TRANSMISSION ISSUE. THIS APPEARED TO START AROUND THE 60K MILE MARK. RANDOMLY THE CAR WOULD JERK GOING FROM 2ND TO 3RD OR WHEN SLOWING DOWN FROM 2ND BACK DOWN. *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.
Power Train complaints
777 reportsI HAVE A TRANSMISSION ISSUE WITH MY 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN APRIL 2009 WITH A LITTLE OVER 36K MILES. AS OF DECEMBER 28, 2009 MY CAR HAS 56K MILES. CAR HAS REALLY BAD JERKING MOTION UP SHIFTING AND DOWN SHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS EVERY DAY. THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING. BROUGHT MAXIMA TO NISSAN DEALER …
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I HAVE A TRANSMISSION ISSUE WITH MY 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN APRIL 2009 WITH A LITTLE OVER 36K MILES. AS OF DECEMBER 28, 2009 MY CAR HAS 56K MILES. CAR HAS REALLY BAD JERKING MOTION UP SHIFTING AND DOWN SHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS EVERY DAY. THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING. BROUGHT MAXIMA TO NISSAN DEALER SHIP WHO SUGGESTS TO FLUSH TRANSMISSION AND CHANGE MOTOR MOUNTS WHICH SEEM TO BE A WASTE OF MONEY AND NOT CORRECTING THE REAL PROBLEM. *TR
WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS WORKING FOR ABOUT 10 TO 15 MINUTES IT START TO CHANGE GEARS ROUGH AND ALSO SLIPPAGE ALSO OCCUR THE VEHICLE IS MY CAR PORT I CAN'T AFFORD THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THEY WILL BE AROUND 3,500. *TR
I HAVE A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA SE(AT TRANSMISSION) THAT I BOUGHT BRAND NEW IN 05 I HAVE ABOUT 55K MILES ON IT AND IT IS STARTING TO SHOW SOME TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WHEN IT IS SHIFTING 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IT HAS A VERY BAD JERK IN TO GEAR AND THE SAME WHEN I SLOW DOWN AND IT DOWN SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR. AND ALSO WHEN IT IS SHIFTI…
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I HAVE A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA SE(AT TRANSMISSION) THAT I BOUGHT BRAND NEW IN 05 I HAVE ABOUT 55K MILES ON IT AND IT IS STARTING TO SHOW SOME TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. WHEN IT IS SHIFTING 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IT HAS A VERY BAD JERK IN TO GEAR AND THE SAME WHEN I SLOW DOWN AND IT DOWN SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR. AND ALSO WHEN IT IS SHIFTING FORM 3RD TO 4TH OR 4TH TO 5TH SOME TIMES IT DELAYS AND MY CAR GOES INTO NEUTRAL FOR ABOUT 3 SECONDS THEN IT SHIFTS REALLY HARD INTO GEAR WITH THAT SAME JERK I HAVE SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND. ALSO MY CAR SOMETIMES GET STUCK IN 5TH GEAR WHEN IM ON THE FREE WAY, I KNOW THIS BECAUSE AFTER I SLOW DOWN ACCORDING TO TRAFFIC AND THEN ACCELERATE TO GO WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC I HAVE NO ACCELERATING POWER(THIS PROBLEM DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME BUT IT DOES HAPPEN AND HOW I GET MY CAR BACK TO FIRST GEAR IS I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND RESTART MY CAR). I TRIED TAKING MY CAR THE A LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT THEY FIRST SUGGEST GETTING A TRANSMISSION OIL CHANGE AND FLUSH. THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AT ALL. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AFTER I GOT MY TRANSMISSION OIL CHANGE DONE. AND NOW THEY ARE SUGGESTING ME TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION FOR 3000 TO 4000. AND I PERSONALLY CAN NOT AFFORD THAT. PLEASE HAVE A RECALL ON THE 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA SE I HAVE READ MANY NISSAN FORUMS AND MANY NISSAN CUSTOMER HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AN COMPLAINT. ON THIS WEBSITE HTTP://X.NISSANHELP.COM/FORUMS/MAXIMA/9183-05-MAXIMA-TRANSMISSION-SHIFTING-PROBLEMS.HTML NONE OF THESE NISSAN MAXIMA SE HAVE NOT EVEN OVER A 100K MILES ON IN. PLEASE HELP ALL OF US OUT BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN A CAR GOES IN TO NEUTRAL FOR A FEW SECONDS AND WHEN IT GET STUCK IN 5 GEAR ON THE FREE WAY. *TR
I CURRENTLY HAVE A 2005 MAXIMA WITH ONLY 75,00 MILES. THE CAR JERKS BACK WHEN IT SHIFTS GEARS. IT HAS CAUSED ME TO PULLOVER AND RESTART MY CAR EVERYTIME. THERE HAS BEEN THOUSANDS OF NISSAN MAXIMA OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE AROUND THE 50,000 TO 100,000 MILE RANGE. THERE IS DEFINITELY A DEFECT ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAD TRANSMISSI…
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I CURRENTLY HAVE A 2005 MAXIMA WITH ONLY 75,00 MILES. THE CAR JERKS BACK WHEN IT SHIFTS GEARS. IT HAS CAUSED ME TO PULLOVER AND RESTART MY CAR EVERYTIME. THERE HAS BEEN THOUSANDS OF NISSAN MAXIMA OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE AROUND THE 50,000 TO 100,000 MILE RANGE. THERE IS DEFINITELY A DEFECT ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAD TRANSMISSION/ MOTOR MOUNTS REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION MOVED FROM SIDE TO SIDE THAT IT BROKE ALL THE MOUNTS. I HAVE GOTTEN MULTIPLE WHIPLASHES AND CONTINUE WITH BACK PAIN. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP ON 12/7/2009 AND THEY OF COURSE SAID THAT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. THEY SAID IT IS COMMON ON THESE VEHICLES. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP RUNNING AND NOW THEY'RE SAYING THAT IT IS NOT RUNNING. *TR
