Problems with 2004 Nissan Maxima POWER TRAIN

Around 70k miles, my 2004 nissan maxima se began "jerking" whenever i would accelerate - which occurred after deccelerating - somewhere between 1st and 2nd gear. i bought the car new in 2005 and have had the car in to replace the heat shield and entire catalytic converter, had the right from wheel bearings replaced, and have been told by several mechanics (aamco, goodyear gemini, and other national care service centers) that while a transmission flush may solve the problem, they noted that this has been a problem for many of their customers and suggested that only replacing the transmission would solve the problem. while the nissan dealership took the same stance, they did not comment on this being a reoccurring problem - which i would not expect they would admit such a wide spread problem. with reading many internet blogs and having more than 5 reputable service centers tell me that this is a reoccurring problem with the nissan maxima's transmission, i would think that something can be done to correct the problem - and it should not be that every 2004 nissan maxima owner pay $4-6k to replace the transmission - not to mention the loss of time trying to track this issue down. i respectfully request this issue be addressed and would hope that action, other than legal, can be taken on behalf of nissan to correct this problem.

Transmission jerking constantly on my nissan maxima. the car was brought in july 2007. *tr

2004 nissan maxima transmission problems: i have a 2004 nissan maxima, that i truly love, but is jerking very heavily when changing from 1st to 2nd gear and something when you apply the brakes. i have been told i need a $4,000 transmission by the dealer. has anyone been able to correct there problem without replacing the transmission. *tr

my transmission jerking from 1st to 2nd gear on my 2004 nissan maxima with 77,000 miles. i took it in to the nissan dealer and they recommended a transmission fluid change. i agreed to the transmission fluid replacement but the problem persist. i later took the car back but they didn't find anything wrong. now at 133,000 miles its very bad. there is a website where hundreds of other consumers have the same problem on the 04 nissan maxima. the dealer or the nissan headquarters are listening to us and are refusing to help or even recall this faulty transmission. *tr

2004 maxima se experiencing severe transmission jerk. every place i go in addition to the dealer state that i need a new transmission at around $3,400. the transmission was flushed and the problem persisted i have no extended warranty and it gets frustrating. i had a complaint filed earlier with chrysler for the 2.7 liter engine sludge issue but no resolution to that either. i had to replace that engine twice at $6,000 a pop. here we go again. *tr

Transmission on my 2004 nissan maxima is hitting really hard into second and third gear. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving 10 mph, the contact experienced difficulty shifting between first and second gear. as a result, the vehicle would not accelerate for 2-3 seconds. at approximately 25 mph, the transmission would unexpectedly downshift from second to first gear. there were no warning indicators. the dealer flushed the transmission, but the failure continued. the failure mileage was 118,000 and current mileage was 121,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated when the accelerator pedal was engaged after the vehicle stopped it would jerk and would not shift into gear. while driving approximately 5 mph the vehicle wouldn't accelerate to a higher speed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they advised her that she needed to replace the transmission due to the first and second gear having issues. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and was waiting for a response. the failure mileage was approximately 3,600.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that at low speeds, she experienced unintended vehicle acceleration. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the transmission was flushed; however, the repair did not remedy the failure. the failure mileage was 75000 and the current mileage was 107000. updated 3/12/10 *cn the consumer stated the transmission would get stuck in gear when trying to resume speed after stopping and dropping 10-20 mph slower. when the accelerator was applied, the transmission idled, but the vehicle staggered in 1st gear. updated 05/10/10*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving approximately 20 mph, the transmission lurched forward and made a loud clunking noise when shifting from second into first gear. there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure. the vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer on three separate occasions for identical failures, but there were no resolutions. a transmission diagnostic test was performed at an independent mechanic and the computer sensor was replaced. the technician also recommended that the transmission be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 63,421 and current mileage was 79,319.

