10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
82,923 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2006 Nissan Maxima:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #18

Dec 082014

Maxima

  • 126,000 miles
Rattling sound on front ride side of vehicle. Took to Nissan dealership on 12/11/14 to have assessed. Was confirmed that it is the timing chain tensioning system. It will cost $2000 in labor alone to remove engine and components to access, parts will be anywhere for $200-$2000. The timing chain tension system is defective and prone to premature failure. Dealership does not know why this happens but recommended I do not drive until can be repaired due to the fact that if the timing loses time it will blow my motor. I feel as this should have been a recall issued to consumers. The vehicle is not yet paid off and will require $2000-4000 in repairs to be safe to drive.

- Gahanna, OH, USA

problem #17

Apr 132013

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 104,000 miles
I had to do replace a worn engine mount on my car, which required lowering the front suspension member (Nissan speak), or cradle as I call it. I noticed that the front mounting studs were extremely corroded. I do live in a snow/salt state, Ohio. The rear studs looked ok. The worst of the front studs had approximately 25% of the stud rotted away due to corrosion. This is not a simple replaceable a bolt, so I had no choice but to reassemble the cradle with the studs as is. If these studs were to fail, the result could be catastrophic. I thought you should know about this. As a side note, this same car had a severely corroded floor that had to be cut out and repaired as well. It appears Nissan does not build a car suited for the snow/salt areas.

- Pickerington, OH, USA

problem #16

Jan 012012

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
2006 Nissan Maxima. Consumer writes in regards to transmission failure. The consumer was also informed the engine would soon fail as well.

- Sterling, VA, USA

problem #15

Apr 062011

Maxima

  • 90,000 miles
Purchased this car in 2006 brand new! 90K miles the ABS went.........at 120K miles the ac went and you have to keep putting freon all summer long! now at 130K miles the car jerks sporadically when driving it switches gears and takes about 5-8 seconds to switch gears. Truly a dissatisfied customer. I paid for a transmission flush, which had I known at the time would not have done it because the problem remains!

- Medford, NY, USA

problem #14

Mar 012012

Maxima

  • 113,300 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle would consume large quantities of oil abnormally, which the contact was concerned could possibly result in improper performance of the piston rings. The dealer diagnosed that the catalytic converter was storing the oil which could possibly cause a fire or engine damage. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but advised that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 06V223000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,300 and the current mileage was 113,680.

- Waynesborogh, PA, USA

problem #13

Aug 082011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
The transmission is failing and Nissan customer services is rude! you can't get Nissan to admit there are faulty transmissions on some of there Nissan cars/trucks/SUV's. I will never purchase a Nissan again. It's the sensors I was told that are causing the problems. So, then you have to purchase a entire transmission because it cannot be bought alone. Thank you, too mad!

- Scottsville, VA, USA

problem #12

Jan 112011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
The vehicle violently jerks. Takes up to ten seconds to shift into gear after changing from park to drive. When accelerating, the vehicle hesitates at first, then jerks forward as though someone has hit you from behind. When decelerating, the vehicle has a back-kick around the 20mph area. Lags during acceleration, does not engage or function properly.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #11

Jun 232011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • miles
I purchased a 2006 Nissan Maxima in February 2011..when I purchased the car it appeared to be in good running condition..there were a few visible problems such as the headlights, running light, power seats, or windows weren't working properly..that problem was fixed and the owner agreed to fix the brakes and the remainder of the problems however almost a year later my anti brake light is still on & the dealership have not made any attempt to fix my car. 4months after having the car the speedometer stopped working and the odometer, the gas gauge goes back & forth, the service engine light remains on and the car jerks while driving and sometimes when shifting the car out of drive into reverse it jerks hard. I have quite a few friends who have Maxima's also and have the same problem with their cars..it's obvious it's a defect with the transmissions, speed gauge & so many other defects with these cars. Somewhere there has to be someone who can help myself as well as others who are experiencing these problems. I have read far too many complaints about these particular cars. The cost to repair these cars are expensive & not to mention the cost to have your transmission replaced & on top of all that you are still responsible for paying your car note. Hopefully soon there will be a solution to this problem. Thanks in advance!!!

- Donaldsonville, LA, USA

problem #10

Sep 102011

Maxima

  • miles
My car started with a rattling noise heard from inside the cabin at 56,000 miles, , the noise would come and go. Then at 77,000 miles shortly after the warranty goes out, it starts making a whining noise, , similar to power steering when fluid is low, , well it turns out its the timing chain tensioner, , made up of plastic and the cost of repair is $1200 dollars!!, I have done some research online and im not the only one that has gone thru this on Nissan vehicles, even cars from 1997 to present have had this problem related to the timing chain tensioners going bad right after warranty expires, , this has to be a recall but Nissan wont admit it, im starting to get very disappointed in Nissan, hopefully other Nissan owners with this problem complain here, , very disappointed in Nissan.

