2005 Nissan Maxima Engine Problems
Owners have filed 61 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2005 Nissan Maxima, 6% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 93,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “timing chain” (11% of reports).
- 61engine complaints
- 93,500median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 11%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Timing chain: mentioned in 7 of 61 complaints (11%)
- People having: mentioned in 6 of 61 complaints (10%)
- Transmission slipping: mentioned in 5 of 61 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 54 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 61 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 2 an injury.
Nissan Maxima engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Maxima | 1 | 20% | — |
| 2020 Maxima | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2019 Maxima | 4 | 22% | 43,500 |
| 2018 Maxima | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2017 Maxima | 8 | 8% | 43,908 |
| 2016 Maxima | 18 | 13% | 29,066 |
| 2014 Maxima | 9 | 9% | 56,000 |
| 2013 Maxima | 4 | 6% | 56,277 |
| 2012 Maxima | 11 | 10% | 42,950 |
| 2011 Maxima | 12 | 11% | 67,000 |
| 2010 Maxima | 20 | 7% | 66,475 |
| 2009 Maxima | 18 | 5% | 83,000 |
| 2008 Maxima | 5 | 6% | 86,162 |
| 2007 Maxima | 18 | 14% | 84,500 |
| 2006 Maxima | 47 | 8% | 100,500 |
| 2005 Maxima | 61 | 6% | 93,500 |
| 2004 Maxima | 51 | 4% | 102,000 |
| 2003 Maxima | 43 | 21% | 122,500 |
| 2002 Maxima | 19 | 9% | 136,412 |
| 2001 Maxima | 7 | 4% | 140,000 |
| 2000 Maxima | 9 | 3% | 80,000 |
| 1999 Maxima | 2 | 1% | 130,000 |
| 1998 Maxima | 2 | 2% | 175,882 |
| 1997 Maxima | 2 | 2% | 138,000 |
| 1996 Maxima | 1 | 1% | 100,300 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2005 Nissan Maxima. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
While driving my car down the road the vehicle randomly shut off lost power and I had to quickly pull into a plaza but was almost hit, looking through many different Nissan forums a lot of mechanics and owners are saying that the original crankshaft/camshaft position sensors on the Altima/maxima…
Vehicle makes clunking, jerking noises and bad clunking sounds when you put it into gear or shift gears, digital gear display shows vehicle is in 5th gear all the time, accelerates very slowly.
I have an 05 nissan maxima and the transmission is shifting hard and erratically
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2005 Nissan Maximas have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 61 owner complaints about engine for the 2005 Nissan Maxima (6% of the 948 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Nissan Maxima engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 93,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2005 Nissan Maxima?
The most frequent phrase is “timing chain”, in 7 of 61 complaints, followed by “people having” (6).
Other 2005 Nissan Maxima problems
- Power Train problems (777)
See all 2005 Nissan Maxima problems or engine problems across all Maxima years.