2005 Nissan Maxima Nissan Maxima 2005

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2005 Nissan Maxima repairs by problem area

Engine (32%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (17%)

Brakes and Traction Control (12%)

Suspension and Steering (14%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (21%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (5%)

Other (0%)

Chart based on 66 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2005 Nissan Maxima.

2005 Nissan Maxima repair cost distribution

$2500+ (4%)

$1000 - $2499 (14%)

$500 - $999 (24%)

$100 - $499 (22%)

< $100 (36%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 50 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2005 Nissan Maxima

Engine not specified

Nissan Maxima in Pennsylvania, United States
Dec 2010 - Jan 2011
Jan 2011

73000 mi

US $3000
Transmission shifted hard 
Nissan Maxima in Connecticut, United States
Sep 2010 - Dec 2010
Nov 2010

84000 mi
CEL, gear shift locked, and brake lights malfunctioned. Radio failed while they had the car. 
Dec 2010

84000 mi
High rev's and bucking and surging in acceleration, traded car. 

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2005 Nissan Maxima 4dr Sedan

265-horsepower 3.5L V6 6-speed manual FWD

Nissan Maxima in North Carolina, United States
Sep 2016 - Jun 2018
Sep 2016

174000 mi

US $1000
Ac compressor clutch seized Clutch master cylinder leaked replaced both master and slave 
Oct 2017

187000 mi

US $800
Timing chain and guide replacement 
Nissan Maxima in Kentucky, United States
May 2011 - Aug 2017
Apr 2012

108000 mi

US $1165
Passenger side was flickering, replaced both HIDs myself ($80 ea). Needed to remove front fascia to access headlamp assemblies to change bulbs. Changed fogs and turn signals while I had them off. Brought car in to repair heatshield rattle. Discovered that most of the noise is internal to the rear precat. Quoted $1100 w/labor to replace 1 precat. Plan to purchase headers and never deal with disintegrating precats again. Both pre-catalytic converters were replaced. Front one was mostly plugged, rear one still looked okay. Neither had begun to disintegrate. 
Dec 2012

118000 mi

US $83
Common problem. Replaced broken clutch bracket with new bracket. Had mechanic weld the failure points on the old one to hopefully increase strength and reliability. Car is drive-able with broken bracket, just squeaks and is hard to press. 
Feb 2014

131400 mi

US $800
Replaced all timing chain guides and main tensioner (main guide and tensioner had failed, as is common on the 04+ FWD VQ35DEs. :(). Replaced water pump while the timing cover was off. Replaced all three engine mounts--front and rear "torque mounts" were completely shot, (rubber destroyed) permitting excessive engine movement. Side engine mount was worn, but still functioning nicely. 
Apr 2014

132500 mi

US $65
ABS started activating on its own while braking under dry conditions. Rear wheel hubs let in too much salt/dirt and triggered crazy readings in the ABS sensors. Replaced rear hubs. Known defect, a Nissan TSB was issued. 
Dec 2014

141000 mi

US $800
Replaced struts on all 4 corners, all spring perches/rests. Shock absorbers were completely toast in the rear and mostly dead at the front. Springs should be okay for another 140,000 miles. Handling is now sublime! Replaced both rear wheel hubs. Bearings were fine, rust had accumulated in the hubs causing ABS wheel speed sensor failure. (Expensive, ouch). Sensors are useless now, must be replaced at a later date. Drilled larger drain holes per TSB. ABS sensors were detecting erratic wheel speeds, causing ABS to kick on in dry conditions at light braking levels. Super dangerous. Hubs had rusty sludge inside, ruined ABS sensors. Known problem, Nissan has TSB. Cut fuse to disable. 
Apr 2016

148000 mi

US $2000
Replaced catalytic converters and O2 sensors to fix a P0420 failure in the pre-cat. 
Aug 2016

150000 mi

US $600
ABS actuator failed, attempted fixes made by replacing both rear ABS sensors. 
Mar 2017

