Problems with 2004 Nissan Maxima POWER TRAIN

My 2004 nissan maxima was serviced every year by nissan for hundreds of dollars every year and on november 24, 2010 the transmission failed with only 103,000 miles. i am the original owner. constant jerking during shift change prior, but was constantly told no problem could be found. car jerks forward into gear just as brakes are applied causing car to lunge forward. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that all of the motor mounts were fractured and were replaced. after the repair, the transmission began knocking and shifting abnormally hard when going from second to third gears and also when shifting into reverse. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was advised that the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 47,000 and the current mileage was 48,000. updated 2/28/11 *cn updated 03/07/11

2004 nissan maxima transmission failure not going forward while in drive the car only has 28,958 miles and this shouldn't happen. i purchased this vehicle brand new. *tr

Tl* the contact owns 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the transmission was shifting hard and causing the vehicle to jerk abnormally. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the gears were slipping and the motor mounts were failing. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 99,500 and the current mileage was 122,000.

Warning signs started with a hard shift from 1st to 2nd at 100k. turned into hard shift then uptick of 500 rpms between 2nd and 3rd. performed transmission flush. same stuff until a week later even smaller 250 rpm uptick between 3rd and 4th, but no hard shift from 1st to 2nd. tolerable. driving along highway (4th?) gives out at 3500 rpm's and keeps revving almost redline, car coasts at 62. i try slowing to 3rd, then back up to 4th, nothing. i try upticking myself to get to 5th and it works. after the highway, sounds like its stayed in 3rd, slow off the line and everything's gone, you can feel it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate after shifting into gear and would also shake violently when engaging in gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 128,179. updated 12/21/12*lj updated 1/4/2013 *js

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

My nissan maxima transmission jerks while driving feels like u were hit from the back or if u hit something. also while driving on freeway it will go out of gear making the car suddenly slow down! *tr

While driving on highway, the automatic transmission downshifted and was stuck between 2nd and 3rd gear. when i came to complete stop, and then started to accelerate, the car would move forward very very slowly and then pick up speed. but car did not change gears. once i turn off engine and waited for about 10 minutes, i turned engine back on and problem went away. i have taken it to dealer but they cannot duplicate issue. this continuously happens to me and cannot figure what to do. the car has actually completely turn off on the road while driving and have avoided accidents. once the car turns off on the road at high speeds, the steering wheel locks up and gets difficult to pull over on the side of the road/highway. the 2004 maxima, as i have read online, are having transmission issues. i will never purchase another nissan vehicle.

My 2004 nissan maxima had it's transmission replaced under warranty 2 years ago for slipping, jerking and life endangering behavior during driving. recently it developed the same issues and they are getting worse. this is an highly recurrent problem spread across most of 2004/2005 maximas. *tr

I have a 2004 nissan maxima and i have spoken with several owner of the same vehicle as well as read several comments online that all have the same problem. the transmission in the vehicle does shift properly. when you put the car in reverse and then move it back in drive it does a hard jerk, before it will move. while driving down the road the transmission will not shift causing the car to slow down then jerk really hard when it finally does shift. it also does this when stopped at a light; the car will take awhile before moving, but will do a hard jerk again. i feel it is extremely dangerous for myself and my 4 month old trying to merge onto the interstate and the transmission doesn't shift causing the car to slow do and then when it finally does shift, jerks extremely hard. i have been having the problem for over a month now, but the recent incident occurring while in heavy traffic was scary for me. several nissan dealerships admit that they have been having trouble with the transmission in this vehicle. the nissan dealership as well as transmission shops recommend transmission to be replaced costing between $3,800 and $4,000 or you can get your transmission flushed to see if that would help. the vehicle is 4 years old and should not have issues like this. i as well as many others cannot afford to pay $4,000 to replace a transmission on a vehicle that we are still making payments on. *tr

Car started slipping and jerking. the transmission was failing at 84,000 miles. when changing gears from reverse to drive the car jerk very hard and sounded like an explosion everytime i shift gears. also when driving on the highway the gears felt like it didn't wont to change and when its finally changed gears then it jerk forward while driving. that was a hazard. had the transmission replace and now it starting to have the same issues. *tr

Nissan maxima 2004 se jerk when shift from park to reverse and from reverse to drive happen every day after parking for so many hours. cam sensory have been replace, transmission's fluid have been flush, and the timing belt have been change but the jerkiness still occur. *tr

My car has not cranked on several occasions leaving me stranded. also rattling sound for a long time when starting the car. this morning when i cranked my car it sounded like something broke loose, unable to drive will have to get it checked out also rust spots are forming on my hood, front bumper and both sides of my windshield. *tr

