Problems with 2004 Nissan Maxima SUSPENSION

Vehicle has 91000 miles on it and transmission is failing.(jerks when vehicle takes off from stationary position. front end gives rough ride, after replacing struts.

[xxx] starting it up takes 2-3x with putting the gas pedal all the way to the floor, then it jerks into gear. while driving it just stalls out which is very scary & dangerous and it goes from drive to 5th gear no 1-4, and it hesitates & when driving up to a red light for example, then it starts to conk out. also no pick up from an idle position, i just bought it 9/17/14 and called dealer and he told him it wont pass inspection "check engine light on" constant. it feels like transmission isn't in proper gear (5th) just stalls while driving. everyone behind me leans on the horn and yells at me when it stalls out in drive. im afraid to drive it. the dealer (north shore auto mall, lynn ma 01905, mgr name [xxx], real jerk !!) said they did a 21 point inspection, but that's bs, they would have caught that seeing that they are in the business and knew they sold me a car w/bad transmission/alternator. now they don't want to know me. please give me some resources that you know of to remedy the problem. i could go on & on about the treatment i had to endure but that wont help hopefully you can regards [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

While vehicle in for routine service, the technician pointed out significant rot to front passenger floor board on the undercarriage of the vehicle. i see from the listed complaints that this seems to be a systemic problem for this particular vehicle and model year. *tr

Transmission slips and hesitates as you place in gear. once you place it in gear from drive to park to reverse it jerks very hard which places pressure on the motor mounts causing them to have problems. all of the nissan maxima's have a serious manufactured flaw with there transmission. this is a serious flaw and should have been recalled by nissan, all of the complaints made are all stating the same thing. this is clearly a manufacture defect. this defect occurs even if you are sitting still with your feet on the brakes and attempt to shift from park to drive to reverse the vehicle jerks so hard it moves the vehicle even though your feet is on the brakes. this is a serious issue. once the engine warms up the transmission begins to slip even as the vehicle approach a stop light or stop sign the car down shifts itself and jerk as it shifts.

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. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk while driving at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the struts and transmission mounts were defective. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was repaired by her local mechanic. the failure mileage was 118,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

2004 nissan maxima shimmy in steering,transmission jerk. *tr

I purchased my 2004 maxima 18 months ago. from the time i drove it off the lot it started shaking. i took it back to the dealer a total of 4 times each time they told me it was something different,from the rotors to a weight falling off the wheel(which they say i lost).i was driving on a interstate highway and the vehicle started shaking and pulling so bad i almost had an accident.when i took it back for the fifth time i was told i had to pay to have the vehicle fixed(i had not owned it but 2 months). finally i took it to another dealer (same affiliate) who fixed it so the shaking was not as bad (after 3 visits). i have taken the vehicle back on several occasions since then,and now when the jerking has gotten worse,sometimes jerks so hard it hurts my neck. the gears jerk when changing. i thought i just had to deal with the fact that i brought a lemon,but after reading all these complaints (which are either the same or similar) i know nissan needs to correct these issues before someone is seriously hurt or loose there lives(as well as others).and i do plan to continue emailing sending letters,and calling until someone listens.now i don't feel alone in this issue just pissed off. that nissan has allowed this to go on so long without addressing the safety issue of this vehicle.

2004 nissan maxima se. while driving on the highway and slowed due to traffic, vehicle lurched forward with a loud bang. occurred while transmission downshifted from 2nd gear to 1st. occurs when shifting from 2nd gear into 3rd and when parked and trying to shift from reverse into drive. two mechanics have suggested transmission replacement and appointment made for such. vehicle also has a horrible steering wheel shudder/shaking that gets worse the faster you go (highway speeds) told it was struts, so they were replaced, numerous wheel alignments and balancings to correct, with no satisfaction. *tr

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. *tr

I have a 2004 nissan maxima that i bought new in 2003 in california. within months to the first year, i have had continuous problems with the front end. i've had my wheels aligned, tires balance numerous times and checked due to a shimmy in the steering wheel, tires wearing unevenly and a clanking or thumping noise in the front right when going over a bump. these problems i have had for years and complained continuously. had the car in the shop many times for these problems, but to no avail. nissan fixed noise after 5 times in the shop in 2004 and 2005. now over the years the noise has come back, but the shimmy was always a problem. i just learned to ignore it until now. i'm reading now online of other maxima owners having the same problem. i'm planning on approaching my nissan dealer here in florida about the shimmy, abnormal tire ware and clankiing noise as well. can you help me? *tr

