2004 Nissan Maxima SE from North America - Comments

I have 125,000 miles on Nissan Maxima 2004 and have never had any problems with the car. I change the oil every 5,000 miles, the transmission fluid every 30,000 miles, radiator flush every two years. Changed the belts twice. The ONLY issue I have is the freakin' headlights. The dealership charges $200 in labor to replace the bulbs because they have to take the front bumper off to pull out the headlight assembly. Why can't Nissan make changing these $75 bulbs any easier? I know they had a problem with the HIDs being stolen in previous years, but these aren't HIDs.

I bought a used 2004 Nissan Maxima SE in August 2007 with 18,000 miles on it. About three weeks ago I started having trouble with my ABS light (24,000 miles) and my brakes were making awful noises. I looked at the brakes and noticed that I was in need of new pads and rotors and just figured it was the reason my ABS light was on. On the Friday before Christmas I took it into a Nissan dealership that was close to my work (not the one I bought the car from). Unfortunately it was late and all of the Nissan guys had left early for their "Christmas party" (4:45 pm). I had already known that I wouldn't get the work done that day, but I wanted to at least schedule an appointment and make sure the car was suitable to drive (I have a four month year old son). So I talked to a random guy (GM I believe) who told me that because of the four day weekend it would be likely that they couldn't get to my car in for a week or so. I talked with the guy for about fifteen minutes or so about my ABS light and my brakes and he said it should be okay to drive for the next week and then I left. I told my sister and brother-in-law about it that night and my brother-in-law (who happens to be a State Trooper) decided that he would have his buddy who is a brake mechanic fix it. Seems like a good deal to me. I get cheaper brake work done because he is doing it on his own time and I get my sister's vehicle to do my Christmas traveling. Even before the mechanic fixed my brakes, he had my brother-in-law call me up making sure that I realized that he couldn't take care of the ABS light because the shop he works at only fixes brakes/mufflers, etc and that I would still need to take it to a Nissan Dealership. I said that’s fine and I got my brakes fixed. I then set up an appointment with the previous Nissan dealership I had gone to and told them the story. They said they would look at my car. I then get a call saying they have bad news and that the brake sensor and ABS module need replacing for about $2500-3000. I was naturally shocked and asked if it was under warranty. I was told that it was, but unfortunately my warranty had expired. Well luckily I had purchased the Extended Warranty and I told this to the Nissan rep and he replied with, "Oh... well let me look into and call you back." I get a call back saying that yes, I do have a warranty, but now they cannot cover the parts. I ask why not and they respond, "Because the mechanic who fixed your brakes COULD have broken the sensor." I replied with the previous story I just told you and he didn't care about it. He told me that he was sorry, but they would not pay for the repairs because I have no way to prove that the mechanic didn't ruin my sensor. When I picked up the car later that day the Nissan rep just happened to be standing next to the GM guy I had talked to the very first time I brought it in. So I walk up to the GM guy and say, "Hey remember me coming in the Friday before Christmas and complaining about my ABS light and brakes?" He responded, "Oh yeah! Did we get everything settled for you?" I then told him to tell that to the Nissan rep standing right next to him. Of course they gave each other "the look" and the GM guy went on to say, "Well I guess I don't really remember exactly what you had come in for." Well let’s just say it went downhill from there. I demanded them show me this sensor with the invisible hammer dent in it and they refused. They wouldn't even tell me what rear sensor was broken. I then called up the East Coast Nissan Investigator Rep who supposedly investigates the case and then comes to a conclusion on whether or not Nissan will acknowledge my warranty. Five days later I get a call back and I am told that no, Nissan will not stand by the warranty because the dealership said that the mechanic who replaced my brakes broke it. This upset me and I went on to question her investigating skills based on the fact that she didn't even talk to me before she made this decision. All she did was take a five-day-buffer-period to reiterate what the dealership had already said. I then asked for what proof did the dealership provide that caused her to make her decision. She wouldn't give any. I threatened her with a law suit since they have no evidence and I have a witness testimony of a State Trooper who drove the car to the brake mechanic. She didn't care nor did she return my later phone calls. I decided that I would at least try a different dealership for a second opinion before I went ahead with a lawsuit. I risked the long drive and took it back to the dealership I had bought it from. Now mind you I didn't tell them any of this previous story, just that my ABS light was on. I wanted an unbiased mechanic’s opinion. They looked at it and sure enough it was my wheel sensor and my ABS module that needed to be replaced. They said luckily I had purchased the Extended Warranty because the ABS module alone is $1800. I then asked how it broke and if it had anything to do with me or my driving, etc. The mechanic told me, "No, it burned out. We have been getting several of these complaints and Nissan issued a Technical Service Bulletin back in July." He also recommended I leave the car there till they get the parts in due to the fact that is unsuitable and dangerous to drive. Wow, thanks a lot previous dealership that tried everything in their power to screw me over. I would love to list your name in this post, but I’m sure it would get censored anyway. The point being, that if anyone has trouble like this, make sure you stay persistent because the Nissan Dealership doesn’t lose anything by refusing your warranty. Make sure you at least take it back to the dealership you bought it from for repairs. You have a much better chance of getting a rep who wants to make sure to keep you a satisfied customer. The other dealership asked me several times why I hadn’t taken it to the dealership I had bought it from. I didn’t think it should matter, but supposedly it does.

