After the car gets hot, it will rev very high going from 2nd to 3rd gear. It will not shift into 3rd gear until I take my foot of the gas, let the RPM's go down, then hit the accelerator again. It will also hard shift going from park to reverse and reverse to forward gear. Also when downshifting the car will shift hard, mainly going to lower gears, which causes jolts and unexpected increases in the RPM as the shift happens. This is dangerous because it is unexpected and has caused me to slam on the brakes in traffic, when startled by this action of the transmission.

- Allentown, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that when accelerating or changing gears from second to first, the vehicle would hesitated and jerk. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the transmission, which would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

- North Hollywood , CA, USA

2004 Nissan Maxima transmission started to go at 108,000 miles. Car halts and then bucks from 1st to 2nd gear and from 2nd down to 1st gear. At a red light, car halted and bucked in the middle of an intersection and nearly caused an accident. No accident occurred, but the problem continues to persist and the transmission needs replacing. Multiple 2004 and 2005 Nissan Maxima's have transmission problems due to installation of faulty transmissions, yet no recall has been issued. I have found 20-30 internet reports of faulty 2004 and 2005 Nissan transmissions. I am afraid that this car could do the same thing in the future with a worse outcome.

- Marlton, NJ, USA

Car jerks when going into 1st, 2nd or 3rd and has gotten stuck in 3rd gear when driving, had to put in manual gears in order to stop the vehicle. Also when putting in reverse car jerks and then when you go into drive the vehicle jerks again. A/C also went out about 6 months after owning the car, which was bought in 2009. Vehicle has been checked out by dealership and they do not know what the main problem is with the car, and said they would fix 2 things to see if it fixes the problem, only if I pay them about $3000 to $3500. Dealer does not know the root of the problem, however they want to charge for "what if's". car also jerks when you break or slow down without using break system. I am afraid for my life and the life of my family.

- Somersworth, NH, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 to 20 mph, the transmission jerked. The failure was experienced on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on several occasions where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent transmission specialist, who stated that the transmission fluid had to be replaced every 50,000 miles and the transmission could not be repaired, only replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 117,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Glen Burnie , MD, USA

Transmission in 2004 Nissan Maxima jerks, so hard that feels like you just got rear ended. These transmissions are failing at an astounding rate. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it makes the car uncomfortable to drive.

- Sicklerville, NJ, USA

I bought a used 2004 Nissan Maxima SE and I'm having problems the jerking, thrusting forward and the bad down shifting. I took the car to the Nissan dealership act like they never heard of a problem before and they said the transmission needed a flush ($200), so I did, it continued kicking. I took it back to Nissan they drove it and told me it need motor mounts ($2,000), I got the motor mounts replaced at local auto shop. They have no problem wanting me to spending money on diagnosis the problem, when they know what the problem is. The transmission is a recall issue they don"T want to make public. I?M very disappointed in Nissan. I"ve had 2 Altima, I have a 1997 max and never had major issues (I drive that more than the new car) and I have a 2004 armada, I would not recommend them to anyone any more. They pride themselves in not selling lemons...well I got one! I don?T understand how I can have 1997 max and not have transmission problems and new model car 2004 and having all these issues. I cannot afford a $3,800 transmission and a new set of $500 motor mounts.....another problem I've had with this car is the A/C keeps going out...there is no leaks in the lines but there is something wrong with the A/C pump so I was told by a local repair shop.