153000 mi

US $800
ABS actuator failed in October of 2014, this was the final attempted fix--replaced one of the replacement wheel hubs that had a bad "tone ring" preventing the wheel's replacement ABS sensor from working. 
Nissan Maxima in Connecticut, United States
Sep 2011 - Jul 2013
Nov 2011

63500 mi
Car has oil leakage from engine so 4.5 qts of oil was filled and car was to be driven for 1000 mikes and returned for engine/oil check. Car was returned to shop after 1600 miles and was down 2.5 qts oil and deemed engine was bad. 
Dec 2011

64000 mi
Engine was not repaired. The oil leakage was tempered with the Lucas Oil Treatments, which worked well. 
Apr 2012

66300 mi

US $490
Clutch was sticking and stalled with clutch stuck at floorboard. Replaced slave cylinder but problem returned due to a pinhole leak in the slave cylinder hose. 
Sep 2012

69000 mi

US $323
Broken clutch pedal bracket replaced 

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2005 Nissan Maxima 4dr Sedan

265-horsepower 3.5L V6 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD

Nissan Maxima in South Dakota, United States
Jun 2017 - Jun 2018
Jun 2018

120000 mi

US $268
Going to drive the car after starting it up, a period of time could elapse and then the "SLIP" would start flashing and the power would be greatly reduced to the drivetrain like you were slipping on ice. Then the ABS and TCS lights would come on and shut the system down. This was potentially dangerous if you happened to be pulling out of a parking lot across a couple lanes of traffic and this occur. The shop has found that the head of the bolts holding the ABS sensor to the rear hub had completely rust away leaving the sensor free to vibrate and not see the tire rotation correctly. The ABS sensor also has to go back in to the rear hubs dismantled and drilled out and tapped out so new bolts can go back into the hubs to hold the sensor. Will need more work to make this repair successful. At the same time, the AC would sometimes blow cold air and other times blow warm/hot air either though the AC was on. The AC was leaked down and charged....after the visit this did not correct the issue.  
Nissan Maxima in New Jersey, United States
Aug 2012 - Sep 2015
Jan 2013

US $1000
This year/model are notorious for trans problems. Slam shift issue caused by a faulty (factory) valve body. Fix is found by replacing valve body with an aftermarket version. 
Jun 2013

70000 mi

US $500
Stuck caliper caused damage to one rear rotor. Had to replace caliper, pads and rotor. 
Nissan Maxima in Ohio, United States
Dec 2012 - Jan 2013
Jan 2013

140000 mi

US $900
Broken timing chain tensioners. Replaced alternator. First signs of issue were dimming drive lights also brake and charge lights remained on. Replaced AC pump 
Nissan Maxima in Pennsylvania, United States
May 2014 - Jun 2015
Jan 2015

US $600
Light on, said I need new y-pipe, also got oil change done 
Jun 2015

111000 mi

US $230
Crankshaft sensor, cam shaft, among others, car stalled on way home, light came on took to shop. Sold car, bought new 
Nissan Maxima in Colorado, United States
Jun 2016 - Jun 2016
Jun 2016

US $4000
Slipping Transmission 
Nissan Maxima in Ohio, United States
Jul 2015 - Aug 2015
Aug 2015

140000 mi

US $800
AC pump went out. There is a known issue with the high pressure line that Nissan doesn't cover. Line is still leaking, requiring 2 recharges a year. Last I checked, the line is $350-400 
Nissan Maxima in Ontario, Canada
Sep 2014 - Apr 2017
Jun 2016

48360 mi
coin fell off the shelf in dash display and dropped into computer. Needed replacing. Happens often enough that there's a TSB. The replacement computer came with the hole the coins get in covered in felt tape.  
Nissan Maxima in Kentucky, United States
Jan 2012 - Feb 2012
Feb 2012

