Owners filed 576 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the power train. It has been recalled 2 times.
When it fails
08400084,000 milesMedian miles at failure
510 complaints record an odometer reading. Failures cluster around 75,000–90,000 miles.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Power Train
230
2
0
0
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
125
2
0
0
Engine
27
2
0
1
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
26
0
0
0
Vehicle Speed Control
17
3
0
1
Electrical System
15
0
1
0
Structure › Body
14
0
1
0
Service Brakes
12
1
0
0
Unknown or Other
11
1
0
1
Air Bags
11
5
0
4
2 safety recalls
Part 573 reports
Suspension › Rear06V046000
Filed Feb 13, 2006759 vehiclesNissan North America, Inc.
Defect. ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE REAR SUBFRAME MAY HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED INCORRECTLY, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRACK IN A BRACKET WHICH HOLDS PART OF THE REAR SUSPENSION.
Risk. IF THE BRACKET IS CRACKED, THE STABILITY OF THE VEHICLE MAY BE AFFECTED UNDER SEVERE DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS COULD LEAD TO A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR SUBFRAME TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS MANUFACTURED INCORRECTLY AND REPLACE IT, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 27, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Seats › Front Assembly › Power Adjust05V512000
Filed Nov 7, 2005102,551 vehiclesNissan North America, Inc.
Defect. ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE DRIVER PREFERRED PACKAGE, THE WIRE HARNESS FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT POWER LUMBAR SUPPORT SWITCH MAY BE ROUTED INCORRECTLY AND COULD BE PINCHED UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT.
Risk. A PINCHED HARNESS, IN COMBINATION WITH DRIVING VIBRATION, MAY RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE HARNESS THAT COULD LEAD TO A FIRE IN THE SEAT.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS AND ROUTE IT CORRECTLY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 16, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed May 17, 2024FL
This Vehicle is Severely Defective. This Vehicle is not safe to be on the road. This Vehicle has had several repairs for the same repair issue but the problem still exists. I have spent thousands on this Vehicle and this vehicle is still inoperative and not drivable. This Vehicle is a hazard for the road. VEHICLE IS UNSAFE! VEHICLE has still not been Repaired. Please I like to be Compensated and Reimbursed for the Loss I have suffered. Please compensate and/or reimbursed me for the $10,000.00 I lost in a Defective, Inoperable, and Unsafe Vehicle. Thank God My Child and I did not get seriously hurt while I was driving this vehicle. I remember one incident while I was driving this vehicle: Right in the middle of me driving this vehicle I was going about 40-45 mph on the highway, the vehicle just shut down all of a sudden. The entire Electrical System just Shutdown. That was very frightening! So, yes I like to be Fully Compensated for all my troubles with this vehicle.
Air Bags
Filed Jul 18, 202390,948 milesNV
The contact filed the complaint on behalf of the owner of the 2006 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary and being serviced with the engine running, the service technician closed the front driver's side door and moments later the front and rear driver's side curtain air bags deployed. The contact stated that during the failure, there was no one seated in the vehicle. The contact stated that there was no impact to the vehicle to cause the air bags to deploy. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 90,948.
Electrical System
Filed Apr 22, 2023CA
My brakes dont work unless my 3 dashboard lights come on. Slip, tcs and abs. Sometimes I forget and drive off. When I brake at the light you could here the wires buzzing as if there was a short circuit. Finally on my passenger side in the 'back, the tire was wiggling and noticed some lugs were missing plus the hubs lugs were loose. I haven' t taken to go get it inspected because I dont have money at the moment.
Unknown or OtherCrash1 injured
Filed May 26, 2021FL
When you're driving in hazardous conditions the car loses stability and it caused me to go into a spin and hit a wall, anytime it rains you can feel that the car starts to lose grip of the road and I fear for my life every time it remotely starts to rain or the road is wet. And there's a recall on the Nissan Maxima regarding the rear suspension something and the effect of the recall on that vehicle is what's happening to my vehicle.
Engine
Filed Dec 11, 2020200,000 milesAR
WELL MY CAR WHILE DRIVING IT WILL COMPLETELY SHUT OFF IN ME WHILE IM DRIVING IT. AFTER IT CRANKS BACK UP IT IS VERY SLOW TO TAKE OFF
Service Brakes
Filed Sep 21, 2020137,820 milesGA
I BOUGHT THIS 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA SL WITH 137,806 MILES. I DROVE IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY, IT WOULD NOT START, I WENT AND BOUGHT A BATTERY, ON THE WAY THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON., THEN THE TCS AND SLIP LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC SHOP, HE KEEP IT ALMOST 4 WEEKS, AND THEN TOLD ME IT WAS NOT WORTH FIXING/REPAIRING IT. I COULD NOT BELIEVE, I JUST SPENT OVER $4,000.00 ON THIS CAR AND I ONLY DROVE IT HOME!!, I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER WELL KNOWN MECHANIC SHOP, HE TELLS ME THAT IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION, MOTOR MOUNTS, SENSORS AND PROBABLY MORE. IT IS NOT WORTH FIXING IT. I AM A 57 YEAR OLD LADY AND I DONT HAVE THE MONEY TO BUY ANOTHER CAR AND I DONT HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX IT. I HEAR THAT THESE CARS HAVE ALOT OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND MORE. I WISH I HAD KNOWN THAT BEFORE BUYING IT.
