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:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
124,070 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.
The car would not go when I was pressing the gas pedal after stopping at the light. It has continued to have sudden stops. When trying to drive on the interstate the car will not exceed 40 miles per hour.
From 0 to 60 second and third gear jerks violently, hesitating between gears. After stopping at the vehicle remained in 5th gear and would not down shift back to first. Stranded in traffic attempted to drive forward, engine is revving at 3500 to 4500 rpms, but not accelerating.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the transmission hesitated whenever it was placed into gear and it shifted hard whenever the transmission switched gears. The contact stated the failure did not happen all the time, but was re-occurring failure. The contact had the vehicle inspected by a dealer who diagnose that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that when the failure was not occuring the vehicle runs completely fine. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 67,000. Updated 01/02/2013 the consumer stated the failures withthe transmisson has not been resolved, so, a new tranission would likely fail in 60,000 miles updated 1/9/2013
In October 2012 it initially started when I was shifting into drive and the car jerking forward. Then about a month later at a stop light it jerked forward when I accelerated as the light turned green. The acceleration was sluggish (like going from 1st to 2nd gear in a standard) you could feel the change in gear. Once the gear changed occurred and the speed was constant it seem to catch and go into drive as normal but this time the check engine light came on. The jerk forward was very noticeable and very scary. As a result I brought it to an auto mechanic, they ran diagnostics and a code came up of PO750. This code relates to the solenoid pack which is in the valve body and a part of the transmission. The mechanic did a lot of research and finally went to the Nissan dealer to find out how they solved the problem and their answer to him was to replace the transmission not the solenoid pack. The dealership was familiar with this "defect" because they had replaced quite a few transmissions as a result of this problem. I then went on to a website, aboutautomobile.com, and found numerous complaints related to this problem for the 2006 Maxima. This is unacceptable and really should be looked at. The median mileage that this defect occurs is around 77K. This problem poses a dangerous situation when driving, a high cost repair (3500 dollars) to replace the transmission which is what the Nissan dealerships recommend and not a good feeling about a car that's not really that old. Please let me know what can be done about this issue or where I can go to get help. Of course the extended warranty ended in March 2012. Which makes it a lot harder to deal with. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- New Milford, CT, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Issues with the transmission surging and then a hard jerk or gear shift.took it to the shop, and before checking, the shop owner was familiar with the issue because mine was the 4th '06 Maxima that had been brought in that week with the same problems. I have a black car thats 6 years old and the paint has faded almost to white on the roof of my car.
The transmission jerks when it shifts from first couple gears.it seems that Nissan new of the problem, but never tuck any action on fixing it. It started with 04 models and keeps on happening. If I had known that Nissan modes had such problems I would have never bought the car. Now it cost 3000$-4000$ to fix the problem.
While entering the onramp, the car began to hesitate and then it did a hard jerk as it shifted gears. Once I reached my destination and attempted to place the vehicle in park, the jerk happened again before going into reverse which almost caused me to hit the car that was parked in the adjacent parking space with a family of four in it.
When driving my vehicle, I fill a jerking and shifting hard in 1st and 2nd gear like a mule is kicking me in the rear it goes on for days and when I slow down about to come to a stop it also kicks and jerks real bad and sometimes it just wont go at all. After I let the car sit for a min and shift from park to drive it hesitates for at least 7 to 10 secs and jumps real bad and goes into drive. I took it to my local Nissan dealer and they couldn't find any thing wrong with the transmission;however, they said I need to get my transmission flush for $400. But they did charge me for the diagnostics test which cost $89. Even though I paid to get my transmission flush at my mechanic shop a lot cheaper according to Nissan, the problem is still going on. What should a person do. I have kept up all the maintenance on this vehicle, I am really scared that it my affect my motor mounts with this jerking.
2006 Nissan Maxima. Consumer writes in regards to problem with transmission shifting hard. The consumer stated, the vehicle shifted so hard, it felt as though, the transmission had fallen out of the vehicle. The consumer spoke to a mechanic at the dealership, and he stated it was most likely the valve body within the transmission. The consumer was informed Nissan used a valve body made of aluminum from 2000-2006, that would not hold up in heat and would cause the transmission to slam into gear.
I brought my Maxima from a dealer on February 6, 2012 beginning at 61587miles the transmission has stopped engaging properly when accelerating between 1st & 2nd gear of the automatic transmission. This occurs between 20 and 35mph and causes the vehicle to slam into gear with a force that negatively impacts the my ability to control the car causing an unsafe driving event. It is as powerful as being hit from the rear while driving. It will drive fine for a few miles and start lurching again. The vehicle would jerk violently before stalling. After researching the issues I was having with this car, I found that it is common in 2005 and 2006 Maxima and Nissan has not recalled these models for these issues.
