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.
2005 Nissan Maxima: hesitation when accelerating
79 of the 948 complaints about the 2005 Nissan Maxima describe hesitation when accelerating.
- owner complaints
- 79
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,100
- typical mileage
- 88,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 6 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Hesitation when accelerating by model year
What owners say
Car jerks when accelerating, slips gears, hesitating when accelerating and sometimes will not go over 20 MPH (while driving down a 50mph road!)
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, jerked, and made a loud abnormal noise. The vehicle felt as if it would stall without warning. The dealer diagnosed that the transmission was slipping and needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.
The transmission on my 2005 nissan maxima 3.5 se is jerking and slipping/spinning severely. It started around 90,000 miles. This happens when down shifting or slowing down and when taking off. It's so bad when taking off, you can see the car jerk. When taking off, the car hesitates until jerking into low gear.
I was complaining of the car jumping when changing gears, mechanic found that the motor mount was cracked. Replaced it, some improvement for short period but now car is jumping, hesitation between gears, rough shifting, and diminished acceleration. I did not go to the dealer as my warranty is expired. This is my first maxima and I will never purchase another. Now told that I'll need a new transmission. Not happy.
Transmission hesitates when shifting from reverse to drive, also between shifts in drive engine revs up then trans slams into gear causing a harsh jolt forward.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 nissan maxima. The contact stated that the transmission hesitated to switch gears. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. It was unknown if the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Taking off car jerks real bad between 1st & 2nd gear, then when I push down on gas sometimes it doesn't want to move. Slowing down car kicks & jerks when down shifting. Now it's at the point where the car stalls when switching gears. Putting the car from park to drive it hesitates about 5 to 7 sec and makes a loud sound when it jerks. Transmission slips out of gear under 20m.p.h. Causing engine to rev up to 4rpm and sometimes 5rpm. This issue is happening whether I in motion on a street or highway, stationary getting ready to put the car in gear, etc. I am really afraid that I am going to have an accident or something. I took the car to a mechanic and he says I need a new transmission.
I recently bought a 2005 nissan maxima from carmax it was about a month after I bought the car the transmission started to slip and change gears really rough. The transmission hesitates when changing gears either at idle or while driving the transmission does it the most between first and second and second to third and when downshifting in those same gears. My main concern is my family in this vehicle or any other families in the same vehicle when we are driving in the vehice our heads and necks get whipped back and forth very roughly. It is a safety hazard due to the transmission changing gears on its own while im driving the car. I only ask for you to please look into this and make it a recall. Nissan did not want to help me out or anyone else. I have seen numerous complaints and heard numerous stories about this problem. It needs to be resolved. Nissan put out a poor product and wont fix it. They need to own up to their mistake, before someone gets injured or dies. I ask of you please look into this. Not only for my safety or my infant's safety but for anyone who owns this vehicle. Ps. If I would have known about this issue before I bought the car I would have never gotten it. Pps. The test drive and the 1st month were fine until normal driving conditions occurred. Please help, please help! Get this recall active! Thanks, frank
Bought the car used in 2013 with 120,000 miles on it. The car has overheated several times since we bought it, but we were able to control it and keep it from causing any issues. Suddenly, when I was shifting from park to reverse the car jerked extremely hard, while driving the car hesitates to accelerate, and has a high RPM reading when shifting gears. After researching this issue, I have come across no fewer than 30 complaints of the same problems with this make/model/year.
I took my car to nissan to have my car totally checked over . The ABS light came on and I had sharp jerks from the transmission and hesitation around 40 MPH . The timing chain also had a rattle when the car was started. My ABS system had failed due to water shorting out the ABS sensor which destroyed the ABS control module repair cost 1200.00 . When I told the service advisor my ABS light was on, he had a service bulletin at his station with exactly what he thought was wrong with my car and he told me it was a common issue with my car. The transmission needs a valve body due to premature wear cost 3500.00 to rebuild and install new valve body design . The timing chain has guides that wear and chain rubs against plastic then down to metal repair cost 1500.00. Nissan needs to fix all of these defective cars and pay the people who have made these costly repairs.
The car jerks into gear when accelerating from a light. After accelerating from a stop at 3000 RPM, the car bucks and jerks into gear. The engine revs before the transmission catches gears. When the engine is warm, after about 30 minutes, when changing from drive to reverse or park, the transmission hesitates and jerks very hard into gear.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Service information
- Nissan: the vehicle has a slower than normal acceleration from a stop
- Nissan: ECM replacement procedures with consult III plus
- Nissan: 2004-2006 maxima
- Nissan; special automatic transmission fluid requirement. 2004 to current nissan vehicles. nj
- 5 speed FWD a/t left side oil leak diagnostic
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2005 Nissan Maxima hesitation
Is hesitation when accelerating a common problem on the 2005 Nissan Maxima?
79 of 948 owner complaints about the 2005 Nissan Maxima (8%) mention hesitation when accelerating. The model year with the most reports is 2005.
How much does it cost to fix hesitation when accelerating on the 2005 Nissan Maxima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,100 (median of 13 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Nissan Maxima?
There are 0 recalls and 6 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Nissan Maxima
Jerking 456Slipping 170Transmission failure 147Harsh shifting 115Stalling 57Sudden acceleration 33Check engine light 32ABS 25Won't shift 23Knocking 14Fire or smoke 10Loss of power 10Grinding brakes 8CVT failure 7Door locks 6Tire blowout 6
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