I bought a brand new nissan maxima 2004. after driving for 5 years, it has given nothing but headache and stress. it would not accelerate or would be jerking/shaking after stepping on the accelerator. while driving in the freeway, my car would slow down and couldn't drive pass 20 mile per hour, then engine died. i had replaced catalytic converter ,sensors, mufflers,brakes. and the problems still haven't resolved. as of today, i don't have a car, it is at the dealer for diagnostic. *tr

Nissan maxima 2004- transmission(5 speed automatic) slipping problem between gears. the transmission on this vehicle started slipping a few months ago. i called nissan and they said this was a common problem with this transmission around 04 and 05. they also said i would need the transmission replacement($3500). i then started looking online for a less expensive solution. i then found out this was in fact a very common problem that other nissan owners were having. i called my local nissan dealer and inquired about the problem and was told it was out side of the 3 year 36k mile warranty and i was on my own. i then decided to file a complaint to get the proper athuraities involved to look into this issue. *tr

Original owner of nissan maxima se. the car drove like a truck within 10k miles, wheel torqued at acceleration, clunk on well-maintained roads from front passenger wheel well. front tires wore out 30k and clunking noise in front wheel well, car still under warranty, dealer says sports tires so less life and more road feel/noise comes through, put in new tires in back. rotated original rear tires to front, they wore out recently (~49k). clunking sound never stopped. now car out of warranty. dealer says your struts are gone and your motor mount is blown so there is a clunk from wheel well and your tires wore out. oh yeah? so why does the transmission shift with a thunk from reverse to drive and vice versa? oh, you must first fix motor mount and strut before we can look at transmission. paid to dealer to replace motor mount, replaced struts myself. the engine still thunks (transmission pauses before catching with a jerk from reverse to drive, or drive to reverse. the jerk is occasionally violent, less pronounced when engine cold.) had the transmission flushed by dealer. no difference. a car driven 50k by a 70-year old experiences a broken motor mount, bum strut and broken transmission before 50k miles. i paid almost 30k for this white elephant. have always owned japanese cars, first nissan. oh, did i mention the oil leak from engine oil seal (48k) and trunk lid slamming (40k) because the two piston arms to hold the lid can't hold the lid up (since it seems days after the warranty expired). dealer seems to think i need a new transmission. the service specialist mentioned that this model has an issue will "rubber parts." i guess the oil seal, the strut seal, the motor mount and the two trunk pistons all have rubber parts that leaked and/or disintegrated. he may have it about right. am not sure what rubber part might be the cause of the most costly problem - the transmission, broken at 49k miles. wonder why there isn't a recall. *tr

I purchased a used 2004 nissan maxima from this dealership. this is my third maxima that i have owned. i recently started having issues with my car. it starting having trouble shifting into gear. i took this to this dealership and of course they claimed they had never heard of this issue before. they came back and showed me this bottle filled with fluid and claimed that this black oil was the fluid they took from the transmission. they inspected the car and told me they would send it to the nissan corporate office to see if they would consider a goodwill assistance. immediately upon leaving i took my car to a transmission company and they checked the oil and told me there was no way that oil came out of my car. i was also told that this is one of the oldest tricks in the book and that this is probably the same container used on all customers that come in and complain. i just spoke with deland nissan to see if they were going to pay for this considering how many people are having this same issue and they stated no. i will never purchase another nissan ever and will be looking to see if there is anything else that can be done against this company. *tr

We own a 2004 nissan maxima with 60,000 miles on it. the transmission started to act up on us and we have spent the last 9 months between dealerships and and transmission shops trying to fix it. still the car is in limp mode and we cannot drive it. we have emailed before with no response. i have searched on the internet and have found that others with this model car have had the same problem. this should be a recall or class action law suit here. please respond with a resolution. *kb

I have a 2004 nissan maxima in march of 2009 the transmission began to slip between park and drive and drive and reverse. i went to amoco and had the transmission rebuilt recently in october the car turned off while exiting the highway when i turned the car back on the transmission went right into 5th gear and manually down shifting using the shiftronic feature on the car caused the car to jerk toward very heard but keeper the car reading that the transmission was still in 5th gear the transmission will now have to be replaced *tr

My 2004 nissan maxima has transmission problems. it will barely shift into gear. it was working fine one day and then it just started slipping. it wouldn't go into gear. this is very unsafe. i'm scared to drive my car because if it sticks in high gear then it won't slow down and i could wreck. i don't understand how they can put a transmisson in a car that's not going to last. my car isn't that old. i shouldn't be scared to drive it. a new transmission costs anywhere between $1000-$2000. who can afford to pay that when they've just payed for a car and know the cars to messed up to drive. all the money they make off of selling these cars they should atleast have to fix them.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would violently jerk and switch gears while driving at any speed. the dealer was aware of the issue; however, they informed the contact that there were no related recalls. the manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to a local dealer for diagnostic testing since there were no open recalls. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were approximately 84,000.

I have a 2004 nissan maxima and reading on the maxima.org forum got me to this complaint site. i think nissan should do a recall on all 6th gen maxima owners because im not the only one with this problem. it's the transmission. whenever the engine is cold it shifts so smoothly like there's nothing wrong. but this good feeling doesn't last more than 7 min.engine starts heating up and jerking problems begins. p to r is ok. but p to d and shifting up n down on a take off or slowing down(1st to 2nd n 3rd and 3rd to 2nd n 1st)its just so annoying and makes the car uncomfortable and unsafe to drive. and this will lead to ultimate tranny distruction. so i have to pay at east $700 to get this fixed?why doesn't nissan do a recall on this? i know there's at least 200 maxima owners there(from all the forums i've read)that have this problem. they love getting money selling their cars,and then whey make a mistake on building it they don't wanna take the blame. i love my maxima and don't wanna get rid of it.im absolutely in love with it.and if there wouldn't be a recall on this,i guess i will pay from my pocket,but never buy a nissan again. *tr

Very hard shifting from 1st to 2nd and 3rd back to 2nd. i talk to dealership service manager about the problem and he told me that all 04 maxima and some of the 05 maxima had bad transmission and nissan corporation needs to recall them. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that when placing the vehicle in drive, the vehicle would lunge forward abnormally and also, when depressing the brake after driving 55 mph. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 58,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. kmj

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk violently when shifting gears. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who stated that the valve body would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 142,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk while shifting in and out of each gear. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the contact was informed that the transmission or the valve body would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000. the vin was unavailable.

I recently purchased a 2004 nissan maxima with just over 120k miles and the problem with the tranny jerking is no joke today my car shifted so hard that it literally jumped over the parking block at my home as soon as i felt the car move i hit the brakes but the shift was so fast it still hopped over the block i have two kids and i can't drive my only car because every mechanic has different answers and i spoke to a nissan tech and he said mine was an isolated issue but i've been browsing web and there are thousands of the same issue where is the recall if you have the same problem please keep complaining call your local news channel we have rights as consumers and are being held by puppet strings i mean the car revs itself ,different rpms you literally have no control on it shifting please help! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would lunge forward abnormally. in addition, when driving at low speeds, the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate and there was an increase of engine rpms to 3000. the vehicle would also jerk violently when shifting into the next gear. the check engine warning light was illuminated. a local mechanic diagnosed that the transmission and the timing belt would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 117,000.

2004 nissan maxima transmission jerking, slipping. flaring. only occurs when car is warm. will cause violent jerking when shifting into drive or reverse which may cause loss of traction and control of car. i just replaced valve body and problem still there!! help! *tr

My transmission jerks my car out of control during 1st and 2nd gears. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph the vehicle began to vibrate and stall. the contact stated that the failure could potentially cause a crash while driving. the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle should not need a new transmission because the vehicle was only six years old. the contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer. the failure mileage was 50,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact was driving 40 mph when the transmission began to slip out of gear with severe hesitation and a jerking motion. the failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who informed the contact that the transmission was faulty. the manufacturer was made aware of the defect and they refused to accept liability for the replacement of the transmission. the failure mileage was 87,000.

2004 nissan maxima se 3.5l v6 transmissions- jerking, knocking and sticking in gear. many dealers already know about the problem. internet searches have shown the same results of consumers having issues. the normal cost for replacement is almost 50% of the car value. dealerships will not repair the problem only suggest for the placement of the entire transmission $3800! if the car is engaged in 5th gear (like this one) could cause other vehicles to crash into it due to poor acceleration. *tr

2004 nissan maxima, transmission jumps and makes load noise when shifting from reverse to 1st and 1st to second sometimes. also, revs high then seems to skip a gear. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the transmission was delaying when shifting between gears, mostly when shifting from second to third gear. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. the current mileage was 66,000 and the failure mileage was 58,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. the contact stated that the vehicle would experience a hard shift and jerk when changing between first and second gear. in addition, the vehicle would intermittently experience a failure in which the gear shifter would not shift unless the vehicle was placed into manual. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who stated that the failure may be due to the valve body or timing chain; however, they would be unable to diagnose the exact failure unless repairs were performed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

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.

Have a 5 speed automatic 2004 nissan maxima. at approximately 70k the transmission began to violently kick between 2-3 gears. after a couple months of this condition the transmission kicked so bad that it became a safety issue as the car would pull right and at times out of my lane while driving in city traffic. as a result i replaced my transmission and now shortly thereafter the exact same issue reappeared. (~6months/ 5k miles) not only does my vehicle kick between 2nd-3rd gear, it is now getting stuck in 3rd gear and therefore can not be safely driven. i have been told by several maxima sources that this is a known issue with the 2004 5 speed automatic (re5f22a) (aw 55-50sn) transmission. research on internet has confirmed many instances that duplicate this issue.

My 2004 nissan maxima jerks/bangs when changing low gears. it makes my entire car bang loudly and jerk forward causing me to jerk forward as well. i have banged myself on the steering wheel numerous times. i read online thousands of complaints of this same issue. the dealerships try to tell me all these different things need to be fixed, but i know from all the other complaints its a faulty transmission in these cars and it needs to be recalled!!! *tr

I own a 2004 nissan maxima 3.5 se with 74,000 miles, and for the past couple of weeks the transmission has begun slipping and jerking from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to3rd. but the biggest problem has happened twice now; where the car has been sitting idle at a stop light, the transmission has slipped out of 1st gear, and when the light turned green the car would not rev up and i was stuck holding up traffic until i put the car in park, was able to obtain rpms and then put the car back in drive. *tr

2004 nissan maxima 78,000 miles purchased from abc nissan on nov 17, 2009. transmission jerks when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. i've had two engine mounts replaced, three tires and pressure hose. i am now told i will need to purchase a new transmission and i haven't even owned the car for a year. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima se. the contact stated that the vehicle lunged forward violently while driving and shifting from first to second gear. in addition, when shifting from park to drive it failed to engage immediately. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosis indicated that the motor mounts needed to be replaced. the remedy did not repair the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 115,000.

2004 nissan maxima transmission jerks when shifting from reverse to park and from 1st to 2nd gears. i was told i would need a completely new transmission and engine mounts even though i only have 75,000 miles on my car and have followed the owners manual for maintenance explicitly. also the brake pads and rotors need to be replaced every 2 years and a shimy occurs in the steering wheel at speeds over 60 mph. since no one has died from these problems, i am sure no recalls will occur but as an "average person" these repairs are extremely costly and disheartening. i am afraid to use the car with my infant son with the transmission problems now as risking his safety is out of the question. i wish someone would do something to help out the unknowing consumer but i have little hope someone will. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. while attempting to decelerate, the vehicle began to jerk violently. the dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. the contact did not inform the manufacturer of the failure nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. the current mileage was 144,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.

Car jerks when going into 1st, 2nd or 3rd and has gotten stuck in 3rd gear when driving, had to put in manual gears in order to stop the vehicle. also when putting in reverse car jerks and then when you go into drive the vehicle jerks again. a/c also went out about 6 months after owning the car, which was bought in 2009. vehicle has been checked out by dealership and they do not know what the main problem is with the car, and said they would fix 2 things to see if it fixes the problem, only if i pay them about $3000.00 to $3500.00. dealer does not know the root of the problem, however they want to charge for "what if's". car also jerks when you break or slow down without using break system. i am afraid for my life and the life of my family.

2004 nissan maxima transmission troubles. the transmission on the automatic 5 speed maxima get struck and often takes more than 5 seconds to get in to gear. this is a safety issue and it seems widespread among the 6th generation maximas. we have been having this problem for quite a while now and it seems nissan only want to charge customers for a replacement transmission. this is so widespread, among maximas of varying mileage, it begs the question on whether this is a factory defect that needs to be systematically addressed. nissan (corporate) and dealers are unresponsive to these concerns and it's not fair that consumers have to foot the bill for what appears to be a factory issue. *tr

While driving, out of the blue, at street speed, 10-25 mph, a sudden "clunk" is heard and then the transmission fails causing the car to stop suddenly and left without any power. if car restarts, the transmission is left in 5th gear with no ability to change gears at all. only 44000 miles on the car, but we have been complaining/documenting to the nissan dealer every service, since we bought the car new. all they do is "add transmission oil", or just tell us "there is no problem for this is normal." *tr

My car died out in the middle of the street while in reverse. when i was able to restart it back up, i dismissed it. a few days later, it would not start at the grocer. it restarted only after jumping. i drove it to auto zone for a new battery which seemed to help. yesterday while backing out of a parallel park it died again mid aisle. i restarted it and slowly pressed forward by flooring the accelerator. i backed out again and after changing gear, it dragged forward without torque. finally, it lurched into torque only to drag down at each red light. i'm appalled at all the online complaints of consumers experiencing the same problems with no relief. *tr

My 2004 nissan maxima. when you change from park to drive it jump into gear hard. wile driving it shift hard from 1 gear to 2 . i take it to the auto shop they say it's my transmission. it cost me $1900.00 to replace it.i see alot of people have this problem and nissan is doing nothing to correct this problem. *tr