The past 4 months my Nissan has been jerking when I am at slow speeds. It feels like the transmission is slipping when it is in lower gears. It is very unpredictable surging forward at random times. I feel like any moment it is going to cause an accident or quit all together. I am going to schedule an appointment with Nissan dealer this week, but I did research prior and noticed numerous reports on this same issue. Including a current class action law suit. I do not have 3500 to replace the transmission if this was due to the error on behalf of Nissan. Please help.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact attempted to accelerate but the vehicle became hesitant. The vehicle would also jerk forward while decelerating. The failure recurred at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician advised the contact that the transmission would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while traveling 55-60 mph, the vehicle started to shake while shifting gears. The vehicle was taken to both the dealer and a private mechanic. The mechanic confirmed that the transmission and torque converter needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000 and the current mileage was 92,500. Updated 10/31/12 the consumer no longer owns the vehicle. Updated 11/1/2012
There are many incidents of erratic speed changes. More precisely, exiting from highway I slowed to near stop, light changed I accelerated and vehicles RPM increased then banged into gear and jumped into lane. Other examples when vehicle is put into drive or reverse it will hesitate then leap forward, this may not happen for awhile then next day it happens again. At times when decelerating vehicle will down shift then shift up causing erratic stopping distances.
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while traveling 30 mph, the vehicle failed to shift properly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 106,000.
Purchased my 2006 Nissan Maxima in July of 2006 had 12,750 miles on the odometer I have keep this vehicle serviced on a regular basis for the past six years. On May 6, 2012 while pulling out of a parking spot I put the car in reverse and it didn't move a few seconds later there was a loud thump and it jerked into gear so hard I thought someone had reared ended me. From this moment on when I would put it in gear it hesitates and then after I've driven for a while it starts jerking and seems to lose power. I'm afraid that it is going to stop in the middle of traffic or cause me to have a accident. I was due for an oil change in July so I told the service writer that I was having this problem and that I was feeling something funny under my car, the mechanic test drove my car and I was advised that I needed a serpentine belt I paid $159.99 plus tax to have the serpentine belt replace along with my oil change. After I picked my car up and drove it for a while the jerking and hesitating presisted thats when a friend advised me that it was my transmission and I should have it checked. I contacted glenn Nissan sevice department and asked if there was a recall on the 2006 transmissions and was told there was no recall I asked the service writer if I had to have a trasmission how much would it cost they have not returned my call as of today. That's when I went online to check and see if there was a problem and saw the same complaints from other Nissan owners. I took my car to a transmission shop on 8/06/2012 and it was diagnosed that I would need a transmission and the cost be around of $4500 plus. My next step is to contact Nissan maufacturer to see if they can resolve this issue with the 2006 transmissions before someone gets hurt and or killed.
This vehicle has been maintained well over the years. It is absolutely incredible on how many people share the same problems that I have and that Nissan has not done nothing about it. My car started shifting really hard from 2nd to 3rd gear, it also gets stuck on 5th gear once the transmission is heated up. I know that it is the transmission that is defective or else there would not be so many videos on the internet about how to repair the solenoids that are inside the valve body. The car is in horrible driving condition and I even drive around with my hazards on because of the violent downshifts shake up the car and myself.
I and my 6 year old son were driving on the freeway and the car started jerking on the freeway. I started to change lanes and almost was rear ended because of jerking and the non response of the transmission. This could have been very dangerous for my son and my self.
I drove to work which is about 10 miles from my residence, parked to retrieve some paprework then returned to my vehicle. I started my vehicle and placed the transmission in drive, with my foot on the brakes as required while changing gears.there was a big time delay before the transmission engaged into the drive position.there also was a loud and very hard "bang" causing me to be forced rearward in the seat and the vehicle jumped forward, as if there was not a foot on the brakes. At this point the vehicle is engaged in the drive position. I spoke to a representative at the dealership where I bought the vehicle new in April of 2006, all they had to say is I must pay $109 for a diagnosis of the problem and hopefully they could duplicate it. I also spoke to Nissan America consumer hotline and they also said that I must have it dealt with through the dealer, and they will see what they could do.at the time of this entry, the vehicle has 55000 mile exact. I have been on numerous site online and saw compliants about the same problem, with the transmission as a known fault. Transmissions from Nissan between the years of 2004 to 2007.all the complainants states they have not gotten any solution from Nissan America.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Norfolk, VA, USA