IllustrationLIKE ALL OTHER I HAVE A 2005 NISSAN MAXIAM TRANSMISSION WHEN OUT GOT ANOTHER DID SAME SO NISSAN HAVE A MAYOR PROPLEM AND NEE D 2 FIX IT NOT HIDE IT. *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
370–25K
4225–50K
19850–75K
31075–100K
201100–150K
34150K+
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 reportsTRANSMISSION FAILS TO GET OUT OF 5TH GEAR AND HAVE TO START FORWARD MOVEMENT IN 5TH GEAR INSTEAD OF 1ST GEAR. HARD SHIFTS VERY SOLID BUMP. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND NOW THIS ONE IS ACTING THE SAME WAY.
I BOUGHT MY USED CAR FROM A LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP WITH APRX. 74000 MILES ON IT IN FEB 2010. SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED FEELING THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ROUGHLY IN THE LOWER GEARS. I TOOK IT IN TO A REPUTABLE REPAIR SHOP IN JUNE 2010 AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY KIND OF DIAGNOSTIC CODES IN THE COMPUTER FOR THE TRANSMISSION, BUT TO…
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I BOUGHT MY USED CAR FROM A LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP WITH APRX. 74000 MILES ON IT IN FEB 2010. SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED FEELING THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ROUGHLY IN THE LOWER GEARS. I TOOK IT IN TO A REPUTABLE REPAIR SHOP IN JUNE 2010 AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY KIND OF DIAGNOSTIC CODES IN THE COMPUTER FOR THE TRANSMISSION, BUT TOLD ME THE ENGINE MOUNTS WERE BROKEN AND NEEDED REPLACING. I REPLACED THE ENGINE MOUNT AND ALSO HAD THEM FLUSH AND PUT IN FRESH TRANSMISSION FLUID AT THAT TIME AS WELL. AGAIN VERY SHORTLY AFTER I STARTED FEELING THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ROUGHLY AND IT PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE AND EVEN STARTED SLIPPING INTERMITTENTLY!! I TOOK MY CAR BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY CODES AGAIN. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT HUNDREDS OF 2004 AND 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA OWNERS WERE HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS!!! I HAVE SEARCHED FOR ANY RECALLS, BUT THERE ARE NONE!! I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WERE I BOUGHT IT FROM AND SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AND HE STATED THAT HE HAS DEALT WITH THIS ISSUE WITH OWNERS OF THIS MAKE, MODEL ,AND YEAR!! I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN AND SPOKE WITH THEIR CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPT, BUT THE ARE NOT WILLING TO HELP IN ANY WAY. I BELIEVE, AS WELL AS HUNDREDS OF OTHER OWNERS, THAT NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT THIS DEFECT, BUT IS UNWILLING TO ISSUE A RECALL TO THE PUBLIC!!! I THINK THIS IS COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE AND NEGLIGENT ON NISSAN'S BEHALF AND HAS SHATTERED MY FAITH IN THEIR COMPANY.
1. TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ROUGH 2. TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR WHILE SHIFTING FROM SECOND & THIRD. HAPPENING EVERYDAY WHILE DRIVING. 3.CONTACTED NISSAN CORP. AND THEY TOLD ME I NEED THEM TO CHECK THE TRANSMISSION, MY AUTO REPAIR PERSON TOLD ME IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE A TURN THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED ABRUPTLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 66,000. UPDATED 3/8/11 *CN THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.
