2005 NISSAN MAXIMA Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE TRANSMISSION (AUTOMATIC) ABRUPTLY CHANGED GEARS INTO NEUTRAL FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AND THEN ABRUPTLY WENT BACK INTO GEAR. THIS RAPID TRANSITION BETWEEN POWERED AND UNPOWERED CONDITION CAUSED THE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAR TO SWERVE ABRUPTLY FROM TORQUE STEER.SUBSEQUENT TO THIS INITIAL EVENT THE TRANSMISSION CONTINUED TO CHANGE GEARS INTO AND OUT OF DRIVE OR FAIL TO ENGAGE GEARS AS IT CHANGES BETWEEN GEARS. ON TAKING THIS TO THE DEALER THEY STATED THE CONTROLLER NEEDED TO BE UPDATED AND PERFORMED THIS SERVICE. APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK AFTER THIS SERVICE THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN STARTED RANDOMLY CHANGING FROM A POWERED CONDITION TO NEUTRAL AT HIGHWAY AND OTHER SPEEDS. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY UNDRIVABLE DUE TO THE TORQUE STEER CAUSED BY THE ABRUPT CHANGES IN THE TRANSMISSION MAKING IT UNSAFE TO TRAVEL AT OTHER THEN SLOW SPEEDS. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH 105000 MILES ON IT. THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT HARD FROM 1ST TO 2ND. ALSO FAILS TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE FROM DRIVE. DOWN SHIFTS FROM 3RD TO 2ND ARE EXTREMELY HARD. YOU HAVE TO DRIVE SLOW TO KEEP FROM BREAKING SOMETHING. THIS ALL A CURES WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS HOT. I HAVE DRAINED AND REPLACED THE FLUID SIX TIMES. YOU CAN ONLY REPLACE 4.5 QUARTS EACH TIME. I ALSO HAD THE COOLANT SYSTEM PROFESSIONALLY FLUSHED. I STILL HAVE THE SAME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE FRONT ENGINE MOUNTS WERE REPLACED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

AT 72K MY AUTO TRANSMISSION IS FAILING, JERKING, BUCKING AND SLIPPING. I'VE FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND SEE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF MAXIMA OWNERS IN THE SAME BOAT, RIGHT AROUND THE SAME MILEAGE. MY CAR ISN'T IN WARRANTY AND I WILL BE GOING THIS WEEKEND TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM CONFIRMED. IT APPEARS THERE IS A DEFECT IN THIS YEAR CAR TRANSMISSION, BUT NISSAN WILL NOT "MAN UP". I HAVE READ SOME COMPLAINTS WHERE CUSTOMERS HAVE GOTTEN NISSAN TO PAY FOR THEIR TRANSMISSION REPAIR..DOESN'T THAT INDICATE SOME "GUILT"? I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I WILL REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION, IM A SINGLE PARENT, FIGHTING TO KEEP MY HOUSE AND HELP MY DAUGHTER THRU COLLEGE. THIS NEEDS AN INVESTIGATION AND POSSIBLE RECALL. I READ ONE ACCOUNT WHERE A WOMAN'S TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON A BUSY ROAD AND HER 2 SMALL CHILDREN WERE IN THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO JERK WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

I LIKE MANY OTHERS AM HAVING THE EXACT TRANSMISSION "SLIPPING, JERKING" PROBLEMS BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. THE RPM'S JUST JUMP RIGHT UP UNDER ACCELERATION, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS THEN CATCHES CAUSING A JERKING, LURCHING FORWARD ACTION. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY COMING ON TO A MAJOR HIGHWAY. BECAUSE OF THIS I WILL NOT LET MY WIFE AND CHILDREN DRIVE IN THE CAR. WE CANNOT AFFORD THE QUOTED $3500 TO $4000 TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. NOR DO WE FEEL AS IF WE SHOULD HAVE TO. WE HAVE OWNED THIS CAR SINCE NEW. IT HAS BEEN VERY RELIABLE BUT THIS IS ABSURD. NISSAN NEEDS TO RECALL THIS MODEL YEAR AND REPLACE WITH CORRECTED TRANSMISSION BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. OR IS THAT WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO GET THEM TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. *KB

