Hey guys, have any of you ever experienced this...

The other day I was stuck in traffic on the highway and the auto-tranny didn't seem like it new what gear it wanted to be in, thus causing the transmission to "clunk" into gear. Very bizarre for a car with only 1,300 miles on it. It basically felt like you you dropped the car from neutral to drive with the engine at 2500 rpm. It wasn't overly significant, but there was a definate shake to the engine/transmission a handful of times during the 45 minutes I was crawling on the highway.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

Dealer time my man. I just got a new trans.

 

Did you have similar problems? She's smooth as a baby's bottom otherwise.

This sucks, I traded in a 2nd gen TL which was notorious for tranny problems for this.

 

Hey, mine's done that on a couple of occasion too. I just thought it was me accelerating at the wrong time, like before it has a chance to get into a gear. It's happened after I shift from R to D and also after I've slowed almost to a total stop and then accelerate.

 

Nope...havent had this after 30k

 

I'm sorry to hear this. My best friend owns an auto repair business and sees Maxima transmission jobs weekly. I had to replace my 98 trans after 60k also. Nissan makes a fantastic produst but I think they need to start building better transmissions. I have no doubt in my mind that the trans in my 05 will be the first drivetrain part to go. When I got my 98 I got a questionaire in the mail asking me about the car. I hope they send one again. My personl feeling are the engines are too strong for the trannys. As for your shifting problems I would take it back to the dealer too.

 

Trans issues with the Max....HUH???

I had a 95 with not one trans problem that I sold with 160K on it. My 04 has no trans issues and I have 14K on her. And I am not known to be timid behind the wheel.

 

I have never had tranny problems with my Maximas. Of course I now treat them to regular servicing, with fluid replacement every 30 to 40K miles.

But I drove my '85 Maxima for 206K miles with only two tranny fluid changes (at 75K and 150K) and had no problems.

So far, I have had no clunky shifts with my '04, as long as I follow the reasonable procedure of pausing for a sec when changing directional status (between drive, reverse and neutral).

 

Lightonthehill is right, as long as you keep up the service and follow the Nissans recommedations your tranny should last a long time. Yes there are times when there are design flaws and the occasional lemon. Otherwise Nissan provides a sound product in my opinion.

 

I have just over 8K miles on my 2005 SL, and I have not experienced the problems you mentioned. Hopefully you can get it resolved and let us know what the problem is.

 

I ahd the same issue and eventually I could not go in reverse, and it would slip and go right to 3rd( over rev ). They had to replace the tranny.(auto)

 

I have now 18,000 miles on my Maxima. I too experience the same thing you all are talking about. When I lay off the accelerator, and just coast along then press the gas pedal again, there is this jerkiness to the shifting. It feels like the gears are slipping or something. I don't remember how long it has been happening but I just thought it was normal. I will tell the dealer when I go in next time.

 

I have the same things, and you do get accustomed to it to some degree (however, I'm not sure that this is something that we *should* have to do). Also, my SE fell under the rough shifting TSB (but only when cold), so after having it reprogrammed it has done much better, but still not as smooth as other 6th gens that I have driven.

 

mine does the same thing, and recently it just slams into third or second gear depending on whether it's traffic, or getting on the freeway. but i've experienced every problem you guys have stated and am getting REALLY frustrated with the whole experience... $30k for a car that shouldn't be having these problems...
I want a new tranny but how am i supposed to go about telling nissan that? it's still under 100k warranty though. will they just replace it??
my experience so far with two nissan dealerships leaves me thinking that they're just trying to screw me... and one of them already proved to me that they are by trying to charge me almost triple the amount more than the other dealer for matic-k transmission fluid while i bought it for around $10 a quart from them before...

any suggestions on what to do?
or how to get a new tranny??

 

Are you having this problem with the 4-sp or 5-sp auto?

 

2005 SL
5 AT

 

yeah i got this problem, when im in traffic.. when the auto tranny in my 05 SL goes from 3rd to 2nd that is around 20 mph, i tend to give gas when needed to go forward, and then it kicks into the 2nd gear and then jerks back to 3rd gear, .... STEALER TIME! haha

 

Similar problems with mine also. Usually during the cold mornings only. I have a 5sp auto but I am like most others about the dealer. I doubt they will be very helpful unless there is a major problem.

 

I have an 05 SE 5 speed automatic with the sport shift. I too experience this "problem". i only have 1,100 miles on it but ive been experiencing this problem ever since i got it brand new with 8 miles on it. I simply just throw the shifter to the techtronics and shift manually in traffic and it solves the problem, no more jerking around between 2nd and 3rd.
Also i dont know if you guys have this problem but when im making a turn and let off the gas, (normally its in 2nd gear) then after i clear the turn i give it gas, and the car acts as if it drops into neutral then back into gear.( i also notice the RPM's drop as if it was in neutral).
My last problem is when i start the car in the morning and take off after i warmed the car up, i feel a rattling noise from the front end of the car. I dont know what it is but its everytime i restart the car and take off.

 

I'm not sure but it may be your heat shield. I had the same problem. My heat shield was loose and the bolts were tightened and I have not had a problem since.