5 spd auto transmission shifting very harshly from 2nd to 3rd, and from 3rd to 2nd gear. *tr

Transmission jerking. this car was purchased with 64,000 on it. the engine light came on after about one month. took it in to dealer and they fix that problem. nine months later the car starts jerking at different times when i am driving now it has started doing it every time i brake. everyone is having the same problem with this year car. i think there should be a recall on this model car. *tr

I have a 04 nissan maxima i've been having transmission jerk problems both upshift & downshift between 1st to 2nd gear. im not the only one with that issue i have a bunch of other maxima owners with same issue im posting the link where you can see how big is this problem. link" http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_61092.html" please go through every post & help us out. we all have contacted nissan for this problem but no solution they do not want to take care of it. i have done what they told me to flush transmission but it didn't help & it keeps on gettin worse. i will hope a prompt reply. *tr

I have 2004 nissan maxima with 90000 miles on it, 6 speed. about two years ago all most every gear started to jerk when i switch between gears, mostly 2nd and 3rd gear. i hear from other people that this models have this problems very frequently. the nissan should have recall on this models for transmission problems, cause all most every tranny with this model have problems and need to be replaced. *tr

Excessive hard jerking (up & downshifting) of transmission between gears. frequently sticks in 5th gear will not downshift until car is turn off and restarted. hard short left to right jerking of steering wheel when brakes are applied, gets stronger when slowing from higher speeds. excessive jerking when car shifts between gears caused us whipped lash overtime. took to mechanic and found that rotors are also warp causing steering wheel to vibrate. *tr

My transmission slips and jerks. i took it to the dealership and they said i needed to replace the transmission. funny the defect did not happen until after my warranty ended. *tr

2004 nissan maxima se will jerk and accelerate between first, second, third and fourth gear. at times vehicle will stall in traffic. *tr

Nissan maxima se 2004 transmission jerking from 2nd gear to 3rd and 4th i been reading a lot of forums with same or similar problems. i hope u can help us to resolve this isue with nissan. my warranty is expired.*cn

Nissan transmission and timing chain issues. please see attached comments which demonstrate extent of problem. nissan and their dealership should assume responsibility for this obvious defect. http://www.carsurvey.org/viewcomments_review_61092.html. *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

2004 nissan maxima transmissions are defective!!!!!!!!!!! *tr

Biggest problem is the transmission on the 2004 maxima. it started with jerking, and speed changes while driving. rotators, air conditioning, tires, struts, and trembling in wheel. transmission is an ongoing problem. also, the struts were replaced, trembling is still there, air conditioning low and hose replaced. but now it rumbles when turned on. tires almost cost me life on expressway due to crack in sidewalls. *ak

The car was slipping and jerking, took it to the dealership 3 times for the same problem and they said nothing was wrong. after the warranty expired i took it back to the dealership and they said it was the transmission. *tr

My timing chain started making noise at approximately 65,000 miles. when idling, i can hear the links in the engine. according to nissan, it will cost me approximately $3,000 to $4,000 in labor alone to correct the problem. *tr

Transmission issues when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. *jb

I own a 2004 nissan maxima. i have been experiencing problems with my car shifting from first to second gear and also in reverse sequence. i have done transmission flushes and the nissan dealership can find nothing wrong with my car. it is something that happens randomly and i have been looking on a forums for nissan maxima owners and have been seeing thousands of others having the same problem. for example http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/nissan/maxima/r61092/comments/page-5/. *tr

Manual clutch failure. driving in heavy, slow, traffic or for long distance and many hours of travel would cause the clutch peddle to sink to the floor making shifting nearly impossible. problem occurred within first year of ownership. stopping, touring car off and restarting usually fixed problem. yesterday clutch sunk to floor and stayed there. dealer examined car a year or more ago, while under warranty and could not find a problem. now car is undrivable safely. *tr

Nissan maxima 2004 has a hard jerk and the motor rev up high when i drive this is not safe to drive please do something about it thank you. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that his vehicle jerked violently when shifting from first into second gears. the jerking also occurred during acceleration. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the 60,000 mile warranty was expired and he would have to have the transmission replaced due to a design flaw. the vehicle was purchased with 45,000 miles from the dealer. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 67,000.

