Comments: 1-15, 16-21
I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima SE with what you won't believe as a list of problems, but here goes:
1. 11 engine coils have been replaced, yes that is correct, 11 coils
2. 2 ground wires replaced after wearing through near the transmission.
3. Two headlight bulbs and the third just went out.
4. Replaced the front rotors twice on the front and the shimmy is back.
5. The serpentine belt was replaced twice.
6. The engine caught fire when coils 8 and 9 were placed, so Nissan replaced the entire engine after Nissan corporate technicians spent two weeks tearing down the engine. Five months later two more coils failed and the ground wire that was replaced 6 months before was worn though again (Obviously a bad ground point in the vehicle).
7. The tires (4) all had sidewall failures (cracks) and were replaced, then Nissan technicians blewout two tires when test driving the vehicle and replaced them both.
8. The right rear rim was scored by a tire changing machine which the dealer said was from a curb until I showed them the concentric cuts around the entire rim. They polished the rim and now it has dark marks where the cuts were.
9. The brake pads changed twice already.
10. The transmission was slipping and jerking going into first gear and was told the fluid which was replaced with the engine swap was dirty - they charged me $200 for a flush.
11. I got the car back, drove 100 feet from the dealer after the transmission flush, and the car would not move. Diagnosis, the transmission has failed completely and is being replaced. I should have the car back next week after Christmas (I have not had the car for a Christmas since I bought it).
The shift selector would not register in tiptronic mode when shifted over to that position - replaced the shorted out shifter.
12. The check engine light came on and they replaced the O2 sensor and some sort of emission control module.
13. I have over fifty repair orders and have been without the vehicle for more than 80 days total and am in a rental right now since last Sunday (12/17/06 and counting).
14. The sun roof would not close due to a plastic molding type strip that was replaced.
15. The left rear power window module is failing and needs replaced.
This sounds unbelievable, but is true.
If and when the car runs correctly, it's fun to drive, although the turn radius is horrible. I have been without the vehicle so much, that sometimes I have to remind myself what car I actually drive.
The dealership has asked me to trade the vehicle several times calling it a "Piece of ****" Nissan would not honor any "goodwill fixes" that were submitted. I filed for Virginia Lemon Law and was told that since I had the car for more than 18 months it was not eligible, although the repairs were started well before the warranty period and 18 months of original in service date had occured.
My brother owns a 2004 Nissan 350Z which finally got its Service Bulletin to replace the front tires that wearout at 7500 miles.
Nissan customer service has been horrible and service technicians seem to be guessing how to diagnose and repair problems. There's no worse feeling than getting into your car and everytime you hit a bump in the road fearing that your car is breaking down again.
I have no confidence in the vehicle or Corporate Nissans desire to support the service after the sale. I am a one-time Nissan owner.
I've Had a lot of the same issues and also now someone else who drives the same car has issues as well! I just got rid of mine and you should do the same!! It is a great car to drive, but too many problems.
This is all very disappointing and probably not down to bad luck either. When the Japanese were able to make their cars independently of Europe and America they seemed much better made albeit not very exciting.
Build integrity (engine, gearbox, fixtures etc) were so much more durable and well thought out in the mid to late eighties. To be fair legislators want engines to be air cleaners these days and the restrictions on manufacturing integrity appears higher than ever before. If this quality evaporates then the big Japanese companies will have nothing to trade off as some of the cars today are positively ugly in my view.
As I have commented in other forums.. When companies and manufacturers merge it can go up or down... Unfortunately for the consumer we see too much decline. You should check to see who owns or now works with Mazda, Nissan, etc. Like the English at cricket... Every picture tells a story, though we may not like the outcome.
Hey, I have had many problems with my 04 maxima also. I have been hearing a nasty rattling noise every morning and evening when I start my car that it sounds like it's diesel. The nissan dealership tried to convince me that it was normal, but after bringing it in for the 3rd time they finally told me that it was not normal and told me it was the exhaust bracket being repositioned, I paid to get it fixed, but it did no good, so the 2nd time I took it in they told me it was the tensioner that was broken so it was fixed by warranty and still the noise is still there. Now they are telling me that it was a different noise that they fixed and now the noise is coming from the left and right..GTS. sockets. My air conditioning quit working after having the car for 1 year, the front nissan emblem flew off the 1st 6 months, the check engine light has come on a few times, I had to replace the rotors...
I'm doing my first service & other maintenance for my '04 Maxima @ home. I'm replacing all ceramic brake pads, all belts (p/s, serpentine), laser platium spark plugs, engine/trans oils/filters, resurface rotors, new 70% conc. antifreeze, etc. When I am surfing thru' the net to search for Serpentine Belt info, I found this interesting forum & honestly, was so shocked to see people have series of issues with their Maximas.
I (& my wife) bought 2 SL's in 2003 (04 model) from a Southern California dealer. It's been almost 3 years now & I have received 2 recalls (for moonroof & electrical wired under driver seat) These are very very minor matters & after inspecting the vehicles, the recalls only affected on 1 of the 2 I have.