 

are you talking about the heatshield to your engine or the heatshield that seperates the cabin from the engine bay??

im going to the dealer on wednesday for an interview but im also gonna bring this up. It only happens after i start the car, and it only happens once. the moment i restart my car and drive off it makes the rattle noise again and i feel it by my right foot.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...4&postcount=17

 

Mannnnn, thank you sooo much that **** came in handy now i will take it to the dealer so those a$$holes can fix it. i cant search anything on this website, gives me this popup saying that the feature has been turned off.

help me search! :-)

 

I jacked up my car the other day and that bracket lOoks fine there are no cracks or breaks in it. Got any other suggestions??

 

they can be hairline cracks that you can't see...but i would take it to the dealers with that TSB and see what they say.

 

im taking it monday morning to Empire Nissan in Ontario. So ill let you guys know wtf is goign on

 

Add me to the list of 6th gen Max owners that are unsure of their tranny situation. I've got an 04' SE Auto- with about 36k on it. The shifting just doesnt feel right... high rpms between 2nd and 3rd- What do you guys suggest? I'm sick of my usual nissan dealer cause they dont know how to fix things or do it in a half @$$ way.

Is this issue something you guys took care of right away?

 

i only got 1400 miles on my car and want to get it fixed. I was suppose to take it to the dealer this morning but forgot it was the first day of school for the new quarter. So im probably gonna take it on Tuesday next week and update this thread on what the problem is.

 

Just took my max in for service today in the morning. I should be getting it back on friday. They are fixing the rattling noise front the front, and they are going to inspect the transmission becuase i told them that it doesnt shift smoothly. On the side note they gave me a nissan sentra for rental...POS i may add compared to the max. What a downgrade!

 

Thanks Meng- keep me updated.

 

Ok i got my car back today at 8:30. I was sooo excited and worke dup cuz i missed my car and i was glad that i didnt have to drive that POS sentra anymore. WEll to get to the point i went to take my car into service so they can paint the lower front bumper cuz it was all scratched and told them to replace the little mudflap that is in front of the wheel cuz it broke. They painted it but didnt replace the front mudflap.

About the rattling noise. It no longer rattles when i drive, but it still makes that first loud rattle. Im not sure if its normal or not. They did replace that front bracket gasset support thingamajig.

I also went to fix the rear left side panel becuase it was coming off, i think i could fix it myself but they ordered the part and it hasnt came in yet. So i have to wait possibly a week damnit then imma bring up the broken front mud flap.

 

MenG, what about the tranny issue? That is what started this thread, we all want to know what happened with your car.

Thanks.

 

oh i almost forgot about that. It was shifting hard, and everything, the dealership looked into it, and since there was nothing on the TSB they didnt check or advise the situation. Even though they did replace the front bracket i believe it shifts alot smoother, maybe cause it gave it more "support"??

 

sorry for the brief post. About the slow speed tranny problems, i looked at the manual and i read that the transmission changes gears at a specific speed instead of RPM's. When you are in traffic im pretty sure you notice the car jumping around beacuse its always downshifting and upshifting. This is caused by the fluctuations in speed. If your always around the speed of like 20-25 its gonna jump between the gears of 2 and 3 so i suggest you use the manumatic for a change. THats what i do.

 

Had my 04 max in dealership yesterday to have drivers mirror fixed, tran check and new shift ****. Well, said "don't know" about the mirror, ordered new shift ****, did oil change and tire rotation and almost ruined one of my tires. and as for the jumpy tranny, they said IF there was a problem the car would be lite up and telling me! and they said "it is a smart car" and it is learning your drive style, that I must be driving at high speeds regularly and so at low speeds it jumps because it isn't use to that! LOL I just laughed at him and thought ya dude thats what it is! LOL Whatever!!! what a joke

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAH

 

Sorry to hear about your situation with stupid people, but that was something to laugh reeeeeeallll hard about. Have your Nissan dealer replace the front tube bracket and see if anything is changed. I mentioned to my dealer about how it drives, and that it doesnt shift smooth. Im not sure if he actually fixed anything but all i know by fact is that they replaced the front bracket and it drives hella smooth now. And BTW the front tube bracket is listed as a TSB, and the link to it is referenced in this thread i think on the first page.

 

No problem, I am still laughing in disbelief myself! I had no idea my 30K bought such a "smart car" LOL If it is "learning my drive style who knows what else it is learning about me EEEK! when I go back in to get shift **** I will be more prepared with info and I will ask about what you mentioned, thanks for the advice!

 

I just came back from the dealer and talked to my Tech Advisor Joe Avila at Empire Nissan in Ontario Ca. I mentioned to him that my car still has that rattle we are all experiencing and believes that they might have to change out the entire front tube. Im going back on Wednesday to see whats up.

 

I had the hard shift problem fixed yesterday at my dealership. The car has 17,000 KM. I brought a copy of the "hard shift" TSB with me to ensure they knew what I was talking about. The problem is now solved. She shifts smoothly.

They also replaced my rear disks (free of charge) due to a caliper jam. I had to pay for pads only. Apparently, the brake components should be cleaned and lubricated evey year to ensure that the calipers do not jam. I did not see this in my maintenance manual ? Any comments or idea what exactly they clean and lubricate ?