AT 57,000 MILES, TRANSMISSION BEGAN SHIFTING EXTREMELY HARD (JERKS) AND ERRATICALLY (CANNOT PREDICT) WHEN UP SHIFTING AND DOWN SHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST AND 3RD GEARS. VERY NERVE-RACKING TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE WHENEVER IN SLOW MOVING OR STOP-N-GO TRAFFIC. HAD TO MAINTAIN VERY LARGE GAP (WIDER THAN NORMAL) WITH VEHICLES IN FRONT TO AVOID COLLISIONS. PAID NISSAN DEALERSHIP $3,300 FOR REPAIR. NISSAN DOES NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION, IT IS SIMPLY REPLACED WITH A "''NISSAN FACTORY CERTIFIED RECONDITIONED" TRANSMISSION, THAT ONLY COMES WITH A 1 YEAR WARRANTY. NOT MUCH OF A WARRANTY FOR A "''CERTIFIED RECONDITIONED" TRANSMISSION COSTING $3,300! POWERTRAIN HAD A 5 YEAR/60,000 MILE WARRANTY, TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 57,000 MILES, BUT VEHICLE WAS OVER 5 YEARS OLD. THE FACT THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP DID NOT HAVE TO ORDER THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION(HAD IT IN STOCK), TELLS ME THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE AND REPAIR! THE COMPONENT THAT FAILS ON THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES IS THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY. COUNTLESS BLOGS ON INTERNET ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE. SINCE 2006, THE NISSAN MAXIMA HAVE CVT (NO SHIFT) TRANSMISSION. THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO TWO OUT OF THE THREE MOTOR MOUNTS, WHICH WILL COST ANOTHER $800-$1,000 WHEN REPAIRED. CONTACTED THE NORTH AMERICAN NISSAN MOTOR CORPORATION, CONSUMER AFFAIRS DIVISION IN FRANKLIN TENNESSEE HOPING THEY WOULD MEET ME "''SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE" TO COVER PART OF THE REPAIR EXPENSE. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING OR HELP ME OUT. EVERYONE FAMILIAR WITH THIS ISSUE KNOWS THE NISSAN MOTOR CORPORATION HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE INFERIOR TRANSMISSIONS, BUT YET, FAILED TO DO ANYTHING FOR THE CONSUMER BY WAY OF A "''FACTORY RECALL." I HAVE BEEN A LONG-TIME NISSAN CAR OWNER, GOING BACK TO THE DATSUN YEARS, AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS, THIS WILL BE THE LAST NISSAN I WILL EVER OWN! *TR

I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER MECHANIC THAT I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY TIMING CHAIN TIGHTENER. THIS PROBLEM WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE SOUND IT WAS MAKING WOULD WORSEN WITH TIME, AND THAT I SHOULD GET IT REPLACED BEFORE IT FAILS COMPLETELY. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME HE FEELS A RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THIS PART, BUT SO FAR NO SUCH RECALL HAS BEEN MADE. THE INTERNET IS RIFE WITH SIMILAR STORIES, AND THE GENTLEMAN IN LINE IN FRONT OF ME HAD THE SAME DIAGNOSIS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BUT THE GEAR SLIPPED AS THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTED BEFORE SUDDENLY ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO JERK FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE A FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. UPDATED 02/01/12*LJ UPDATED 02/08/12

SLIGHT HESITATION WHEN PUT IN D OR R THEN HARD JERK AND CLUNKING SOUND WHEN GOES INTO GEAR. HAS A HARD JERKING WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND DOWN SHIFTING. WILL SLIP IN AND OUT OF GEAR WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD. RPM'S WILL REV UP TO 6000-7000 BEFORE SHIFTING INTO GEAR. THIS MAINLY HAPPENS WHEN CAR IS WARMED UP. BUT GOES IN AND OUT OF GEAR BETWEEN 20-40 MPH. *TR