132000 mi
climate control, driver's side will not get cold unless i put the ac temp at 60 
Nissan Maxima in Maryland, United States
Aug 2011 - Aug 2011
Aug 2011 Rebuilt transmission at at 75000 miles problem with front suspension nothing done then catalytic converter bad when traded car in. 
Nissan Maxima in Maryland, United States
Jul 2010 - Aug 2012
Jul 2011

129300 mi
Front struts replaced. 
Dec 2011

136000 mi

US $1500
front air dam spoiler keeps falling off 
Jun 2012

149000 mi
Transmission started slipping and bucking a few thousand miles ago. Repair shop said they could smell a varnish type smell to the transmission fluid. Reluctant to replace fluid and filter because whenever they have done that ton other like units, the un 
Jul 2012

149000 mi
Check engine light came on. They said the catalytic converters were failing, and by the way it was driving, I believe it; having experiencedthat in the past. With transmission, looking at $5,000 to repair. Traded car. Transmission slipping when traded. 
Nissan Maxima in Illinois, United States
Jul 2010 - Dec 2022
May 2011

52000 mi

US $90
Low freon. Couldn't find aleak. 
Mar 2014

70000 mi

US $125
Transmission acting eradic. Hard shifts. Transmiision fluid was replaced. 
Mar 2016

84000 mi

US $15
Oil Pan Leak 
Aug 2016

86000 mi

US $550
Alternator replaced 
Feb 2017

89000 mi

US $5
Cracked rear subframe. Repaired by dealer due to Nissan extended warranty for this component Leaky oil filter mount gasket 
Feb 2018

94454 mi

US $400
New Struts Cooling pipe for oil cooler, signs of corrosion. radiator hoses 
Dec 2022

110000 mi

US $100
Replaced water pump 
Nissan Maxima in Texas, United States
Jul 2010 - Mar 2013
Dec 2011

83000 mi

US $668
Replaced rt. inner CV boot; replace engine oil, oil filter & air filter element, rotated tires (free) & checked & topped off all fluids(free). replaced leaking low pressure a/c hose; 
Nissan Maxima in Michigan, United States
Jul 2010 - May 2011
Sep 2010

95000 mi

US $1600
ABS Modulator replaced Left rear wheel bearing replaced, spacer replaced. 
Jan 2011

99000 mi
ABS rear sensor wires wet and corrode at connection due to water and salty roads 
Nissan Maxima in New Jersey, United States
Jul 2010 - Jun 2011
Aug 2010

52000 mi
as i advised you earlier,wheels on this car are corroded. Today a diagnostic test was done to determine if wheels should be discarded as they are deteriating. it is now up to nissan to get back to me with what they propose. 
Sep 2010

53000 mi

US $89
I bought new wheels to replace nissan corroded wheels. Cost $580.00 plus installation cost of $82.00. My cost, no refund from Nissan. 
Nissan Maxima in Illinois, United States
Sep 2010 - Mar 2014
Apr 2011

79000 mi

US $330
Replaced both headlights for a 2005 nissan maxima. The bulb was a projection bulb costing $115 apiece. Took 1 hour of labor at $120/h. 
Sep 2012

109000 mi

US $1500
Wheel bearing, knuckle, and spindle were rusted and had to be replaced. 
Nissan Maxima in Kentucky, United States
Dec 2010 - Mar 2011
Jan 2011

58000 mi

US $358
Check engine light, code P0420, ended up replacing 1 cat converter covered under warranty. 
Nissan Maxima in New Jersey, United States
Jul 2010 - Apr 2014
Aug 2010

87000 mi

US $450
ABS sensor failed due to rust and was replaced. Failed sensor caused ABS to activate whenever braking - poor braking distance. 
Dec 2010

91000 mi

US $107
Check engine light. Told it needed new catalytic converter. Decided to not repair due to cost. Light turned off after new gas was added. Another mechanic surmised it was caused by a bad tank of gas. 
Jul 2012

114500 mi

US $618
Replaced both front wheel bearings/hubs 

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2005 Nissan Maxima Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2005 Nissan Maxima problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.