Problems with 2004 Nissan Maxima POWER TRAIN

I bought my 2004 nissan maxima sl 3.5 in january 2011 with 80,000 miles. this is by far the nicest car i've owned and i was excited about the low miles, i thought it would be a great car and have very little issues. in august 2011 at about 86,000 miles it started jerking really bad when i switch in and out of park, drive & reverse. it also stalls and jerks while i'm driving. i notice it a lot when i'm stopped at a light and then start to go, or when slowing down, or when it's automatically switching gears, pretty much all of the time. it's very scary and irritating, i feel like the car could die at any moment, while i'm switching into drive or even while i'm driving. mechanics recommended a transmission flush, but aren't sure how to do it on the nissan because it doesn't have certain hoses that their machine hooks up to. i've done research on the internet and found hundreds of complaints of this problem and nobody has had good results. nissan should either recall this, or figure out how to fix it & pay for it. i just need to know how to fix it, i don't like feeling like i'm just out of luck and have to live with it, and i don't want to spend thousands of dollars. this was already a large amount of money and i can't afford to pay to try everything, and i don't want to keep driving while it does this, i feel it will only get worse. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle was violently jerking between first and second gears. the dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a faulty transmission and advised the contact to have the transmission replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the current mileage was 78,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk violently and increase in engine rpms when shifting at highway speeds. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty .the vin was not available. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 96,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk abnormally when shifting gears. the failure also occurred when shifting from drive to reverse and from reverse to drive. the vehicle was not inspected. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 89,415.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that when downshifting or shifting into drive, the vehicle would jerk violently. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer but they were unable to detect a failure within the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

My husband and i own 2004 maxima.we are experiencing a transmission problem right about it got to 85000 miles. we have started noticing the delayed gear contact to make the car go and very hard jerking into the gear. it happened under slow traffic . the cars are ok to drive on the highways. i have contacted the nissan and was told since it passed the 60000 miles it is out of warranty. we bought both cars as certified pre owned which supposedly covers the transmission up to the 100000 miles. when i took it to the dealership it was a day out of warranty. nissan knew about this problem and they are not doing anything about it . they sold us a defected vehicles knowing they have problem with it . i have seen hundreds if not thousand of complaint with their 2004-2007 nissan maxima transmission. i am surprise they have not done any recall on them. nissan should be accountable for their mistake and pay for the replacement. like i said we owe 2 nissan maximas , it is going to cost me $10,000 to fix those cars. what does it take for nissan to own to their mistake ? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked violently when shifting gears. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic that located the failure at the transmission and recommended having the transmission replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 82,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that she experienced difficulty shifting the gears. the vehicle eventually shifted gears and the vehicle jerked. the vehicle was taken to dealer. the dealer stated that they had to replace the transmission. the vehicle had not been repaired.the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 73,000 and the current mileages was 94,000.

Maxima jerks when slowing down to a stop or when shifting from drive to reverse or vise versa. maxima seems to struggle sometimes to get to high gears. at high speeds maxima seems fine but annoying jerks occur when coming to a slow stop. *tr

2004 maxima automatic transmission, transmission jerks violently when shifting, after driving for a short period of time transmission stops shifting and car is inoperable. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle suddendly jerked forward and the transmission slipped. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics, where the techncians stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would violently jerk into gear when shifting from reverse to drive. the dealer was notified and stated that they would replace the entire transmission at the owner's expense. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 180,000.

I have a 2004 maxima and i am having very bad transmission issues. when i take off it jerks real bad with hard shifting right around the 20-25 mph shift gear and then when i am slowing down about to come to a stop it also kicks and jerks when it gears down to 1st and 2nd. i also got a transmission rebuilt but it did not solve the problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima se. the contact was driving approximately 15 mph and approaching a traffic stop when the transmission prematurely shifted into first gear with a violent jerk. the vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist where the technician detected that the motor mount was fractured. the vehicle was repaired yet the failure recurred after the repair was performed. the vehicle was taken back to the auto center for the second time. the contact was awaiting a response regarding the transmission malfunction. the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 99,000. updated 9/27/11 *cn the consumer was informed the transmission had an internal failure that would cost $ 3,800. updated 01/03/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while at a traffic light the vehicle would not accelerate and the rpm readings began to fluctuate. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the mechanic stated the engine mounts were fractured and had to be replaced. the failure continued to occur after the vehicle was repaired. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the technician stated the transmission had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

