Nothing.
I did a lot of research before buying this car and I am confident I made the right decision. I love this car, - it is fast, comfortable and to my surprise very economical. Fit and finish is superb, my hat goes off to the assembly plant workers in Tennessee.
The styling fits into the either hate it or love it category. I love it and my kids hate it, which is great. That means they won't want to borrow it.
Things I don't like are -
Vicious torque steer. If the gas pedal is punched you better hang on to the steering wheel.
Wide turning circle. Need wide roads to do U-turns.
Automatic air conditioning controls are too fussy. It seems like every time I want to make a change I have to get the manual out.
I bought a used 2005 Nissan Maxima about one year ago, that had been owned by someone at the local Nissan dealership. The car now has 66k miles, and is having the hard shifting transmission problems noted on numerous blogs. It started shortly after I bought it, and is getting worse, especially when hot. My mechanic says replacing or rebuilding the tranny is the only solution. I bought Japanese because I thought they were all well made and reliable, but the numerous posts about the Nissans are making me reconsider. From what everyone says, no help or solution from Nissan, although this is obviously a widespread problem.
Transmission Problems Nissan Maxima SE 2005- I thought I was the only one until I found this site and several others.
My problem started about 1 year ago, (Had it for 3 years) rough shifting from 2nd gear to 3rd gear and from 3rd gear to 2nd gear. When slowing down going around the it shifts down hard, when accelerating it feels like a delay before shifting again then it shifts hard back into 3rd gear. The bad part is it don't happen every second so when I bring to the dealer they say there is nothing wrong with the car, no check engine like comes on no rough shifting. Keep in mind it only happens when the car is warm. By the time they test drive it's cold again.
First the dealer said it was a motor mount, so apparently they felt the rough shifting. They replaced the mount and the problem remained the same.
Second I took it to the dealer again this time they said nothing was wrong with the car, 1 mile after leaving the dealer the hard shifting happened AGAIN.
Third, took to a different Nissan dealer, same thing. They said the check light is not on and they feel nothing car is fine. Soon as I get close to home turning the corner another hard shift. Parking the car same day I put it in reverse it's fine, I put it back into drive w/o releasing the brake it shifted hard (I was not moving at this time)
I wanna keep the car cause I love it BUT, the Transmission is killing me. Can any one help? Sorry for the long comment.
Same problem as above. Transmission gets confused around 20-30mph. Only after warmup, but not always. Trans will race then slam into gear. Took it to the dealer who could not find anything wrong. Disappointing. I like the car, but this is more than annoying.
I owned a Nissan Maxima SE which had major transmission problems. It was downshifting, causing the rides to be jumpy. I took it to several mechanics. Everyone said it was a sensor. May be the throttle control sensor. I spent so much money investigating that I just got rid of it. Nissan company is NOT a TRUE Japanese cars as they are 44% owned by Renault of France and they are NOT manufactured in Japan. They are manufactured in the U.S.
Transmission problem finally solved - at least I think so... Dealer couldn't find any problems last time I took it in (a few months ago), but I noticed the 'service engine soon' light came on last week, I had the computer scanned - shift problem error! I took it back to the dealer who said a shifting solenoid was not acting correctly. They don't rebuild these transmissions anymore so they ordered a new one. Hopefully this will solve the problem. '05 Maxima SL.
2005 Nissan Maxima, 74k miles and the transmission is slipping. I also have a friend who has an '05 Maxima 77k miles and hers is messing up bad as well. There is obviously a problem with the 2005 Maxima's transmission! Someone needs to report this to the Lemon Law.
I also have a Nissan Maxima 2005 SE that has 90,000. It is having problems with car shifts between 2nd to 3rd gear. I bought it to a dealer yesterday, but they don't see any problems with it. Although, when it slips I feel it more when the car is cold than when it is warm. If anybody figures out what the problem is, please write on here and let us all know.
Guys I am currently shopping for a 2004 or 2005 Nissan Maxima, but after reading your comments on all the problems you have encountered, I am changing my mind. What do you think about the 2006 Maxima, as I loves those cars, are they having issues also?
I myself have a 2005 Maxima SE. Still under warranty, roughly has 58,000 miles.
When I shift from park to drive, I feel a thump. It's beginning to get worse and worse. Have called my local dealership and have scheduled an appointment. I will try to have the vehicle warm so they themselves can see before there own eyes. Thinking about trading it in and getting something else. Will keep you guys informed. Have the appointment Saturday. Will post results.
This is very disappointing to hear. I've had a problem with my AC compressor/discharge line and the Bose CD/back speakers. I called and talked with consumer relations, and the service was AWFUL!!! I like my car, but after all of this I will not buy another Nissan again. My family member and friend is having transmission, A/C, motor mount problems. Nissan used to have excellent quality, but right now I don't understand.
My 2005 Max has had a few problems too, including A/C going bad (cost me about $750 with my own mechanic, and now the transmission. Started with clunking and grinding noises, which seemed to be worse when turning. The mechanic found bad transmission bearings and had to tear the tranny apart and replace. $850 later, seems to be running fine, but a car with under 50k miles should not have these issues. I will keep it for a couple more years, but no more Nissans for me. Next car is a BMW, as we have this also, and it drives very, very well. Sad though, the Max has so much promise and looks great...
Same problem over here. Have a 2005 Maxima; I purchased it in November of 2008, and in January of 2009 the transmission started acting up in 2nd and 3rd gears, same problem as above. I took it to the dealer in January. Of course they said nothing was wrong with it. Then 3 months later I bring it back to the dealer, and sure enough they say I need a new transmission. Luckily it's under the warranty along with a rent a car, so it's only costing me $50.
I bought a used 2005 Maxima last year. It was a company car prior with one owner. It had some issues, but it only had 32K miles. So, plenty of warranty left. This is my second Maxima and third Nissan.
The transmission started acting up this year as described numerous times above. I took it to the dealer when the erratic behavior was more constant. The dealer agreed the transmission was bad. They replaced the transmission at no cost to me. I am still a satisfied Maxima owner.
Fellow 05 Maxima owners. I have the same tranny problem if not worse. There is a green sensor above the throttle body, on the right side. Wiggle it, the problem will not happen as much. Also I don't think it is the tranny, it feels like the fuel pump. I have no money to repair the car but I'm pretty sure the fuel pump is the problem. Good luck. Again, I'm broke and in college so I can't fix it at all. The fuel pump is under the back seat. I'm going to try and clean it or something. I will probably never buy a Nissan again. I blew 15k when I bought this car.
2005 Maxima 66K miles same transmission issues have developed over the past several weeks. This is my second Maxima and I have owned two Xterras. Nissan has treated me well with the minimum amount of issues I have ever had over the years. My history with them has been, they look at the car, fix the problem and completed it correctly the first time around. Will let you know how it goes after today. (Just brought it in this morning)