I almost got involve into an accident. i just bought a 2004 nissan maxima se (automatic) and its giving me transmission problems. the transmission slips (when the car is hot) between second and third gear, sometimes from first to second. i just wanted to buy a reliable car because we were going to have a baby. she was in the car when the accident was about to happen. my wife, my 4 months old baby and i where going to see my family and needed to take the highway. i needed to make a stop before entering the highway (to enter to the right lane). since my car jerks when it shifts from first to second gear and from second to third gear, a tractortrailer almost hit me when i entered the highway. because the transmission in my car is not reliable. it might get me into an accident because of the design flaw from the nissan corporation. i am not the only person complaining about the transmission on 2004 nissan maxima models. give me a call or send me an email if you have any questions. *tr lou valdo

We have been having problems with our transmission for a few months now, we took it to the dealership (cerritos nissan) and they say the problem is that we need a new transmission. this will be our third tranny and the car only has 120,000+ miles on it. our first transmission lasted 5yrs. before having to be replaced and now this one has lasted 3yrs. the transmission now is stuck in 5th gear when you switch to the tip tronic setting to see the gearing and this is the reason there is no power during acceleration. we also need motor mounts now because of the violent jerking that the tranny does when put into gear. and the dealership also said we needed a timing chain replacement because it was bad as well, total repair cost $6700.00+. i've recently taken my car to another mechanic and he said the timing chain was perfectly fine. our driver side window switches do not work again, that was replaced 1yr ago. and we are now on our third set of front struts. *tr

The transmission in my car is slipping. when i am trying to take off many times the acceleration is decreased dramatically and puts my family in danger of having a terrible accident. the gears are hard to switch and it makes a loud noise when this happens. sometimes while driving it starts jerking as if it will cut off. the dealer claims to not have many issues with this problem but my online research shows me that the transmission is the source of most of the problems on this make and model car. *tr

I have a 2004 maxima with 65,000 miles and already having trouble with transmission. *tr

04 nissan maxima purchased in aug 03 with a loud knocking noise in the front passenger side. first visit to the dealer was in march 04 -- replaced front strut. lasted about 1 week before the noise was back. since then has had at least 6-8 struts replaced. last repair was last friday -- went 10 miles before the noise was back. the longest a strut has lasted was 6 months. i have been dealing with for four years. will nissan acknowledge this as a problem and ever fix it? *tr

My 04 maxima currently has just over 50,000 miles on it. i have noticed some hard shifts over the past few months, but they had been very intermittent. the other day however i noticed the service engine soon light was on and when accelerating from a stop i realized that i barely had any power! after engine shut off the acceleration was back to normal. the service engine soon light remained on. the code was pulled and reset. p 0797 pressure control solenoid, stuck on. repair cost approximately 4000 dollars. problem outstanding. the struts have also gone bad. problem outstanding. i have also had to replace the battery. the front right rotor is warped and causes steering wheel shim when downhill braking. problem outstanding. my car had begun to idle very low twice and actually died once. problem outstanding. a weld on the heat shield of the catalytic converter has come loose and causes a noticeable vibration when accelerating when cold. this subsides once it's heated up probably due to metal expansion. problem outstanding. i have also replaced the tires due too bad alignment camber on some and also castor i believe it was wearing the tires unevenly. *tr

My 2004 maxima has had a front end noise on a wide variety of road surfaces. my local mechanic, whom i have been doing business with for over 20 years says the front struts are shot and need replacement. the car has 34,650 gentle miles on it! *tr

I own a 2004 nissan maxima which was purchased march 2006. have replaced the struts and later found them to have some sort of defect. the radio/cd player went out about 6 months after the purchase of the vehicle. the horn went out, fog lights had a short, had numerous brake problems. a/c had to be re-charged 1 year after purchase..this list goes on. october 16, 2008, i had my vehicle towed due both transmission cooler linesbursing on the fwy. the shop repaired both lines totaling $428.54. today is november 24, 2008 and my vehicle needs to go back to the shop due to the transmission slipping and jerking into gear. i have gone on line and read all the complaints for the 2004 nissan maxima's and the transmission problems. i am having the same issue the other owners have. something needs to be done! there is evidence that nissan north america has not put these maxima's together in a correct manner. these are beautiful cars but are always breaking down. please help! *tr

