2005 Nissan Maxima Power Train
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE... CV TRANSMISSION COULD SLIP OUT OF GEAR CAUSING LOSS OF POWER. CV TRANSMISSION COULD HESITATE IN SHIFTING TO NEXT OR PREVIOUS GEAR. THIS CAN CAUSE HARD, VIOLENT SHIFTING TO OCCUR WHICH COULD SERIOUSLY DAMAGE THE VEHICLE AND RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
SUDDEN SURGES AND JOLTING WHEN TRYING TO PARK CAR EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE IS DEPRESSED
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
CAR WOULD STAY IN 5TH GEAR WHEN TURNED. IT WOULD MOVE BUT AT SLOW RATE. NOW IT WILL MOVE ABOUT A 100 FEET THEN GEAR WONT ENGAGE. YOU CAN GIVE IT GAS BUT IT JUST WONT MOVE. ILL LET IT COOL DOWN AND IT MOVE AGAIN BUT WILL RESUME PROBLEM.
TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON THE HIGHWAY..
SUDDEN TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 45,699 MILES ON MAXIMA 2005. PUT CAR IN REVERSE, BACKED OUT PUT IN DRIVE IT STALLED OUT. CAR DID NOT WANT TO START, I WAS IN MIDDLE OF STREET. CAR HAS NEVER EVER GIVEN ME ISSUES PRIOR. SUDDEN "SERVICE ENGINE" LIGHT, (NEVER ILLUMINATED BEFORE. PUT ACCELERATOR TO FLOOR TO START THEN CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE FORWARD, IT HAD NO 1, 2ND GEARS. DROVE IT OUT OF MIDDLE OF STREET. TOOK FOREVER TO GET TO 20MPH. PARKED CAR, STARTED EASIER IN THE MORNING BUT MADE HORRIBLE CLUNK WHEN PUT IN REVERSE. IT IS NOW AT REPAIR SHOP AND NOT SURE OF FULL DIAGNOSIS YET BUT TOLD WILL PROBABLY BEE A FULL TRANSMISSION REBUILD.
WHEN DRIVING FOR A FEW MILES IT SHIFTS HARD LIKE THE TRANSMISSION ISN'T WANTING TO SHIFT RIGHT. AFTER READING ONLINE I FIND OUT THAT THIS YEAR OF MISSION IS KNOWN FOR SOME KIND OF FAULT IN THE TRANSMISSION! OTHER THEN THAT THE CAR IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION BUT AFRAID TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF THE TRANSMISSION BUT I CAN'T AFFORD TO SPEND THE MONEY ON WHATEVER IS WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION!
TRANSMISSION FAILING DELAY IN GEAR SELECT FOLLOWED BY A HARD THUMP HARD SHIFTING AFTER 30MIN DID NOT EXPECT THIS FROM A CAR WITH 108K MILES WELL TAKEN CARE OF.
AROUND 103000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. THE ENGINE WOULD REV AND THEN THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SLAM INTO GEAR. I HAD A FLUID CHANGE DONE AND NOW NOT ONLY DOES IT SLIP ON ACCELERATION IT ALSO SLAMS WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN GEARS.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED UNDER 100,000 MILES DUE TO SEVERE JERKING DURING SHIFTS BETWEEN LOW GEARS. THE WORST WOULD OFTEN BE SLOWING DOWN, AS IN APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT OR STOP SIGN. IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, THE KICK FROM THE TRANSMISSION WHEN SLOWING (DOWN-SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 1ST) WOULD OFTEN CAUSE THE CAR TO NOSE-DOWN A BIT SUDDENLY, SUCH THAT DRIVERS BEHIND WOULD REACT AS IF I WERE MAKING A HARD STOP.
HARSH ENGAGEMENT AT REVERSE AND FORWARD GEARS. ERRATIC SHIFTING. AFTER START UP THE TRANSMISSION HAS A HARSH ENGAGEMENT IN REVERSE AND FORWARD. WHEN DRIVING THERE IS A HARSH UP SHIFT AND DOWN SHIFT. DRIVING ON CITY OR HIGHWAY THE TRANSMISSION IS DOING THE SAME OF HARSH UPSHIFTING AND DOWNSHIFTING. HARSH ENGAGEMENT. THE VALVE BODY HAS BEEN REPLACED. WE HAVE INSTALLED NEW (DEALER) CAM SENSORS. WE HAVE HAD IT REPROGRAMMED. WE HAVE REBUILT THE UNIT AND STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR
VEHICLE IS SHIFTING EXTREMELY HARD IN LOWER GEAR AND AT STOPPING
I BOUGHT A NISSAN MAXIMA 2005 FROM A SECOND HAND AND LOOKS GREAT BUT ONE RIDING THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO MAKE A UFUL NOISE. ONCE I GOT HOME I TURNED OF THE ENGINE. THE NEXT DAY WHEN I START THE ENGINE AND SHIFTED TO DRIVE THE WOULDN'T MOVE. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT I HAVE TO BUY A NEW TRANSMISSION THAT IT'S TO EXPENSIVE. I HOPE YOU COULD HELP ME. THANK YOU
THE CAR IS OVER WINDING AND SOUNDS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT SPIKE IN THE RPMS BEFORE IT SHIFTS BETWEEN GEAR TO GEAR. IT'S ONLY GOT 98K AND IT'S METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT A THOUSAND MILES.
