CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2004-2006 Nissan Maxima has widespread transmission problems. It starts with the vehicle jerking when shifting, & progresses to full-blown transmission failure.

Maxima owners report spending $3,000 to replace the transmission, typically around when the odometer hits 100,000 miles.

There's a class action lawsuit filed in late 2011, & it is still in the "discovery" stage. Apparently, these things take time ... far too much time.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
78,607 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Nissan Maxima brakes problems

brakes problem

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2006 Nissan Maxima Owner Comments

problem #14

Mar 032021

Maxima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My brakes dont work unless my 3 dashboard lights come on. Slip, tcs and abs. Sometimes I forget and drive off. When I brake at the light you could here the wires buzzing as if there was a short circuit. Finally on my passenger side in the 'back, the tire was wiggling and noticed some lugs were missing plus the hubs lugs were loose. I haven' t taken to go get it inspected because I dont have money at the moment.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #13

Jul 232020

Maxima

  • 137,820 miles
I bought this 2006 Nissan Maxima sl with 137,806 miles. I drove it home. The next day, it would not start, I went and bought a battery, on the way the service engine soon light came on., then the tcs and slip light came on. Took it to a mechanic shop, he keep it almost 4 weeks, and then told me it was not worth fixing/repairing it. I could not believe, I just spent over $4,000 on this car and I only drove it home!!, I took it to another well known mechanic shop, he tells me that it needs a new transmission, motor mounts, sensors and probably more. It is not worth fixing it. I am a 57 year old lady and I dont have the money to buy another car and I dont have the money to fix it. I hear that these cars have alot of transmission problems and more. I wish I had known that before buying it.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

problem #12

Mar 012017

Maxima

  • 100,030 miles
ABS, trc, brake, stability light on, car jumps when braking and loud noise when breaking 25mph and lower. Dealer refuse to do the repair under warranty, this is a large problem for nisan owners. Cost of repair 2-3000.00

- Niskayuna, NY, USA

problem #11

Mar 032015

Maxima

  • 112,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Over a week ago I started noticing that the ABS was turning on during normal braking and while simply driving. So I took it to the mechanic and they thought one of the sensors was out. They replaced the sensor that wasn't reading correctly with the other tire speeds for $385. After I picked up the car, the problem was not fixed. I then returned the car the local mechanic and after much research and speaking with Nissan, they concluded that the ABS module needed to be replaced and it was a very common problem for this particular vehicle. I have done research online and it proved that there are many others with this same issue. Nissan put out a service bulletin about this very issue, but never offered to fix the issue via a recall and etc. I am currently looking at having to have the module replaced, which is going to be close to $2,000. With the sensor I am not going to be spending almost $2,500. I don't think it is right that there have been so many issues and no recall was done.

- Scottsburg, IN, USA

problem #10

Nov 012013

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 105,000 miles
Brake "actuator" started humming or running as soon as car ('06 Nissan Maxima SE) was turned on away from home. Continued to kick in ABS at every brake application creating unsafe (or at least not normal) braking situations and continued to run when car was shut off. ABS light, tcs light, and slip light all activated continually. Codes C1110 & C1105 & C1106 were present after scanning at local garage. Battery drained after car shut off due to actuator continuing to run with car shut off. Per research and other tsb or Nissan-issued technical bulletins, the rear hub ABS sensor frequently malfunctions due to a design flaw in the car. If driven while malfunctioning (as in this case) the controller/actuator may malfunction. Turning off "ABS" while driving seems to keep the actuator from running, but also makes driving less safe, especially in inclement weather due to turning off tcs/ABS. I've had to replace this out-of-pocket (despite being an extremely common problem with this model vehicle). Sensors and actuator were replaced. Vehicle driven again. Less than 8 months later, same issues return. Nissan dealership replaced rear sensor per codes, new code for actuator shows again (after sensors placed in) and they require me to pay out of pocket again for new actuator. This is obviously a design flaw in the car (per many other reports) and should be recalled immediately for repair.