When giving gas to accelerate, the car will jerk/jump going from 1 to 2 rpms

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving approximately 5 mph in reverse, the contact shifted into drive and the vehicle began to jerk violently. the failure occurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. the contact planned to take the vehicle to an auto transmission shop for diagnosis. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the failure mileage and the vin were unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle began to jerk when changing gears. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing and the technician stated the transmission would had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Transmission jerks when shifting from reverse to drive, bangs into and out of gear. sometimes you step on the gas and it revs up and grabs the gear so hard the tires break loose, other times it just drives fine. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the transmission would jerk, when shifting from park into drive. the vehicle would also hesistate before jerking up to speed, while driving at low speeds. the failures were intermittent, and the vehicle stalled at least twice a day. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving 15 mph the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission and engine motor mounts needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 136,000.

I moved the gear shift from park to drive, lifted my foot from the break and then pressed the accelerator, and the engine raced but there was a pause for about a second before the transmission engaged with a loud bang. this caused the car to lunge forward as the tires briefly peeled out. in response to that our 5 year old granddaughter said "it's ok, it was just a bump". it is not ok. we took the car to the nissan auto dealer service center and they wrote "transmission is on its way out technician advised replacement, ...". this 2004 nissan maxima has 112576 miles on it, and we have consistently taken excellent care of it. we have had many costly equipment failures with this vehicle, and we were told that a new transmission would cost us about $4000. this is unfair, and i now question the safety of the vehicle as designed. i see on the internet that there are many similar transmission failures and complaints to nhtsa regarding this issue. some of the complaints indicate that the pause before shifting can be many seconds. what if a person can't get the car to move, then steps out of the car to look under the hood. their car could jump into gear and take off without them in the driver's seat. the failure happens almost every time we drive the car. the failure happens when shifting from park to reverse, from neutral to reverse, from neutral to drive. the car has not yet been repaired. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle was stopped when she applied the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. the vehicle eventually began to accelerate, but would not accelerate beyond 20 mph. the failure recurred on an intermittent basis. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the valve body within the transmission needed to be replaced. an authorized dealer was notified and the contact was advised to replace the entire transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and recommended the contact take the vehicle to a dealer. the failure mileage was 120,000.

Failure of a 2004 nissan maxima's transmission at 70,000 miles. coming home during rush hour, i slowed down while going around a curve getting onto the highway. when my car slowed to appox. 20 mph (my foot was not on any pedal), it suddenly revved and jerked back to 20 mph. it happen again a couple of days later at which time i took it to an honest transmission specialist. he hooked it onto a transmission diagnostic machine and couldn't find anything, but he began reading about the defective valve (widely known defect which nissan is fully aware of, but refuses to do anything about.) in the maxima transmission. he replaced the valve at a cost of $1900!!! he subsequently informed me that this fix maybe just a "bandaid on a gunshot wound" and if i continued to have problems, the whole transmission would have to be replaced at a cost of an additional $2500 - $3000!! the valve was replaced 6/29/2011, as of yesterday (8/24/2011) the car has once again begun to act differently once it is at or around 20 mph. i have contacted nissan about the situation and they said the car was too far out of warranty! what other cars transmission goes completely out at 70, 000 miles and has as many complaints all over the internet?? no one but the nissan maxima. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact placed the gear into drive from reverse and noticed the vehicle began to hesitate and jerk before it shifted into drive. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and was advised that the transmission had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Tl* 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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the transmission would slip from first to second gear and the vehicle would also stall on the road. the contact also stated that the catalytic converter was overheating, causing the engine coils to misfire. the dealer diagnosed that the there was a defect in the computer. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the failure mileage was 119,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

