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:
11 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
76,985 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.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked violently while shifting from first to second gear or from second to third gear. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was operated. The contact also stated that the failure would occur when decelerating. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 79,000 and the current mileage was 84,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima SE. The contact stated that the vehicle lunged forward violently while driving and shifting from first to second gear. In addition, when shifting from park to drive it failed to engage immediately. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosis indicated that the motor mounts needed to be replaced. The remedy did not repair the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 115,000.
Maxima 04 problems with transmission, sometimes it slips freely and then it takes again causing the one driving to lose control of the vehicle. Nissan must recall Maxima 04 models to fix transmission problems.
Transmission on 2004 Nissan Maxima jerks into gear from 1st to 2nd and vice versa. Only does this when engine is warm. Car slams into gear going from reverse back into drive.
2004 Maxima automatic transmission - bought new; continually jerks when switching between gears with less than 100,000 miles; now the park lamps continually go out on the vehicle.
- Stone Mountain, GA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer advised that the transmission would need replacing. The dealer did not state what caused the transmission to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 63,000.
I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima & the transmission is bad!! it slams & jerks into gear & when I start to slow down it jerks & slams!! more times than not when I stop at a stop sign it is very sluggish & will hardly go when the gas is pushed. I have contacted Nissan several different times about this problem & they will not issue a recall or help me in anyway with this problem that is their fault!!! I know I am not the only person with this problem because I have read thousands of complaints online. Every time I talk with someone from Nissan they tell me that I have to take the car to a dealership & have it diagnosed, & every time they tell me the same thing, that I need a new transmission, but I still can't get any help from Nissan!!! the 2004's is the year they put the "new" no-feel shift tranny in & Nissan used a cheap plastic valve body & when it gets hot it starts sticking which is causing the jerking & slamming which also S wearing out the clutch plates!!!! I was just going to get the valve body replaced until I fount out that the part itself is $1658 without labor!! I am a single parent with a fixed income because I was laid off from my job who can not afford either of the two (a valve body replacement or a new transmission)!!!! I am not looking for a handout but Nissan should do the right thing & issue a recall on these transmissions!! I guess it's going to take someone getting killed and/or a lawsuit before they "may" do something about these transmissions!!!
The contact owns 2004 Nissan Maxima. While driving approximately between 20-40 mph, the transmission began to jerk violently and slip gears. The contact continued to drive. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage E was 92,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph when the transmission caused the vehicle to jerk violently with hesitation. The contact stated that the failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to duplicate failure and there were no repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph when the vehicle began to jerk with hesitation and the transmission would sporadically slip gears when driving at various speeds. The failure recurred intermittently and progressed over a period of time to a constant occurrence. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where they informed the contact that three transmission mounts were faulty and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that when he tried to shift into reverse, the vehicle would move backward. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The current mileage was approximately 78,000. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle abruptly jerked into gear without warning. Also, when coming to a stop the vehicle would act as if someone had rear ended the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was advised that the transmission would need to be replaced. The contact stated that he would take the vehicle for a second opinion before repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 99,200 and the current mileage was 99,300.
Very rough shift after deceleration going into acceleration at 20 to 35 mph. It feels as if I have been rearended and has a loud sound mimicking same. It varies greatly on occurrence. Weeks can go by with nothing, then it will occur regularly for a period of time. This has been occurring off and on since 2008 (approx 65K - 80K miles). The car now has 113K miles. The transmission fluid has been changed, engine mounts fixed - all to no avail. The last resort is to have the transmission replaced which is half the value of the car. Nissan has refused to fix the vehicle at no cost to me.
My 2004 Nissan Maxima has transmission problems. It will barely shift into gear. It was working fine one day and then it just started slipping. It wouldn't go into gear. This is very unsafe. I'm scared to drive my car because if it sticks in high gear then it won't slow down and I could wreck. I don't understand how they can put a transmisson in a car that's not going to last. My car isn't that old. I shouldn't be scared to drive it. A new transmission costs anywhere between $1000-$2000. Who can afford to pay that when they've just payed for a car and know the cars to messed up to drive. All the money they make off of selling these cars they should atleast have to fix them.
2004 Nissan Maxima that sways while driving straight and shifts hard or skips out of gear between 2nd and 3rd gear. Only have 59,500 miles on car and front struts sway bar sub frame bushings need to be replaced along with struts and transmission.
The contact owns 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the transmission failed at 79,000 miles. While driving 40 mph in first or second gear the vehicle jerked forward and began to bang loudly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the warranty expired. The dealer will not repair the vehicle unless the contact assumes the repair cost. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 79,000.
Transmission jerks on my 2004 Nissan Maxima I bought this car with only 35,000 miles and im still paying for this vehicle. I don't use it much and I have now 58,000 miles on it. The car is supposed to be reliable and I've got nothing. Dealer has not helped and I called Nissan motors of America and I told them about all the online complaints and they told me they could not help me. This is a costly repair and don't think its fair that I have to pay 3500 on a new transmission. This should be recalled by Nissan and fixed for everyone who has this problem.
Nissan Maxima 2004- transmission(5 speed automatic) slipping problem between gears. The transmission on this vehicle started slipping a few months ago. I called Nissan and they said this was a common problem with this transmission around 04 and 05. They also said I would need the transmission replacement($3500). I then started looking online for a less expensive solution. I then found out this was in fact a very common problem that other Nissan owners were having. I called my local Nissan dealer and inquired about the problem and was told it was out side of the 3 year 36K mile warranty and I was on my own. I then decided to file a complaint to get the proper athuraities involved to look into this issue.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the transmission would shift hard when shifting from park to drive. The transmission was previously replaced twice by the manufacturer for the failure. The contact was concerned that the failure could potentially cause a crash. The manufacturer was contacted and would not provide any further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired any further. The failure mileage was 59,875.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Moreno Valley, CA, USA