TRANSMISSION BANGS INTO GEAR. WINDS UP THEN SLAMS INTO GEAR AND ACCELERATES UP IMMEDIATELY. I ALMOST HIT ANOTHER CAR. THIS HAPPENED WHILE GOING 40 MPH.
WHEN I WOULD SHIFT IT WOULD BANG , BUT THEN IT WOULD DRIVE FINE , AND WHEN IT IDLES IT WOULD GO REV BETWEEN 1000 AND 2000 RPM. ONCE YOU DRIVE IT LIKE IT HEATS UP THO IT WON'T DO IT , LIKE IT WILL DO IT IF YOU ARE SHIFTING WHEN YOU ARE FIRST STARTING THE CAR IT'S HIT AND MISS.
TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING GEARS RIGHT AROUND 58,000 MILES. I WOULD DRIVE IT AND IT WOULD GET STUCK IN 5TH GEAR. I WOULD HAVE TO SWITCH OVER TO MANUAL TO TRY AND SWITCH GEARS AND WHEN I WOULD DO THAT I WOULD EXPERIENCE VERY HARD SHIFTING AND JERKING. IF I'M SWITCHING FROM PARK TO DRIVE WHILE STATIONARY, EXTREMELY HARD JERKING AND IT WOULD STALL FOR 5 SECONDS BEFORE GOING INTO DRIVE. NISSAN REFUSES TO FIX THE ISSUE. I GUESS THEY WANT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PEOPLE TO DIE BEFORE ISSUING A RECALL! THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WHEN THE CAR DOES THIS. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER CRAPPY NISSAN EVER AGAIN! NOT TO MENTION THE SENSORS THAT HAS CONSTANTLY BEEN REPLACED OVER AND OVER THINKING IT WILL FIX THE JERKING ISSUES, BUT IT DOESN'T. IMAGINE HAVING A CAR FULL OF KIDS WHILE IT DOES THIS. THANKS NISSAN FOR BEING SO CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY! *TR
HARD SHIFTING FROM TRANSMISSION WHEN COMING TO A STOP. SLIPPAGE OF GEARS WHEN IN A STATIONARY POSITION IN PARK GOING INTO DRIVE (TAKES ABOUT 5 SECONDS)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED, JERKED, AND MADE A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE. THE VEHICLE FELT AS IF IT WOULD STALL WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AND NEEDED TO BE REBUILT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 124,000.
TRANSMISSION STARTED FAILING AT AROUND 98K MILES. JERKS AND SLIPS WHILE DRIVING. DOESN'T PERFORM PROPERLY WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE. HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING ON ANY TYPE ROAD, ANY CONDITIONS, ANY TIME AND AT ANY SPEED.
TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS
THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA 3.5 SE IS JERKING AND SLIPPING/SPINNING SEVERELY. IT STARTED AROUND 90,000 MILES. THIS HAPPENS WHEN DOWN SHIFTING OR SLOWING DOWN AND WHEN TAKING OFF. IT'S SO BAD WHEN TAKING OFF, YOU CAN SEE THE CAR JERK. WHEN TAKING OFF, THE CAR HESITATES UNTIL JERKING INTO LOW GEAR.
TRANSMISSION SLIPS SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. ENGINE RPMS REV TO APPROX. 5000-6000. WHEN THE CAR FINALLY SHIFTS,THERE IS A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE THAT COMES IN THE REAR END OF THE CAR. *TR
THE CAR TURNED 100000 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SHIFT HARD WHEN ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING. THE TRANSMISSION WOULD ALSO SLIP WHEN GOING DOWN THE ROAD AT TRAVEL SPEED,
TRANSMISSION HESITATES WHEN SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE, ALSO BETWEEN SHIFTS IN DRIVE ENGINE REVS UP THEN TRANS SLAMS INTO GEAR CAUSING A HARSH JOLT FORWARD.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2005 Nissan Maxima has 654 Power Train complaints on file. 5 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.