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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 →

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.

16 crash reports10 fire reports19 injury reports

What owners actually said

948 reports
145,000 miles · Nov 10, 2015
Power Train

TAKING OFF CAR JERKS REAL BAD BETWEEN 1ST & 2ND GEAR, THEN WHEN I PUSH DOWN ON GAS SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T WANT TO MOVE. SLOWING DOWN CAR KICKS & JERKS WHEN DOWN SHIFTING. NOW IT'S AT THE POINT WHERE THE CAR STALLS WHEN SWITCHING GEARS. PUTTING THE CAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE IT HESITATES ABOUT 5 TO 7 SEC AND MAKES A LOUD SOUND WHEN I…

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TAKING OFF CAR JERKS REAL BAD BETWEEN 1ST & 2ND GEAR, THEN WHEN I PUSH DOWN ON GAS SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T WANT TO MOVE. SLOWING DOWN CAR KICKS & JERKS WHEN DOWN SHIFTING. NOW IT'S AT THE POINT WHERE THE CAR STALLS WHEN SWITCHING GEARS. PUTTING THE CAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE IT HESITATES ABOUT 5 TO 7 SEC AND MAKES A LOUD SOUND WHEN IT JERKS. TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR UNDER 20M.P.H. CAUSING ENGINE TO REV UP TO 4RPM AND SOMETIMES 5RPM. THIS ISSUE IS HAPPENING WHETHER I IN MOTION ON A STREET OR HIGHWAY, STATIONARY GETTING READY TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR, ETC. I AM REALLY AFRAID THAT I AM GOING TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT OR SOMETHING. I TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC AND HE SAYS I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ODI #10789477

80,000 miles · Nov 6, 2015
Power Train

CAR BEGAN JUMPING WHEN IT CHANGED GEARS AT LOW SPEEDS, HAD TO HAVE TRANSMISSION REBUILT

NHTSA ODI #10788806

95,000 miles · Oct 29, 2015
EngineEquipment

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,00…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000. UPDATED 08/16/16*LJ *JS

NHTSA ODI #10787069

81,000 miles · Oct 22, 2015
Power Train

GOT THE CAR A YEAR AGO FROM CARMAX. HAD THE CAR FOR LESS THAN 30 DAYS BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION GAVE OUT. THE MILEAGE WAS RIGHT AROUND 52,000 MILES. THEY TOOK IT BACK, FIXED IT AND IT WAS FINE. NOW HERE I AM AGAIN LESS THAN A YEAR LATER I'M HAVING THE SAME EXACT ISSUE. JERKING REALLY HARD IN BETWEEN GEARS, RPM WOULD RED LINE BEFOR…

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GOT THE CAR A YEAR AGO FROM CARMAX. HAD THE CAR FOR LESS THAN 30 DAYS BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION GAVE OUT. THE MILEAGE WAS RIGHT AROUND 52,000 MILES. THEY TOOK IT BACK, FIXED IT AND IT WAS FINE. NOW HERE I AM AGAIN LESS THAN A YEAR LATER I'M HAVING THE SAME EXACT ISSUE. JERKING REALLY HARD IN BETWEEN GEARS, RPM WOULD RED LINE BEFORE IT WOULD FINALLY SWITCH GEARS. NOW THIS TIME THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY GAVE OUT ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION! WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS, THE CAR MADE A NOISE AS IF THE POWER WAS FAILING, AND SURE ENOUGH IT DID. THE CAR CUT OFF ON ME. CONTACTED CARMAX AGAIN TO SEE IF I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. BUT THIS WILL BE THE SECOND TIME I'VE GOT THE CAR FIXED FOR THE SAME ISSUE. NOW I HAVE AROUND 80,000 MILES ON THIS CAR.

NHTSA ODI #10785363

Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2015
Air Bags

I HAVE A RECALL NOTICE FROM NISSAN BUT MY AUTO DEALER LEFT OUR AREA. NISSAN TOLD ME TO TAKE IT TO ANOTHER TOWN THAT IS AT LEAST 70 MILES AWAY. I CANNOT GET IT THERE. THEY WILL NOT PAY ANOTHER NON-NISSAN LOCAL DEALER TO DO THE WORK. WHAT CAN I DO?

