Nissan Maxima Transmission Problems by Year

Transmission complaints owners filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) for each model year, per 100,000 cars sold. A complaint counts when it's filed under the transmission, or under the power train and the owner describes the transmission (shifting, slipping, gears, CVT). It's an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.

20001914.7 per 100K sold 200176.8 per 100K sold 20021010.2 per 100K sold 200366.9 per 100K sold 20049241209.9 per 100K sold 20057691019.6 per 100K sold 2006382547.6 per 100K sold 20071120.9 per 100K sold 2008714.9 per 100K sold 2009713.1 per 100K sold 20101321.5 per 100K sold 20112034.1 per 100K sold 20121525.3 per 100K sold 20132037.1 per 100K sold 20141835.7 per 100K sold 20162423.3 per 100K sold 2017913.3 per 100K sold 201812.4 per 100K sold 201912.9 per 100K sold

What owners describe

Hard or jerky shifting60%

Slipping23%

Transmission replaced14%

Delay or hesitation11%

Lost power while driving8%

Stuck in gear or limp mode4%

Share of this model's transmission complaints that mention each symptom. One complaint can mention several.

Transmission and power train recalls

2002 2002
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.

Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check a specific car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

In owners' words

I have a 2004 nissan maxima and the transmission is slipping and jerking, just like all the other maxima complaints.
2004 Nissan Maxima owner · NHTSA complaint

Automatic transmission has very hard shifts and delays in shifting between gears occurs more often after warming up.
2004 Nissan Maxima owner · NHTSA complaint

Quick answers

Which Nissan Maxima years have transmission problems?

By transmission complaints filed with NHTSA per car sold, the worst Nissan Maxima years are 2004, 2005, 2006.

What are common Nissan Maxima transmission problems?

Owners most often describe hard or jerky shifting, slipping, transmission replaced.

Which Nissan Maxima years have the fewest transmission complaints?

Since 2010, the Nissan Maxima years with the fewest transmission complaints per car sold are 2018, 2019, 2017.

See every problem, not just the transmission: Nissan Maxima reliability by year. How we count

Nissan Maxima transmission problems by year.