Problems with 2004 Nissan Maxima POWER TRAIN

Vehicle jerks into gears when shifting up, as well as shifting down. gears will often get stuck in high and manual shift will sometimes work. it takes a while for the car to go from park to drive while sitting still and jerks when it finally shifts to drive. gears will often slip while shifting while driving down the road from 1st gear to 4th gear. the car will rev very high and then kick like a horse for the gears to shift into place. *tr

My transmission in my car keeps getting stuck in 5th. it is an automatic with a slap stick, i have tried to manually gear it down and it will jerk and make a loud noise and will not come out of 5th. i have to turn the car off and wait about 10-15 minutes and crank it to see if it is back in 1st 9 times out of 10 it is still in 5th so i have to keep turning off the car and re crank it and it acts like it doesn't want to start! *js

Tl* 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.

Transmission failed while driving causing vehicle to come to a complete stop while in traffic almost causing an accident by vehicles following. nissan has completely ignored this inherent transmission failure on thousands of these model year vehicles. a recall is necessary to fix this totally flawed transmission, and give the consumer some sense of responsibility that nissan so far has failed to show. *tr

Vehicle suddenly lost power while traveling at 45mph. transmission acting very strangely now. *tr

Tl* 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 vehicle has a very sever jerking or kicking sensation when shifting up or down around the speed of 20-30mph. it happens very often. even when applying the brakes to slow, the car still jerks forward violently. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated while driving 15 mph, the vehicle changed gears and jerked very hard. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated the transmission needed to be flushed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was 89,000.

On feb 8, 2012, as i was accelerating to get on the highway, my car started jerking as though it was not getting gas, then it stalled out on me. i restarted the car with no trouble, started to push on the gas pedal, my car started jerking and stalled out again. very scary, thank goodness, i was just entering the highway and able to get to side of road. my husband used plug-in reader to determine what was wrong with engine, it reads bank one-crankshaft sensor. we had just replaced this sensor in dec 2011, my car was acting up, but not stalling out on me. so now we know we have an issue with this sensor working properly. looked up on the internet and found out that indeed there is a recall for this sensor on 2003 maximas for doing the exact same thing, jerking and stalling out. i called a nissan service dealer and was told that my vin was not covered under that recall. i am now driving my husbands truck instead of my car because i am terrified of this sensor going out again while i am going 65 mph and it stalling out on me. *tr

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. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 to 25 mph the contact experienced extreme jerking when going into second gear. immediately after, the service engine light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. after diagnosis, they advised him that the 5 speed automatic transmission needed to be repaired. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was unknown. the current mileage was approximately 114,587. the vin was unavailable. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly shook violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 76,500.

Transmission started to "slip" around 100,000 miles. i took it to five star nissan in warner robins ga, they said there was no problem and recommend transmission fluid flush, which they did perform. at about 111,000 miles, the transmission began to slip again, and it started to "shift hard". i took it back to five star nissan who advised me "the transmission is shot". luckily it did not fail in traffic. *tr

Transmission kicks between 1st and 3rd shifts. *tr

When car is warm and i shift from park to drive, the car hesitates, jerks and take a few seconds to go into gear. also, upon accelerating on a highway on-ramp, the rpms rev up high but the car does not accelerate as expected which bogs down the response. i have almost been hit numerous times merging onto a highway or trying to get up a ramp. this is a safety issue - even more so when my children are in the backseat. upon doing research online, i have discovered that it is apparently a function of the transmission used in the 2004 maxima. i will be getting this car fixed but felt that this organization needed to be aware of the problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked while driving approximately 20 mph. the contact stated that the failure occurred while shifting gears and the failure recurred whenever the vehicle shifted from first into second gear. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 115,000.

I am the original and only owner of my 2004 nissan maxima 3.5 se. i am vigilant about the upkeep and proper maintenance of my car. the transmission started having issues at approximately 88,000 miles. the transmission is jerking/bucking violently when shifting from reverse into drive and again when shifting into first and second gears. it is also jerking when downshifting from second to first gear. at first, the shifting problem was an occasional occurrence, however, it has progressively gotten worse. now it is almost constant. after researching this problem, i have found that hundreds and hundreds of '04-05 maxima owners are experiencing the exact same transmission failure. this is quite obviously a nissan manufacturing defect that should be corrected by nissan corp. *js

Transmission extremely hard shifts when up shifting and downshifting. downshifting is much worse than up shifting but both are extreme. when this occurs the car experiences a hard jolt. *tr

Was heading off a ramp onto the expressway when i felt a slight jerk from the transmission, probably going at (40-45mph). then 2 minutes after all power was lost in the transmission, had to pull aside with the engine still idling. tried various times to get it to move and it couldn't. went to the dealer the next day and replacement had be to issued for transmission, small bits of metal were found in the fluid which had not been burned out or low by the way. this was the second time the transmission had to be changed in under 70000 miles, thankfully i had an extended warranty on the car. it was previously changed by nissan approx 18months prior. *tr

