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.
After stopping at traffic signal, the car doesn't move and starts jerking when shifting between gears. 2 months back the gear wouldn't shift from 5th, took to dealer they replaced a bad sensor and now it jerks and doesn't move when shifting gears.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while shifting from park to reverse he heard a loud noise coming from the engine. The vehicle was able to be driven to an independent mechanic where it was confirmed that the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the issue. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 96,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while traveling 60 mph the vehicle began to shake violently and stalled. The contact was able to eventually merge to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's home. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that the transmission valve body had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was not available.
The problem started small and has become an issue with the vehicle. The transmission shifts hard and lags between shifts. When the transmission finally engages it does so with a hard bang.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle would shift improperly when accelerating until it reached third gear. Once the vehicle reached third gear, it would start to jerk and exhibit an abnormal popping sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer did not provide a reason for the failure. The transmission was replaced. The failure mileage was 81,000.
- Newbraunfiles, TX, USA
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It started with a delay from reverse to 1st, or vice-versa, followed by a hard "thud" as the car got into gear. Then, every time the car warmed up, the transmission would slip while switching gears. Now, the car will only operate in reverse and 5th gear. So it's like driving a lawn mower. I see that hundreds of others have had this same problem and reported it on-line. Although my car was at the dealership just this weekend, and they mentioned nothing about a history with this model/year.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would shake violently whenever the transmission was shifted from park to drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the valve body needed to be replaced. Also, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a second opinion who stated that the transmission motor mounts and the radiator needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 102,000 and the current mileage was 113,065.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that as the engine was started and the gear was placed in drive, the vehicle would jerk abnormally. The failure would also occur when shifting from first to second gears, accelerating or reversing. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle and located the failure at the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 106,000 and the current mileage 110,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 15 mph, the transmission slipped. The vehicle was taken to a transmission repair shop for inspection who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted but did not offer any assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated when shifting gears. In addition, the vehicle was slow to respond when accelerating at initial start-up or when accelerating from a complete stop. The dealer was contacted and advised the contact that the transmission would need to be replaced or rebuilt. The vehicle was repaired on 9/13/2012. The approximate failure and current mileage was 123,303. Updated 01/18/13 the consumer stated the dealer advised that the cam and crank shaft sensors went bad. The sensors are responsible for telling the vehicle which gear to be in at start up. With the sensor failure, the car sits in 5th gear. There is no immediate acceleration after sitting idle, or when starting the car. Updated 1/24/2013
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving 25 mph when he noticed that the vehicle would jerk when shifting gears. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 124,000.
I am the only owner of my 04 Nissan Maxima and have experienced my Maxima violently jerking when taking off or when stopping. Also while taking off to turn at an intersection or at a stop sign it sometimes stalls. I have 3 children under the age of 5 and am very concerned that my car is going to stall and I will be hit in the side of my car. I had the car tested by a private company and they said it was the transmission. I have looked online and there are thousands of complaints about the Nissan Maxima 04-07 models. No one is doing anything about it and someone will end up getting hurt if this problem continues. Please check out website www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2004/Nissan/Maxima/automatic+transmission.
Vehicle was purchased used, at first the vehicle jerked abruptly from 1st to 2nd, after driving it for a few miles it seems like its not gearing properly, now the vehicle starts jerking as soon as I start driving jerking from 1st, 2nd to 3rd, after 30 miles the vehicle drives ok. Also there's been times when the accelerator pedal is pressed and the vehicle fails to accelerate. Vehicle also jerks when changing to reverse. I took the vehicle to different mechanics and was advised that the transmission needs to be replaced, the cost could be about 4,000 to 5,000 which is about what the vehicle is worth. This should be taken care of by Nissan, there are many complaints about the same problem its obviously a manufacture problem and owner shouldn't be responsible for replacements costs.
Car shifts really hard from 1st to 2nd and revs like its not catching gear like its supposed to do and the transmission flush is not the fix Nissan has a lot of complaints about this why is nothing getting done higher up before someone gets killed or serious injured. 543 reports and what has got done thus far. Also when putting in drive it pauses then switches into gear cause it to jerk real bad like the tranny an motor mounts are about to fall out. Please someone take action about this issue !!!!!!
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the vehicle jerked violently while shifting gears. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic and the dealer for inspection, who both advised the contact that the transmission sensor or cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 94,000.
I bought a brand new 2004 Nissan Maxima when they first came out, and everything was perfect. Nothing was wrong with it, and it drove smoothly. A few months ago, after hitting about 70,000 miles the transmission has been messing up. If the car is shifting up or down, into 1st, 2nd, or 3rd gear, it jerks. The more the car heats up, the harder the car jerks. It was jerks if I'm shifting into drive. There have been times when the car revs up to 5,000 rpms and jerks very hard. It is not safe at all, and there are many cars with the same problem.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving approximately 50 mph when the transmission began to jerk with hesitation into the third gear. The failure also occurred whenever the gear selector was shifted into reverse. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who advised the contact that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been notified of the consistent problem. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact was traveling 30 mph when the vehicle lunged forward abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 115,000 and the current mileage was 142,000.
The problem first occurred while driving at approximately 30 miles an hour. The automatic transmission made a thud noise and the gear indicator showed 5 instead of D and would no longer shift and felt like it would not accelerate. Even when trying to manually shift the transmission it would not go into D and would continue to indicate 5. Nissan serviced the transmission with a fluid change and this did not fix the problem. This has occurred on several occasions since then. The problem occurs at various speeds and now it sometimes causes the vehicle to shut off. This is a hazardous situation and we have been fortunate this has not occurred in heavy traffic and involved us in an accident.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Morris Plains, NJ, USA