2005 Nissan Maxima Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 777 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2005 Nissan Maxima, 82% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 85,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “1st 2nd” (15% of reports).
- 777power train complaints
- 85,000median miles at failure
- 8mention a crash
- 10mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $5,400typical repair cost reported by owners
- 8%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.
- 1ST 2ND: mentioned in 120 of 777 complaints (15%)
- Motor mounts: mentioned in 57 of 777 complaints (7%)
- First second: mentioned in 46 of 777 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2005 Nissan Maxima at $5,400, and half of them between $4,350 and $6,300.
Based on 69 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2009–2015), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 687 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 777 complaints, 8 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 10 an injury.
Nissan Maxima power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Maxima | 3 | 14% | 64,500 |
| 2019 Maxima | 3 | 17% | 19,000 |
| 2018 Maxima | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2017 Maxima | 11 | 10% | 61,000 |
| 2016 Maxima | 33 | 23% | 62,500 |
| 2014 Maxima | 22 | 23% | 73,500 |
| 2013 Maxima | 24 | 39% | 105,544 |
| 2012 Maxima | 18 | 17% | 90,000 |
| 2011 Maxima | 22 | 21% | 95,000 |
| 2010 Maxima | 15 | 5% | 96,500 |
| 2009 Maxima | 11 | 3% | 116,500 |
| 2008 Maxima | 8 | 10% | 89,000 |
| 2007 Maxima | 16 | 12% | 90,750 |
| 2006 Maxima | 393 | 68% | 85,500 |
| 2005 Maxima | 777 | 82% | 85,000 |
| 2004 Maxima | 934 | 65% | 84,000 |
| 2003 Maxima | 7 | 3% | 64,250 |
| 2002 Maxima | 14 | 7% | 42,450 |
| 2001 Maxima | 8 | 5% | 60,000 |
| 2000 Maxima | 22 | 6% | 97,000 |
| 1999 Maxima | 8 | 5% | 95,150 |
| 1998 Maxima | 6 | 5% | 82,229 |
| 1997 Maxima | 4 | 4% | 110,446 |
| 1996 Maxima | 12 | 13% | 48,000 |
| 1995 Maxima | 12 | 8% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train 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.
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
The car has a sound as if it were metal fatigue in the front of the hood a hard blow sounds loud every time the car moves from one side to the other they have not been able to find the problem they say what is a factory defect i am afraid that it is a metal that is under fatigue and the engine…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2005 Nissan Maximas have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 777 owner complaints about power train for the 2005 Nissan Maxima (82% 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 power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 85,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2005 Nissan Maxima?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,400 (half paid between $4,350 and $6,300), from 69 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2005 Nissan Maxima?
The most frequent phrase is “1st 2nd”, in 120 of 777 complaints, followed by “motor mounts” (57).
Other 2005 Nissan Maxima problems
- Engine problems (61)
See all 2005 Nissan Maxima problems or power train problems across all Maxima years.