My car performs this way as well. Just before coming to a stop, the trans feels like it downshifts into low gear and the RPM's drop down then pick up.

As for MPG, I'm getting 21mpg in suburban driving.

 

I loved my 06 Maxima to death but after replacing the tranny twice it had to go. I opted not to get another Maxima due to my bad experience with the transmission. My friend has an 07 Maxima and he had to get his CVT replaced at 40k miles. He had the same complaints as the Op, Low acceleration and horrible gas mileage. All you have to do is google 04 -06 maxima transission problems and you'll see how many people are having issues. My sister 98 maxima on the other hand has 240k miles on it and it still has the original engine and transmission. I guess nissan has dropped the ball as of late. I still love the Maxima though. Especially the 7th Gen.
Here's a link to the consumer affairs site regarding the Maxima.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/autom...an_maxima.html

 

Yes, some folks have had tranny problems with the 6th gen Maxima. As well as with every model of every car ever built. I am sorry you had a bad experience with your Maxima tranny.

BUT

We have to put these in proper perspective. The best way to do this is by checking Consumer Reports reliability tables. CU sends out reliability inquiries to over a million subscribers, asking for input for sixteen different areas of their vehicle.

CU categorizes tranny problems as 'minor' or 'major'.

For 'minor' tranny problems, the Maxima gets a half-orange ball (better than average) for '05, and a solid orange ball (top rating; much better than average) for '06, '07, '08, '09 and '10.

For 'major' tranny problems, the Maxima gets a half-orange ball (better than average) for '05 and '06, and a solid orange ball (top rating; much better than average) for '07, '08, '09 and '10.

By comparison, the Maxima tranny is more reliable than the trannies in any American 'Big Three' sedan, and slightly more reliable than trannies in such vehicles as the Acura TL, Infiniti 'G' and Toyota Camry. My son is on the third tranny in his TL.

As I said, any car by any manufacturer can have tranny problems. But the Maxima has some of the more reliable trannies on the market in any vehicle. The CVT of the 7th generation Maxima has proven to be one of the most reliable ever made, with only two or three major problems reported here in the three years since it went on sale in June of 2008.

To word this yet another way:

I have owned ever generation of Maxima since buying my first one in October of 1984, and have never had a whisper of a tranny problem in all those years. No Maxima-driving acquaintance of mine has ever mentioned having trouble with their Maxima tranny either. But that doesn't prove Maxima trannies are great.

Likewise, when our individual car is the 'bad apple', we tend to look around and seek out any others who might also have gotten a 'bad apple.' That is easy to do in this technological age. But finding folks with other bad Maxima trannies doesn't prove that Maxima trannies are bad.

We have to look across a large portion of the entire production of Maximas in order to make a reasonable evaluation. When we do that, we find Maxima trannies are very reliable.

 

I would not go to a chain store (aamco-firestone-goodyear) for the cvt, when i was having my 07 service at the 30000 miles mark i went to a firestone store to do some price checking, while talking to the service manager and i mentioned the cvt fluid change and he said no problem. drain and refill with dextron i just said ok. thanks and went to nissan, and they told me tht they would check it and change it if needed, it didnt get changed per the nissan techs,

 

Got a '10 sv prem/tech with 21.5k and have recently heard/felt a slight slip/thunk(hard to describe) when i am starting off from a dead stop. not fast, just a normal start and it feels as if the tranny was out of synch and slipped back in ...any one else had this? at normal speeds everything seems to work ok. it does not do this at every start, so not sure, but taking it in for vibration issues again and hope to be able to duplicate with tech in car.

 

If this is happening right around 17 MPH (very close to the time the doors automatically lock), it isn't the tranny, and is present on all 7th gen Maximas, although some folks never notice it.

Of course you are probably detecting something different that this noise I'm talking about.

 

My 08 has done the same thing since I bought it. Dealer couldnt duplicate it. have 45k now and it has never gotton worse or better. I put it up on the lift and had the wife put it in gear and move a foot and couldnt duplicate it.

