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:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
33,917 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.

2004 Nissan Maxima accessories - interior problems

accessories - interior problem

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2004 Nissan Maxima Owner Comments

problem #6

Mar 152013

Maxima 6-cyl

  • 170,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Cd player does not connect to speakers. Sound muffled.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #5

Dec 152005

Maxima

  • miles
'04 Maxima, maintained regularly, original owner, purchased in summer of '03(first batch of assy. Line); stereo head unit sat button, but no sat connections in back of head unit. I made an appointment one year ('06) near christmas to treat myself to have sirius satellite radio installed in my car as I was promised by the advertisements at time of purchase. The tech had already mounted the antenna to my roof and then was ready to install the tuner and connect it to the stereo head unit and could not locate the jacks on the back of the head unit to connect the satellite tuner. The service advisor explained to me that they have run into this on the cars that came off the assembly line in the first 6 months of production of this particular model. The cars have a sat button on the dash but no connections on the head unit to connect one. Also explained it had since been corrected by Nissan on all cars of the same model made after, that had the appropriate stereo head unit installed to accommodate satellite radio tuners. He then continued to tell me that Nissan was not covering the replacement of the head unit for those customers requesting satellite radio installation. This was a big blow to me and I could not afford to replace the head unit myself. The tech had to un-mount the antenna leaving chunks of paint missing from my roof and I had since had to install an aftermarket portable satellite radio which always gives me static problems. I believe Nissan should cover this replacement since the car was advertised at time of purchase to have the option of satellite radio. I only opted out at time of purchase because I felt comfortable with the fact that I could always come back and get it installed. If I would have known that issue at time of purchase, the dealer would have fixed that in order to make the sale. Why not after the fact? treating current owners good is just as important as attracting new ones. Repeat business is every companies bread and butter.

- Leonardtown, MD, USA

problem #4

Nov 192008

Maxima 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
My car is jerking and bucking bad. There are thousands of people out there with the same problem and Nissan is not doing anything about this. I have had my transmission fluid flushed and it has not helped. Others have had valve body work done and even replaced the transmission. The cars are still doing the same. The transmissions had to have been poorly built. Something needs to be done. I am still paying on the car and having major car issues. Nissan needs to be responsible. The consumer was also informed the vehicle needed a new engine. The cd player had to repaired and the air conditioner failed. Updated 01/21/10.

- Culpeper, VA, USA

problem #3

Mar 012007

Maxima 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 26,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. Since the vehicle was purchased, the contact has experienced failures with the radio and headlights, the rotors were replaced three times, the front coil springs were replaced twice, and the battery wiring burned. Currently, the transmission pulls when the vehicle is accelerated. The vehicle will be taken to the dealer to diagnose the transmission failure. The manufacturer stated that no recalls were available for any of the failures. The current mileage was 49,000 and failure mileage was 26,000.

- Camden , NJ, USA

problem #2

Oct 122005

Maxima 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,000 miles
I bought this 2004 Nissan Maxima at difeo Nissan dealership of jersey city. Since I got it, I had to take it four times to the dealer to change front struts. Right now as I am sending you this email, I can hear that sound again. This is causing me a lot of inconvience, so I would be glad if someone can do something about it. I paid a lot of money for this car and I don't think I should be going through all this frustration for a car I spend so much money for. Secondly the C.D. don't play when it's cold in the car. Please could someone get back to me or do something about these problems for me please. Thank you, seepersaud.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #1

Feb 172004

Maxima

  • 1,500 miles
The cd player in the vehicle did not work properly. When the consumer tried to play the system it took a long time to get results. When the system finally did start to work, the sound blasted out and only the end of the song played. The cd's played randomly even when they were not suppose to. The dealer replaced the system four times with the same system.

- Fair Lawn, NJ, USA

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