Transmission jerks into gear and when shifting. Acceleration can be slow and has caused me to nearly have and accident when I could not clear an intersection as quickly as necessary. Sometimes the car will clunk into gear when shifting and when driving. Transmission will stick in 5th and need to shift manually to move at all. This is a problem waiting to happen as I might need to get out of the way of traffic, or a train, and the car won't move. I have read multiple forums where others have the same problems with their 2006 nissan maxima. I have had this car since it was new. Now, 147,000 miles. Amazing that other cars continue to run, safely, well into the 300,000 mile range. Disappointed with nissan for not having a recall on this transmission.
2006 Nissan Maxima: harsh or hard shifting
56 of the 576 complaints about the 2006 Nissan Maxima describe harsh or hard shifting.
- owner complaints
- 56
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,000
- typical mileage
- 95,566
- recalls
- 0
Harsh or hard shifting by model year
What owners say
Over time the problem has gotten significantly worse. While transmission attempts to shift, it "slips" and revs up until it "catches" and then jerks into gear. This happens when accelerating, and also while decelerating you get the jerk and loud "clunking". When changing gears from reverse to drive, the car will pause or hang up for a couple seconds before popping into gear, accompanied by a jerk again. When the engine is shifting and you hear / see the revs start to jump off you need to let off of the gas immediately in order to stop it from red-lining or jerking so hard you snap your neck. This appears to be a common problem with these model maximas. Sad.
My 2006 nissan maxima 3.5sl has a transmission that's going out it slips and slams into gear all the time only 110,000 miles.
Hard shifting when engine is at operating temperature when shifting from reverse or neutral to drive. Saw many other complaints of the exact same nature through nissan forums.
Transmission,hesitation between gears, rough shifting, sudden stops or diminished acceleration, in city driving after 1/2 hr of driving.
Transmission hard shift.
Hard shift transmission starting at approximately 130k miles. Happens during gearing down. Transmission slippage gearing up after a slow down. Issue continues to get worse after transmission oil changed.
Once the transmission gets warm it's very dangerous. Bad stalling from reverse to drive and once you slow to round a curve and go to accelerate again. It slams really hard shifting. Causes a bad jerk. If you are driving in rain, let out of the gas to start I to a small curve, then when you give it has again. If you are not careful you will have a high rmp when it finally shifts back into drive it will cause you to spin. Possibly could cause an accident.
While driving on the interstate a slowed from the cruising speed for traffic. Upon my attempt to accelerate the engine revved to a high RPM before the transmission engaged causing a hard shift that seemed to torque the engine and car to the side causing a short loss of control of the vehicle at highway speed. Since then, I have had numerous incidents when accelerating from a stop light or stop sign when the the car will just lose power until the transmission jolts into gear.mas it loses power thee have been time when cars behind me almost rammed the back of my vehicle.
Over a period of about three weeks, the transmission on this car went from occasional rough shifting to being stuck in 5th gear all the time. The car would "reset" with the ignition turned off, than the car restarted, but that too failed to work after about a week. The situation now has the car un-drivable. Nissan claims the transmission is totally failed, and an independent repair shop agreed. The car will still do one normal shift cycle when it is cool, but than remains in fifth gear after that.
The car's transmission slipped, the RPM''s went up and then the car slammed into gear.
My maxima has been jerking and hesitating at low speeds. It is only when the car has been running for a bit and is warmed up. A few times it has slammed into gear so hard I thought I had been rear ended. It is so bad that I have to drive with my hazard light on. I'm afraid for my life and other drivers on the road. This problem shouldn't be taken lightly and I believe nissan should be held accountable.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2006 Nissan Maxima harsh shifting
Is harsh or hard shifting a common problem on the 2006 Nissan Maxima?
56 of 576 owner complaints about the 2006 Nissan Maxima (10%) mention harsh or hard shifting. The model year with the most reports is 2005.
How much does it cost to fix harsh or hard shifting on the 2006 Nissan Maxima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,000 (median of 10 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 2006 Nissan Maxima?
There are 0 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2006 Nissan Maxima
Jerking 241Slipping 95Transmission failure 66ABS 49Stalling 41Hesitation 32Check engine light 19Sudden acceleration 15Grinding brakes 14Knocking 10Won't shift 10Loss of power 8CVT failure 5Whining noise 5
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