- St Petersburg, FL, USA

Same as everyone else with the same make and model. Car RPM's go way high and then jerks and goes into gear. Happens after the car is warmed up. Does not happen on the highway but it does happen getting off an exit. Downshifting from gears 3 to 2 the car jerks and hesitates almost giving me whiplash. I went to a Nissan dealer to have the problem diagnosed but the test can back with no problems because the service engine light is not on. This car is not safe to drive but it is my only way of transportation so I have to keep driving it. Nissan needs to own up to there mistake and have the car recalled. I am not the only one having this problem.. please help us out and do the right thing to make our cars safer to drive..thank you

- Wallingford, CT, USA

While driving on highway, the automatic transmission downshifted and was stuck between 2nd and 3rd gear. When I came to complete stop, and then started to accelerate, the car would move forward very very slowly and then pick up speed. But car did not change gears. Once I turn off engine and waited for about 10 minutes, I turned engine back on and problem went away. I have taken it to dealer but they cannot duplicate issue. This continuously happens to me and cannot figure what to do. The car has actually completely turn off on the road while driving and have avoided accidents. Once the car turns off on the road at high speeds, the steering wheel locks up and gets difficult to pull over on the side of the road/highway. The 2004 Maxima, as I have read online, are having transmission issues. I will never purchase another Nissan vehicle.

- Mystic , CT, USA

My 2004 Nissan Maxima transmission went bad as I was driving on the interstate. I was driving about 55 mph and all of a sudden the engine started to rev and I had no power to the wheels/drive train. The transmission went without any warning. I did also experience the rough shifting that many others had complained about. I only have 69000 miles on it. The car is 9000 miles out of drive train warranty. I always took the car to a authorized Nissan dealer paying G the higher service costs. I did this in case I ever had a problem thinking that the manufacture would then stand by the car. I got nothing. The dealer was not able to help. I called Nissan motors of America and I told them about my situation. Nissan told me there is nothing they could do for me. I asked why, they said the car is out of warranty. I said I know the car is out of warranty, that is why I'm calling the Consumer Affairs line. I told them that I took the car to the dealer for all my service, that I always purchased all the preventative maintenance that the manufacture and dealer recommend, I'm the original owner and that I only drive the car to work. I asked what is the criteria for Nissan to assist a customer if a car is out of warranty. They said that they look at what maintenance was done at a authorized dealer and was the car owned by the original owner. I said that I had done all of this. I asked why they can't help, they again said because the car is out of warranty. I went online and read about the 500 plus transmission complaints. It now makes sense why Nissan will not help us. They know they have a transmission problem and don't want to put out a recall. The cost is about $3800. Is this grounds for a class action suit? Nissan does not stand by it's cars. Updated 05/25/11

- West Allis, WI, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle would jerk violently when the engine would extend beyond 2-3 rpms. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was contacted who did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 69,900.

- Jamaica , NY, USA

For the past 2 months my 2004 Nissan Maxima has, at periodic times, starts puttering like it is about to stall, then service engine light comes on. Does this for either a few miles or my entire trip. It also jerks very hard when changing gears, ex from reverse to drive. With in the last month the transmission now feels like it is slipping. Recently, got stuck at a red light in a very busy city district B/C my car was fine but then would not move, finally jerked back to life & started going but at the next stop light did the same thing. I have been doing tons of reading on this & it seems like 2004 Nissan Maximas have a horrible reputation on their transmissions. I believe do to all of these complaints a recall needs to be done as soon as possible. I cannot afford to keep throwing thousand of dollars on a car that I have always serviced properly & until I hot the 100K mileage mark never had a problem with. This car is dangerous to drive due to the severe jerking while changing gears, stalling out, etc. Please look into asap. Thanks

- Abingdon, MD, USA

When I am driving my 2004 Maxima, there is a hard jerk when shifting gears and when I am going from reverse to drive. I have had the cv axles changed, the struts changed, and the engine mounts changed. I have changed the transmission fluid and everything else that I can think of. Can someone please help in trying to get this problem fixed" now I am in the process of changing the transmission mount. Help. Is there a class action lawsuit concerning this problem"

- Conway, AR, USA

I purchased a 2004 Nissan Maxima in August 2006, and it all seemed fine for a bit but once I reached about 84K miles, the transmission started having problems. First, when I shift from park to any other gear. It seems to either hesitate to shift into gear and once it does it shifts in a horrible knock! it continues to do the same problem as well as slip gears while in motion. It usually slips from 1st to 2nd, or 2nd to 3rd. It causes the car to rev and shifts when it wants. That makes it snap even harder. I took the car to a local transmission shop which placed it on the computer. The error was a faulty camshaft position sensor (bank 1). Cost was $181.52. I'm still having the jerking with second gear but only when I slow down easily. The car shifts now, but the jerking continues. The local transmission shop said that I would have to replace the transmission for around $3,500 in order to alleviate the jerking and transmission slip issue. I bought a Nissan because they are supposed to be dependable long lasting cars. I would hope that it would last over at least 100,000 miles before any sort of problems would even occur.