- Mcallen , TX, USA

problem #9

Dec 012011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
I was first told that the cataylic converter was gone, had that replaced, then was told 2 motor mounts were gone, had them replaced and still have the same problem, with the car jerking with a hard knock into 1 and 2nd gear and now it is accelerating while driving and jerking into gear. Nissan needs to recall the transmission on these 2006 Maximas there are so people having the same problem.

- Coral Springs, FL, USA

problem #8

Jan 102012

Maxima

  • 108,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving 35 mph when the engine stalled. The vehicle restarted after the failure but the failure repeated. The vehicle was towed home. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 108,000.

- Macon, GA, USA

problem #7

Aug 012011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 99,150 miles
The transmission slips, jumps out of gear between gears. Often it will go to shift then it revs up not in gear instead of shifting then after a few seconds it slams hard into gear. This is not a daily constant issue it is random and sometimes will go weeks between having the issue pop up. When it pops up it will happen during that entire drive. The next time it is driven even that same day even just 15 minutes later it will not have shifting issues sometimes it does. There are many many many customers complaining about this issue with Nissan transmissions.

- American Fork, UT, USA

problem #6

Jun 162011

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 74,075 miles
My 2006 Maxima's transmission gave out at 74,000 miles of normal use. There are 1,000's of others with this same problem and most have had to pay around $3,000 out of pocket to have the transmission replaced. There are some that were fortunate to have all or most of the costs paid by Nissan, even when the warranty was expired. Nissan refuses to assist with my repair stating that I didn't take it to the dealership for it's regular maintenance. BBB auto line states that the vehicle is too old for them to assist in my repair cost recovery. This is a huge issue with this generation of Maxima and there should be a forced recall, no matter the cost to the manufacturer. We paid a lot of money for their flagship model and we should not have to pay even more for their faulty transmissions. Also, broken engine mounts seem to be high on the list of problems with this vehicle, which my Maxima also has. Very frustrating. Need to find help in filing a class action suit against Nissan.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #5

Jun 012010

Maxima

  • 84,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle began to hesitate when the accelerator pedal was engaged. The failure continued to occur each time the contact attempted to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 84,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Hampton, VA, USA

problem #4

Aug 252011

Maxima

  • 174,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle yet the failure recurred three different times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mechanic stated that the failure was caused by the cam shaft position sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 03V455000 (engine and engine cooling) that may be related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 174,000.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #3

May 252011

Maxima

  • 84,500 miles
While driving approximately 65 mph, the gages on my instrument panel began to read erratic. Speedometer, fuel and tachometer drifted between zero and thier maximums. The instrument panel background lighting also began to flicker. The vehicle made it home. At home the dash was tapped a few times to see if it was a loose connection. Upon doing this, some of the gages began to read normal, while others began to read erratic. The vehicle would start and all the major systems appeared to operate normal; other than the gages and background lighting, which were still unreliable. The next day, 5/26/11, while the vehicle was being driven into a parking lot the gages and lighting started acting erratic, except this time smoke appeared from the bottom of the sta.tus display screen (the screen in the center of the dash board used to give information on time, maint, temperature). The engine was shut down immediately. The problem was found and fixed by a dealer. The problem was caused by a coin that had fallen into a gap that was formed by design or misalinement of the display screen and the shelf at the base of the screen. The screen is recessed 3.125 inches and declined at an angle of approx 18 deg. This allows any small objects to migrate to the display screen gap. The gap measures.114 inches across the base of the display. The coin (a dime) continued downward until it came in contact with an enclosed printed circuit (pc). The plastic enclosure has a small slot(.3125 X.78125) on top which allowed the coin to drop in and short out the pc. The replacement part doesn't have the slot. Two small holes burnt through the plastic enclosure. P/N of pc is 277607Y00A/upr/5804. Will furnish photos upon request.

- Forked River, NJ, USA

problem #2

Apr 282010

Maxima

  • 78,080 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving 25 mph when the vehicle began to abnormally jerk into the next lowest gear. The contact stated the failure would also occur when shifting from reverse to drive. The dealer advised that the vehicle was in need of a new oxygen sensor and a turbine revolution sensor. The vehicle was repaired with both of the sensors yet the vehicle continued to jerk excessively. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer where the contact was advised that the failure was caused by the motor mounts. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 78,080 and the current mileage was 93,000.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #1

Jun 012009

Maxima

  • 60,515 miles
Car making whine/buzz sound. Began quietly about 10G miles ago but has gotten much louder past 1G miles. Talked to service at dealer. Advised timing chain problem. They have fixed numerous vehicles with this problem. $2400 to fix at dealer.

- Sparta, NJ, USA