2004 Nissan Maxima SE from North America - Comments

I thought I was the only one, but I am joining the long list of complaints.

My 2004 Nissan Maxima started jerking about 8 months ago. I could never get it to act up with the four service technicians I brought it to.

Finally, I took it to Nissan and was told that it was a CAN issue showing on the diagnostic, and that my ECU/ECM would have to be replaced. Well 6 hours later and $1300 short, the new ECU didn't help. Took it back to Nissan and they now say it's the transmission, yet no recalls. I am not paying the $3600 for a new transmission.

Another mechanic did inform me that Nissan had some electrical issues that contributed to the slip of the tranny. So I will see what they say tomorrow. I am highly upset and disappointed. I am considering selling the vehicle and letting it be someone else's problem...

I too am having transmission issues with my 2004 Maxima SE and I have read through this entire site. I have called, visited suggested sites, and written emails to almost every recommended place. I hope everyone will do the same, I’m sure our attempts will be futile, but with this failing market I can only assume that Nissan couldn’t possibly want any more reasons for Americans not to buy their cars.

2004 Nissan Maxima transmission issue.

Transmission slipped one day and wouldn't go into higher gears. I checked the fluid immediately, and it was not even touching the dipstick, and the car has never leaked fluid before (where did it go).

3 months later at 104K the transmission is hard jerking in stop and go traffic, as if it were a standard transmission and you dumped the clutch at 2,000 rpms. The effect of this sheared the motor mounts eventually at a cost of 1K. I'm hoping this was the problem with the jumping noise it was making.

Of course after the motor mounts were, fixed the hard shifting and slipping still existed. Now I'm in the hole for 4K on a rebuilt transmission due to burned clutches, etc.

Now of course I had a 100K warranty, but what are the odds of the trans failure just a few thousand miles out of warranty. Only reason I bought the Nissan was thinking of the luck I had with my Camry at 240K, still going with nothing more than batteries and brakes. Guess a lesson learned.

Even the repair shop told me the outsourced trans people they use to rebuild their transmissions, said those models had a weak valve body.

OMG! Got online because I just purchased an 04 Nissan Maxima SL (with only 37,000 miles) 4 days ago. I can't believe how many other people are having the same problems, yet there's no recall on this vehicle. Guess where my 04 Maxima is now? Back in the auto dealership to get worked on! Engine light came on / car jerks when driving / dies while driving.

* This car should be definitely be recalled. Definitely a safety hazard!!

UPDATE: Got my 04 Nissan Maxima out of the shop today. They've replaced both the CAMSHAFT SENSORS. So, far the check engine light is not showing, has not jerked/stalled or died on me. We'll see if that fixed the real problem.

If the same problem occurs my next stop will be at the Nissan dealership to address this problem. If they don't do anything about it then I'll go to the local news/media to expose this BS! It will definitely be a good story!

I have the 2004 Maxima SE, bought new, now has 110,000 miles. Never had any transmission problems or engine problems. The car has been a workhorse. Last night upon leaving a restaurant the car was hard to start and when it finally did start, it was in lower gear and barely moved. As long as we were going on flat highway without stopping, I could gather enough speed, even though RPMs remained around 2000. We live in Asheville, so to get to our home, we have a steep hill to climb. We didn't make it, car just stopped moving with pedal to the floor. We parked it and I tried the car the next morning. It started right away and had its usual pep going up the hill. I read in the manual about the "fail safe" mode. Not much explanation for it and I can't find any info on internet either. Anyone know the solution, if there is one? Probably will look for another car. Thanks for listening.

I had the same problem with my 2004 Maxima. Going from reverse to drive, the car jerks, and from 3rd to 4th it would slip out of gear. The engine would race, then slam into 4th gear (very scary when trying to get on the interstate). To make this short, had my transmission replaced for $4100.00 and just got it back today, and it seems OK...

I hope this problem ends up on the recall list. Maybe I'll get my money back like those tires that were cracking.