MY CAR JERKED AND JUMPED AS ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS. I HAVE NOT TRUSTED THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR AND IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY SO I TOOK TO AN OUTSIDE TRANSMISSION SHOP. I PAID $3000 TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT. THE TECHNICIAN AS WELL AS MYSELF DID A LOT OF RESEARCH BECAUSE THEY WERE HAVING D…
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MY CAR JERKED AND JUMPED AS ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS. I HAVE NOT TRUSTED THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR AND IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY SO I TOOK TO AN OUTSIDE TRANSMISSION SHOP. I PAID $3000 TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT. THE TECHNICIAN AS WELL AS MYSELF DID A LOT OF RESEARCH BECAUSE THEY WERE HAVING DIFFICULTY REPAIRING. WE FOUND COMPLIANT AFTER COMPLAINT. I WILL BE SEARCHING AND BE ADDED TO EVERY CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT I CAN FIND. MY TECHNICIAN IS WILL TO FILL IN THE GAPS. IT HAS TAKEN 6 MONTHS AND MY CAR STILL IS NOT OPERATING PERFECTLY. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN PRODUCT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT ME TO HEAR ALL THE DETAILS. I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO EXPLAIN IN DETAIL. *TR
OUR 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA IS JERKING WHEN MOVING FROM A COMPLETE STOP. TRANSMISSION SHIFTS OUT OF GEAR AND "CLUNKS" BACK INTO GEAR WITH A SCREECH OF TIRES. I SEE WHERE TONS OF COMPLAINTS ARE BEING FILED FROM OTHER 2005 MAXIMA OWNERS. WHY ARE YOU FOLKS DOING NOTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM? MY CAR HAD ROUGHLY $65,000 MILES ON IT. …
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OUR 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA IS JERKING WHEN MOVING FROM A COMPLETE STOP. TRANSMISSION SHIFTS OUT OF GEAR AND "CLUNKS" BACK INTO GEAR WITH A SCREECH OF TIRES. I SEE WHERE TONS OF COMPLAINTS ARE BEING FILED FROM OTHER 2005 MAXIMA OWNERS. WHY ARE YOU FOLKS DOING NOTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM? MY CAR HAD ROUGHLY $65,000 MILES ON IT. NISSAN NEEDS TO OWN UP TO THIS PROBLEM AND FIX IT. THIS IS CLEARLY A DEFECT. WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE IGNORING THIS DEFECT? *TR
THIS COMPLAINT FOLLOWS ALONG WITH THE MANY THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED BY THE NHTSA ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON THE NISSAN MAXIMA. THE TRANSMISSION STARTED JERKING WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. IT WOULD ALSO JERK WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE. OF COURSE THE ANSWER IS A 4,000 DOLLAR REPAIR FOR A NEW TRA…
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THIS COMPLAINT FOLLOWS ALONG WITH THE MANY THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED BY THE NHTSA ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON THE NISSAN MAXIMA. THE TRANSMISSION STARTED JERKING WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. IT WOULD ALSO JERK WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE. OF COURSE THE ANSWER IS A 4,000 DOLLAR REPAIR FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION,ON A CAR WITH ONLY 61,000 MILES ON IT. THE NATURE OF THIS PROBLEM WILL ONLY LEAD TO A SERIOUS CRASH OR ACCIDENT IN THE FUTURE. NOT SURE WHY THE NHTSA HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS YET, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON THEIR WEB SITE, NOT TO MENTION THE LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT CAN BE FOUND BY SEARCHING ON MANY OTHER SITES. I GUESS WHAT THEY SAY IS TRUE, THAT IT WILL TAKE SOMEONE BEING HURT OR KILLED BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE. HOW SAD!
FAILURE IN ABS, TCS, SLIP. WARNING LIGHTS SHOW AFTER THE OCCURRING SOUND OF GRINDING IN THE BRAKES. THIS IS MY SECOND MAXIMA, 2005 SE AND SL MODELS HAVE PROBLEMS. BOTH CARS HAVE DIFFERENT ODOMETER, ONE IS BELOW 100K AND ONE IS HIGHER. THIS IS RIDICULOUS FOR A 30+K CAR. *TR
2005 NISSAN MAXIMA POWERTRAIN WENT OUT IN 2007 AND I REPLACED IT AND WAS TOLD THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NISSAN IS AWARE BUT HAVE NOT RELEASED A KIT TO FIX IT. IT IS DEC 26, 2010 AND THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION WENT OUT DEC. 24, 2010. THIS CAR HAS HAD HARD SHIFTING AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE MOUNTS NEED TO BE REPLACED IN RESPONSE T…
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2005 NISSAN MAXIMA POWERTRAIN WENT OUT IN 2007 AND I REPLACED IT AND WAS TOLD THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NISSAN IS AWARE BUT HAVE NOT RELEASED A KIT TO FIX IT. IT IS DEC 26, 2010 AND THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION WENT OUT DEC. 24, 2010. THIS CAR HAS HAD HARD SHIFTING AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE MOUNTS NEED TO BE REPLACED IN RESPONSE TO THE HARD SHIFTING JUST 3 WEEKS AGO.! I AM NOT FIXING THIS CAR AGAIN. IN 2007 I CALLED NISSAN AND FILED A COMPLAINT AND NOTHING WAS DONE. THE NHTSA HAS TO GET INVOLVED. THE CAR STOPPED SHIFTING WHILE MY LITTLE CAR WAS IN THE CAR WITH ME ON THE ROAD. WE WERE ALMOST SLAMMED FROM BEHIND BUT THE DRIVER BEHIND ME SWERVED IN TIME. PLEASE, PLEASE DO MAKE NISSAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I NOW HAVE A 35,000 DOLLAR PIECE OF JUNK SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY AND I HAVE TO GO PURCHASE ANOTHER CAR. I WILL BE FILING A SUIT! *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.