2017 Nissan Maxima Powertrain (other) Problems

The vehicle experienced a no‑start condition and was towed to a dealership. The dealership performed major engine and timing repairs without authorization and kept the vehicle for nearly four months. After the repairs, the vehicle still cranks but will not start, requires jump‑starts, and now has new electrical issues and a nonfunctional A/C system.The safety risk is that the vehicle can fail to start unexpectedly, stall, or lose electrical power, which could leave occupants stranded in unsafe conditions. The issue has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership, but they were unable to diagnose or repair it. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership and a warranty company.There were no warning lights before the failure. The symptoms began immediately before the vehicle was towed and have continued after the dealership’s repairs.

NHTSA ID

11744323

Incident

Jan 6, 2026

My vehicle repeatedly loses acceleration/motive power while driving. When I press the accelerator, the pedal may go down but the vehicle does not respond normally and begins to decelerate unexpectedly. This can happen even at low speeds, including around 20 mph, and creates a serious safety risk when entering traffic, turning, or accelerating with other vehicles nearby. Warning lights illuminate afterward as if the vehicle detected a crash or traction/ABS event. The issue resets temporarily after turning the vehicle off and back on, but it continues to happen repeatedly. Nissan advised that the vehicle was part of a CVT-related issue/settlement or warranty extension, but said coverage has expired. I am filing this as a safety complaint because unexpected loss of acceleration/motive power can cause a crash.

NHTSA ID

11740833

Incident

May 29, 2026

I had my car being repaired for a car accident I had on [XXX]. A piece of tire on the highway [XXX] went underneath the middle frame of my car. I picked up the car from the repair shop here in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, [XXX]. Beginning on the same day, I had a "check engine" light appear on my dashboard. On Sunday,; I went to my local Auto Zone store. They informed me that their test results was" Power Train System Secondary Issue: P1751 CVT Judder (C/V Inspection). Recently this year, I received a notice from Nissan Corporation concerning my Maxima. It was from a class action lawsuit over the engine. It extended the warranty on my car to 84,000 miles. My car has approximatelly a little over 82,000. About 2 to 3 weeks ago, I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs concerning my vehicle. The female who I spoke to said my 2017 Nissan Maxima was not in their system. She informed me that an e-mail wiell be sent to me. When I reply back,; I was to attach one item of either my USAA car insurance identification card or copy of my Ohio BMV form. I did both. I then got an email stating to resend these items. I did, Today, I went by the Germain Nissan dealership located on Morse Road concerning the "check engine" light. The service director informed me that there was no "recall " on my vehicle concerning the engine. Therefore, Nissan needs to add me and my car into their system to include the extended warranty on my 2017 Nissan Maxima I purchased from Georgesville Nissan here in Columbus asap, INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11695770

Incident

Oct 26, 2025

While driving on I-75 in Atlanta about a month ago, my 2017 Nissan Maxima suddenly stopped accelerating. The engine was revving, but the car wouldn’t respond when I pressed the gas. It was unexpected and dangerous in fast-moving highway traffic. The same issue happened again on July 22, 2024, while I was driving on I-85. Both times, the car lost acceleration without warning in the moment. Before these incidents, I noticed occasional hesitation from a stop and delayed acceleration, but nothing as extreme as losing power at highway speeds. I took the car to a Nissan dealership, and they pulled a P17F1 code related to the CVT transmission. Nissan has acknowledged this issue by extending the warranty for transmission repairs in other models, but they told me my vehicle is not covered. This failure creates a serious safety risk and should not be ignored.

NHTSA ID

11675488

Incident

Jul 22, 2025

Component Failure: CVT transmission completely failed, requires full replacement. Failed unit available for inspection. Consistent with known manufacturing defect affecting multiple Nissan models, evidenced by $400+ million in class action settlements in the USA alone. Safety Risks: Sudden acceleration loss while driving, unpredictable lurching/jerking, complete loss of forward propulsion, risk of rear-end collisions, inability to safely merge or maintain highway speeds. CVT failures occur suddenly without adequate warning. Dealer Confirmation: Younker Nissan in Renton, WA confirmed complete CVT failure requiring replacement, estimated cost $8800. Manufacturer Inspection: None. Nissan declined inspection citing mileage over 84,000-mile limit, despite known manufacturing defect and my vehicle falling within [XXX] v. Nissan settlement model years (2016-2018 Maxima). Warning Symptoms: Initial: Shuddering and jerking while on highway. Within 1 hour: Intermittent hesitation, jerking during acceleration, transmission shuddering, whining noises, slipping, intermittent check engine light Within 2 days: More of the same, but worse. Completely stopped driving it. These match documented CVT failure patterns in Nissan settlements: hesitating, stalling, jerking, lurching, shaking, juddering, premature failure. Context: This systematic manufacturing defect acknowledged through multiple Nissan settlements totaling $400+ million in trhe USA alone. Failure at 106k miles well within expected transmission lifespan for properly maintained flagship sedan. Arbitrary 84k-mile settlement limits exclude well-maintained vehicles experiencing same inherent defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11671869