Just purchased a 2004 Maxima and haven't made the first payment. 2 days after buying the car the trans started slipping while shifting from 1st-2nd, 2nd to 3rd, and at times when going from reverse to drive, it takes about 5 to 10 seconds to engage. Had the trans serviced and things got even worse. Took it to Nissan today and they quoted me $4400 to replace trans and motor mounts. I am so disappointed and frustrated, and I can't afford to replace the transmission. I was told the valve body is bad, but can't be replaced because it is a sealed unit. I have filed my complaint but I don't think this problem will be recalled. This really sucks. If anyone has fixed this problem without replacing the transmission, please email me at fritos1971@aol.com Thanks.

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima, and the bank is on my tail because I have had 3 used transmissions from the Nissan dealer installed in my car; 1 at 68000k, this was replaced again at 89000k. The dealer gave me another one, even though the 12000k warranty was up, and that one never worked. So they got me one free of charge, and that one lasted 3000k, now they won't even talk to me. They have all had transmission failure.

Now I am trying to pay the car payment, and have this pro do it right for $3000.00 3 years. And 100,000 mile warranty. I don't know what to do. I had a company in Indianapolis, IN. tell me there was bad engineering in the valve body and it needed an aftermarket oversized one in its place due to engineering issues. Aftermarket clutch plates too. This is a defect as far as one can see.

Well I found this place, but still can't find the solution...

I have a 04 Maxima, which has about 82000 miles on it. Just like others say here, exactly the same problem.

I took my car to three different dealers and a few other mechanic shops. People at the dealer weren't sure about this, but told me to change fluids. (which I did 2 or 3 times in 6 month) when I took my car to mechanic shop, they told me that I have to either rebuild a transmission or replace it with an used one. One honest mechanic told me that it's a common problem on my car. He said Nissan should make a recall on this issue.

Should I wait for a recall or just should I just sell it? I didn't get any refund or credit for my tires since I replaced them about one and half years before they made a recall campaign. And by back then, it was same thing. When I took my car to the dealer and complained about it, they told me it was my driving style, not theirs, nor is it defective.

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima. I bought it new and after about 80,000 miles the transmission started to jerk hard when shifting from forward to reverse. I brought it to a transmission shop and had it check by a tech, found transmission mount was bad and so I had them replaced and the transmission fluid changed, no change, the problem still exists. Notice once the car warm up a little, that's when the jerking gets worse. I have owned all Nissan Maximas, but now my next purchase may not be a Nissan, if Nissan don't respond to this problem. If anyone has pinpointed the problem, please respond to all.

Contacted Nissan USA consumer affairs 2 days ago to file a complaint about the transmission slipping and jerking. I have 91,000 miles, but noticed the problem at around 60,000. It just got worse the more I drove the car.

Nissan USA calls me back today to say they can't fix the car because of the mileage and it's out of warranty. Duh, I know that. I want these clowns to admit there is a serious defect with this transmission. I'm so disgusted I can barely see straight. Nissan will NEVER see a dime of my money again. I will tell everyone I know to never purchase a Nissan.

I too have a 2004 Maxima. When purchased as a used vehicle in 9/2006 it had less than 40,000 miles.

I started having the jerks/slipping around 90,000 miles in 9/2008.

In 10/2008 I took it to the local dealership, and on the 2nd trip a problem was detected. I then went to 3 specialists and found that I needed a new transmission costing $4100 approximately. Needless to say I couldn't afford to replace it and pay a note, so I've been driving it as is. I have no choice. I only use it to go to & from work.

I have filed complaints with Nissan customer service, BBB,& NHTSA. Both Nissan and BBB can't help. I'm hoping that my complaint with NHTSA will help us all.

