2005 Nissan Maxima: sudden unintended acceleration

Filed Jul 29, 2014 · Transmission · 108,000 miles · NE · crash · 1 injury

Car kept jerking between gears, engine rev'd to 5000 rpms car lunged forward - hitting trailer hitch and rear end of an SUV stopped in road construction.

Filed Jun 9, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 107,142 miles · NJ

I drive the car and it is hard to shift gears. When I put the car in drive it jerks very hard. Called the dealership and it was said by the dealership that it is not the transmission but instead it was the motor mounts that were the problem. Once the motor mount was fixed, the problem still persist. I call the dealer back and they have yet to give me a response. When driving, in between 1st and 2nd gear it shift to the 4th or 5th gear causing the car to jerk forward if suddenly accelerated. Complicated situation.

Filed Apr 9, 2014 · Transmission · 50,000 miles · AZ

Noticed that transmission was not engaging between first and second gear. When it did engage there was a very strong forward surge. This became very serious when stopped at busy intersection and would proceed to cross intersection the car would surge forward. When driving on freeway and attempting to pass slower cars the same strong forward surge would occur. I returned the car to our local nissan dealer and was told that the motor mounts needed to be replaced at a cost of $800.00. They felt that would cure the problem. It did not! I signed on to the internet and discovered countless of the other 2005 nissan maxima owners with the very same complaint. I contacted nissan north america about the surge and they were not interested. My wife drives the maxima most of the time and is afraid that will cause a serious or fatal accident. No one has been injured or killed as far as I know. Not yet!! I strongly believe that the federal safety agency should be concerned and have this car recalled for repairs. Thank you for your prompt attention and concern.

Filed Jun 3, 2013 · Engine, Transmission · 89,000 miles · PA

The car shifts and changes gear extremely hard !!. The force with which the transmission changes gears causes the vehicle to lunge forward unexpectedly on acceleration, while going uphill, downhill and slowing down. I've had several close calls because of this and on the day in question, the turnpike was bumper to bumper so it was more stop and go than normal. I had to take the shoulder to avoid rear ending the car in front of me because I was inching along in traffic and on one occasion when the traffic moved the car bucked and lunged forward. I've had to replace my broken engine mounts because of the constant bucking and rocking. Now I have to replace the transmission all together. There are tons of complaints regarding the same exact problems with this same make and model. This is a trend, it's dangerous and I believe is definitely a big safety issue. Nissan corp has to be made aware of this.

Filed Mar 13, 2013 · Transmission · 85,000 miles · NJ

Transmission is bucking and jerking between gears. Car "slip" between gears while driving and causes the car to rev in neutral while driving and then suddenly "jump" into gear which causes the car to lunge forward suddenly.

Filed Mar 5, 2013 · Transmission · 88,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle shifted abnormally hard and the vehicle would jerk when shifting between third and fourth gears. The vehicle would also shift abnormally hard when down shifting. The in addition, the vehicle would jump into second gear independently, causing the vehicle to suddenly accelerate. The vehicle sporadically halted to a stop without warning. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 88,000 and the current mileage was 94,000.

Filed Feb 25, 2013 · Transmission · 85,000 miles · NY

I am experiencing transmission problems in my 2005 maxima. The vehicle has only 84000 miles to date and is starting to slip gears in between 1-2 and 2-3 while driving at a slow speed; this also occurs when switching in reverse. This problem needs to be fixed since it can be detrimental to fellow drivers on the road while driving due to the fact of the transmission causing the car to lunge forward when in the act of switching gears. This issue seems to be well documented at this point to nissan corporate as well as the federal safety agency database and should be taken seriously. I believe a recall at this point should be in order due to the mass documented complaints of this specific issue.

Filed Feb 17, 2013 · Transmission · 54,000 miles · PA

I am experiencing transmission problems in my 2005 maxima. The vehicle has only 54000 miles to date and is starting to slip gears in between 1-2 and 2-3 while driving at a slow speed; this also occurs when switching in reverse. This problem needs to be fixed since it can be detrimental to fellow drivers on the road while driving due to the fact of the transmission causing the car to lunge forward when in the act of switching gears. This issue seems to be well documented at this point to nissan corporate as well as the federal safety agency database and should be taken seriously. I believe a recall at this point should be in order due to the mass documented complaints of this specific issue.

Filed Feb 12, 2013 · Transmission · 78,000 miles · LA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lunged forward independently. The vehicle continued to experience the failure until the vehicle was stopped and allowed to cool down. The vehicle would then operate as designed. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who advised the contact to have the transmission replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 78,000.

Filed Feb 11, 2013 · Transmission · 90,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost acceleration power. The contact continuously depressed the accelerator then the vehicle suddenly lunged forward. The contact stated the vehicle jerked and surged constantly when the temperature was warm. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic three different times for diagnostic testing. The mechanic replaced the transmission sensor and performed a transmission flush. The failure continued after the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Filed Jan 30, 2013 · Engine · 83,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. The contact stated that while stopped with the brake pedal depressed, the contact shifted from drive to park and noticed a loud bang and the vehicle erroneously lunged forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.

Filed Oct 12, 2012 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. The contact stated that her vehicle began to lunge forward while in first or second gear. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the transmission was flushed. The failure recurred and the dealer recommended the transmission be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the transmission was rebuilt. One month later the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 110,000.