2006 Nissan Maxima problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (234) · Power Train:automatic Transmission (122) · Vehicle Speed Control (34)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Maxima model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
510 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (81)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicle key not detected / authenticated, engine will not start this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB13-027D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication – network diagnostic flow chart this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical System 2024-05-21 · NTB10-066C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
can communication codes – diagnostic tips and guidelines this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Visibility/Wiper 2024-04-30 · NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
window glass warranty information this bulletin has been amended. see amendment history on the last page. please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 81 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-05-17 · Unknown Or Other“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 be…”
2023-07-18 · Air Bags · 90,948 mi“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…”
2023-04-22 · Wheels“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…”
2021-05-26 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“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 som…”
2020-12-11 · Power Train · 200,000 mi“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…”
2020-09-21 · Service Brakes · 137,820 mi“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 beli…”
2020-03-28 · Power Train · 153,200 mi“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.…”
2019-11-19 · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · 161,210 mi“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.…”
2019-10-25 · Power Train · 200,000 mi“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 manufactu…”
2019-09-19 · Power Train · 200 mi“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.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.