Happens 8 out 10 times. If you figure it out, let me know!

 

You are correct, the 6th gen automatics 04-06 are having alot more failures than Consumer Reports is listing. When I got my oil changed on the Z last week they had 4 of them in for Tranny replacement, all with hood up tranny dropped. Just go over to the 6th gen forum in here and you will see complaint after complaint and thread after thread on tranny issues and failures with that tranny. Those 3 model years have had waaaay more tranny issues than any Maxima of recent, the only other Maximas that had alot of known failures was the 89-94 Maxima GXE's. Mine failed twice on my old 89 GXE and it was properly maintained!

 

I purchased my 2011 a couple of months ago. I heard this very subtle sensation at about 17-20 mph once per ignition start, and took the car in to the dealer to check it out.

A factory service rep and the dealer's senior mechanic checked the car out for a couple of hours and reported that the very slight "whap - whap" sound and mild "clunk" were both associated with the ABS self-test, occurred at exactly the same speed once per ignition cycle, and were entirely normal. We drove the car together and they pin-pointed it every time.

However, this has never been associated with acceleration or engine/transmission torque.... 'Haven't felt anything like that.

 

Hi All,
I know it's been awhile since anything has been posted on this topic but but I just found out that the transmission on my 2010 Maxima has to be replaced. The car was fine going to work, and then it wasn't when I started home. I only have 38,000 miles - very strange. For anyone who reads this, add me to the list of people who had to replace the transmission. This is my first Maxima and I am really surprised a this. Thanks for listening. AJ

 

yea the "bump bump bump bump thwap" is the ABS auto self test. you'll hear it after driving the car for a minute or two

 

My wife's 2008 Altima cvt went bad at 133k so the 10yr 120k warranty did us no good. Dealer wanted 4k to put in a rebuilt cvt from Nissan. I think Nissan set the 120k warranty limit at a safe number for them but not for the owners. If they are so sure about the cvt being the greatest transmission, why did they stop the extended warranty. I think they should put there money where their mouth is and put a 150k or 175k warranty on the cvt. We pay so much for these cars today, they should last longer then just the loan period. But I'm not bitter.

 

Actually from what Iv'e seen here on this forum 7th gen CVT failure is not very common at all. They have had other issues like mine needing a valve body replacement, but for total failures it's a very small number.
This not to take away from the frustration you must feel when that small number includes yours.
Hope you get many more miles from the replacement.

 

Good analysis. I have been driving for almost 65 years, and the CVT in the 7th gen Maxima has been the most trouble-free tranny I have seen. I'm not talking about just my car, but all the thousands of 7th gen Maximas being reported on to places like Consumer Reports and True Delta. I can count on one hand (with fingers left over) all the 7th gen CVTs that have been reported as replaced on this site.

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm hoping to get years of enjoyment out of my Maxima.

 

the numbers are with us

 

Just chiming in to report that my 09 maxima died on the highway on Friday. I had it towed to the dealer and they claimed a fuse had blown. They replaced it and I picked up the car on Saturday.

Upon driving home on the highway I noticed some big problems with the car:

1. Terrible acceleration - no power at all. Felt like I was driving an old 80hp 4 cylinder.
2. RPMs went to between 4000 and 5000 and stayed there when driving at around 60mph.
3. Car lurched when shifting into drive and reverse after being parked.

I took the car back to the dealer on Monday and the acceleration was much better on the drive back but the RPMs were still high. I was seeing about 2800 to 3000 rpm when in the 45 to 55 mph range.

My dealer called me back today and they are replacing the transmission valve body as a first step at attempting a fix. It's under warranty (part was quoted @ $1600). I hope to have the car back by mid next week. I assume if the valve body fix doesn't solve the problem they will have to replace the entire transmission.

 

Keep us updated on what happens please.