Couple years ago car started to make some grinding noise from engine room. took it to dealer to check and they told me that some bracket was broken and they replaced it. couple days later, same noise came out from the engine room. it sounds everyday since then and getting louder. i took everywhere (dealer, local body shop, etc), but everyone told me there were no problem. i searched online regarding this problem, there were a lot of people having same problem as me. they were all saying it was transmission problem. *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

This is is regards to the nissan maxima 2004 and 2005 models. there is a problem with the transmission in these models. the car will stall at red lights or when tryinging to merge with traffic on expressways, inter state highways or similar roadways. nissan refuses to acknowledge this problem or correct it. we were unaware whenl we initially began to have problems with our vehicle. since we purchased our vehicle, we have returned to the dealer three times. the first two times we were told there was nothing wrong with our car. the first time we took it in was about three days after purchase. the second time was about 3-4 months after purchase. the promblem has become severe, and now they say it is too long. if you search the internet -- we did looking for help, you will find lots of chatter (complaints) about the transmission in these models. we have a 2004 maxima. nissan shoulkd recall these vehicle and correct the problem. instead, they continue to sale the unsafe vehicles.

I have a 2004 nissan maximum and the transmission is slipping and the car is making a noise after being replaced and nissan has done nothing to rectify the issue because the warranty is up. *tr

Prior to my maxima's transmission getting stuck in 5th gear, the car has had rough transmission shifting from 1st to 2nd gear while accelerating and 2nd to 1st decelerating. but this usually occurred only after the car has been driven around for about 7-10 minutes or the car being warmed up already. there were no error codes or check engine or transmission light, until the car was stuck in 5th gear. when the car was stuck in 5th gear, i was accelerating from a stop light and almost got into an accident. the car behind me almost struck me from behind when my car lurched forward from 1st gear to 5th gear. the car could not gain speed fast enough coming from the stop light and the car behind did not expect my car to almost stop abruptly as it shifted from 1st to 5th gear on it's own. since the car was still covered under warranty for just under 1000 more miles, i took the car to the dealership to have it repaired. they only replaced the cam sensor circuit. the car did shift thru all it's gears for about 3 months. then started having the same problem of rough shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd back to 1st. by then the car already went past the warranty mileage limit to have nissan cover the repair. i took the car to the dealership again but since there was no error codes and they did not let the car warm up to reproduce the rough shifting, they said they couldn't do anything. eventually, 2yrs after the dealership changed the cam sensor circuit and got the car moving but still had the rough shifting, i had saved enough money to have the transmission looked at again. this time i took it to a garage that specialized in nissans. again, since there were no error codes, they just replaced the motor mounts, change transmission fluid and radiator mounts. it's been about 2yrs and not the transmission is getting worse on the rough shifting....still no error codes. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle jerked. the failure occurred daily. the dealer stated that the transmission failed and they repaired the vehicle. the current mileage was 47,000 and failure mileage was 40,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. when the vehicle was started, the clutch would not shift into any of the gears. the dealer repaired the master cylinder and the clutch system twice, yet, the failure continued. another dealer stated that the transmission was failing. the vehicle has not been repaired and is currently parked. the failure mileage was 29,000 and current mileage was 83,000. updated 06/17/08. *lj the consumer stated the fule pump and map sensor was replaced. updated

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.

