TRANSMISSION SLIPS, JERKS HAS ISSUE AFTER ISSUE.. ALSO HAVING CATALYST ISSUES (EXHAUST, HEAT SHIELD ETC). *TR
2005 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Maxima years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Nissan Maxima are substantially higher than the model-year median of 99.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Maxima years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
822 reports with mileage · 126 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 777 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
40 reportsI PURCHASED MY 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA BRAND NEW IN APRIL OF 2005. I PAID COLD HARD EARNED CASH ($35,000) FOR THIS CAR. WE REFINANCED OUR HOME TOO BUY AN RELIABLE, STURDY, DEPENDABLE, STYLISH, ROAD CAR (INSTEAD WE GOT A LEMON). I HAVE HAD MANY ISSUES WITH THE CAR. THE HEADLINER CONSTANTLY FALLING DOWN OVER MY HEAD WHILE DRIVING WIT…
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I PURCHASED MY 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA BRAND NEW IN APRIL OF 2005. I PAID COLD HARD EARNED CASH ($35,000) FOR THIS CAR. WE REFINANCED OUR HOME TOO BUY AN RELIABLE, STURDY, DEPENDABLE, STYLISH, ROAD CAR (INSTEAD WE GOT A LEMON). I HAVE HAD MANY ISSUES WITH THE CAR. THE HEADLINER CONSTANTLY FALLING DOWN OVER MY HEAD WHILE DRIVING WITH THE SUNROOF OPEN, THE SUNROOF NOT OPENING AND CLOSING PROPERLY, THE O2 SENSORS GOING OUT CONSTANTLY, , THE BRACKETS BEING REPLACED, THE LEATHER SEATS LOOK AS IF I HAVE RAZOR BLADES ATTACHED TO MY BOTTOM SIDE, AND THE TRANSMISSION IS AWFUL!!! AT 65,000 MILES IT STARTED GOING OUT. THE LOCAL DEALER REPLACED THE TRANNY WITHOUT ADMITTING ANY FAULT ON NISSANS BEHALF. AT THE TIME WE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE TROUBLING PROBLEMS WITH THE 2004-2005 TRANSMISSIONS. THEY ONLY CHARGED US FOR THE LABOR COST. WE ACTUALLY THOUGHT "WOW, THEY ARE COOL"!! HERE WE ARE AT 157,000 MILES (ABOUT 70,000 LATER AND THE TRANNY IS:JERKING EXTREMELY HARD ( IT FEELS LIKE I AM BEING RAMMED FROM THE REAR BY A 18 TON SEMI-TRAILER) BETWEEN GOING INTO 1ST AND SECOND GEAR AND AGAIN BACK IN REVERSE FROM 2ND INTO 1ST GEAR. THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN SO BAD THAT IS NOW HESITATING IN SHIFTING AND I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!! I HAVE DONE MY RESEARCH, AND THIS IS AN EPIDEMIC. NISSAN HAS TOO STEP UP AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. THIS COUNTRY HAS HIT A RECESSION. US HARDWORKING AMERICANS DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS. PLEASE HELP US CONSUMERS. THANK [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
I HAVE BEEN FEELING A JERKING IN MY CAR, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE THE MOTOR IS MOVING AROUND. I HAD THE MOTOR MOUNTS REPLACED, BUT STILL WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. I HAVE NOW FOUND OUT IT IS THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH WILL COST ME $3200.00, I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE SHOP THAT A LOT OF 2005 MAXIMA ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS, IF THIS IS …
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I HAVE BEEN FEELING A JERKING IN MY CAR, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE THE MOTOR IS MOVING AROUND. I HAD THE MOTOR MOUNTS REPLACED, BUT STILL WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. I HAVE NOW FOUND OUT IT IS THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH WILL COST ME $3200.00, I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE SHOP THAT A LOT OF 2005 MAXIMA ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS, IF THIS IS TRUE WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL? *TR
I RECENTLY PURCHASED AN 05 MAXIMA WITH 107,000 MILES ON IT. THE NEXT DAY I HEARD A LOUD TICKING FROM ENGINE. MY TENSIONERS ARE FAILING AN ESTIMATED $2000 REPAIR. IN THE SAME DAY UPON ACCELERATION MY WHEEL JERKED VIOLENTLY, A SIGN OF A FAILING TRANSMISSION. $3000+ THIS IS RIDICULOUS. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY CRIMINAL THAT A RECALL HAS …