- Rockville, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. While driving 25-30 mph, the contact noticed that the gear shifted hard several times as if someone was hitting the vehicle from the rear. The vehicle was taken to a local transmission ship where the contact was informed that the transmission valve body was defective. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 77,087 and the current mileage was 77,809.

- West Deptford , NJ, USA

I previously reported my 2004 Nissan Maxima SE as having power train transmission problems. I took my vehicle to bp Nissan and they did a diagnostics on the transmission and determined that a new transmission was needed. Nissan to call me back today, we'll see. After the dealer did the diagnostics, I was driving home and what a coincidence, the "check engine light" came on. It seems that every time I have my car to the dealer for one thing, shortly after lights start coming on. I guess they don't reset or something as they should.

- Whittier, CA, USA

Transmission slams/bangs from 2nd to low gears at approx 20 mph during down shift. Also has hesitation/pause causing a huge jerk/push when changing shifting from 1st to 2nd gear at aprroximately 20 mph. Seems to occur after car has warmed or heated up after about 10 - 20 minutes of driving. Both incidents has extremely high potential of causing a major accident which could possibly cause major injury or even loss of life. Cannot understand why Nissan has not voluntarily initiated a recall for this major/serious defect in their product.

- York, PA, USA

Warning signs started with a hard shift from 1st to 2nd to 3rd at 45K miles. Done regular transmission maintenance but problem remains the same. Later it started hard bang or jerk when shifting from drive to reverse or reverse to drive. At 112K miles it got worse and then knew reading online about faulty valve body problem in many 2004-2006 Maximas transmission. Repair cost is too high to even mention. Second problem is timing chain plastic tentioners. A what" yes plastic timing chain tentioners inside engine compartment. Problem started at 50K and continued as of today. Complained to dealer when car was under warranty and deler said my car is running awesome. Nissan later changed the design of plastic timing chain tentioner. But what about those who has faulty designed timing chain tentioners? responsible parties knows about these isses but refuses to acknowledge. Why there is no recall yet"

- Nashua, NH, USA

2004 + Nissan Maxima's are having timing chain issues which starts to occur after 50K as per the thousand of forum members across different forum. I am a victim too. Its a known defect in Maxima's and there has been no recalls to fix this. This timing chain issue fix cost appx $1600 and difficult for us to pay such an amount which has been declared by Nissan as a maintenance free item. This timing chain would gradually lead to all sort of problems leading to complete failure if not taken care of. We as a customer pledge NHTSA to take appropriate action. Already contacted local dealer and Nissan usa without any results.

- Torrance, CA, USA

I purchased a used 2004 Nissan Maxima from this dealership. This is my third Maxima that I have owned. I recently started having issues with my car. It starting having trouble shifting into gear. I took this to this dealership and of course they claimed they had never heard of this issue before. They came back and showed me this bottle filled with fluid and claimed that this black oil was the fluid they took from the transmission. They inspected the car and told me they would send it to the Nissan corporate office to see if they would consider a goodwill assistance. Immediately upon leaving I took my car to a transmission company and they checked the oil and told me there was no way that oil came out of my car. I was also told that this is one of the oldest tricks in the book and that this is probably the same container used on all customers that come in and complain. I just spoke with deland Nissan to see if they were going to pay for this considering how many people are having this same issue and they stated no. I will never purchase another Nissan ever and will be looking to see if there is anything else that can be done against this company.

- Orlando, FL, USA