While driving on I-75 in Atlanta about a month ago, my 2017 Nissan Maxima suddenly stopped accelerating. The engine was revving, but the car wouldn’t respond when I pressed the gas. It was unexpected and dangerous in fast-moving highway traffic. The same issue happened again on July 22, 2024, while I was driving on I-85. Both times, the car lost acceleration without warning in the moment. Before these incidents, I noticed occasional hesitation from a stop and delayed acceleration, but nothing as extreme as losing power at highway speeds. I took the car to a Nissan dealership, and they pulled a P17F1 code related to the CVT transmission. Nissan has acknowledged this issue by extending the warranty for transmission repairs in other models, but they told me my vehicle is not covered. This failure creates a serious safety risk and should not be ignored.
Nissan Maxima hesitation problems
220 of the 6,504 owner complaints about the Nissan Maxima describe hesitation when accelerating, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 220
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,100
- typical mileage
- 87,000
By model year
Often reported together
Jerking 114Slipping 37Transmission failure 32Harsh shifting 26Stalling 24Check engine light 16CVT failure 7Sudden acceleration 6
Trouble codes mentioned
P17F1 1P1778 1P0746 1P0430 1P0011 1
What owners say
Component Failure: CVT transmission completely failed, requires full replacement. Failed unit available for inspection. Consistent with known manufacturing defect affecting multiple Nissan models, evidenced by $400+ million in class action settlements in the USA alone. Safety Risks: Sudden acceleration loss while driving, unpredictable lurching/jerking, complete loss of forward propulsion, risk of rear-end collisions, inability to safely merge or maintain highway speeds. CVT failures occur suddenly without adequate warning. Dealer Confirmation: Younker Nissan in Renton, WA confirmed complete CVT failure requiring replacement, estimated cost $8800. Manufacturer Inspection: None. Nissan declined inspection citing mileage over 84,000-mile limit, despite known manufacturing defect and my vehicle falling within [XXX] v. Nissan settlement model years (2016-2018 Maxima). Warning Symptoms: Initial: Shuddering and jerking while on highway. Within 1 hour: Intermittent hesitation, jerking during acceleration, transmission shuddering, whining noises, slipping, intermittent check engine light Within 2 days: More of the same, but worse. Completely stopped driving it. These match documented CVT failure patterns in Nissan settlements: hesitating, stalling, jerking, lurching, shaking, juddering, premature failure. Context: This systematic manufacturing defect acknowledged through multiple Nissan settlements totaling $400+ million in trhe USA alone. Failure at 106k miles well within expected transmission lifespan for properly maintained flagship sedan. Arbitrary 84k-mile settlement limits exclude well-maintained vehicles experiencing same inherent defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2012 Nissan Maxima with 94,000 miles began hesitating upon accelerating and jerking on [XXX]. Vehicle diagnosed at Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY with bad transmission. Transmission replaced. Then on [XXX], while driving vehicle, a loud noise from front passenger tire, traction light come on, pulled to side and found wheel side ways and upon investigation, Ball Joint had come part damaging axle and wheel. Found no bolt for ball joint in place. Towed back to Don Franklin Nissan in Glasgow, KY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and displayed symptoms relating to transmission failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the CVT. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 50,400.
My 2016 nissan maxima has 59000 miles and im having problems with the cvt transmission juddering when pressing gas slowly hesitating to change gears ive seen articles about nissan vehicles having the same issue i guess a death needs to happen so it can be on recall what ashame
The contact owns a 2012 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle started to hesitate. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the transmission to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was awaiting the repairs. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,200.
The vehicle was in a parked position at my home. Went and started vehicle and from park to drive it hesitated before it starts to move.
This is my third nissan maxima and they all had the same idsue with the mass air flow sensor. Set off check engine light and makes car hesitate when accerlerating. My mom owns a 2013 maxima 45000 miles and has the same issue with check engine light.
Transmission belt disintegrated. Lots of power in drive. Shaking, hesitating when driving. Finally would barely move.
My maxima is only 4 years old and it started jumping and hesitating while driving. The nissan repair shop said that my transmission is bad and it looks like 'glitter' inside.they have to replace it. Apparently nissan has a class action lawsuit against them because of these CVT transmissions. They are not acknowledging the problem with the maximas because they said it is not happening as often as in the smaller cars. My car is a little bit out of warranty so they still made me pay a portion of the transmission even though they knew it would break. Its not right they should be covering a 4 year old cars transmission going bad in full when they know about the problems.
Related recalls
Power train
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a traction control system, the odometer in the subject vehicles registers distance in kilometers instead of miles as is specified in the design. The odometer does not have a label that indicates "kilometers" or "km" as required by fmvss no. 101, "controls and displays."
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the odometer to determine if it is correct and, if not, will replace the speedometer/odometer assembly. Owner notification began december 12, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 02V010000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Maxima hesitation
Which Nissan Maxima years have hesitation when accelerating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (79 complaints), 2004 (61 complaints) and 2006 (32 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix hesitation when accelerating on the Nissan Maxima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,100 (median of 35 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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