Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Nissan Maxima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving my 2005 Nissan Maxima the gears slip and jump into gear with a violent jerk that is affecting my driving and May cause me to lose control of the car and possible injury myself or others. There is a transmission issue with the valve body that is causing this violent shifting and it seems that I am not the only one that has this issue. It is disgrace that the NHTSA had done nothing to address this wide spread issue, must people die first so it does get addressed. I will also contact my state representative to report the issue. I opened up a case with Nissan consumer affairs with no luck or admittance of their failed component. Nissan dealership diagnosed transmission with a p0726 code and had an open technical bulletin ntb11'035 which is acknowledgement of nissans failed design of the transmission valve body. …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. While idling at a stop light with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to approximately 20 MPH. There were no warning lights present during or after the failure occurred. A police report was filed. The vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle. Both vehicles were damaged. There were no injuries. The vehicle shut off after it was placed in neutral, however, it kept attempting to accelerate as if the pedal was depressed. The contact drove the vehicle to his residence with the emergency brake applied. The failure did not recur. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of failure. The failure mileage was 14,450 and current mileage was 14,500. The consumer stated the throttle actuator was replace at his expense however, he does not feel this was the problem with the vehicle. Updated 10/16/07
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. While driving 40 MPH up a hill, the vehicle failed to accelerate. In addition, the engine revved, the vehicle switched gears, and the vehicle began moving in reverse. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to a parking lot where it stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was not towed, diagnosed, or repaired. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact was referred to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
The 2005 Nissan Maxima has a terrible transmission. Problems shifting gears and when trying to accelerate it wont shift out of gears to go faster. Such as if I stop at a stop light or stop sign and then try to go again it accelerates very (5mph). Also when shifting into drive, it does this loud banging jerk that jerks the entire car. Was told transmission is slipping. There are thousands of other complaints for the nissian Maxima transmission and needs to be a recall on the transmission. Car is only 13 years old.
This car has nothing but issues. I have had to replace the timing chains along with continuing to deal with the cars transmission and engine revving and trowing itself in and out of gear and dying the the middle of the road or highway. This car is dangerous and hundreds of people are having the exact same issues with Nissan refusing to address the issue or admit fault. Something needs to be done. Im sure people have been physically hurt from this issue and seems strong enough to be made into a class action suit.
When the engine is warn and you shift from park to drive or reverse the car jerks really hard before it goes to the desired gear. Once it picks up you will feel a jerk while driving especially when you are slowing down from high speed to a stop. It really jerks around 2nd and 3rd shifting, picking up or slowing down. During driving when you depress the accelerator, it does not pick up right away and the engine will rave before it kicks in with a jerk. The transmission slips before it picks up. Once you start acceleration, there is a rattling sound when you press the gas. I have taken it to the dealership several time and they tell me they cannot find anything wrong with it and that I should always use premium gas. The last time I had to spend $500 to replace the visa valve and EVAP valve the problem still continues. This happens after driving the car and it has warmed up. …
I have had problems with this car since I purchased it. I bought the car as a used car with about 72,000 miles on it when I bought. About a month after the car started to drive differently. I noticed that the car would start to jerk when accelerating. The car jerks really bad when the RPM goes between the number 2 & 3. There are times where I can be pushing all the way down on my gas pedal and the car takes forever to accelerate. After purchasing the car I read reviews online that show a lot of people have these issues. I took my car to two different transmission shops that specialize in transmission and they refused to even work on the transmission because there are so many problems they can't guarantee there work. …
A couple of months ago, my 2005 Nissan Maxima began having transmission problems. When beginning to drive, the vehicle will jerk when it reaches 2 and 3 rpms and rev the engine. Before it resumes "normal" drive, it will jerk again and make a loud clunking noise. This also happens when attempting to put the car into reverse. I was told today by the local Nissan dealership that the transmission must be replaced costing approximately $3300.00! The dealership never informed me of these issues, even after a transmission flush and a courtesy check when I first brought the car to them several weeks ago. I am shocked and disturbed after reading how many other Nissan Maxima owners are having the exact same problem I am having. How many complaints must there be for a resolution if each person is having the same problem?!
I was about to pull off from a stop light and when I hit the gas it was like I was in neutral. The car wouldn't move. Cars were blowing at me and all. I looked down and saw that the car was still in drive. The ABS, brake, service engine and tns/ins? Lights were on and my gas hand had dropped from 3/4 of a tank down to empty and the light came on. I turned the car off for a split second and turned it back on. The only light that stayed on afterward was the service engine light. My gas hand never went back up to the 3/4 of a tank. I was nervous that the car was going to cut off so I stopped and put more gas in the car. My car now drives like the bottom is falling out. It's slow to accelerate and then picks up once you get to about 35 MPH.
My 2005 Nissan Maxima (build date of 08/04) has 77000 miles and has started showing signs of what May be serious transmission problems that include the following: 1. Takes about 5 seconds to click into gear after the shift lever is put in "d" 2. Very hard jerky shifts between 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 1st and accompanied by loud clunking noise. 3. Transmission slips out of gear during regular driving allowing the engine to rev freely then jerking back into gear with a loud clunk. Then followed by a burnt oil / electrical type smell that gets inside the car and evident outside after stopping. 4. Engine mounts have been replaced due to this problem and Nissan dealer refuse to help knowing this problem occurs with their Maxima.
Acceleration complaints in other Maxima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2005 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2005 Nissan Maxima, 3% of the model year's 948 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Nissan Maxima acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2005 Nissan Maxima, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Maxima acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 101,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.