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.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle jerked abnormally. In addition, the vehicle stalled intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis, who replaced the cam shaft position sensor however, the failure continued after the repair. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Ok my brother and I were driving on highway 85 and came to a stop because of traffic. I try to take off but my car just stalls. We were very fortunate to be in the left lane because if we were in the middle lane we would have been stuck in the middle of the highway and could have been in a real bad accident. We were still fortunate that no one hit us because my cars tail was still stuck out a lil because it would not move in neutral. I know its probably my transmission and torque converter but I just thank god that we were in the left lane and there was no accident.
My wife's 2004 Maxima which she originally purchased new at the pomoco Nissan dealership in hampton, Virginia has 59,000 miles on it currently and the vehicle's automatic transmission jerks violently when decelerating and then slams into gear. The event occurs around an estimated speed of 25-30 mph during downshifting of the transmission. The experience feels like someone has crashed into you from the rear...and the force from the gearing thrust throws the car forward violently. This happens every time the car is driven and is a critical safety concern for us. Vehicle was taken to wesley chapel Nissan dealership located in wesley chapel, Florida for an inspection and the tech said the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of $3300 for parts & labor. As reflected in the low mileage, the car has been driven very little and has been meticulously maintained by her and has remained garaged the majority of the time. I have done some research and discovered that numerous 2004 Maxima owners have experienced the same transmission (failure) problems with similar mileage range, but no recall was ever activated by the Nissan company to remedy the issue. However, there was an extended warranty issued for a few Nissan models regarding faulty transmissions excluding the Maxima. Called Consumer Affairs at Nissan to complain about the problem, but was told by rep that there was nothing they could do because the warranty for the vehicle had expired. I explained to the rep that there are numerous complaints regarding the transmission problems and that Nissan needs to do something to fix the problem since this is a recurring theme when it comes to this specific year of the Maxima model.
My transmission started jerking with a loud bang sound upon shifting gears and upon slowing down to a stop. It began to slip into neutral while in the drive mode causing the rpms to increase and the car will not move. It jerks back into drive until the next stop or slowing down and starts the problem over again. I have taken the car into a transmission repair shop, which states it needs to be replaced. I have noticed many complaints from Nissan customers with the same year, make and model.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving 45 mph when the vehicle abnormally accelerated. In addition, the vehicle would jerk, lunge, and slip gears without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The VIN was not available. The failure and mileage was 145,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle began to jerk, lunge, and slip. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced or rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 170,000. The VIN was not available.
I bought a brand new Nissan Maxima 2004. After driving for 5 years, it has given nothing but headache and stress. It would not accelerate or would be jerking/shaking after stepping on the accelerator. While driving in the freeway, my car would slow down and couldn't drive pass 20 mile per hour, then engine died. I had replaced catalytic converter, sensors, mufflers, brakes. And the problems still haven't resolved. As of today, I don't have a car, it is at the dealer for diagnostic.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that when driving and shifting gears, the transmission would shake intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 86,402.
Car started slipping and jerking. The transmission was failing at 84,000 miles. When changing gears from reverse to drive the car jerk very hard and sounded like an explosion everytime I shift gears. Also when driving on the highway the gears felt like it didn't wont to change and when its finally changed gears then it jerk forward while driving. That was a hazard. Had the transmission replace and now it starting to have the same issues.
Transmission shifts when it wants to. 5 second delay going into gear from park to drive after transmission heats up. Slips into to 2nd and 3rd with a high rev. After slowing, slips into neutral then bangs into gear. After a stop it slips very hard between two gears. Often smell burned oil or fluid inside cabin.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and lunged abnormally. The vehicle was not taken for diagnosis or repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 137,000....updated 09-26-13
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the transmission slipped. The contact stated that he had to restart the vehicle in order to get the vehicle to function properly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for inspection and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Car began experiencing hard shifting from D to R or R to D. hard shifting then began to occur during 1st to 2nd gear and 2nd to 1st gear. Shifts are hard and feel as if the car has been hit by another car. If you do not anticipate the hard shift the car could jump forward into another vehicle. Owner looking into replacing the valve body as this appears to be the main (costly) fix for this issue.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The brakes were applied and the contact attempted to shift into reverse but the vehicle would not respond. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 154,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the transmission exhibited hard shifting with a loud clanking noise. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact that the vehicle be diagnosed by an authorized dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving 40 mph the vehicle began to shift into gear excessively and it also caused the vehicle to lunge forward with force. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 120,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Knightdale, NC, USA