My 2004 nissan maxima has suffered severe transmission problems over the course of the last year. when the vehicle is switched from "park," to "drive," it sometimes takes several seconds to engage. when it does, the car jerks really bad. also, the car jerks horribly bad when shifting between gears while driving. the jerking can be so severe at times, the car will veer to the left. i fee that this is a huge safety concern! the car has almost veered into oncoming traffic on more than one occasion! when the vehicle is at a dead stop (stop sign, red light, etc.), it will also take a few seconds to engage itself to drive. my nissan maxima has less than 60,000 miles! no car should be having such severe problems at such a young age. i have been reviewing this problem on the internet, and it appears that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of nissan maxima car owners who are having the same problem. it is absolutely ridiculous that nissan would turn a blind eye to an issue that they have to be aware of!! i have been a huge advocate of nissan, if this issue does not get resolved by nissan, you can bet that i will not only never buy a nissan again, but convince everyone i know to never buy a nissan. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the transmission slipped gears and the vehicle jerked. the contact also stated that a loud clunking noise was heard and the engine revved rapidly. the failure occurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to three authorized dealers and they were unable to duplicate the problem. the technicians informed the contact that the motor mount needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while driving approximately 25 mph, the transmission began to hesitate in a jerking motion. suddenly the rpms increased and the sporadic failure occurred at any speed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing where they were unable to duplicate the failure. the failure continued to occur and previously failed to accelerate over 25 mph. upon starting the vehicle, all of the warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel briefly. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

My 2004 nissan maxima failed to accelerate across a busy intersection due to a defective transmission. as a result i had a near miss with several trucks that nearly hit my family. the 2004 nissan maxima has a well known defect in its transmission valve body. this is published on the internet and discussed in transmission repair shops. my transmission was stuck in 5th gear forcing the car to use its torque converter clutch to slowly accelerate. i was nearly killed as a result. i have contacted nissan previously about this defect but they have not responded. please regulate nissan to provide the nhtsa data about its maxima transmission failure rate and force them to issue a safety bulletin and recall rebate. the consumer stated the transmission became stuck in 5th gear and the vehicle would shift hard into reverse. the dealer found the transmission fluid was burned and there was also metal in the fluid. updated 06/23/11 *tr

With my 2004 nissan maxima, when the clutch has heavy usage, for example in stop and go traffic, the clutch pedal goes down to the floor and stays there - i have no pressure and i cannot get the clutch in. after i pull to the side of the road, the clutch operation returns to normal after 10-15 minutes. this has occurred 6-7 times (my car has 24,000+ miles on it) and from an internet search is being experienced by many frustrated nissan drivers. though it occurs intermittently it is often enough to have created several frightening situations for me in traffic, particularly on the highway and late at night. the dealer stated they are aware of the problem but aren't sure of the cause while the most reasonable explanations online point to engine heat affecting the master cylinder when the car is moving slowly. nissan consumer affairs has been of limited help in helping us resolve this issue. *tr

When i take off it jerks real bad between 1st and 2nd gear and then when i am slowing down about to come to a stop it also kicks and jerks real bad when i started having intermittent transmission problems . it now has become a daily problem whenever i drive. the main issues is when put my car from reverse to drive or park to drive it hesitates for at least 7 to 10 secs. and then jumps real bad and then goes into drive.it usually does all this when the car is hot. the gears also seems to be slipping or jumping when i slow down from 3rd to 2nd. yesterday was the first occurrence of it jumping when going from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. i cant believe with all these complaints nothing has been done. what else needs to be done for this problem to be fixed. *tr

Transmission in 2004 nissan maxima jerks, so hard that feels like you just got rear ended. these transmissions are failing at an astounding rate. it doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it makes the car uncomfortable to drive. *tr

I have a 2004 nissan maxima and transmission is defective, i had to replace motor mounts due to the hard shifting. it happens everytime i drive and when slowing down, the malfunction occurs. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the transmission would make a loud knocking noise when shifting gears. in addition, when shifting gears while driving over 20 mph, the engine would rev. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who stated that the failure was due to a gear shift malfunction. the failure mileage was 88,700 and the current mileage was 94,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated the transmission was destroyed and the failure was due to shifting gears . the vehicle was taken to the dealer but it was not repaired. the contact stated the vehicle began to malfunction prior to the transmissions failure. the failure and current mileage was 101,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift gears properly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed the shift control valve had malfunctioned. the manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 62,000 and the current mileage was 79,000.