I (& my wife) personally really trust and enjoy riding the cars. They are 63K & 65K miles. I've been driving back and forth from Orange COunty to Las Vegas every other weekend. Honestly, I don't think that other cars are hard to compared to the Maxima especially the way I drive (for my site/proj. visit, I drive 6-8 hours straight with no stoppage and I drive very fast too; this car can go over 140miles/hr easily)
I experienced the shimming/shaking (stearing wheel) problems. At first, I thought the disc/rotors got deformed by overheated due to my high speed, etc. I replaced rotors/brake pads then tires, but things didn't get much better...Big-O, Just Tires, etc. couldn't figure out the reasons & blaming on the car itself... I turned to the dealer & was showed that there's a specially way to balance the tire and wheels with special machines for these new Maxima's. Typical Tire locations don't have this service, you have to check with your local Nissan Dealer for additional info. The FireStone/BridgeStone shop near my home were able to follow the dealer's bullertin instructions & balanced the tires right for me. It's been another 30K on the new tires, but still pretty smooth.
Matic-D type is not the same as any ATF or Mercon fluids available at auto part stores; I didn't use original suggested fluid, but Mobil fully synthetic ATF that is compatible with almost all types of trans. fluids. I didn't realize it would make much of a difference, but was very panic when the transmission didn't kick in gear at the red light - that was when I used typical conventional trans fluid :)
Acetech74@yahoo.com.
I am very disappointed with my '04 Maxima as well... I am in the process of having the entire ABS Module replace as well as the rear wheel sensor... $2,140 in repairs! I only bought it used 9 months ago. I live in Michigan and apparently the wheel sensors can get dirt, water and/or salt in them and will in-turn rust and corrode causing the sensors to break. The bad part is that there are sensors on each wheel and when one of them goes out, each time it can take our your entire ABS system, so I could potentially end up paying $8,000 over the course of owning this vehicle on just those repairs. Nissan was not willing to cover any of the cost, nor the dealership. I'm very disappointed to see that a large corporation like Nissan will not stand behind their products or at least make their products durable. I will not buy another Nissan of any kind due to the poor quality and service I've received. I wish I would have found this site before I bought the car... Everything I have read previously was so positive. I need to sell my car ASAP!
I have an 04 Maxima and I just found out about the exact same problem $1,800 in repairs, Will be calling the Nissan Local Rep tomorrow to find out what the deal is...
I just bought a 2004 Nissan Maxima, 45K on it. When driving between 60 and 70 mph, I'm noticing a jerking senstation that comes and goes. Anyone have this problem and know what it is?
Help! I'm having trouble with my clutch and can't convince the dealer's mechanics that I'm not crazy because they can't find anything wrong. The clutch has started going out periodically. Sometimes when I start the car the clutch is completely soft and won't work at all. After a few minutes, it starts working fine again. The clutch has gone soft and failed to work once while I was driving, at which time I was merging into 75 mph traffic. This seems pretty dangerous to me and surely someone else has had this problem, too?
Otherwise, I've really loved this car. I've had minimal problems and think it's a blast to drive. I highly recommend it.
I also own a 2004 max. The front rotors have been replaced and two sets of brake pads. The ABS mod. is shot and also the wheel sensors. The front grille needs to be replaced along with all the rest of the body chrome. I will not buy a I Nissan again!!
I have a 2004 maxima with 39,000 miles. It was purchased new. The ABS Brake light came on. The solenoid and sensor on on a rear wheel are shorted out. $2,025 to repair. Customer service said " too bad, you are 3,000 miles out of warranty". No more Nissans for me.
Nissan maxima is bad car! Pick up my first Maxima after 10 min...guess what! >>> SEL <<< light on . Back to dealer 10 times they still can't fix for me ,after that i give up and TRADE IN another car((anything but Nissan))...this was my first and last Nissan auto forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What do you expect. Nissan is basically turning out Peugeot's with a Nissan badge. Last time I checked, the French can't build a car worth buying.
OMG! OK so I purchased a Nissan Maxima 04 SE and loved it... 1st rain.. the car was leaking inside.. Nissan told me I would have 2 pay a $150 shop charge to look at it then if they find it to be something they've done they may... I said may cover some of the cost. Next problem.. the gear shift has come off and just basically sitting there... oh and not to mention that the ABS Brake light came on 2 times since I had the car, but when it comes on the speedometer goes to -0- like I am sitting still when I am driving... 1st and last Nissan! I am paying this thing off and selling it right back to another lot... NO JOKE I Could have had a chevy cavalier for the trouble!
I'm crying myself. I own a 2004 maxima bought new, I enjoyed the first year then brakes problems started. Was told to replace ABS paid about $2500.00 that was like a year and half a go. My brakes was never the same as making noises when braking. Took back to the dealer many time, but was never right. Now the problem is back again I saw the warning sign for brakes/ABS a lot of noises and know for sure I will end up spend big money again.
I never had any problem with anything else just the BRAKES/ABS are killing me.
I had an ABS problem at 61000 km, 1 month after the complete inspection was done to the car (Maxima 2004 SE). Whem I took it back to the dealer, they told me that I had to pay $1800 to replace the ABS module! I've called Nissan Canada, but they told me my warranty was over and that they couldn't do anything for me. Very frustrating; don't buy this car!