2005 Nissan Maxima: sudden loss of power

Filed Mar 3, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · AZ

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 have experienced faulty mechanics over time that cause it to overheat and stop working and locking up the system completely. This is a huge problem as I can’t afford to fix this myself and it could have caused a serious accident this should be investigated due to other recalls on the Altima with the faulty sensors, the maxima 3.5 is also starting to experience these issues if you look through multiple forums and research the issue that’s happening. Please investigate this soon so that nobody gets seriously hurt.

Filed Apr 24, 2019 · 109,000 miles · NY

This danger of which I complain is not absolute to my vehicle but to all others that are made with such shortcut. In previous decades cars were made with a trunk key and or mechanical cable for opening. My 2005 maxima and most recent vehicles are made with only an electronic button to open the trunk. This is very dangerous. Recently my car lost power at a precarious location and I had no way of accessing the trunk. My flares, my booster cables,all emergency tools, supplies, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, water all locked away in the trunk and I had no access to it. This is not merely inconvenient, but very dangerous. Car manufacturers may say that there is access through the back seat. This, however, is totally inadequate. It is very cumbersome and call for physical maneuver which is very difficult, time consuming and subject to failure. First it is a task in itself to figure out and to get that back seat down. Even when down, there is not enough space to even crawl inside and access things you need. Feeling around in the dark with your hand is not efficient. Furthermore the apparatus to get the trunk door open from that position is not only obscured but physically almost impossible to engage from that position. I propose that it be mandated that vehicles come with a more accessible backup, such as a mechanical cable from the inside of the car or key lock from the outside to open the trunk in case of power failure. This is a real safety issue! One should definitely be able to access necessary and emergency items from the trunk in case of power failure emergency! This may seem like a trivial matter to you only because I may not be able to express the urgency of the situation and the possible devastating effect of this if it continues uncorrected. Please consider this a viable complaint and I urge you to approach this matter with expedition and earnest. Thank you!

Filed Jan 28, 2019 · Transmission · SC

When driving the vehicle, the... Cv transmission could slip out of gear causing loss of power. Cv transmission could hesitate in shifting to next or previous gear. This can cause hard, violent shifting to occur which could seriously damage the vehicle and result in an accident.

Filed Jan 22, 2015 · Electrical, Transmission · 130,000 miles · OH

I have had my 2005 nissan maxima for about 5 months now. For the past three months it's has been extremely hazardous. It turns off while I'm driving it and I lose all power power steering, brakes, etc. I almost drove into the river yesterday because it shut off going around a turn and I was almost rear ended. My car starts acting up after it warms up about 5 minutes after start. It will shift very hard and is fine once it is past 3rd gear but it takes a while to get to third when it starts to mess up the rpms will go up to 4 and 5 through 1st and 2nd gear. When you're going downhill it will downshift like you slammed on the brakes. Also if you switch over to manual it will say you're in 5th gear and really you're in 1st. The service engine diagnosis reads a code for the cam shaft sensors. I have changed both of them bank 1 and bank 2 and it did not fix anything. Nissan has failed to do anything and it's happening to a ton of cars. If I'm on the highway and my car shuts off, it not going to be a good situation. If you take it to nissan they try to get you to buy a new transmission. I have a two year old and the jerking of the car or anything for that matter is not safe for her or anyone else on the road. Thank you for taking your time to review this, I appreciate it.

Filed Apr 1, 2014 · Transmission · 125,000 miles · NC

2005 nissan maxima transmission is failing prematurely. Thousands of other complaints similar to mine online. Hard knock when shifting from 1st to 2nd, then delay in transmission "catching" 4th gear (loss of power). If acceleration is needed at that point to avoid an accident, it would not be available. Also, immediate loss of transmission is a safety concern in all cases. According to online reports, these are not isolated incidents and there should be an immediate recall to replace the transmissions in these vehicles.

Filed Nov 9, 2011 · Transmission · 120,000 miles · NJ

My maxima shifts hard when switching into 1st to 2nd gear. It pushes the car forward when moving at slow speeds. When downshifting from 5th to 4th gear, there is a temporary "no shift" where it feels as if the car is not in a gear and the RPM drops low. When putting the car directly into "drive", it takes the vehicle 3-5 seconds to switch into gear. When it switches into "drive", you can feel it push the car when your foot is on the brake. If you push the gas when it completely does not shift, the transmission will clunk and jerk the car forward. Recently at 126,000 miles, the car is switching gears more freely than normal, constantly switching back and forth between 4th and 5th gear. When going around corners at a faster speed, the transmission will slip, losing power to the car and jerking back into gear. Sometimes while driving, the car will come out of gear and go right back in. The transmission in the 2004-2005 maximas are obviously faulty. Also, when pushing the gas, there is a delay on moving forward and results in a harder push forward.

Filed May 28, 2011 · Transmission · 68,000 miles · TN

Transmission jerks really hard causing neck pain and cause vehicle to stall or lose power on the hwy.

Filed May 21, 2010 · Engine, Transmission · 117,000 miles · MD

I am the original owner for my 2005 nissan maxima, at approximately 80k mi my car began hesitating slightly. I took my car to the nissan dealer and was told that the problem was not detectable with a diagnostic machine, but the technician indicated that the problem was possibly a missing engine mount. I was also told that a transmission flush may also help the problem. The flush found no particles and did not stop the hesitation. My lease ended and I decided to keep the car. This hesitation has gotten progressively worst over time and culminated with almost lost of power while traveling from my home to the mall tonight. The car had very little power and made a low humming sound. I put my hazards on as other cars whizzed by. By the time I pulled into the restaurant and tried to back into a parking space the car would not drive. I turned it off then on again that helped and I was able to reverse. Going home the car would not accelerate and the RPM needle kept going up to 4-5 then hesistated before coming down. I am scheduled to work tomorrow and I must now see about having the car towed to the dealership for evaluation. I am at a lost I just don't know what to do. I seen many other complaints about the 2005 nissan but no recall. I can't afford to buy a new car as I still owe 12000 and I am afraid my daughter and I are not safe in this car. Please help.

Filed Sep 15, 2008 · Engine · 68,174 miles · NV

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle lost all power and shut off. The contact took the vehicle to a repair shop and they discovered that the crank sensor failed. The mechanic reset the sensor. He took the vehicle to the nissan dealer and they stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v455000 (engine and engine cooling). The current and failure mileages were 68,174.

Filed Aug 20, 2007 · Fuel system · 19,839 miles · NY

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power. The tcf, check engine, and slip lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and the vehicle coasted at approximately 20-25 MPH. He called the dealer and they requested he have the vehicle towed in and inspected. The dealer informed him that the cause of the failure was the throttle body shorting out. The current and failure mileages were 19,839.