SERVICE INFORMATION If a customer describes lack of power or poor acceleration, perform the following checks before attempting any repair: * Check for stored DTCs. * Check if the driver is resting their left foot on the brake pedal while accelerating. Advise the customer not to rest their foot on the brake while accelerating. * Use CONSULT-III plus in Engine Data Monitor to check operation of the brake lamp circuit signal. Monitor the brake switch during the incident; it should be "OFF". Please see this bulletn for further details.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2006 Nissan Quest powertrain problems
moderate 13 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
13
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$2,500
When does it fail?
Of the 13 powertrain complaints filed for the 2006 Nissan Quest, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 50,000-75,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
Among the 9 model years of Nissan Quest in our records for powertrain problems, this one ranks #3 by owner-complaint volume.
No new NHTSA powertrain complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 9 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering powertrain on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
Owners of the 2006 Nissan Quest consistently report transmission problems ranging from poor shift quality to outright failure. The most alarming complaint: unintended acceleration while braking, where the transmission drops to a lower gear and lurches the vehicle forward despite the brake being applied—a safety hazard Nissan's regional rep dismissed as unresolvable. Other owners describe hard shifts and jolting during acceleration at highway speeds, accompanied by loud mechanical noise and overheating smells from the underside.
Multiple owners report complete transmission failure requiring replacement ($2,500–$3,500), with one mechanic attributing it to shoddy Nissan materials. Temperature-dependent failures are common: vehicles shift perfectly when cold but slam gears and eventually stop moving altogether after warm-up, requiring 15–20 minute cool-downs to briefly function. Several owners experienced sudden loss of power during traffic merges and interstate driving—the transmission drops to neutral or fails to respond to throttle input, creating dangerous situations where following vehicles have to brake hard to avoid collision. Dealership technicians have repeatedly been unable to diagnose or fix these intermittent yet recurring issues.
Same Nissan Quest powertrain reports on nearby years: 2005 · 2007
Failure modes owners describe
Unintended acceleration while braking
Vehicle accelerates on its own during braking, dropping transmission to lower gear and lurching forward, requiring vigorous brake pressure to counteract. Intermittent issue resolved temporarily by shifting to neutral and back to drive.
When: Intermittent; reported 6 times over 2 years; at local and highway speeds; one incident at 52,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle accelerates during braking without driver input; Transmission drops to lower gear involuntarily; Vehicle lurches forward; Temporary fix by shifting to neutral then back to drive
Repairs/costs cited: Dealership unable to diagnose or correct due to intermittent nature; vehicle still under warranty at time of report
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Nissan regional representative told owner nothing could be done; case closed without resolution
Hard shifting and transmission surge
Transmission exhibits hard shifts during deceleration and parking, automatic upshifts with racing sound, hard jolting/knocking during acceleration especially at 50–60 mph. Transmission makes loud railway-locomotive sound; slow acceleration under 20 mph; overheating smell from underside.
When: City and highway driving; symptoms worsened over weeks
Symptoms owners cite: Hard shifts while decelerating and parking; Automatic upshift with racing sound; Hard jolting knocking noise during acceleration to highway speeds; Loud locomotive-like sound from transmission; Slow acceleration below 20 mph; Overheating smell from underside
Codes mentioned: 10 transmission-related codes (specific codes not named)
Repairs/costs cited: Transmission replacement required; cost approximately $2,500
Loss of power and excessive shaking under load
Vehicle shakes when braking on highway; no power response when accelerator fully depressed; maximum speed drops to 50 mph; symptoms worsen with continued driving over 15–20 miles. Unsafe to operate.
When: Highway driving
Symptoms owners cite: Shaking while applying brakes; No power response to full accelerator pedal; Maximum speed limited to 50 mph; Symptoms progressively worse with driving distance
Transmission stalling and sluggish acceleration
Transmission fails causing vehicle to stall, occur during normal highway driving or when accelerating into traffic. Vehicle becomes so sluggish owner fears inability to clear intersections. Nissan technicians unable to identify root cause.
When: Highway and intersection acceleration; 3 reported incidents
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle stalls during highway driving; Vehicle stalls when accelerating into traffic; Extremely sluggish acceleration; Fear of stalling in intersection with heavy traffic
Repairs/costs cited: Taken to Nissan certified technicians three times; problem not identified
Jerking and loss of acceleration in traffic
Vehicle jerks in middle of intersection when downshifting and fails to accelerate while crossing. Creates serious safety hazard with family and other road users.
When: Intersection crossing during downshift
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle jerks during downshift at intersection; Fails to accelerate while crossing intersection; Unsafe for passengers and other traffic
Complete transmission failure
Transmission fails completely and requires replacement. Owner reports mechanic cited shoddy materials in 2006 Nissan transmissions. Particularly dangerous in mountainous terrain with altitude/grade changes.
