CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2004-2006 Nissan Maxima has widespread transmission problems. It starts with the vehicle jerking when shifting, & progresses to full-blown transmission failure.
Maxima owners report spending $3,000 to replace the transmission, typically around when the odometer hits 100,000 miles.
There's a class action lawsuit filed in late 2011, & it is still in the "discovery" stage. Apparently, these things take time ... far too much time.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
90,422 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
My transmission started missing jerking when I slow down and pick up speed it jerk harder this problem would stop and start up again so I took the car to the shop and had the trans rebuild and it still do the same thing after paying two thousand dollars for this problem you thank that would be fix but I have to put it back in the shop again.
Im having safety issue with 2004 Nissan Maxima, the transmission get stuck in high gear and shift very hard, my car only has 65 K miles and this seen like a problem that has happened to a lot of maxim.
After only 2 years of ownership our 2004 Nissan Maxima are having some issues. First the transmission now we are having a hard time starting the car. After the diagnostic test we needed to replace the camshaft position sensor. However that does not solve the transmission problem. We are driving and all of a sudden our car loses tension. We accelerate and it doesn't get us any further. We are looking at rebuilding our transmission and trading in the car because it's really not worth all the issues the car is starting to have. According to the internet there's been a lot of these problems with these cars.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact noticed that when the transmission warms, it is difficult to change gears. When he shifted from drive into reverse, the vehicle made a loud noise. The dealer discovered that the transmission was discolored and stated that a new one would be needed at the cost of $3,900. A report was filed with the manufacturer and the failure was investigated for two weeks. The manufacturer concluded that they would not assist with the repair. The failure mileage was 56,000 and current mileage was 57,000.
- Kew Gardens, NY, USA
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My 2004 Nissan Maxima was stalled on the road twice in the middle of the road while driving around June 2008 with a mileage of 54,500. Before the stalls happened, the vehicle jerked when shifting from first to second gear and vs versa. At the time of the stalling, the check engine light went on. I brought it back to Nissan dealer, thinking it is still within the power train warranty. The dealer however told me the warranty does not cover this problem. It costs me over $600. The report said that camshaft position sensor is malfunctioning.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. When the contact shifts from first into second gear, the vehicle shakes. When attempting to shift into third gear, the RPM's increase and never fully shifts into third gear. When shifting from drive into park, the vehicle makes a thud sound. The current mileage was 91,350 and failure mileage was 20,000.
I am having the same issues as many other 2004 Nissan Maxima owners. The issue has to do with the transmission failing and the dealer charging over $5,000 to replace it. Nissan knows these transmissions are defective and they are not doing anything about it. They are not considering the huge risk factor for people driving these cars of having an accident due to the malfunctioning of the transmissions. The transmission will not downshift or upshift properly in many instances like stopping in a traffic light, going uphill or even just cruising. The concern is the amount of people that are having the same issue and the unnecessary exposure to an accident. Thank you, omar
I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima with a bad transmission. I bought it new. It has 85,000 miles. Since the beginning of 20078 the car started giving me problems on first and second gear. It jerks, slips and will no change gears when it needs it. I took it to the dealer, they had me replace the ABS system telling me it will fix the problem, because the ABS light was on. Spend $2,000. The problem got worse. They said that there was a short on the grounds of my cd player (that is a trip computer and info display) it cost me $1,700. The problem was not fixed. I went on-line and there are 100's of people complaining about the same issue. I need my car to work, now I have to spend $4,000 fixing he transmission. It is ridiculous that I just finished paying for my car and I have to invest have of the value into something that should not be broken. Please help me.....a lot of people are having this problem and Nissan is saying they can not recall this transmission because it is not a safety issue. To me it is, because it has to do with driving the car.
I just bought a 2004 Nissan Maxima and the transmission has been slipping and jerking. I went to the dealer and they said I have to get a new one, and it will cost me 4500 dollars !!!!
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. While driving less than 20 mph, the vehicle jerked as if the transmission would hesitate. The failure then began occurring while driving between 40-50 mph. The dealer stated that they could not determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer stated that nothing could be done to assist due to the mileage and the year of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 90,000.
Transmission problem between gear 1 & 2. I had to replace transmission @ 70,000 miles. Terrible slippage and bucking. Wouldn't accelerate into gear in a safe time frame.
I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima and something seems to be wrong with it but no one knows what. When the car shifts gears there is a extremely hard shift, mainly between 2nd & 3rd, and 3rd & 4th gears. Also when I put the car in reverse and back into drive there is a slight pause and then an extremely hard jerk in the car. I have taken to a mechanic and had the valve body replaced for $950 and the problem seemed to get better for about two weeks then it is happening again. I have also had the transmission fluid flushed about 3 times. I have talked to many Maxima owners that have the exact same issue and no one has been able to repair the problem. I am tired of spending money for guess work instead of Nissan determining the problem and should issue a recall to fix their problem. If this is what I have to expect from Nissan, it will definately be my last one.
2004 Nissan Maxima all features had locked up. Consumer tried to fix the problem, when trying the car jumped out of park and rolled down the driveway hitting a Taurus and a trailer. Airbags did not deploy. ***** the consumer was injured and as the vehicle was rolling down the driveway a family member, which the vehicle nearly missed fell backwards and broke her wrist. The consumer stated there was no reason for the gear shift to lock or for the vehicle to jump and roll. The vehicle had been placed in park and the parking brake had been pulled prior to the incident.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Philladelphia, PA, USA