Vehicle front end shakes at 40-70 mph. *tr

I have a 2004 nissan maxima with 61,038 miles on it. as i am driving, my car will jump sometimes lightly & at other times very hard. if i put the car in reverse and then put the gear back into drive, i will have to wait for the car to jump into gear. when i brake, the car will jump before stopping. it feels like the engine is slipping. at times, the car jumps so hard that i see other people look my way. this can happen at any time, day or night, hot or cold... the car would have been driven for hrs., so yes it is warmed up. in june of 2008, i took the car to a transmission shop & i was told i needed 2 transmission mounts and a transmission flush which would cost over $900.00. i took it to my mechanic and i had it done for a little over $600.00. a few days later i had the same problem. i took the car back to my mechanic 3 more times & they could not find anything wrong. in september of 2008, i took the car to a nissan dealer & it passed all of the diagnostic tests. i was very disappointed. on 2/6/2009, i took the car to a nissan dealer & i was told that i needed a transmission which will cost me $4507.00,i need a right engine mount which will cost $361.00, both front struts are making a chucking noise...$832.00, lower control arm bushings are broken...$809.00. all of these repairs because of the car's jerking. the mechanic told me that if i get this done, the car should last about 6 to 7 more yrs. i had to pay $98.00 for the dealership to trouble shoot, when the amount is usually $65.00 for inspection at other places. i cannot afford to buy a new transmission, i would be better off trying to by something else (no nissan) to drive. i still have payments on this car, so that is not even being realistic. i am fed up with this car & there is nothing that i can do about it. i only drive the car to work & places that i must go to, because i am scared to rely ...

With only 30,000 miles on my maxima i have had to replace 1)motor mount 2)front strut 3)rotors (need to be replaced again) and still the wheel shakes even at low speeds. *tr

2004 maxima sl - clunking noise on the front from both sides, the car is over 36,000 so i have not taken it to the dealer since it will not be covered under warranty. i think the noise started when the car was around 40,000 miles. i took it to goodyear, they replaced the struts but the noise never went away. you can hear it the most when going over brick roads and humps. i am afraid to drive the car because i feel like it will fall apart. *tr

Front and rear suspension, steering, brakes,body work, drivers door. had issues right after wife bought the car she went without me but upon looking at car after she came home with it did the car fax on it on thing were some electrical checks that's it no accidents. steering tight when i drove it and noticed noise from suspension when going over railroad tracks and driver door sagging. brought to dealer next day and the said a bar was rubbing on another they fix they said nothing wrong with suspension in hearing things is there exact words and replaced the door hinges which are purple and the car is red door sagging again but i was involved in accident end of 2008 got sideswiped by 2500 dodge ram truck at 45 mph on driverside having problems with that because body shop on repair damage not replaced i brought my car to another body shop because of issues im having and they said work was done incorrectly. and transmission has always when i drive more than 20 miles continuously when i come to stop and start again the tranny always slips bad between 2nd and 3rd gear and into 4th sometimes. *tr

Since the car was new (purchased feb. 2004), i have had a knocking sound from the front right. the dealership originally diagnosed this as a strut problem, and replaced the strut mount under warranty, but the sound came back within a few months. nissan refuses to acknowledge that this is a known defect in the car (as evidenced by the abundant complaints online and on file with the nhtsa), and has continually refused to cover the cost of repair once the warranty expired. *tr

Constant motor mounts replaced, constant struts replaced. constant transmission slipping between 1 and 2nd gears. *tr

My car jerks when it changes gears. it has 87000 miles on it. i checked online to get a idea of what it can be and saw that many other people are experiencing the exact same thing. it seems a recall is in order. also i noticed that the car shakes and this has happened around 40000 miles. also people had similar postings. there seems to be no real solution that will fix the car longer than one month. please investigate. *tr

I replaced transmission twice. my car a 2004 nissan maxima shifts gears, loses power, doesn't run. then it makes clicking noise. all mounts have been repaired numerous times. i have no money and the car iis back in the shop to repair the transmission. *tr