 

Insist on a test drive before taking the car home again. The car will still be re-learning your driving habits for a while but it shouldn't exhibit those wide RPM variations and uncommanded movements you mentioned.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

I had the same problems with my 2010, except the high rpms at lower speed (#2.) After several trips and a lot of hassle, I got the valve body replaced in my CVT and everything has been great since. In fact, being that you have a 2009, you will be getting the "updated" valve body found in 2011+ Maximas. Sorry, I don't know exactly what the "update/s" is/are.

Anyway, after the replacement, I must say the new valve body is trouble free and much more responsive than the original. For example, the rpms have a soft stop of about 1500 rpms when cruising at lower speeds. This makes the car seem much more responsive to acceleration as it is at a higher rpm ready to rev as opposed to very low rpms and bogging down.

Good luck and make sure to post back what happens! I'm fairly confident this will fix your problem.

 

^ It was a TSB for sluggish acceleration. I don't remember the number but I noted it in prior posts after having my valvebody replaced.

 

Wow ... not good to hear this.

How many miles were on the car?

 

Very few -- it's embarrassing really. Around 33000 miles. I've worked from home for years so I don't put a lot of miles on the car.

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

Kawowski -- good to hear. I hope I have the same results.

I'll definitely report back once I have the car again.

 

Does anyone know the TSB for this, where I can download and print the report ?

Thank You

 

Ok, so you just had to make me go back and FIND it...........
TSB-138

 

I had this same issue with my 2010 last week. After the tranny was warm from driving at highway speeds I had zero power from a stop and literally could not back out of my driveway with the throttle to the floor. Took it to the dealer they diagnosed the valve body needed replacing. They kept if for 5 days while we waited for parts and gave me a loaner. Picked it up yesterday and all is good. My car only had 33K on it as well. All covered under CVT warranty as well.

 

It seems like NTB11-002 is a better fit for what is being described. However, it says "2010 Maxima....". Has anyone had this approved for work on a 2009? Mine sure seems to fit this description. Sometimes it takes off like a rocket when going straight from a stop, sometimes it just dogs. It always seems to take off like a rocket when turning from a stop.

 

My 2009 is currently at the dealer awaiting a valve body. However, there was no mention of any service bulletin.

 

Is it covered under the CVT warranty? Can you ask them for the details on the diagnosis, I'd love to know that before I take mine in to be checked?

 

You are correct. I incorrectly stated the re-flash TSB.

It was NTB11-002A / Nissan Maxima Powertrain Service Bulletin 313508.

 

Yes, my issue is covered under the transmission warranty. I'll find out more next week.

 

Any updates on your tranny?

 

Hey pearle, any details on the diagnosis?

 

Hey guys! I have not been active on the 7th gen column but lurking. I own a '96 (114,000 miles) and a '99 (183,000 miles) as well. I just want to report that the CVT on my 2010 failed last week at 30k miles. Symptoms were there about a month ago which included a whining noise coming from the engine area and very slight hesitation to reverse or go forward from a dead stop. The monster finally reared its ugly head this past Sunday when the car refused to go forward going uphill from a dead stop. Albeit I was able to eventually drive it home and to the dealer early Monday. They finally called me back later that day and said I needed a new tranny. A new tranny was ordered and I got my car back Tuesday afternoon around 5pm. The whining noise is gone as well as hesitation (fingers crossed). The power is still there but have not really pushed it yet. I'm 'breaking ' it in. The whole transaction was obviously under warranty and surprisingly it was a pleasant experience. As someone had said, the dealership must be compensated well by Nissan on these CVT warranty jobs coz there was no hesitation at all on the dealer's part to perform the work. It just sucks to have a low mileage car and had to have major work done on it already. My 4th gens just keep on going ...

 

Mine is being replaced now. I should have the car back tomorrow. My symptoms were not as bad as yours. I actually went for them to check the coolant smell that the car sometimes had. Then I asked them to check the tranny. The RPM's went up high in Ds mode a couple of times. My 7th gen has 58k miles. My 4th gen went 235k miles before being totaled while it was parked on the street. It was a very reliable car. While the repairs are covered under warranty it gets me thinking if it will last as long as my 4th gen did, or my 5th gen at 200k miles. My 7th gen is also getting the head gaskets replaced.

