Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
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).
"tamara inflators" seat belts didn't lock or light did not come on. Smashed body all the way to back seat bottom to ground. Engine was idling very high felt/sound as if we were going 60 but only was going 40. No air bags came on. Brakes grinding. Back window blew out and tires flat in back.. Windows slow on drivers side. When the sheriff tahoe hit us at 80mph on U.S. 40 greenfield in was in the shop at j&m truck an trailer on the west side of indianapolis having the oil leaked fixed and tires all fixed and rotors and lights by [redacted] a couple months prior. I had my little girl in the back seat as well where sheriff hit and ran. I uploaded a before and after picture. VIN#[redacted]
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.
I'm was driving when my tire popped and my car went across all three lanes, across the median, then across three lanes of oncoming traffic into some woods and hit a tree head on. All side airbags deployed but the front on didn't, which concerns me since I hit a tree head on. The side airbags left bruises on my face and neck injuries.
I own a 2005 Nissan Maxima: in January ,2009 my son was driving back from lubbock texas to portales nm. This is 110 miles. My tire a Goodyear rs-a 245/45 r18 tire went flat my son got out of the car and changed it in pitch dark. Not taking the time to look at the tire in depth. He drove home to find in the later part of his trip he did not have any breaks. He was driving at highway speeds. The inside of the tire's beading came completely out. It looked like it had 45 wires hanging out of the tire. These wires were in and out of the tire and I could literally pick it up by the wires. The wires (beading) wrapped around my break lines and cut them completely in half, in addition pulling the steal mount for the break line all the way through the cars mount. This could have killed my son, passengers, as well as oncoming traffic. This same situation happened to me three weeks prior. …
The ABS system is defective based upon Nissan manufacturers bulletin regarding Maxima's years 2004, 2005, 2006. The requirement of Nissan to replace 2-rear wheel hubs $444.10, 2-rear ABS wheel sensors $627.20, and possibly the ABS actuator-assy $1306.51 all due to the technical fact that water accumulates in the wheel hubs and causes failure of the sensors & ABS actuator assy to properly engage the ABS computer ( actuator), causing the ABS computer to continually turn on it's pump motor making the vehicle be unstable and not stop evenly. I'm advised by Nissan service the effect of the actuator continually running will cause it to burn out prematurely but Nissan is requiring the customer to make the repairs at their own expense even though this issue has been apparent in 2004, 2005, 2006. …
Tires on my 2005 Nissan Maxima keep loosing air. The rims are chrome (factory) rims. I have lost 2 tires because of this problem. I have had 4 occurrences of the leaking tires. The chrome plating is separating from the rim and the tire bead starts to leak air. 2 of the 4 occurrences were on the highway. The repair shops I have taken the tires/rims to all tell me this is a common problem they have seen. I am currently working the problem with Nissan to try to get them to replace the defective rims. I have to date spent approx. $750 for tires repairs. Is there a record of failures of this kind on file? If the problem is not corrected by Nissan what do you suggest I do next? I find it very scary trying to change a tire on the interstate highways and fear being hit. I check all 4 tires weekly now but two of the leaks occurred on the high speed highways even though I check the air pressure.
2005 Nissan Maxima started having transmission problems at or near 73,000 miles. Problems consist of the following: while shifting from drive to reverse and vice versa, the engine jumps/jerks; while driving the engine will hesitate to accelerate, revs and then jump. Currently, the vehicle has over 80,000 miles. Unfortunately we have not been able to get it assessed by a Nissan dealership because we live in italy (military). We had the vehicle assessed locally and the prognosis was that the transmission is going bad. We move back to the states in a couple of months and the first order of business will be a stop at the Nissan dealership. We anticipate the same runaround that everyone else has been getting. Please note: we would like to be included in any and all class action lawsuits. We pay off our max next month!
The transmission on my 2005 Nissan/Maxima is hard shifting when engine/transmissionis is hot, delaying take off and kicking extremely bad when picking up speed and the automatic transmission shifts gears. Two motor mount are already broken as a result of this problem. Nissan dealer recommended replace transmission. A transmission specialized shop inspected and tested the transmission for second opinion and did no find problem in the transmission, other than 2 bad sensors. Sensors was replaced and 6 months later the problem started again. *interior sunvisor lightning cover broken in both sides, driver's and passenger. Player not working, not playing. *original chrome wheels are corroded, breaking the seal on two of the tires causing pressure to lower and makes tire go flat in less than a week, if not attended soon.
Tl contact owns a 2005 Nissan Maxima. The vehicle has Goodyear Eagle rs-a p245-45r18 tires. The contact stated that the passenger side front tire was making an unfamiliar noise. She believed that there May be a bubble in the tire. The mechanic stated that both rear tires had slits in them and would be recalled due to a manufacturer defect. The dot number was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 40,000. The consumer stated performed all necessary maintenance for vehicle and complained @ 37,000 about noise in the right front tire and the dealer informed customer tires would wear in. The consumer stated feels should not have to pay for 4 new tires at $300 a piece. The consumer stated Goodyear prorated the rear tires but consumer feels that is not sufficient. Updated 09/05/07
Noticed circular tearing of all four tires beginning at 16,000 miles. Later, while driving down the highway, the front left tire blew and tore apart. Luckily, no one was injured and I found a small edge of the freeway to change the tire, which was very nerve racking when changing the tire. This occurred at 18,000 miles, 18 months of owning the car. This was a week after I told Nissan to look at my tires and they said nothing was wrong with them, despite the circular breakage beginning to occur. I told them to check for leaks as well. They said no leaks. They were Goodyear tires 245/45/18 Eagle rsa tires. I had to buy four new tires due to safety reasons at $575.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Maxima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2005 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2005 Nissan Maxima, 3% of the model year's 948 complaints. The component named most often is sidewall (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Nissan Maxima wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires 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 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 37,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to wheels & tires 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.