2005 Nissan Maxima Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,152 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Nissan Maxima, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 70/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 86,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2005 Nissan Maxima sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1990–1999, 2001, 2003, 2007–2008, 2011–2014, 2016–2018, 2020.
Avoid
Where 2005 sits among all Maxima years
What owners report
“Transmission hard shift from park into drive. Seconds delay then bangs into gear.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Maxima
“At 101,000 miles transmission cut out. Gears not changing. Jerking movement when accelerating. In motion or stationary”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Maxima
“Transmission. Undocumented flaw with this transmission. Transmission slips out of gear during regular driving. Very hard jerky shifts.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Maxima
“Hard shifting transmission,stalling at cruising speeds,flashing dash lights. Transmission slippage.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Maxima
“Harsh shifting, jerking, lots shift slippage. Actually slowed down on the highway. Diagnosis returned as failed transmission assembly and cost $4,100 to repair.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Maxima
“Prior to incident car was shifting really hard and slipping gears. Once when driving, car suddenly went into a safety mode not letting it shift out of 5th gear. Going down hill caused the engine to stall because of being in 5th gear and car engine turned off, as well as power steering and braking.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Maxima
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 964 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 87,988 miles. Half of those reports fall between 70,000 and 105,768 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE DRIVER PREFERRED PACKAGE, THE WIRE HARNESS FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT POWER LUMBAR SUPPORT SWITCH MAY BE ROUTED INCORRECTLY AND COULD BE PINCHED UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS AND ROUTE IT CORRECTLY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 16, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
CERTAIN VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." THE LOWER ANCHORAGE BRACKETS IN THE REAR SEATS DO NOT MEET THE LOCATION REQUIREMENT IN THIS STANDARD. THIS MAY…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOWER ANCHORAGE BRACKETS WITH MODIFIED BRACKETS TO ENSURE THAT THE STANDARD IS MET. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 28, 2006. THE INFINITI Q45 MODEL VEHICLES ARE BEING…
Technical service bulletins
94 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2005 Nissan Maxima. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2005 Maxima TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2005 Nissan Maxima reliable?
The 2005 Nissan Maxima drew 1,152 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 70/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2005 Nissan Maxima problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Nissan Maxima are transmission & drivetrain (782 complaints), engine (101), and other (42).
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Maxima problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Nissan Maxima problems around 87,988 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 70,000 and 105,768 miles.
Does the 2005 Nissan Maxima have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 Nissan Maxima. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.