Hi, I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima with the same ABS problem. I was told that my warranty was up and it was not covered. In my case I did not have time to get it fixed then anyways, so I've been living without ABS and in turn living with the ABS idiot lights being on. This is the ONLY problem I've had but it sounds like an expensive one.

I'm horrified to see the cost of this repair AND how many people are having this problem. So I did more digging and found the ABS Module for the 2004 Nissan Maxima for $595 US/CDN with free ground shipping at:

http://www.ebcmdirect.com/catalog/NISSAN_MAXIMA/2004.htm

I'm about the hand in the keys to my 2004 Maxima lease and I am looking at an Infinity FX45 from a Nissan/Infinity dealership - I will hang them over a barrel and make the ABS Module repair as my last-minute detail before moving into their FX.

If that doesn't work I will order the part from the above site. (now to look for instructions on changing the model - I accidentally found the instructions for a Nissan Xterra and it indicated that the ABS module is located under the drivers seat.)

IF I had an 04 Mugzima (Maxima), which will NEVER happen after reading all these complaints about them!!!

IF I had one with that ABS problem, I would just IGNORE it. We don't need ABS (Anti-Lock Braking system) to use the car. SAVE $2500, Ignore it!

I have been reading the comments about the ABS in horror, I have been having the same problem. I have basically been ignoring it and plan to continue to ignore it, I'm happy I'm not alone in that! Other than the steering is horrible, the car has been great. I'm ignoring the ABS light, and just passed NJ inspection with the light lit, so I figure I'm good for another 2 years without having to worry about the ABS!

Have a 2004 with a 110,000km.

I have had issues with brake rotors warping and the sunroof gets jamed, otherwise no real problems. The lease is up in feb - car is going back and I am not getting another one.

Ohh and enterprise rents maximas as well as chargers here in Canada, so if you need ABS sensors... LOL (just buy the extra insurance!!)

I own an 04 Maxima, bought it with 50,000kms on it - now it's at 80,000kms and the ABS issue has happened to me. I took it to 3 different Nissan dealerships - none could find the problem cuz' my light wasn't on - I had grinding noises in my brakes, of course they wanted to replace my brakes first. Anyway, after googling my issue I realized how many people had this issue and that there was in a fact a TSB on this issue - I had to bring in the print outs of the chat forums and the TSB for my Nissan dealership to finally understand the problem... and of course my luck, as its sitting on their lot waiting for the repair (supposed to take 4 hours, its gonna take 2 days) it gets hit by another customer in their lot... jeeez.