My vehicle left me at the drive-thru window of the bank last week. I had to get a gentleman to push me out of the way of traffic. My vehicle starts, but when put into gear will not move. When my husband finally rescued me about 1 hour later, it gave the worst jerk of all with a clicking noise and made it home about 25 miles. Now I'm faced with a vehicle I can't drive because it is not reliable and a note that I can't afford if I can't get to work, so I will have to ruin my credit and let it go back because I can't pay another 3 years for a car I can't use. Don't let this happen to you if you are having jerking, get rid of it before you get stuck. I hope that this last complaint will get us some justice.

I don't know where to begin.

I bought my Maxima 2004 at around 41,000 miles. I paid it in full.

The day I drove it off the lot, I noticed the car's ride was very bumpy, along with a rattling sound, so the next day I took it to the dealership and they replaced the front struts supposedly. That same rattling sound and bumpy ride never went away, but I took their word for it because they were the Nissan dealership and they said they fixed the problem.

At about 53,00 miles I noticed the car jerking quite a bit and figured I would need a transmission flush. I end up paying 279.00 for a transmission flush. Because that did not help with the jerking and slipping, I took it to the Nissan Dealership a week later, and that's when they dropped the big bomb on me. I was told I needed to replace the transmission along with the motor mounts and tie rods. They quoted me a price of $5500.00. Because I could not afford to pay that, I ended up letting the car sit for 2 months until I could save the money to pay for the transmission and motor mounts. I think I cried for two days because I thought I had purchased a reliable car. I walked around in disbelief. Not to mention by this time I had only owned my Maxima 2004 for about 9 months.

I even called other mechanics. I was told there is no way the motor mounts and transmission should be replaced at 53,000 miles.

So in March of 2008, I finally saved all the money for a transmisssion and the motor mounts. About 10 months later we noticed a gasoline smell every time we turned on the heater and air conditioner. Each time my family and I got out of the car, you would smell the strong, noticeable gas coming from the hood. It was very strong. I took it to the dealership and at that time they told me I needed to replace the timing chain / belt and to replace a part in the fuel line. And they charged us $1600.

After picking it up, the manager at the dealership told me I will not have any more problems with the car. The next morning, for some reason it felt like my starter was going out. I would have to start the car two or three times before the car would actually turn on. Then I noticed that same day my sun roof would not open up all the way. It seemed like the electrical system was dying out. Well a few days later we smelled the same gas smell again. So once again we took it in and they gave me a long list of problems the car had, and this is only a week after the manager told us we will not have any more problems. Here is the list we were given:

They told us we need to replace the fuel injectors, $1600 just for parts (not labor).

We needed to replace our front strut because it was leaking. They said our hoses also need to be replaced along with our serpentine belt. Everything totaling $3800.00.

Well just a week before that, I was told about these new problems, I had already paid them $1600 for what I thought was going to take care of that strong fuel smell. So after all that, we still have a car that smells like a leaking gasoline pump, has a rough ride, and still shifts erratically as if the transmission will need to be replaced again. I haven't even had this car for 2 years yet. My car is at little under 80,000 miles.

Until I came across this website I honestly thought my car was possessed and cursed. I have owned many cars and have never had half the problems I have had with this Nissan Maxima. I have stressed sooo much over this car. I spared you a lot of extra details with the horror I had to go through with the Service Manager at the dealership. I have never felt safe driving this car.

Well, today took the cake. I honestly thought my car was going to blow up. I pulled over and called my husband because I smelled a burning smell coming from the engine.

I am about to pull my hairs out of my head. We need to do something. We can't let Nissan get away with this. I want to print out all these complaints on this web site and mail them to DATE LINE NBC so they can do an investigation. If anyone has any recommendations please email me or call me at: cuncali@msn.com or call me at 951-259-4995 In the email, In the subject line be sure to put: 2004 Nissan Maxima... We have to do something!!!

I too have the same tranny issue with an 04 Max sl. My car has been in the shop for two weeks. The car has 79K on it and looks great. I am so disappointed. This was my third and last Nissan. I will file a complaint.