I have a 2004 nissan maxima se that i bought 2 years ago with 14000 miles on it. currently have 24000 miles so i don't drive a lot. in those 2 years, i've had struts, brakes, rotors,a/c problems, tons of anti-lock brake issues(was in shop 4 times) and at 19000 miles, a tire blowout and again another one at 24000 miles. i submitted my paperwork for cracked sidewalls on my goodyear rsa tires on july 1,2007 and have not heard anything yet. this car has been the car from you know where. it just has problem after problem--i get one thing fixed and something else seems to come up. *jb

I own a 2004 nissan maxima. i had the tires replaced at around 30,000 miles due to "cupping" on the tires. they wore terribly and were making a terrible noise. i then had to have the right front strut and bearings replaced at 31,000 miles and now at 47,000 miles my left front strut and bearings needs replacing, which will cost me nearly $400.00. the car has a bad vibration in the steering wheel at 50-60 miles per hour and when braking. now, my new set of tires have worn badly and are so noisy that you cannot hold a normal conversation at freeway speed. i love the look of the car, but i cannot wait to get rid of it! it is obviously not safe if the suspension bounces you all over the road! additionally, i have had to have the heat shield replaced once and now it needs it again. the power outlets are in the worst possible places i have ever seen. nissan....please do something about this before your loyal customers pay for this flaw! *tr

I have an 04 nissan maxima. i purchased this car in 04. i had to replace the transmission at 60000 after complaining about the way the transmission shifts, numerous trips to the dealership, a 200 dollar transmission flush, and the replacement of a transmission mount, they finally replaced my transmission under warranty. since then i have had to replace my front struts 3 times, my timing chain $3500, and now i need another transmission at 126,000 miles. i have been on numerous blog sites with people who shared similar stories. *tr

Tl*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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving the contact heard a buzzing sound which alerted him that the motor mounts were failing. the dealer stated that the engine motor mounts were torn , and the front and rear mounts on the cross member were replaced. approximately one month later the contact heard the buzzing sound and felt the engine shifted. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. approximately three months later the vehicle was taken to the dealer again. the dealer replaced the front and rear motor mounts. the contact continued to hear the buzzing sound. the dealer advised the contact to replace the transmission fluid, and the right front strut. however, the repair did not solve the failure. the dealer informed the contact that the ecm computer should be replaced. the buzzing sound continued and the manufacturer stated that they would have their technician inspect the vehicle. presently, the technician has not inspected the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 33,000.*ak update 5/3/07*tr

2004 nissan maxima. car develops a dangerous vibration between 50 and 60 mph. also has a loud knock coming from under the car. took it back to the dealer twice. this first time they replaced the right front strut saying that it had broken. they said the vibration was coming from cupped tires caused by the broken strut. the loud knock was less but still apparent. took back to dealer who then tightened the "tie rod which was loose. no mention of cupped tires was made. knock is still present and also the vibration is also still a big problem. the car has the 18" wheels. *nm

Multiple strut failures on a car with only 28k miles. also brake rotors continue to warp. this is unacceptable for such a new car. *nm

Front struts have been replaced four (4) times in a 2004 model. *jb

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?

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact received a recall notice in september of 2006 regarding the subframe of the vehicle. the recall repair consisted of a rear wheel alignment. when she received the recall notice, she took the vehicle to the dealer and had the recall repair performed. six months later, she took the vehicle back to the dealer for a tire inspection. the dealer stated that both rear tires appeared to be manufacturer defects. the contact purchased two new tires in march of 2007. the dealer refused to honor her warranty for the new tires because her vehicle was purchased at another dealer. she took the vehicle to the tire shop for a rotation and the mechanic stated that the tread was worn on both of her new rear tires. the mechanic also confirmed that when the recall was repaired, the rear wheel alignment was never performed. she called the dealer that performed the repair and they refused to show her the repair history paperwork. the recall number was unknown. the failure mileage was 14,000 and current mileage was 20,000.