PROBLEM WITH NISSAM MAXIMA 2004 TRANSMISSION JERKING WHEN PUT IN GEAR OR SHIFTING FORM 1ST -2ND. *TR
2005 NISSAN MAXIMA, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS EXTREMELY HARD WHEN UPSHIFTING AND DOWN SHIFTING. SOMETIMES IT JUST STAYS NEUTRAL WHILE STOP AND WHEN THE GAS IS PRESSED IT JUMPS FORWARD. THIS IS EXTREMELY SCARY AND UNSAFE. I WAS READING ABOUT THIS AND IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH NISSAN MAXIMAS 2004 AND NEWER. THER…
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2005 NISSAN MAXIMA, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS EXTREMELY HARD WHEN UPSHIFTING AND DOWN SHIFTING. SOMETIMES IT JUST STAYS NEUTRAL WHILE STOP AND WHEN THE GAS IS PRESSED IT JUMPS FORWARD. THIS IS EXTREMELY SCARY AND UNSAFE. I WAS READING ABOUT THIS AND IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH NISSAN MAXIMAS 2004 AND NEWER. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS EVERYWHERE. *TR
AT LOW SPEEDS, THE CAR JERKS INTO GEAR AS IF IT HAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO DO IT MORE OFTEN WHEN THE CAR HAS WARMED UP. SOME DAYS IT DOES IT EVERY TIME WHEN SWITCHING BETWEEN 1ST, 2ND AND 3RD GEARS. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND WAS TOLD I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION CAR ONLY HAS 88000 MILES ON IT. I HAD NOTICED THE PROBL…
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AT LOW SPEEDS, THE CAR JERKS INTO GEAR AS IF IT HAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO DO IT MORE OFTEN WHEN THE CAR HAS WARMED UP. SOME DAYS IT DOES IT EVERY TIME WHEN SWITCHING BETWEEN 1ST, 2ND AND 3RD GEARS. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND WAS TOLD I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION CAR ONLY HAS 88000 MILES ON IT. I HAD NOTICED THE PROBLEM ABOUT A MONTH OR SO BEFORE TAKING IT IN TO BE CHECKED. I LOOKED THE ISSUE UP ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND WHERE NUMEROUS NISSAN MAXIMA OWNERS WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. MANY OF THEM HAD VARIOUS EXPENSIVE REPAIRS DONE. NOT SAFE IN TRAFFIC AS CAR LUNGES FORWARD! *TR
MY 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA HAS STARTED SHOWING SIGNS OF WHAT MAY BE SERIOUS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. AS TO THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION TO CORRECT THESE INTERMITTENT AND RANDOM SYMPTOMS THAT INCLUDE: 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 1…
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MY 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA HAS STARTED SHOWING SIGNS OF WHAT MAY BE SERIOUS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. AS TO THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION TO CORRECT THESE INTERMITTENT AND RANDOM SYMPTOMS THAT INCLUDE: 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. THE IS FOLLOWED BY A BURNT OIL / ELECTRICAL TYPE SMELL THAT GETS INSIDE THE CAR AND EVIDENT OUTSIDE AFTER STOPPING. SOMETIMES I GO FOR DAYS WITH NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL AND OTHER TIMES IT MAY HAPPEN A DOZEN TIMES IN A DAY. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER AND NONE OF THE PROBLEMS SHOWED UP FOR THEM BUT THEY NOTED THAT THE ENGINE MOUNTS WERE BROKEN BUT THAT WOULD NOT CAUSE THESE SYMPTOMS. THEY SUGGESTED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND MOTOR MOUNTS FOR $4,000. *TR
I HAVE A 05 MAXIMA AND FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS I HAVE HAD A JERKING WHEN I DRIVE THE CAR. IT FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN I ROLE OF FROM 5 TO 30 MPH THE CAR JERKS AND IT RPMS TO 5K THEN DROPS. ALSO WHEN I AM SLOWING DOWN THE CAR JERKS MORE. THEY CHANGED MY MOTOR MOUNTS AND SAID THAT IT. THE NEXT DAY IT STARTED AGAIN. TH…
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I HAVE A 05 MAXIMA AND FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS I HAVE HAD A JERKING WHEN I DRIVE THE CAR. IT FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN I ROLE OF FROM 5 TO 30 MPH THE CAR JERKS AND IT RPMS TO 5K THEN DROPS. ALSO WHEN I AM SLOWING DOWN THE CAR JERKS MORE. THEY CHANGED MY MOTOR MOUNTS AND SAID THAT IT. THE NEXT DAY IT STARTED AGAIN. THREE WEEKS LATER I CONFRONTED THEM AGAIN AND THE STATED TO ME THAT THERE IS ONLY A RECALL ON THE CVT TRANSMISSION THAT IS IN THE MURANO THAT HAS A RECALL. I HAVE SPOKEN TO QUITE A FEW PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE GOTTEN THE SAME ANSWER. ITS NOT FAIR THAT PEOPLE SPEND THERE HARD EARNED MONEY ON AN 30,000 CAR AND HAVE TO GO THREW THESE PROBLEMS. *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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