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I RECENTLY PURCHASED AN 05 MAXIMA WITH 107,000 MILES ON IT. THE NEXT DAY I HEARD A LOUD TICKING FROM ENGINE. MY TENSIONERS ARE FAILING AN ESTIMATED $2000 REPAIR. IN THE SAME DAY UPON ACCELERATION MY WHEEL JERKED VIOLENTLY, A SIGN OF A FAILING TRANSMISSION. $3000+ THIS IS RIDICULOUS. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY CRIMINAL THAT A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN INITIATED BY NISSAN.THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, AND A SEVERE RISK TO THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER. I WILL BE CONTACTING EVERY AVAILABLE NEWSPAPER AND NEWS AGENCY IN MY AREA AND WILL TRY TO CONTACT NATIONAL NEWS AGENCIES THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ATROCIOUS. I BEG OTHER NISSAN OWNERS TO MAKE THIS A PROBLEM FOR NISSAN THAT WONT GO AWAY UNTIL PROPER ACTIONS ARE TAKEN. *TR
I AM TOLD THAT I AM EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE. AFTER CAREFUL RESEARCH, AND TWO MECHANIC OPINIONS IT HAS BEEN TOLD TO ME THAT NISSAN KNEW THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL OF MAXIMA AND HAS NOT OWNED UP TO THIS PROBLEM. NEITHER HAVE THEY RECALLED OR TRYING RIGHT THEIR WRONG. THESE ITEMS ARE THE L…
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I AM TOLD THAT I AM EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE. AFTER CAREFUL RESEARCH, AND TWO MECHANIC OPINIONS IT HAS BEEN TOLD TO ME THAT NISSAN KNEW THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL OF MAXIMA AND HAS NOT OWNED UP TO THIS PROBLEM. NEITHER HAVE THEY RECALLED OR TRYING RIGHT THEIR WRONG. THESE ITEMS ARE THE LIFE OF THE CAR. I HAVE ALSO CHECKED THE REVIEWS ON EDMUNDS.COM AND THERE ARE SEVERAL OWNERS OF THIS SAME CAR THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUES AND COMPLAINTS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT MEASURES CAN BE TAKEN AGAINST NISSAN FOR THEM OWN UP TO THESE DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS. IT WILL HURT THEM IN THE LONG RUN IF THEY DO NOT. I WILL CERTAINLY MAKE SURE THAT THE WORLD KNOWS ABOUT THIS AND DO NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO PURCHASE A NISSAN. I ONLY WISH I HAD DONE THIS BEFORE I PURCHASED THIS CAR. *TR
I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE USED WITH AND IT STARTED JERKING 2 MONTHS LATER. IT HAS GOTTEN TO BE REALLY BAD NOW! AND VERY DANGEROUS. I HAVE READ MANY MANY MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I DONT WANT MONEY OR A NEW CAR, I JUST WANT MY CAR FIXED. BAD TRANSMISSION. *TR
HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT CONTINUES TO JERK WHEN SHIFTING FROM GEAR TO GEAR. IT ALSO SLOWS DOWN AND HAS NO ACCELERATION. *TR
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. …
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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 $3300.00! 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?! *TR
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 C…
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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. *KB
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 S…
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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. *TR
Official recalls
205V512000 · Seats:front Assembly:power Adjust
Nov 7, 2005
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE DRIVER PREFERRED PACKAGE, THE WIRE HARNESS FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT POWER LUMBAR SUPPORT SWITCH MAY BE ROUTED INCORRECTLY AND COULD BE PINCHED UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A PINCHED HARNESS, IN COMBINATION WITH DRIVING VIBRATION, MAY RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE HARNESS THAT COULD LEAD TO A FIRE IN THE SEAT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS AND ROUTE IT CORRECTLY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 16, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
05V338000 · Child Seat:latch Strap
Jul 26, 2005
CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE LOWER ANCHORAGE BRACKETS IN THE REAR SEATS DO NOT MEET THE LOCATION REQUIREMENT IN THIS STANDARD. THIS MAY CAUSE DIFFICULTY IN ATTACHING SOME CHILD SEATS TO THESE BRACKETS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF A CHILD SEAT IS NOT PROPERLY SECURED, THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOWER ANCHORAGE BRACKETS WITH MODIFIED BRACKETS TO ENSURE THAT THE STANDARD IS MET. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 28, 2006. THE INFINITI Q45 MODEL VEHICLES ARE BEING CAMPAIGNED UNDER A SEPARATE RECALL (PLEASE SEE 05V374000). OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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