 

I feel like my 2012 (27,000 miles) Maxima has this problem already.
- Revs take forever to go down after 5 mins of driving.
- I get this annoying whinning noise from the engine bay
- Shifts are bad in Ds
etc etc etc.....I need something bullet proof for this stupid dealership or maybe this problem is just in my head. They give me some lame excuse like its my Intake. I take it off and try somewhere else and they say its something else. etc etc.

After being with Maxima since I was 16 years old Im starting to lose faith.....
Here's a video. Can anyone please tell me this noise? Ive uploaded this about 3 times on here and still clueless!

In the video the rpms take forever to drop down. I know im flooring it everywhere but it's the best way to get it on video.
I gun it in Ds. Then let go. Then floor it again.
The rpms just hang there...
What's wrong?

 

It may be a day or so before we get a response to your question because most folks here use normal 'D' mode, since it is faster in accelleration and gives better fuel efficiency than 'Ds'.

The 6th and 7th generation Maximas are different than earlier Maximas in that Nissan added a 'feature' intended for a type of sport driving where the RPMs do not always immediately drop when you let off the gas, so that as soon as a sharp curve is rounded, the RPMs will already be up where you can get instant accelleration when you touch the gas. That gives a totally different feel than the Maximas of the 1980s through 2003.

The '04 is the first Maxima in which Nissan put this rev-maintaining system. On this board, most folks are more familiar with this feature as one that uses engine compression for braking, especially in downhill situations. When this comes into play on a downhill slope, the RPMs actually rise, even though we don't even have our foot on the gas pedal. We can override it by giving the engine a touch of gas. It took me a few months to begin to get the feel of this change, but once I finally understood how it worked, I grew to love it.

It took me a fairly long time to finally understand that the tach on a car with a CVT behaves totally different than the tach on a car with a shifting tranny.

Of course I am not saying you don't have a problem. I can't be sure of that from the video. But I do know the tach on my 6th gen Maxima behaved differently than on my 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th gen Maximas, and the tach on my 7th gen behaves even more differently, because of the CVT.

I will pay closer attention to what my tach is doing during the next few days in order to see if it behaves just as yours is doing. I hope others here will chime in. By the way, nice video.

 

I couldn't hear the whining you mentioned. But from that video the tach looks normal to me. I rarely drive in Ds mode b/c the higher rpm's consume more gas. It has its advantages in certain driving conditions. If im not mistaken, Our manual even states the higher rpm's is normal behavior with Ds mode.

I learned to drive on an '90 standard Max and always drove standards my whole life until I got into an '04 Max. My first experience with CVT and auto trannys for that matter. There are many ppl that complain about the behavior the CVT elicits and have trouble adjusting to it. I personally see the CVT and its ability to self regulate i.e engine breaking as a simple means of 'downshifting gears' like you would in standard engine. This is a blessing in disguise as it keeps you from riding(wearing)the breaks and it allows the engine to naturally cycle through its gears. I don't know if I'm stating the obvious but worth sharing ....

 

Yeah I also drive in D not Ds but to make this video I put it in Ds because I knew the symptoms would come up. The whine only comes on acceleration and the slow slow downshift comes randomly and when it gets hot

 

Then your video is irrelevent if you used Ds mode for the video but are asking about how it operates in D.

Iregaurdless, I have had the problem with my CVT. The dealer replaced the valve body free of charge and CVT has been perfect for 6 months now. The symptom I had was ZERO power. I could floor it and barely back out of my driveway (which is uphill). The day I took it into the dealer to get it fixed I ended up having to do a 15 point turn around to drive straight out of the driveway because I couldn't get enough power in reverse.

When you have at least the same problem I had there is no mistaking the issue.