2004 nissan maxima transmission failure. the transmission jerks when shifting from 1 to 2nd gear and it jerks when shifting from 1st gear to 2nd. it jerks while driving and it gets stuck. it got stuck while i was driving up a parking garage ramp and it would not move. when i let go of the gas it backed up on its own and i am grateful the car behind me had already moved back or it would of caused a collision. the car only has 78k miles and has been very well taken care of. to replace the transmission it costs me $3500!! a car with only 78kmiles should not need a transmission replaced! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a owns a 2002 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk while driving at all speeds. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that a valve body near the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unavailable.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated and when trying to engage the brakes the vehicle would jerk. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle identification number was not available. the failure and current mileage was 101,000. updated 07/20/11*lj

Transmission hangs inbetween park reverse neutral and drive. jerks when shifting between 1st and 2nd. *tr

After the car gets hot, it will rev very high going from 2nd to 3rd gear. it will not shift into 3rd gear until i take my foot of the gas, let the rpm's go down, then hit the accelerator again. it will also hard shift going from park to reverse and reverse to forward gear. also when downshifting the car will shift hard, mainly going to lower gears, which causes jolts and unexpected increases in the rpm as the shift happens. this is dangerous because it is unexpected and has caused me to slam on the brakes in traffic, when startled by this action of the transmission.

When accelerating there is a hard jerky stall shift from 1st to 2nd gear. afraid i'm going to be rear-ended. when decelerating, there is a hard shift jerk from 3rd to 2nd gear. reminds me of semi truck road signs (no engine brake allowed). *tr

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 was driving 35 mph when the transmission caused the vehicle to jerk abnormally before shifting into gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 84,000.

Tl* the contact owns 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer advised that the transmission would need replacing. the dealer did not state what caused the transmission to fail. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 63,000.

My 2004 nissan maxima transmission went bad as i was driving on the interstate. i was driving about 55 mph and all of a sudden the engine started to rev and i had no power to the wheels/drive train. the transmission went without any warning. i did also experience the rough shifting that many others had complained about. i only have 69000 miles on it. the car is 9000 miles out of drive train warranty. i always took the car to a authorized nissan dealer paying g the higher service costs. i did this in case i ever had a problem thinking that the manufacture would then stand by the car. i got nothing. the dealer was not able to help. i called nissan motors of america and i told them about my situation. nissan told me there is nothing they could do for me. i asked why, they said the car is out of warranty. i said i know the car is out of warranty, that is why i'm calling the consumer affairs line. i told them that i took the car to the dealer for all my service, that i always purchased all the preventative maintenance that the manufacture and dealer recommend, i'm the original owner and that i only drive the car to work. i asked what is the criteria for nissan to assist a customer if a car is out of warranty. they said that they look at what maintenance was done at a authorized dealer and was the car owned by the original owner. i said that i had done all of this. i asked why they can't help, they again said because the car is out of warranty. i went online and read about the 500 plus transmission complaints. it now makes sense why nissan will not help us. they know they have a transmission problem and don't want to put out a recall. the cost is about $3800. is this grounds for a class action suit? nissan does not stand by it's cars. updated 05/25/11

Yes i brought my 2004 maxima into nissan dealership at 58,000 miles for loud noise on cold start up's, coming from passenger side of motor and nissan tech told me that i didn't have nissan oil filter and it not purging the oil to top of motor on cold starts. so i recently had oil change a few hundred miles before so not changing it till next required oil change at 61,000 when it came time brought it to nissan for oil change because they have special oil filters i guess. well now at 65000 miles my noise is there all the time hot or cold and cold start is the worse and even when its running, and its not the oil filter there's is no different than any other brand and it is the plastic guides in the timing chain that have failed and now it's my problem to fix around 2000 dollars to fix and nissan says it's out of warranty so they won't coverit well nissan was wrong again nissan is aware of their faulty parts you can search the original part number for my maxima and you will find a new part number for the guides because nissan changed part number and material when making the new part without a recall or consumers knowledge of them doing it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the transmission was causing the vehicle to jerk when placed in park. when shifting between gears, the vehicle would decelerate and exhibit jerking. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic where the contact was told that the transmission would have to be rebuilt or replaced. the contact did not give a reason for the diagnosis. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 118,000.