Maxima, my transmission is faulty, it jerks real bad from 1st to 2nd gear, and then when I am slowing down about to come to a stop it also kicks and jerks real bad. I don't know what to do since I really thought this was a reliable car for my family and now im scared everytime I drive it. I need Nissan to do something about this problem. Please help!

- Metairie, LA, USA

problem #66

Nov 012011

Maxima

  • 50,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated the vehicle would shift gears violently. The dealer diagnosed that the vehicle needed a new transmission. The manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairing the defect. The vehicle was repaired, but the defect recurred. The failure and current mileage was 50,000.

- Spring City, PA, USA

problem #65

Jun 012011

Maxima

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle would violently jerk when shifting gears. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the motor mounts were repaired. The failure continued. The vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that the vehicle would no longer accelerate beyond 10 mph. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

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problem #64

Sep 012010

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
My vehicle has severe transmission problems. It jumps from one gear to another. During the change, which can last up to 10 seconds, the engine is at a high RPM because I am trying to accelerate. Then the whole car jumps when it finally makes it into gear. This is highly alarming and dangerous. Sometimes it causes a rapid deceleration or acceleration of the care, even while traveling at highway speeds. I have already flushed the transmission - but that has not fixed the problem.

- Chino, CA, USA

problem #63

Sep 012011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles

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

Vehicle jumps violently when changing between 1st, 2nd & 3rd gears. If the engine is cool then the vehicle does not jump but once the engine is warmed up, the car is just constantly jerking. If I change gears from D to R, it takes around 5 seconds before vehicle actually kicks into gear and it jerks so hard to the point where it just make a loud noise.

- Harker Heights, TX, USA

problem #62

Apr 012011

Maxima

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle would lunge forward and the gears would slip from first to second. The contact also mentioned that in some instances the vehicle would stall without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.

- South Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #61

Oct 202011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • miles
Severe transmission shifting issues, on moderate mileage. There are several complaints on Nissan help.com. Nissan isn't trying to do anything to help it's customers please look into this, please issue a recall on the 04 05 models of the Maxima. This is a urgent plea for help. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

- Oberlin, LA, USA

problem #60

Feb 012011

Maxima

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle hesitated when driving in certain gears. The vehicle was taken the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #59

Sep 152011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 62,000 miles

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

The transmission violently shifts up and down causing the car to jerk forward when at speeds ranging from 20-40, slowing down or accelerating up almost causing an accident. As well as slipping out of gear around 35-45 mph revving the engine then slamming into gear causing temporary loss of control. This is an extreme safety hazzard. Nissan Maxima problem yet Nissan won't help, please help myself and other Nissan owners before someone dies in an accident from a surging/slipping transmission. I just want this problem to go away.

- Wilkes Barre, PA, USA

problem #58

Aug 122011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
A quick check of the internet will show there are a lot of people with the same problems. Hard shifts, slams, transmission "slips" in and out of gear. Private industry has don the work and found the trouble is with the valve body. Now make Nissan pay to fix the problem.

- Trussville, AL, USA

problem #57

Feb 012011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
The transmission violently shifts up and down causing the car to jerk forward at stoplights almost causing an accident, as well as slipping out of gear around 35-45 mph revving the engine then slamming into gear causing temporary loss of control, this is an extreme safety hazard. There are many others having the same problem, it is a known 2004-2006 Nissan Maxima problem yet Nissan won't help, please help myself and other Nissan owners before someone dies in an accident from a surging/slipping transmission.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #56

Oct 052011

Maxima

  • 98,700 miles
I am currently the original owner of a 2005 Nissan Maxima. Much to my total shock and dismay, I recently had to replace the automatic transmission at only 98,700 miles. Several weeks ago, the vehicle began to sporadically jerk harshly when advancing to first gear between 20-25 mph. This started to happen more and more frequently and at times the vehicle would hesitate right before jerking into first gear and then quickly thrust forward with revved up rpms. Needless to say, I felt extremely unsafe driving the vehicle. I took my car to the service department of the Nissan dealership where I purchased the vehicle. The service manager informed me that this was an increasingly common problem with 2004 & 2005 model year Maximas. He said that the only remedy was to replace the transmission at a cost of approximately $4,000! I took my car to a transmission repair shop for a second opinion and was told the same thing. The mechanic confirmed that this is a major issue with Maximas manufactured in those model years. I ended up taking my car back to the dealership and had them replace the transmission. I have researched this issue and have found that there are numerous complaints on various internet sites by owners of 2004 & 2005 Maximas who have experienced the exact same problem with their transmission. It's clearly apparent that there is a major defect with the transmissions that were installed in 2004 & 2005 Maximas. I have taken very good care of my vehicle and have kept up with regular scheduled maintenance intervals. There is no way that I should have had to replace the transmission at that mileage if it was not defective. I beseech you to recall all 2004 & 2005 Maximas and fix this dangerous problem before it causes severe accidents if there have not already been.

- Waldorf, MD, USA

problem #55

Oct 102011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that after shifting gears while driving 25 mph, the vehicle would jerk violently and suddenly accelerated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 102,000.

- Irving, TX, USA

problem #54

Aug 182011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 120,515 miles
While driving in first gear on light throttle, the transmission shifted from 1st gear into 2nd gear violently. Nearly every time under light throttle (under normal engine operating temperature) since the first occurrence, the transmission either upshifts (1st to 2nd gear) or downshifts (3rd to 2nd gear) violently.

- Bear, DE, USA

problem #53

Dec 062010

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
Feels like transmission is slipping/catching when speeding up and coming to a stop. This started after about 90,000 miles or so.

- Middletown, DE, USA

problem #52

Oct 102007

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 35,000 miles
Transmission was jerking and pulling real hard when changing gears. Took it to Nissan dealer three times and had different things checked and done (flushed, and rings changed), and it just got worse til I had to stop driving it. I am still making payments on car and can't afford to pay $3400 for transmission. Car cost too much to be having problems like this so soon. Please help.

- Arkadelphia, AR, USA

problem #51

Aug 292011

Maxima

  • 114,120 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the dealer advised that the transmission was malfunctioning and would need to be replaced. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the transmission and they stated that they would not provide any assistance with repairing the vehicle. The failure mileage was 114,120.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #50

May 012011

Maxima

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle began to decelerate abnormally. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician advised that the transmission would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Memphis, TN, USA

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