Power Train
Filed Mar 28, 2020153,200 milesVA
TRANSMISSION SLIPPING FROM 2ND TO 3RD AND 3RD TO 4TH WITH A HARD KNOCK GOING FROM PARK TO DRIVE. WHILE DRIVING AND SLOWING TO 25MPH TO GO AROUND A TURN THE CAR JERKED AND HARD KICKED DOWNSHIFTING CAUSING ME TO ALMOST TO HIT FROM BEHIND.
Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed Nov 19, 2019161,210 milesCA
I WAS DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA AND SUDDENLY STEERING WHEEL GOT STIFF, BRAKES SEEMED TO BE ON, DASHBOARD LIGHTS APPEARED WITH "TCS OFF" "SLIP" AND "CHECK ENGINE " ALL APPEARED ON DASHBOARD. I ALMOST CRASHED DUE TO THIS.
Power Train
Filed Oct 25, 2019200,000 milesFL
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY FAILED TO ACCELERATE AND BEGAN TO ROLL BACKWARDS DOWN A SLIGHT INCLINE. AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT DRIVE FORWARD. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.
Power Train
Filed Sep 19, 2019200 milesCA
WHEN ACCELERATING IN LOW GEARS, THE VEHICLE JUMPS AND JERKS AND SOMETIMES REVS UP THE ENGINE. BAD TRANSMISSION. WHEN PLACED INTO REVERSE, IT STOPS AND JERKS.
Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed Aug 23, 2019193,588 milesWI
"TAKATA RECALL" IN MOTION, SHIFTING HAS A LARGE CLOCK SOUND I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF IT'S A RECALL ON THE COIL. BOTH CITY STREET AND HIGHWAY, WHEN ACCELERATING IT SEEMS TO STALL IN MOVING TO THE NEXT GEAR OR ACTUALLY NOT EVEN SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR IN MOTION, SO WILL NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO PICK UP ANY MOMENTUM. REVERSE IS VERY LOUD WITH A SOMEWHAT BANG TO IT. AS I SAID BEFORE IT COULD BE THE COIL BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO IDENTIFY IF IT'S ALSO A DRIVESHAFT.
Power Train
Filed Jul 7, 2019118,000 milesOR
TRANSMITION FAILING.SLIPPING OFTEN
Structure › BodyFire
Filed May 6, 2019111,320 milesFL
MY CAR CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO ELECTRICAL IN THE ENGINE THE WHOLE FRONT OF MY CAR IS BURNED ME AND MY FAMILY WAS ASLEEP THE NEIGHBOR CAME AND KNOCKED ON THE WINDOW AND SAID MY CAR WAS ON FIRE I CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THEY PUT THE FIRE OUT AND I ASKED HOW WAS THE FIRE STARTED THE FIREMEN TOLD ME THE FIRE STARTED FROM THE ENGINE
Power Train
Filed Nov 22, 201883,000 milesNJ
CAR HAS ISSUES SHIFTING FROM LOW GEARS, JERKING AND BUCKING
Power Train
Filed Nov 5, 201860,854 milesPA
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND DID NOT SWITCH INTO THE CORRECT GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KELLY NISSAN OF ROUTE 33 (3830 EASTON-NAZARETH HWY, EASTON, PA 18045, (610) 756-1442) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,854.
Engine
Filed Oct 8, 201885,000 milesCA
MY CAR WAS UNDER 90K MILES WHEN IT EXPERIENCED TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE, PREMATURE CLUTCH WEAR, OVERHEATING, AND OTHER PROBLEMS THAT ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN SERIOUS AND EXPENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLES TRANSMISSION.
Unknown or Other
Filed Sep 24, 2018150,000 milesAL
TRANSMISSION HAS A WICKED VIBRATION. HAVE HAD SENSORS REPLACED, BUT THAT DIDN'T HELP. WAS TOLD THAT I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION... APPARENTLY I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE!
Electrical System
Filed Jul 29, 201875,800 milesPA
TRANSMISSION SLIP, NO POWER, JERK SLIP, REVVING UP NO POWER TO MAKE CAR MOVE
Structure › Body
Filed Apr 23, 2018106,701 milesNH
PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR BOARDS RUSTING OUT. MY 2006 MAXIMA HAS 106701 MILES AND HAS BEEN GARAGED SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW. IT NOW FAILED INSPECTION
Power Train
Filed Apr 4, 201881,000 milesOH
MY 2006 NISSAN MAXIMA SE 81K MILES JUST QUIT SHIFTING. IT WILL NOT GO FORWARD OR REVERSE.
Complaint volume is well above typical for a single model year.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Feb 13, 2006. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.