My 2004 nissan maxima exp transmission problems @ 65k replaced out of warranty since then the car has had (4) front motor mounts (1) transmission mount.(1)rack and pinion replaced,(1) right front axle replaced. struts are now bad! wheel bearings replaced, oil seals replaced and the front end makes noise like something big is loose. over $12,000.00 dollars into vehicle last year alone? when the car came back with the new trans it still was not right ? i notified the dealer and they said they could not find anything? i chose not to pay @ last minute to bring to there attention and i was sent to collections? i am still paying the $3,997.00 plus $1,500.00 fine for isf the vehicle is on its 2nd transmission and its gone bad now as well? nissan did replace the right axle @no/charge that was all. *tr

Seven months ago i started to hear a rattling noise coming from the front of car whenever i go over a bunch of bumps in the road. in the last month the rattling turned into a clunking noise. took my 2004 nissan maxima se to the dealership (this car was purchased new in the spring of 2003. and now has only has 23,971 miles on it) and they said they couldn't hear the noise or find the noise. just last week the noise got worse. husband drove it and said it was the driver's side strut. husband looked at left strut and said he found fluid on top of the strut. took it back to the dealer and they said the same thing, they couldn't hear the noise and said the strut was fine. i have had three other passengers in the car and they hear the noise plain as day every time you go over a bunch of bumps. my dealer service was nice enough to call nissan usa and see if they would fix it under good faith. nissan would not do it. this car is nearly four years old with 23, 971 miles and is babied (even the service manager knows this). struts are suppose to last close to 60,000 miles. the steering also shimmies. the brake rotors were warped and had to be machined at only 14, 491 miles. after reading more than 23 complaints on nhtsa i wonder why these maxima's have not been recalled! *nm

Transmission problems jerks all the time from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 1st very hard and the struts sound horribly. they both have been changed the trans. and the struts and they are doing the same thing again. *tr

I have a 2004 nissan maxima. it has 97.000 miles on it and the transmission has been giving me problems since i bought it. it won't go into drive from park without a 3-5 second delay, it dosen't down shift properly when coming to a stop. it's to the point now that when i come to a stop it down shifts so erraticly that the tires chirp. i looked online and there are over 150,000 people with the same complaint. i took it to the dealer and they said they can't duplicate it, which i think is a falsehood. the bottom line is that there clearly is a defect with these transmissions and nissan needs to recall them. the fog lights short out and burn out after limited use. i have spend hundreds of dollars on fog lights, now i just gave up and leave them burned out. the front struts were defective and had to be replaced. *tr

Front struts bad from the first 3 months i owned the car. all rear and front driver side were replaced under warranty, but when the passenger front failed at 50k, the dealer would not fix it under warranty. i had complained of noise while it was under warranty but the dealer said they could not reproduce the noise. since replaced, i do not hear the noise. nissan offered a $200.00 service credit but the strut was $400 and should have been changed with the driver front at 3 months old. *jb

Front brakes pulsate violently when braking. front end shimmies constantly. original front tires wore out within 10,000 miles. nissan continues to ignore the design flaws and component failures (rotor failure) in this 2004 maxima. owners are getting nothing but the runaround when vehicle safety is a huge issue. *jb

My 2004 nissan maxima has been experiencing loud rattling noise when driving and severe shaking of the steering when applying the brakes. in april 2006 i took the car to the dealership. they stated the struts and suspension needed to be placed and insisted i pay for it. the struts had been replaced in the car previously in april of 2005 along with defective rotors. they also suggested the belts be replaced because they were cracking. i have not had the car two years yet, but parts on this vehicle continue to malfunction exhibiting all signs of defective manufacturing. additionally i replaced two of the originally tires (goodyear rsa 18") at 12k and 20k miles for tears in the sidewalls. i have reviewed the other complaints on file for this vehicle from other owners and unfortunately i share the same problems with my maxima. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated during sudden acceleration the vehicle veers to the left or right. the problem usually occurs while driving 40 to 50mph. previously, the dealership replaced the strut due to a knocking sound coming from the front suspension. the veering problem did not occur until the strut was replaced. when the vehicle was returned to the dealer, it was determined the vehicle is designed to veer during sudden acceleration.

Dt: the contact stated there was a loud banging noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. the dealership determined the struts were broken. the struts were replaced, but the noise ecurred. the struts have been replaced three times. *ak

Front struts have been replaced and were in need of a third set. with 37000 miles the dealer said this set was my responsibility and they won't warranty them. they plaid down the problem. anyone that did any research on this problem knew it was a design defect. nissan also knew and failed to do the right thing. *ak

2004 maxima steering wheel shimmies between 40-60 mph very distracting and dangerous. *nm

Loud rattle hollow sounds from front end . replaced struts now 4 times in 8 months i think a recall is in order i wish more people would complain. *jb