I purchased this vehicle in 2009 with 99,000 miles on it. it ran excellent. at the first of this year, 2011 it started hesitating when going from reverse to 1st. the problem then progressed into when letting my foot off the gas and reapplying it going to 4 rpm then slamming into gear. the main problem would be when going below 40 miles an hour. today, dec 2011, it slipped and slammed into gear, the check engine light came on and the car would barely go. nissan says i have to replace the transmission at $4500.00. i have read so many forums and complaints about 2004 maximas with the same problem. 600 plus... with the exact same problems. how long before nissan honors their customers and does some type of recall on this situation. *tr

Transmission jerks from 1st to 2nd gear. wont shift into 3rd. makes a very hard jerk while shifting gears and won't go to 2nd sometimes. *tr

While driving my wifes 2004 maxima the transmission started slipping in between 2 and 3 gear. *tt

Transmission jerk. *tr

When shifting from drive to reverse the hard hesitated and shifted hard making a loud noise. it then did not go into drive properly either. it has also started to shift hard between 1st and 2nd gears. *tr

I took possession of this vehicle around the 14th of november and this vehicle has been returned back to the dealership 6 times within a two week period. i think this could possible be a flood car there is a smell of mildew and the visor are water damaged. to this day the vehicle has not been fixed and it is the 26th day of december 2011. the transmission seems to be slipping and i am afraid to enter traffic as the car stalls and then sticks upon accelerating. the check engine light as well as the brake and abs lights are constantly on when the dealership stated that they had turned them off. i can smell fumes upon starting and driving this car. i am parent and i don't like to give my child or any other person a ride because of the smells. the tires were bald on the car and twice when it rained i almost has 2 major collisions when the vehicle veered into the other lane driving 45 in a 65 mph zone. i am filing a complaint because i don't think this car is a good car. i have contacted the finance company and they are stating this is out of there hands. i have taken pictures of the different item that seems to be water damaged. i also will be filing a complaint with the consumer law group regarding this matter. *tr

The transmission shifts out of gear and pops back in at will, i've had it looked at by a mechanic who sees no physical signs of undue wear. he cleaned filter and put in nissan transmission fluid to no avail. i fear this defect will happen at an inopportune time and get me or my family injured or worse. hundreds of similar complaints exist about this car model and years 2004-2006. the transmission also shifts very roughly in lower gears, even when i expect a bad shift i can't tell when it will happen.this occurs during speeds of 0 to 60. i've read numerous reports of multiple transmission failures after nissan replaced the original. this is a faulty piece of manufacturing. nissan needs to replace this transmission with a different type or re-engineer the existing one. *tr

I have my transmission jerking turns out i need a valve body just like so many other maxima owners this should be a recall. *tr

Problems with shifting gears with my 2004 nissan maxima from 1st to 2nd gear. when placed in reverse it jerks, took it to the mechanic and he even told me nissan is failing to report these same issues with the transmission. $4000 in repairs plus.car still in shop. *kb

Told by a trans. shop i need a new valve body & or a new transmission for my 2004 maxima. was told by the shop that this is a huge problem with nissan maximas. owner said i was the third maxima @ his shop with the same problem this month! *tr

Faulty transmission, needs to be replaced, nissan should have recalled these models and taken care of the issues. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle began to shake vigorously and the contact heard a rattling sound. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing and the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact was driving approximately 20 mph when the transmission began to jerk slightly. the failure became progressively worse over time and the transmission exhibited a violent jerk. the malfunction recurred whenever the transmission would shift from first gear and also when driving in reverse. the vehicle was taken to an independent transmission center for diagnosis. the contact was awaiting a response from the technician. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 84,000.

Tl* 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.

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.

My 2004 nissan maxima has been a perfect car, needing only routine maintenance until recently. i'm at 130,000 miles and over the last few hundred miles the car has been jerking and slamming into gear when i go from park to reverse, drive to brake/stop to reverse, and driving at a slow speed (ie: taking a corner) and then accelerating. i took the car into my mechanic, and he told me the tranny is on the way out. i've been keeping tabs on the maxima.org forums and have found that this is becoming a very serious issue. i hope nissan steps up and fixes these issues, because i'm ready to sell my car, and i don't really want to have to do that. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle began to jerk significantly with hesitation. the failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the contact planned to notify the manufacturer regarding the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Vehicle transmission would not operate properly and would continually slip into 5th gear. *tr

We were driving home last night and the car hard shifted down from third to first on it's own. it was such a violent downshift the car actually turned off. we were nearly rear-ended and had to pull off to the side of the road. i got home and looked it up online and it appears to be a known issue with this car but there are no recalls. i took it in today and spent over $1000 but the check engine lights came on during the ride home and it is hard shifting again. *tr