Incident

Jul 8, 2025

The system that failed on my Maxima SL 2017 was the CVT transmission. It was diagnosed by Sutherlin Dealer Nissan on 4/3/24 with the code DTC P17F1 CVT Judder at the cost of $193.83. My safety & others were put at risk when my car STOP in the middle of an intersection not once but 4 times without a warning, not lights, not sounds etc. just STOP. I pressed the gas petal and the car moved slowly. After the diagnosis we were told the car may or may not stop again. We decided to look for another diagnosis & quote. On 4/10/24 the car left me stranded again crossing another intersection. Car was towed again to a certified Nissan transmission shop and left for repairs. A Nissan OEM refurbished transmission was changed, and computer was reprogrammed at Sutherlin Nissan as part of the fixing at a cost of $6,707.49. On 4/29/24 car stop sudden again. Car was towed to the previous independent transmission shop and 4 days later they stated nothing was wrong because not code related to the transmission or anything else showed, but a new battery was placed. We pick up the car again from the independent repair shop on 5/3/24, in our trip back the next day 5/4/24 from returning the 3rd rental car, the car STOP again in the middle of the road (limp mode) We waited about 45 minutes with the car on and noticed a strange noise coming from the new installed transmission and the air conditioner turned off. After turning the engine on and off the AC came back on again and car seems to come back normally. We were able to manage to take it to the Nissan Dealership with was just 15 minutes away. We left the car and waited for the diagnosis to be made on Monday 5/6/24. We were informed that same transmission code showed which means the new installed refurbished transmission was gone bad!!! and the good news was we don't have to pay for another transmission, but we must pay for labor again $2,696.

NHTSA ID

11587972

Incident

Apr 3, 2024

The transmission just stops shifting out of nowhere and has had a transmission judder code since ive owned it. The transmission shakes at acceleration about 90% of the time.

NHTSA ID

11561984

Incident

Dec 25, 2023

Transmission went out

NHTSA ID

11482051

Incident

Aug 28, 2022

I have had my 2017 Nissan Maxima since 2018. It had 29,963 miles when I purchased it. Since I have had it I put 33,000 miles on it and had all of the recommended service done on at the dealership. This would include having the transmission flushed at 32000 miles. My car currently has 62000 miles on it and the CVT transmission has been slipping and the car shudders at low speeds. I took it to the dealership and they told me that it needed to be replaced. I really feel that Nissan needs to investigate how many transmissions have issues with this low mileage. The standard warranty on the power-train is 60,000 miles, how convenient for them.

NHTSA ID

11476642

Incident

Jul 20, 2022

AFTER NUMEROUS VISITS TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP WITHOUT GETTING ANSWERS AND CLEARLY EXPLAINING THAT MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING CVT JUDDER AND VIBRATIONS. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE VIBRATIONS AS TOLD TO NISSAN FOR AWHILE BUT I DON'T THINK THEY WANTED TO REPLACE MY CVT TRANSMISSION SINCE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SO I WAS TOLD THE NOISE AND VIBRATIONS WERE NORMAL CVT CHATTER. I AM NOW PAST MY EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THE JUDDER AND VIBRATIONS HAVE ONLY GOTTEN WORSE. THE 2017 MAXIMA NEEDS TO BE ADDED TO THE VOLANTARY SERVICE BULLETINS LIKE THE 2016 DUE TO ALL THE COMPLAINTS ITS CURRENTLY ALREADY RECEIVING. MY MAXIMA NOW HAS 112,000K MILES BUT I HAVE BEEN SEEING THE SYMPTOMS SINCE AROUND 70K-80K MILES TO ONLY BE TOLD TIME AND TIME AGAIN ITS NORMAL WITH A POSSIBLE $3,700 TRANSMISSION BILL AWAITING ME FOR A CAR THAT HAS ONLY BEEN DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY LESS THAN 3 YEARS. NISSAN HAS SHOWN THAT THEIR CVT TRANSMISSIONS ARE EXTREMELY UNRELIABLE.

NHTSA ID

11229812

Incident

Jul 6, 2019

Mileage

112,000 mi

ON 11/13/2017 I USED THE AUTOMATIC STARTER TO START MY CAR FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE AND MY CAR ROLLED BACK INTO MY NEIGHBOR'S SUV WHILE STILL IN PARK. WHEN I WENT OUTSIDE AFTER HEARING THE SOUND OF MY CAR HITTING THE TRUCK I GOT INTO MY CAR AND HAD TO PUT IT IN DRIVE TO MOVE THE CAR BACK INTO MY PARK. MY CAR WAS PARK OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE AT 14109 CARMODY PL WOODBRIDGE VA 22193.

NHTSA ID

11048197

Incident

Nov 13, 2017

Mileage

10,000 mi