When: Failure occurs at unspecified mileage
Symptoms owners cite: Complete transmission failure
Repairs/costs cited: Transmission replacement required; minimum cost $3,500
No acceleration during downshift
When downshifting, transmission does not deliver acceleration. Vehicle revs with almost zero power delivery. Critical safety issue on interstate exits and traffic signals.
When: After downshifting on interstate exits and at traffic signals
Symptoms owners cite: No acceleration during downshift; Engine revs without power delivery; Vehicle unresponsive to throttle input
Temperature-dependent shifting and stalling
Transmission operates normally during cold start and initial driving. Once engine reaches operating temperature, transmission slams during gear shifts. After approximately 5 minutes, transmission locks and vehicle will not move. Problem repeats after 15–20 minute cool-down period when vehicle drives fine for few minutes before symptoms return.
When: After engine reaches operating temperature; repeats after cool-down cycles
Symptoms owners cite: Perfect shifting during cold start; Slamming gear shifts once engine warm; Complete loss of movement after 5 minutes of operation; Cycle repeats after 15–20 minute cool-down
Loss of power above 20 mph
Transmission drops to neutral and loses all acceleration above 20 mph. No power available until vehicle slows below 15 mph. Incident occurred during traffic merge with vehicle behind having to brake hard to avoid rear-end collision.
When: During acceleration into traffic, attempting to reach 45 mph
Symptoms owners cite: Transmission drops to neutral involuntarily; Complete loss of acceleration above 20 mph; Power unavailable until slowed below 15 mph; Safety risk to surrounding traffic
Jerking and surging in lower gears
Transmission jerks noticeably in lower gears. Speed surges then drops back down. Infrequent knocking noise present. Transmission also gear-down excessively going down grades at 45–50 mph.
When: Starting from stop and on downhill grades at 45–50 mph
Symptoms owners cite: Jerking in lower gears at start; Speed surge followed by drop; Infrequent knocking noise; Excessive downshifting on grades
Linear solenoid failure and transmission surge
Three linear solenoids in transmission fail, causing shifting problems. Shift from park to drive when engine is warm produces clunk. Downshift creates transmission surge.
When: When engine warm; during downshifting
Symptoms owners cite: Clunk noise when shifting park to drive when warm; Transmission surge during downshift
Repairs/costs cited: Solenoid failure identified as root cause
Timing chain noise and transmission jerking
Rattling noise from engine at startup, disappearing after few seconds. Caused by faulty timing chain shoes and tensioner. Transmission jerking also occurs during driving.
When: Engine startup; during driving
Symptoms owners cite: Rattling noise at engine startup; Transmission jerking while driving
Repairs/costs cited: Faulty timing chain shoes and tensioner identified
Jumping and timing chain noise
Vehicle jumps at 35 mph with loud clicking noise from timing chain.
When: At 35 mph
Symptoms owners cite: Vehicle jumps at 35 mph; Loud clicking noise from timing chain
Synthesized from 13 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 4 most recent
Rattling noise coming from engine at start up. Goes away after a few seconds. The cause is faulty timing chain shoes and tensioner. Transmission jerking while driving. *tr
The failure occurs while driving at either local traffic speeds or highway speeds. It is an intermittent problem. The failure is that, while braking, the vehicle accelerates on its own, as if the accelerator has been depressed for passing, causing the transmission to drop to a lower gear and the vehicle to lurch forward. The brake pedal must be vigorously depressed to counteract the…
I have to replace the transmission in my 2006 Nissan quest 3.5 se minivan. The transmission has air-flow problems, hard shift, acceleration problems, and gear shifting problems. While driving in the city, the transmission will hard-shift while decelerating and parking. While accelerating the transmission will automatically shift to a higher gear (making a racing sound/like rapidly accelerating)…
When you start driving the vehicle from a cold start it drives and shifts perfect. As soon as it reaches operating temperature it will slam when shifting gears. After 5 minutes or so it will not move. Shut the vehicle off for 15 to 20 minutes and I shifts and drives fine for a few more minutes then the same problems happen again.
Had powertrain trouble with your 2006 Nissan Quest?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the powertrain problem on the 2006 Nissan Quest?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 13 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $2,500 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the powertrain typically fail?
Across the 10 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most powertrain failures cluster between 68,000 and 120,000 miles, with the median around 100,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 68,000; a quarter make it past 120,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $2,500 for powertrain repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to powertrain?
No active recalls currently cover powertrain issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2006/Nissan/Quest.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.