2004 nissan maxima my transmissions has been jerking and slipping for over a year now i have tried a few different transmission mechanics and they are saying i will have to get a new transmission. this does not make sense for a 2004 car to act like this. i did research and i hear that this is a problem with many of the 2004 i make a car payment every month on a car i cannot drive this is horrible for nissan. *tr

1. my problems occur with my 2004 nissan maxima when i started to notice that from a take off after a toll that the car would jerk into second gear. it has since progressed into a jerking and slamming into 2nd and 3rd gear on acceleration and 3rd to 2nd and 2nd to 1st in deceleration. it happens every day that i use my car. i have had my transmission fluid flushed and several engine sensors replaced by a nissan dealership. the problem has never gone away and just gets worse with time. i had been told to replace my transmission. i do not feel that this will actually fix my issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the transmission was previously replaced. recently, the vehicle had been exhibiting transmission failures again. he was concerned with the small time frame in which the vehicle needed a second transmission. he was concerned the transmission may have been defective and believed it should fall under recall. the contact would not operate the vehicle as frequently as needed due to the failure. the failure mileage was 55,000 and the current was 140,000. updated 07/22/10. *lj

Transmission on my vehicle slips frequently. i have taken my vehicle to the dealership for this problem, but am always told, they can't find the problem and if it continues to bring it back. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while attempting to shift into drive, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was confirmed that the transmission had failed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the issue. the failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 109,000. the vin was not available.

I have a 2004 nissan maxima and something seems to be wrong with it but no one knows what. when the car shifts gears there is a extremely hard shift, mainly between 2nd & 3rd, and 3rd & 4th gears. also when i put the car in reverse and back into drive there is a slight pause and then an extremely hard jerk in the car. i have taken to a mechanic and had the valve body replaced for $950 and the problem seemed to get better for about two weeks then it is happening again. i have also had the transmission fluid flushed about 3 times. i have talked to many maxima owners that have the exact same issue and no one has been able to repair the problem. i am tired of spending money for guess work instead of nissan determining the problem and should issue a recall to fix their problem. if this is what i have to expect from nissan, it will definately be my last one.

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

Aug 7th, 2006 at 15,033 miles i originally reported clutch problem aug 21st, 2006 at 15,621 miles nissan in quincy repaired the clutch pressure plate and throw out bearing. this was covered under warranty at the time and the parts were replaced as a result of my visit on august 7th. after the clutch pressure plate and throw out bearing was replaced, i returned to nissan claiming the clutch ?was not right?. at that time they told me that since i just had parts replaced it may take a while for them to ?wear in?. ?october 11, 2006 at 18,114 miles they replaced my clutch master and slave cylinder because i was driving to work on the highway (going about 50). i went to shift and my clutch stuck to the ground and would not come back up. i was not able to shift and was basically driving in neutral on the highway. this was extremely scary and i was very lucky that i did not get into an serious accident that day! i slowly got off the next exit (actually rolled off). i tried to pump the clutch and force it into gear. it eventually popped back up and i was able to get it into gear. i drove it straight to nissan (in the right lane with my hazard lights on). i explained to quirk nissan what had just happened on the highway. i was very upset ? and that?s when they replaced the clutch master and slave cylinder. at 41,000 miles i had to have my clutch and flywheel replaced. i have talked to a few mechanics and they feel something is not right and that nissan should be held responsible. i wrote a letter to corporate nissan and they are denying that there is any liability on their part and i had to pay almost $2000 out of pocket for a clutch and flywheel (not covered under warranty). *tr

Auto transmission in 2004 nissan maxima started a hard jerk when driving. brought car to nissan dealership and was told no problem. brought car to dealership again a week later and was told that car need a new transmission. took car to transmission specialist and based on examination found that an electronic part failed in the transmission causing the transmission to over heat. thus causing major damage to transmission. electronic part is not a normal wear item therefore can not be replaced through after market. *nm

Replaced transmission twice at 40,000 miles, vehicle shifted hard from 1 to 2nd. i have 60,000 miles now and wonder how long this transmission in going to last. *tr

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?

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

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving less than 20 mph, the vehicle jerked as if the transmission would hesitate. the failure then began occurring while driving between 40-50 mph. the dealer stated that they could not determine the cause of the failure. the manufacturer stated that nothing could be done to assist due to the mileage and the year of the vehicle. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 90,000.