NHTSA ODI #10780110

170,000 miles · Sep 28, 2015
EngineService BrakesSteering

PRIOR TO INCIDENT CAR WAS SHIFTING REALLY HARD AND SLIPPING GEARS. ONCE WHEN DRIVING, CAR SUDDENLY WENT INTO A SAFETY MODE NOT LETTING IT SHIFT OUT OF 5TH GEAR. GOING DOWN HILL CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STALL BECAUSE OF BEING IN 5TH GEAR AND CAR ENGINE TURNED OFF, AS WELL AS POWER STEERING AND BRAKING. HAD IT BEEN ON A BUSY ROAD A …

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PRIOR TO INCIDENT CAR WAS SHIFTING REALLY HARD AND SLIPPING GEARS. ONCE WHEN DRIVING, CAR SUDDENLY WENT INTO A SAFETY MODE NOT LETTING IT SHIFT OUT OF 5TH GEAR. GOING DOWN HILL CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STALL BECAUSE OF BEING IN 5TH GEAR AND CAR ENGINE TURNED OFF, AS WELL AS POWER STEERING AND BRAKING. HAD IT BEEN ON A BUSY ROAD A CRASH WOULD HAVE OCCURRED.

NHTSA ODI #10778054

48,639 miles · Aug 26, 2015
Engine

WITHIN ONE MONTH OF GETTING THE CAR, TRANSMISSION STARTED JERKING. IT WOULD JERK REALLY HARD AND ALMOST RED LINE BETWEEN 1ST, 2ND, AND 3RD GEAR. IT ALSO DOES IT WHEN I TRY TO REVERSE! IT JERKED SO HARD ONE TIME I THOUGHT SOMEBODY HAD HIT THE BACK OF MY CAR! I TOOK IT BACK TO CARMAX (WHERE I ORIGINALLY GOT IT) AND THEY TOLD ME IT…

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WITHIN ONE MONTH OF GETTING THE CAR, TRANSMISSION STARTED JERKING. IT WOULD JERK REALLY HARD AND ALMOST RED LINE BETWEEN 1ST, 2ND, AND 3RD GEAR. IT ALSO DOES IT WHEN I TRY TO REVERSE! IT JERKED SO HARD ONE TIME I THOUGHT SOMEBODY HAD HIT THE BACK OF MY CAR! I TOOK IT BACK TO CARMAX (WHERE I ORIGINALLY GOT IT) AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE VALVE. THEY QUOTED 2000.00 TO FIX THE CAR, BUT SINCE I HAD IT FOR LESS THAN 30 DAYS THEY FIXED IT. SEVEN MONTHS LATER I STARTED HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I'M SO FRUSTRATED! I JUST WANT ANOTHER CAR! I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN, EVER! AFTER RESEARCHING AND READING ALL THE REVIEWS, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AS ME WITH THIS CAR. (ALONG WITH OTHER NISSAN MODELS). DO YOUR RESEARCH PEOPLE! DON'T BUY ANY OF THESE MODELS FROM NISSAN OR ANYONE ELSE! (2004-2006 MAXIMA)

NHTSA ODI #10759451

100,000 miles · Aug 24, 2015
Power TrainStructure

TRANSMISSION FAILURE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, CAR JERKS INTO GEARS, RPM'S ACCELERATE WHEN DRIVING IN FIRST GEARS. PER NISSAN DEALER THEY SAID IT NEEDED NEW MOUNTS AND A NEW TRANSMISSION, I SHOULD TRADE IT IN THEY SAID :[ I HAVE MAINTAINED ALL OIL CHANGES AND HAVE KEPT UP MY SERVICE. THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY RESPONSIBILITY…