- Attleboro, MA, USA

problem #9

Jan 152013

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle lunged forward while the brakes were engaged intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on three occasions, who diagnosed that there was an ABS brake system failure causing transmission and engine damages. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. Updated 08/11/14 updated 08/13/2014

- Bloomfield, NJ, USA

problem #8

Oct 162013

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 36,087 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While casually driving, hands on steering wheel, foot on accelerator, asphalt road slightly damp but not wet, on a two way street with no reason to expect a sudden crisis, the aba brakes on my 2006 Maxima suddenly locked throwing the rear end of the vehicle into a slide facing oncoming traffic which at this time there happened to be none. When I felt the sudden action, which was like I had run into an invisible wall, I then hit the brakes attempting to stop the vehicle. The steering wheel seemed to float with no control of the direction headed. The car continued to accelerate instead of braking. This sent the vehicle back across to the right side of the road into a concrete curb and over into a grassy area before the car came to a stop. Only exterior minor damage from hitting a small sign post. Had it immediately towed to the dealer who road tested it but found no reason for the incident. They said there were no computer codes for what happened. I spoke to the service manager and called Nissan to explain what happened. They had no clue for why. I am still afraid to drive this car in heavy traffic for fear of a repeat. With such low miles and in the garage care over the years it is not time to trade it in.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #7

Jan 132014

Maxima

  • 108,762 miles
I was stopping on a red light when all of the sudden the ABS started to kick in but the floor was dry I want going fast as all our any of that. Now it does it every time I'm breaking the code iys C1110.

- Woodhaven , NY, USA

problem #6

Jul 022013

Maxima

  • 48,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the ABS warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the left rear ABS sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The remedy failed to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic who stated that the actuator was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 48,000. The current mileage was 56,000.

- Oxford, OH, USA

problem #5

May 032013

Maxima

  • 90,800 miles
I was driving my car at 40 mph in light rain. As I approached a red light, I lightly got on the brakes. Immediately, the ABS kicked in. The amount of braking force was well below the margin where ABS should kick in. Thinking it was a onetime deal, I drove cautiously and tried braking again. This ABS again kicked in immediately. The ABS kicking in did lengthen the stopping distance as I was not applying the brakes hard enough to effectively slow down. On the next attempt, acceleration, traction control kicked in upon acceleration, causing the car to shake violently. My car was taken to the shop where the right rear wheel speed sensor had build up on it. Checking forums about my car, this was a common occurrence and seems to be a design flaw. Under different circumstances, a collision could have resulted due to the issue. Nissan has a service bulletin for this issue, but in my eyes, this issue is should be a investigated further as control of vehicle speed is compromised.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #4

Apr 072013

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 82,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2nd time: ABS activates when pressing on brakes. Anti-lock braking system hums even without pressing brakes.

- Mcsherrystown, PA, USA

problem #3

Mar 092012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 71,000 miles
ABS activates every time brake is pressed. Also, the anti-lock braking system hums before I hit brakes. Corrosion problem per service tech at Nissan.

- Mcsherrystown, PA, USA

problem #2

Jan 102013

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
First after buying this Nissan Maxima 2006, I noticed that my head light lamps needed to be changed every 14 months. I never had a car where I had to replace the head light lamps so often. Both of my other cars (Toyota and Honda) have over 100K miles and we never had to change the lamps on those cars. Next, the ABS brakes are not working properly, really" after 70K miles" wow! later I found out that this is a common problem with this car. The ABS appear to be running while the car is moving and on dry roads. Finally, the transmission. Why do I have a slipping transmission on a car with only 64K miles. After research, I found out that the problems that I'm having with this Nissan Maxima, hundreds of other owns are having the same problems. I always had Honda and Toyota cars and I decided to try something new in this Maxima. I will never buy Nissan again, I'm running back to Honda and Toyota!!!

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #1

Nov 202012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
ABS activates during normal braking making horrible grinding sound. Nissan dealer told me the actuator and rear hub needed repair for an extreme amount of money over $2,000. I had the similar problem previously with my 2004 Nissan Maxima, the only repair needed was to dismantle rear brake rotor, clean the corrosion, grind a notch in the knuckle, and reassemble it back. This is a major issue with all cars in middle eastern and central states because of the cold weather conditions. In my opinion it should be a national recall, for all the people having this issue is the United States and Canada.

- Arlington Heights, IL, USA

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