I am a small independent car dealer. this is just one maxima i have purchased from an auction. i can't believe how ridiculous the 04-05 nissan maxima transmissions are. i bought the one indicated by the vin number thinking i was getting a good deal. however, i was very wrong! i as a small independent business owner cant believe the amount of bad transmissions i have seen on these year model maxima's. there should be a recall issued for all 04-05 maxima's. i have seen the same symptoms with a large amount of maxima's. for the amount of miles on the nissan maximas that i come across, this should not be happening. this includes slipping and jerking of the transmission , which in turns wears out the motor/transmission mounts, which in turn cost even more money beyond the transmission help our consumers and protect small independent dealers from these kinds of problems. *tr

The transmission is slipping on my 2004 nissan maxima. it creates a hard jerk right after a slow start. *tr

Transmission is failing prematurely. this should not happen to a car of this price range/age. nissan refuses to acknowledge there is a defect. transmission is very jerky and sometimes refuses to change gear. *tr

I have done some research and found that numerous people have experienced a problem with this model's transmission, to the point where nissan has issued a tsb. i have repeatedly been operating in traffic when the vehicle's acceleration pauses, the rpm shoots way up, the drops down after a few seconds, and then the transmission re-engages in a jerking fashion. this is a considerable problem given my operation in and around a major metropolitan area with significant traffic. sudden unexpected changes in velocity, and failure to maintain velocity, is an accident waiting to happen. *tr

The automatic transmission is shifting very eradiclly. uneven downshifts and a losss of power during acceleration due to the fact that the transmission sticks in 5th gear. this loss of power is very dangerous as there is no warning as to when the car is going to do this. if you try to perform a manual downshift the car slams itself as if it had been struck from behind. because these are performance cars this is a very dangerous situation. the cars are only now starting to reach that mile stone where the damage is so fall along that the threat of bodily harm is greatly increased from past incidents.

I own a 2004 nissan maxima and when i purchased the car in 2009 at 73,000 miles, it did not jerk, but the more i drove it i began to notice the jerking of the transmission from 1st to 2nd gear. it started only when i was going 20 miles per hour, but now it jerks from 1st to 2nd gear shifting to go faster than 20 mph. i contacted my independent mechanic, i had my transmission fluid flushed, and even tried the lucas transmission fluid. nothing worked. i contacted a nissan dealer and they said my transmission would have to be replaced to fix the problem. *tr

When the car is driven on the highway for 30 minutes or longer this happens. after slowing down or coming to a stop, when starting up the transmission seems to miss when shifting from 2nd to 3rd. the engine rives up like the transmission is in neutral or park. after slowing the engine down and starting up again it works correctly. *tt

Transmission hesitates when shifting up, when shifting from drive to reverse, and then jerks the car hard. it also jerks hard when down shifting when stopping. *tr

The transmission experiences a "hard jerk" when slowing down. also kicks to shift in gear when beginning to accelerate. i see there are thousands of occurrences online by other drivers with the same problems. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that upon coming to a stop, the vehicle would jerk and would not shift back into gear when attempting to accelerate. the vehicle would also decelerate to speeds of 10 mph and stall. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer, who stated that the transmission and motor mount needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired under warranty. approximately three years later, the failures recurred. the vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer, where the contact was informed that a sensor within the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 69,000 and the current mileage was 137,000.

2004 nissan maxima sl -- faulty transmission. *tr

I had gears banging and jerking from p-r, p-d, d-r, 2-3, 3-4, 4-3 and 3-2. also when driving under 25mph, if i let off the gas to slow down, then accelerate, the rpms jump almost to redline, then the gear catches and rockets the car forward! very dangerous! also while driving i came to a stop at a red light, when the light turned green i pressed the gas pedal to find the car would accelerate very slowly. i shifted to manual mode to find the transmission was stuck in 5th gear. i pulled over, turned car off, restarted minutes later and it was fine. the next day i get in my car to find i had reverse, but its stuck in 5th gear again when shifted to d/manual. i have been without a car for 1 year and 6 months now because of this. nissan knows about this defect, but will not admit it because they are making so much money selling $5,000 transmissions and $1,500 valve bodies. not to mention labor fees and all the small parts to people trying to fix this themselves. nissan made 8 different versions of this valvebody trying to get it right, but finally gave up and just put a cvt tranny in the 09' and newer maximas. leaving the 6th gen owners to fend for ourselves. i spent $15,000 on my maxima, now i have to spend $5,000 every 2 years just to keep it? that's not right. nissan you have lost my love and respect. your about to lose me as a customer. you should show your loyal customers some real loyalty and recall the aw55-50/51sn re5f22a transmissions. not only because this is your fault, but also because there are children that ride in these cars and its only a matter of time before someone is killed. do you want a child's blood on your hands nissan? man up and take responsibilty before that happens and maybe you'll save your company. *tr