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TRANSMISSION FAILURE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, CAR JERKS INTO GEARS, RPM'S ACCELERATE WHEN DRIVING IN FIRST GEARS. PER NISSAN DEALER THEY SAID IT NEEDED NEW MOUNTS AND A NEW TRANSMISSION, I SHOULD TRADE IT IN THEY SAID :[ I HAVE MAINTAINED ALL OIL CHANGES AND HAVE KEPT UP MY SERVICE. THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY RESPONSIBILITY. NEED HELP PLEASE, I CAN NOT AFFORD A NEW TRANSMISSION, I CAN NOT AFFORD 5 YEARS OF CAR PAYMENTS AS WELL. THANK YOU, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10758878

85,000 miles · Aug 8, 2015
Engine

THE CAR STARTED JERKING WHEN YOU PUT IT IN GEER.THEN IT STARTED JERKING AND CHANGING WHILE DRIVING AND TAKE OFF AT A RAPID SPEED.I TOOK IT TO NISSAN IN DECEMBER 2010 TO GET IT CHECKED OUT FOR THE JERKING AND TO GET AN OIL CHANGE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WASN'T UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH I HAD TAKEN A EXTENDED WARRANTY OUT.I PURC…

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THE CAR STARTED JERKING WHEN YOU PUT IT IN GEER.THEN IT STARTED JERKING AND CHANGING WHILE DRIVING AND TAKE OFF AT A RAPID SPEED.I TOOK IT TO NISSAN IN DECEMBER 2010 TO GET IT CHECKED OUT FOR THE JERKING AND TO GET AN OIL CHANGE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WASN'T UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH I HAD TAKEN A EXTENDED WARRANTY OUT.I PURCHASE A NEW VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. 2011 PATHFINDER. I TOOK MY MAXIMA BACK TO NISSAN IN JULY 2015 BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS COMING ON AND THE CAR WAS STILL DOING THE SAME BUT WORSE. THE DEALER NEVER SAT THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE CAR FOR THE TRANSMISSION. A FAMILY MEMBER FOUND THIS WEBSITE FOR ME.

NHTSA ODI #10747197

71,000 miles · Aug 6, 2015
EnginePower TrainSteeringInjury

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA FROM CARMAX IT WAS ABOUT A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP AND CHANGE GEARS REALLY ROUGH. THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES WHEN CHANGING GEARS EITHER AT IDLE OR WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION DOES IT THE MOST BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND AND SECOND TO THIRD AND WHEN DOWN…

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I RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA FROM CARMAX IT WAS ABOUT A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP AND CHANGE GEARS REALLY ROUGH. THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES WHEN CHANGING GEARS EITHER AT IDLE OR WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION DOES IT THE MOST BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND AND SECOND TO THIRD AND WHEN DOWNSHIFTING IN THOSE SAME GEARS. MY MAIN CONCERN IS MY FAMILY IN THIS VEHICLE OR ANY OTHER FAMILIES IN THE SAME VEHICLE WHEN WE ARE DRIVING IN THE VEHICE OUR HEADS AND NECKS GET WHIPPED BACK AND FORTH VERY ROUGHLY. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION CHANGING GEARS ON ITS OWN WHILE IM DRIVING THE CAR. I ONLY ASK FOR YOU TO PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND MAKE IT A RECALL. NISSAN DID NOT WANT TO HELP ME OUT OR ANYONE ELSE. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND HEARD NUMEROUS STORIES ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. IT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED. NISSAN PUT OUT A POOR PRODUCT AND WONT FIX IT. THEY NEED TO OWN UP TO THEIR MISTAKE, BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR DIES. I ASK OF YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. NOT ONLY FOR MY SAFETY OR MY INFANT'S SAFETY BUT FOR ANYONE WHO OWNS THIS VEHICLE. PS. IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS ISSUE BEFORE I BOUGHT THE CAR I WOULD HAVE NEVER GOTTEN IT. PPS. THE TEST DRIVE AND THE 1ST MONTH WERE FINE UNTIL NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS OCCURRED. PLEASE HELP, PLEASE HELP! GET THIS RECALL ACTIVE! THANKS, FRANK

NHTSA ODI #10746773

Official recalls

2

05V512000 · 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.