2005 NISSAN MAXIMA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 927 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (694 complaints · 74.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 15
  • Fires 10
  • Injuries 27
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2004 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 694 of 927 owner complaints (74.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 694 complaints, 74.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 694 · 74.9% · 6 crash reports 2 fire reports ENGINE: 66 complaints, 7.1% of reports ENGINE 66 · 7.1% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 23 complaints, 2.5% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 23 · 2.5% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 18 complaints, 1.9% of reports STRUCTURE 18 · 1.9% SERVICE BRAKES: 17 complaints, 1.8% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 17 · 1.8% · 1 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 15 complaints, 1.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 · 1.6% · 2 fire reports STEERING: 10 complaints, 1.1% of reports STEERING 10 · 1.1% AIR BAGS: 8 complaints, 0.9% of reports AIR BAGS 8 · 0.9% · 5 crash reports TIRES: 8 complaints, 0.9% of reports TIRES 8 · 0.9% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 378 complaints, 40.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 378 · 40.8% · 6 crash reports 5 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 694 74.9% 6 crashes · 2 fires
ENGINE 66 7.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 23 2.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 18 1.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 17 1.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 1.6% 0 crashes · 2 fires
STEERING 10 1.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 8 0.9% 5 crashes · 0 fires
TIRES 8 0.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 378 40.8% 6 crashes · 5 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2005; the first recall shown was reported in Jul 2005. 2005-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2009-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2009-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2009-Q4: 22 owner reports 22 2010-Q1: 22 owner reports 22 2010-Q2: 23 owner reports 23 2010-Q3: 48 owner reports 48 2010-Q4: 40 owner reports 40 2011-Q1: 54 owner reports 54 2011-Q2: 61 owner reports 61 2011-Q3: 70 owner reports 70 2011-Q4: 49 owner reports 49 2012-Q1: 38 owner reports 38 2012-Q2: 40 owner reports 40 2012-Q3: 38 owner reports 38 2012-Q4: 33 owner reports 33 2013-Q1: 53 owner reports 53 2013-Q2: 27 owner reports 27 2013-Q3: 27 owner reports 27 2013-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2014-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2014-Q2: 22 owner reports 22 2014-Q3: 15 owner reports 15 2014-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2015-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2015-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2015-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2016-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2016-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2016-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2016-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2017-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2017-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2005 Jan 2025 Recall campaign 05V338000 ◆ Recall campaign 05V338000 Recall campaign 05V512000 ◆ Recall campaign 05V512000
  • Campaign 05V338000 was reported 162 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 05V512000 was reported 266 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2005-Q1 Owner reports 3
2005-Q2 Owner reports 4
2005-Q3 Owner reports 4
2005-Q4 Owner reports 4
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q3 Owner reports 3
2006-Q4 Owner reports 3
2007-Q1 Owner reports 4
2007-Q2 Owner reports 3
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2007-Q4 Owner reports 3
2008-Q1 Owner reports 4
2008-Q2 Owner reports 2
2008-Q3 Owner reports 5
2008-Q4 Owner reports 9
2009-Q1 Owner reports 5
2009-Q2 Owner reports 6
2009-Q3 Owner reports 9
2009-Q4 Owner reports 22
2010-Q1 Owner reports 22
2010-Q2 Owner reports 23
2010-Q3 Owner reports 48
2010-Q4 Owner reports 40
2011-Q1 Owner reports 54
2011-Q2 Owner reports 61
2011-Q3 Owner reports 70
2011-Q4 Owner reports 49
2012-Q1 Owner reports 38
2012-Q2 Owner reports 40
2012-Q3 Owner reports 38
2012-Q4 Owner reports 33
2013-Q1 Owner reports 53
2013-Q2 Owner reports 27
2013-Q3 Owner reports 27
2013-Q4 Owner reports 14
2014-Q1 Owner reports 13
2014-Q2 Owner reports 22
2014-Q3 Owner reports 15
2014-Q4 Owner reports 15
2015-Q1 Owner reports 14
2015-Q2 Owner reports 10
2015-Q3 Owner reports 6
2015-Q4 Owner reports 10
2016-Q1 Owner reports 7
2016-Q2 Owner reports 13
2016-Q3 Owner reports 10
2016-Q4 Owner reports 12
2017-Q1 Owner reports 11
2017-Q2 Owner reports 8
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 3
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 2
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q2 Owner reports 4
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 05V338000
Recall campaign 1 05V512000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 05V338000

    Report date
    Component:
    CHILD SEAT
    Consequence:
    IF A CHILD SEAT IS NOT PROPERLY SECURED, THERE IS AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOWER ANCHORAGE BRACKETS WITH MODIFIED BRACKETS TO ENSURE THAT THE STANDARD IS MET. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 28, 2006. THE INFINITI Q45 MODEL VEHICLES ARE BEING CAMPAIGNED UNDER A SEPARATE RECALL (PLEASE SEE 05V374000). OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 05V512000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEATS
    Consequence:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 927 complaints · page 1 of 38

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources