2004 NISSAN MAXIMA Complaints

WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK-REVERSE OR REVERSE-DRIVE, THE TRANSMISSION HAS A SHORT DELAY BEFORE "JUMPING" INTO GEAR. THIS PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT AND SEEMED TO ONLY OCCUR DURING EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES. I HAD A TRANSMISSION FLUSH PERFORMED ($65) THAT SEEMED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM BUT IT RETURNED WITHIN 5K MILES. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THE TRANSMISSION RANDOMLY BECAME UNRESPONSIVE AT SPEEDS OF 20-30MPH AT WHICH TIME THE RPMS WOULD INCREASE RAPIDLY WITH LOSS OF ACCELERATION. ANOTHER TRANSMISSION FLUSH WAS PERFORMED AND THE PROBLEM SEEMED WORSE. FINALLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70MPH THE VEHICLES TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY "SLAMMED" THEN THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ACTIVATED WITH A NOTICEABLE POWER LOSS. UPON SLOWING DOWN TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE STALLED AND DIED. IT RESTARTED BUT THE THROTTLE WAS RESTRICTED. THE VEHICLES GEAR WAS CHANGED TO MANUAL MODE AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS STUCK IN 5TH GEAR. AT THAT POINT THE VEHICLE GOT STUCK IN 5TH GEAR AFTER 15-20 MIN OF DRIVING AND THE LOW SPEED POWER LOSS BECAME ALMOST CONSTANT. THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER DRIVEN UNTIL IT WAS PUT ON DIAGNOSTICS BY A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST ($60) AND THE CODE INDICATED THE FAILURE OF 3 SENSORS: CAM POSITION SENSOR, ELECTRONIC ACCELERATION POSITION SENSOR AND TRANSMISSION SPEED SENSOR. THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THE ERROR CODES AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH NO SUGGESTIONS OTHER THAN REPLACING THE SENSORS. THE ELECTRONIC ACCELERATION POSITION SENSOR REQUIRED A NEW THROTTLE BODY WHICH WAS THEN REPLACED ($115). THE 2 CAM SENSORS ($120) AND TRANSMISSION SPEED SENSOR, AKA TRANSMISSION REVOLUTION OUTPUT SENSOR, WERE THEN PURCHASED ($125). I HAD TO TAKE THE CAR TO A NISSAN DEALER AND PAY ANOTHER $365 TO GET THE NEW SENSORS FLASHED. THE PROBLEM STILL REMAINS. I'M NOW LOOKING AT GETTING THE TRANNY REPLACED. *TR

MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA, A 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC, JERKS VIOLENTLY WHEN SHIFTING FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE AND REVERSE TO DRIVE. THE PROBLEM KEEPS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. IT FIRST STARTED IN MARCH 2104 AND NOW IN JUNE 2014 I HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM. FROM DOING SOME RESEARCH I SEE THAT OTHER NISSAN MAXIMA OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS HAS TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND NISSAN SHOULD OWN UP TO THIS. *TR

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 60 MPH I NOTICED THE ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND THE CARS POWER WAS GONE. I CONTINUED TO STEP ON THE GAS BUT STILL NO POWER AT ALL. THE TRANSMISSION WAS STUCK ON 5TH GEAR. ONCE I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND I PRESS ON THE GAS THE ENGINE JUST REVS UP WITH VERY LITTLE POWER. I TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THEM TO CONFIRM I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I DIDN'T WANT TO PAY $3,000 AT A NISSAN DEALERSHIP SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC IN WHICH HE SAID HE'S WORKED ON MAXIMAS BEFORE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. HE SAID THE ISSUE IS IN THE VALVE BODY (PART OF THE TRANSMISSION) SO HE REPLACED IT. I GOT THE CAR BACK AFTER A $1,500 BILL AND EVERYTHING WAS WORKING JUST FINE. UNTIL TODAY 6-18-14, APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS FROM THE FIRST INCIDENT. ONCE AGAIN MY TRANSMISSION IS STUCK ON 5TH GEAR. PRIOR TO THIS THERE WAS SOME JERKING FROM 3-4 GEAR AND A HARD JERK FROM P TO R. HERE I AM NOW FACING ANOTHER BILL. THIS COULD OF EASILY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND AFTER NUMEROUS REPORTS FROM OTHER DRIVERS NISSAN NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE! *TR

THE 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA, A 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC, JERKS VIOLENTLY WHEN SHIFTING INTO THE 2ND AND/OR 3RD GEAR AND DURING DOWN SHIFT. ALSO JERKS VIOLENTLY WHEN SHIFTING FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE AND REVERSE TO DRIVE. *TR

MY 2004 MAXIMA WAS 'MISSING' DURING FREEWAY DRIVING AND 'DIED' AS I TURNED IN MY DRIVEWAY. NISSAN DID SOME MISCELLANEOUS REPAIRS BUT TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS 'SECONDARY TIMING CHAIN NOISE DUE TO WORN GUIDES.' I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT IF THIS ISN'T FIXED THE ENGINE COULD BE DESTROYED. THE ESTIMATED COST IS $1,700. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR BECAUSE IF THIS BREAKS ON THE FREEWAY I AND OTHERS COULD BE IN JEOPARDY. THERE ARE CLASS ACTION SUITS AGAINST NISSAN REGARDING A DESIGN FLAW IN THE 'TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER AND GUIDE' ASSEMBLY. I FEEL IT INCUMBENT ON NISSAN TO ISSUE A RECALL BUT I AM UNAWARE THAT ONE HAS BEEN ISSUED. I FEEL BETRAYED THAT I WAS SOLD A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AUTOMOBILE WITH NO REMEDY OTHER THAN AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHEN I WAS DRIVING, THE STEERING LOCKED UP AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO STEER. I DON?T KNOW HOW I DID IT, BEING PETITE AND NOT SO STRONG, BUT I MANAGED TO MAKE THE CAR MOVE TO THE SIDE, THEN IT TURNED OFF AUTOMATICALLY. I TRIED TO TURN ON THE CAR AND IT DIDN'T START. I HAD TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES AND TURN THE KEY FOR A FEW SECONDS UNTIL THE ENGINE RESTARTED. IT BECOMES EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE, AND I WAS SAVED THE 5-7 TIMES THIS HAPPENED TO ME. LUCK WAS ON MY SIDE! I DIDN'T DRIVE MY CAR ON THE FREEWAY, BECAUSE I WAS TERRIFIED MY CAR WOULD STALL AND MY SON AND I WOULD DIE IN A TERRIBLE CAR ACCIDENT. I FINALLY HAD TO GO TO MY SHOP AND REPLACE THE TWO CAMSHAFT SENSORS WITH THE FOLLOWING CODES P3040 AND P0345. WITH SOME SEARCHING, I FOUND OUT THAT I?M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE. I STAND BY THE FORMER COMPLAINT: ?I FOUND OUT THAT NISSAN HAS A RECALL ON ALTIMA?S WITH THIS SAME ISSUE, BUT WILL NOT COVER AND RECALL MY VEHICLE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WOULD ONLY RECALL CERTAIN MAKES WHEN IT IS THE SAME EXACT ERROR CODE ON BOTH VEHICLES. IT IS A P3040 AND P0345 CAM SENSOR/CAM SHAFT RECALL THROUGH NISSAN. HOWEVER, THEY SAY MY MAKE AND MODEL DOES NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL. SHOULDN'T THEY RECALL ALL VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM?? THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

VEHICLE SPEEDS UP AND SLOWS DOWN WITHOUT WARNING .IT HAS A HARD KICK FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. SLIPS WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATE 40 MPH, THE INTERIOR LIGHTS, POWER WINDOWS, AND POWER SEATS FAILED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THERE WAS A RECALL RELATED TO THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 05V512000 (SEATS). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME, TRAFFIC BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN DUE TO CONGESTION. AS I SLOWED DOWN, THE CAR BEGAN TO JERK VIOLENTLY. I WAS NEARLY HIT FROM BEHIND. THE CAR JERKED TWO MORE TIMES AS I MADE MY WAY OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. I PRAYED THEN STARTED MY CAR AGAIN. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES FROM HOME. AS I GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AND PULLED ONTO MY LOCAL STREET, I CAME TO A RED LIGHT. AS I SLOWED DOWN, THE CAR BEGAN TO JERK AGAIN. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. AFTER A WHILE, I CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME. I PARKED THE CAR, CHECKED MY OIL (LEVELS WERE GOOD) AND STARTED TO CALL AROUND FOR HELP. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR

DROVE MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA OFF THE LOT ON 3/3/14 AND NOTICED A JERK ONCE I GOT TO 30MPH, THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME AFTER I PURCHASED IT THAT WHAT EVER PROBLEMS I HAVE I NEED TO FIX MYSELF BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE CAR "AS IS". *TR